Malaya Hammond wasn’t just a big sister. She was the heartbeat of her family — a 17-year-old role model whose final act was one of extraordinary courage. On a stormy Saturday morning, the Hammonds were driving through Marble Falls, Texas, on their way to Christian summer camp. Rain lashed the road. Darkness masked the danger ahead. The Cow Creek Bridge had just washed out — but no one could see it in time.
Their van plunged over the edge.
Malaya was the first to move. She forced a door open, guiding her parents and siblings out. Everyone made it to shore — except Malaya. Caught in a powerful current, she was swept away.
Her family didn’t stop searching. With neighbors, friends, and volunteers, they scoured the water for three agonizing days. On Monday, their search ended. Malaya was found — peaceful, wrapped in nature’s arms. As her parents and siblings stepped into the river one last time to say goodbye, a rainbow stretched across the sky — her favorite.
“She loved rainbows,” said close family friend Nadia Salamanca. “It was like she was saying, ‘I’m with God now. And I love you.’”
Malaya lived and died with love, bravery, and selflessness. And now, in the middle of so much grief, her story is reminding the world of something it desperately needs: hope. 🌈
