Deputy Carries Baby Through Floodwaters, But Says Viral Photo Tells Only Part of the Story

November 6, 2026

A photograph of a sheriff's deputy carrying a baby through floodwaters has touched hearts across the country. But according to the deputy in the picture, the rescue was about much more than one person carrying a child to safety.

It was an entire community coming together when every second mattered.

Deputy Brayton Thurber | Credit: Jerry McBride / Durango Herald

The photograph, captured by Durango Herald photographer Jerry McBride, shows La Plata County Sheriff's Deputy Brayton Thurber carefully carrying an infant girl through rising floodwaters at the Junction Creek Mobile Home Park in Colorado.

As the historic flooding swept through the area, residents had little time to react. Water levels were climbing rapidly, turning what initially seemed like a manageable situation into an urgent fight to get people out safely.

But Thurber had already been thinking about one particular family.

About a week before the flooding, he had visited the mobile home community and noticed a trailer where a young mother and her infant daughter lived. Given its location, he knew the family could be especially vulnerable if the water rose.

"It had been in the back of my mind as a high priority because of its location and because of its precious cargo, so to speak," Thurber explained.

When the flooding intensified, Thurber was the first responder called to the scene. He quickly realized the situation required more help, and everyone began working together.

The baby's mother and her brother were there, too. While Thurber carried the little girl through the dangerous floodwaters, the adults focused on gathering essential supplies, including oxygen equipment the infant depended on.

"We all worked together," Thurber said. "Deputies, the mother, her brother, everybody, to just act quickly, get supplies, get critical things moving out that door."

There was no time for elaborate plans. They simply had to trust one another and move.

"You take the child and you say, 'All right, I am going to be confident in my sure footedness, and we're just going to go,'" Thurber recalled.

And that's exactly what they did.

The baby and her family were eventually taken to a regional evacuation center, where they were safe.

Since the photograph went viral, many people have called Thurber a hero. But he sees something much bigger when he looks at the image.

"I think that that photo is a perfect, perfect distillation of everything that everybody's been doing in this community for the past few days and weeks," he said.

He pointed out that the photograph represents only a small part of the extraordinary response happening throughout La Plata County.

Behind the scenes, first responders have been working through the night in dangerous conditions. Volunteers have been delivering supplies, bringing clean water, helping neighbors and making sure residents with special needs aren't overlooked.

"There's no way we would be able to have been as effective, even as we have been thus far without all of these people out there pushing shovels and bringing clean water and identifying who might need special help," Thurber said. "It's been an amazing effort."

The flooding has left significant damage to homes and infrastructure, but Thurber believes the strength of the community will help carry everyone through the difficult days ahead.

"It's been a blessing to be able to see just how tight-knit the community is, how caring they are for one another, how resilient they are," he said.

And then he offered a line that perfectly captures the spirit of the people he serves:

"I would say La Plata County is still undefeated."

It's easy to look at a photograph like this and see one heroic moment. But sometimes, the most powerful part of a story is everything happening outside the frame.

A deputy carrying a baby. A mother gathering the supplies her child needs. Neighbors helping neighbors. Volunteers showing up wherever they're needed.

That's what a community looks like when people refuse to leave one another behind.