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Midwest Tornadoes: Young Girl Killed by Storm Minutes After Picture With Sisters

Tragedy struck many states, towns, and homes across the Midwest on Friday when a massive storm unleashed multiple tornadoes. Following the natural disaster, first responders nationally have reported dozens dead. However, one especially tragic report in Missouri garnered national attention. The event saw one nine-year-old girl die minutes after her mother shared a photo of her and her sisters in their home’s windowless bathroom.

According to Today, Trey and Meghan Rackley shared the photo of their daughters in the tub, what they decided would be their “safe space,” with family as storms approached. The couple’s daughters ranged from three years old at the youngest to nine at the oldest. All three occupy the central frame of the photo. To the far right, nine-year-old Annistyn lies next to her little sister along with her favorite doll.

As per the outlet, not 15 minutes after Meghan Rackley took the photo, a monstrous tornado tore through their home. The unrelenting fiend splintered the structure entirely, and sent all five of the family members flying into a nearby field. The twister carried the Rackleys dozens of yards from their original location, violently depositing them in the mud. It was there that first responders soon found them.

Missouri Family Suffers Incredible Loss and Hardship

After their tragic experience, Annistyn was found dead. Meanwhile, the four other family members survived, though several endured traumatic injuries.

Trey Rackley, the girls’ father, sustained cuts and bruises, and remains sore and occasionally in shock. Otherwise, he saw release from hospitalization. The report didn’t state the specifics of the family’s youngest daughter, Alanna, although she also saw release from the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Rackleys continue to endure even greater hardship in the remaining family members’ injuries.

The girls’ mother, Meghan, suffered an onslaught of traumatic injuries. These include multiple broken bones, a brain injury, and a large cut. Simultaneously, the couple’s middle child, Avalinn, suffered a broken vertebrae in her back and will undergo surgery Wednesday.

One of Two Remaining Sisters Shares an Account of Tornado

One Rackley sister also spoke out about her own experience of being ripped from her house and thrown to the ground.

In speaking with doctors following their arrival at the hospital, the Rackleys’ middle child, Ava, shared an account of the family’s horrifying experience.

She stated, “I was flying around in the tornado and I prayed to Jesus to take care of me, and he spit me out – and the tornado spit me out into the mud.”

Meanwhile, among the recovery efforts, searchers scouring the field nearby the Rackley’s home located little Annistyn’s doll, named “Baby MawMaw.” A family friend said, “They brought Baby MawMaw to me, and I’m cleaning her up so that Ava can have [her].”