Van with six drowned family members found near Greens Bayou

The bodies of six family members who were feared dead in weekend flooding - four children and their great-grandparents - were found in a van at Greens Bayou in east Houston, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Wednesday.

"Our worst fears," he said, "have been realized."

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez briefs news media on the discovery of the van that plunged into Greens Bayou on Ley Road on Sunday morning. (Harris County Sheriff's Office)
Media: JW Player

A Houston Police Department dive team began recovering the bodies Wednesday morning. The bodies of two adults in the front seat, ages 81 and 84, were huddled together. The family identified them as Belia and Manuel Saldivar. The bodies of their four great-grandchildren -- ages 16, 14, 8 and 6 -- were found in the rear of the van.

Another relative was driving the six in a van on Sunday afternoon as they fled rising floodwaters when the vehicle encountered high water, family members had said.

Gonzalez said the family was attempting to drive across Green River Drive near Greens Bayou in east Houston when the vehicle slipped backward, receding into the high waters.

The van's driver, Sammy Saldivar, was able to escape but could not rescue anyone else, family members said. He slid through the open driver's side window but was unable to open the rear hatch to reach the children or adults.

Gonzalez said Wednesday that sheriff's deputies heard Saldivar's screams on Sunday morning, and they found him clinging to a tree. The white van was submerged in 4 feet of water at the time, Gonzalez said.
Andrew Saldivar, a family member, said he looked for the van late Tuesday after waters began receding in the bayou.
"I just seen my grandma and grandpa dead," he said Wednesday morning. "They found them this morning."

By noon Wednesday, the waters had receded enough to see the top of the vehicle, askew in the bayou.
The Pasadena Independent School District issued a statement Monday evening saying the children attended Pasadena High School and Williams Elementary.
Andrew Saldivar said he and his wife had been looking for the van as flood waters went down. He said he finally saw the top of the cargo van about 800 feet downstream from where the vehicle entered.

He and his extended family--28 people in all--were holed up at the George R. Brown Convention Center after being rescued by helicopter from their Lakewood neighborhood, near Mesa and Tidwell, a quarter-mile from where his six relatives perished.

Saldivar and his wife on Tuesday saw the water level had dropped about 12 feet.
"I went in the river. I've been trying to get there since Saturday," he said. "We found the waters down. We found them finally when the water went down about 7 o'clock, right around sundown."

At the scene on Wednesday, family members gathered on the bridge as Houston Fire Department's dive team retrieved the vehicle. A chaplain came to the scene to offer support.

Two people later thanked community members for their support as they drove away. Another person put his hand on a woman's shoulder as they walked away from the scene.
The sheriff said, "We're afraid we'll see a lot more of this as the waters recede."