An Oklahoma high school basketball coach died on Christmas Eve, while the search for his daughter continues five days later.

Durant girls basketball coach Will Robinson and his family were driving in Sherman, Texas to McKinney, Texas when their SUV left the roadway and got caught in a drainage ditch. The vehicle was then carried away due to strong currents, according to Sherman Police Chief Jason Jeffcoat around 9:30 a.m. 

All six family members were trapped inside initially. Robinson, 36, died in the accident, while his 8-year-old daughter Clara is still missing as of Dec. 27.

The Sherman Police and Fire Rescue held a press conference Friday morning to provide updates on the case.

“We are going to keep looking until we find her,” Jeffcoat said.

He said a search was underway along Post Oak Creek and Choctaw Creek with help from city departments, state departments and county departments.  

Rain hampered the search on Wednesday and Thursday. Jeffcoat noted dogs have been used to help with the search. Two different types of dogs have been deployed: those for survivor searches and others for remains and the only indicators he said have come from the latter.

Officials said they received reports that Robinson had two of his daughters in his arms at one point during the incident, but they were later seen not together.

“It looked like he was trying to save her, definitely,” said Bart Bowman from Sherman Fire Rescue of the missing daughter, Clara.

The remaining family members are home following the incident, Jeffcoat said. A 5-year-old girl was found unresponsive underwater near a tree and pulled from the water. She was given CPR and was revived.

“To be able to experience bringing that child back to life is amazing. In a tragic time like this, it’s that glimpse of hope that God is good,”  Jeffcoat said.

The 5-year-old was initially taken to Sherman Medical Center before being transferred to a hospital in Dallas, Bowman said. 

She has since been released and is home with the four surviving members of the family.

Robinson was hired as the girls basketball coach in May of 2019.

A graduate of Durant High School, he graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.

He was a head basketball coach for two years at S&S Consolidated in Sadler, Texas, before a year at Achille, Okla.

His first year for the Lady Lions was the 2019-20 season. He took over a team that was 1-20 the year before he arrived and four years later won 15 games. 

Durant is 7-4 this year and closed out the first part of the season with a 58-38 win over Tulsa Edison on Dec. 19. The next game is Jan. 3 against Ardmore.

“As many of you may already know, Coach Will Robinson and his family were involved in a devastating car accident on Christmas Eve. Sadly, Coach Robinson did not survive the accident and one of his daughters is still missing,” Durant Superintendent Mark Moring wrote on a Facebook post. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time. We ask that you please continue to pray for them and for the rescue workers as the search continues for the missing child.”

The school’s Facebook page said the Kristen Robinson Benefit has been established at First United Bank in Oklahoma and Texas.

No funeral plans have been announced yet, according to the school.

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