2 Killed in New Mexico Flash Flooding Were Children of U.S. Soldier: Reports

The two young kids who died after a flash flood overtook a village in New Mexico earlier this week have been identified as the children of a U.S. Army soldier.

Sebastian Trotter, 7, and his sister Charlotte Trotter, 4, were the two children who were “caught in the rushing floodwaters and carried downstream” during the catastrophic flooding, which occurred on Tuesday, July 8, according to ABC News and local media outlet The El Paso Times.

The children’s aunt Tiffanie Wyatt identified the siblings, according to the outlets. She noted in a post on Facebook that their father Sebastian Trotter, a soldier based at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, was also seriously injured in the floods alongside the children’s mother, Stephanie, and they are receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Texas.

Wyatt remembered the children in a statement to ABC News as “full of life and always laughing,” and noted that they each had aspirations and different passions at a young age.  

“Sebastian was an avid Pokémon card collector, loved to play sports, but was a huge soccer fanatic. He wanted to be a professional soccer player when he got older,” she said. “Charlotte loved to be the center of attention. She loved to sing, dance, and make jokes. She also loved to give people makeovers with her play makeup.”

The family had been visiting the RV campground when they were caught in the sudden flash flooding, according to The El Paso Times, which cited the U.S. Army. After an extensive search, the children were found deceased.

“Our hearts are heavy with grief following this devastating loss. The entire Fort Bliss community extends our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragedy,” Brig. Gen. Rory Crooks, deputy commanding general of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, said in a statement, per the outlet.

The U.S. Army in El Paso did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The family’s two dogs, a 4-year-old German Shepherd named Ellie and a 9-year-old husky named Zeus, were also killed by the flash flood.

A third man, described to be in his 40s-50s, was also killed in the flash flooding, the Village of Ruidoso in New Mexico confirmed in a July 8 news release. He has not yet been identified.

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The Village of Ruidoso said in their release that the flash flood occurred when “heavy monsoonal rains” fell on “burn scar areas from last year’s South Fork and Salt fires,” which created “dangerous conditions that led to rapid water rise throughout the village.” 

They also noted that during the flood, the Rio Ruidoso river rose to a record-breaking 20 feet – which was “five feet higher than the previous record.” Emergency crews were deployed and conducted between 50 to 60 “swift-water rescues” during the event.

The Village of Ruidoso said it was working with the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies to investigate the flooding. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also signed an emergency declaration request seeking aid from the federal government as a result of the Rudioso floods.