Gracie Hunt, daughter of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, has shared an emotional message after her family lost a young cousin, 9-year-old Janie, in the devastating floods that swept through central Texas. The tragedy, which has claimed at least 100 lives, hit close to home for the Hunt family — and their grief is being felt far beyond.
Taking to Instagram, Gracie opened up with a heartfelt message grounded in faith:
“My heart aches for our extended family and friends who lost daughters—for every life lost and every family shattered by the floods in Texas. I don’t have easy answers, but I do know this: following Jesus doesn’t spare us from pain—but it means we never face it alone. Even in the darkest valleys, we hold on to the hope that this is not the end of the story.”
Janie, who was attending Camp Mystic, was one of 27 campers or counselors who lost their lives in the floods. The camp called the situation “unimaginable” and shared their heartbreak in a public statement.
Gracie’s mother, Tavia Hunt, also addressed the tragedy, revealing the family’s connection to Janie, who was the great-granddaughter of William Herbert Hunt — brother of Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt.
Tavia shared the struggle of holding on to faith amid such unbearable loss:
“How do we trust a God who is supposed to be all good, all knowing, and all powerful, but who allows such terrible things to happen—even to children?” She added that the Bible is full of people who ask those same questions — those who grieve, wrestle, and yet try to keep faith.
Gracie ended her post by quoting passages from Psalm 23 and 2 Corinthians, pointing to hope and strength in the face of sorrow.
“Some days, it’s hard to understand how the world can hold both so much beauty and so much pain,” she wrote. “How can the same God who created the stars and set the planets in motion allow such deep suffering?”
As the community mourns, the Hunt family’s words are a reminder that grief often walks hand in hand with faith — and that even in tragedy, people look for light.
