Couple charged in flood incident that killed 3 children at Tonto Creek

PHOENIX — A couple has been charged in the deaths of three children after crossing floodwaters in Tonto Basin last year, according to the Arizona Supreme Court website.

Daniel Rawlings, 36, faces three counts of reckless manslaughter and seven counts of child abuse.

His wife Lacey Rawlings, 32, is being charged with seven counts of child abuse.

Six-year-old Willa Rawlings, her brother Colby, 5, and cousin Austin, 5, were killed when Daniel and Lacey attempted to cross Tonto Creek with seven children in a military-style truck that was swept away by the floodwaters on Nov. 29.

Daniel, Lacey, and four children were able to escape and be rescued by helicopter, but the three children stayed in the truck and it was later swept away.

Meteorologist Sean Benedict in Phoenix estimated at the time that up to 2 inches of rain fell in the area, with some of the runoff coming from snow that fell on nearby peaks.

The region got up to 4 inches of rain about a week before.

“So the grounds were already pretty wet and that probably helped with the runoff,” Benedict said in December.

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