Officer Bailey Martin of the Odessa (Texas) Police Department was killed in flash flooding i the Hill Country over the weekend. He was on vacation at the time.Odessa PD/Facebook
An off-duty Odessa, Texas, Police officer was killed in the devastating flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country over the long July 4 (2025) weekend, the department reports.
The Odessa PD said on Facebook that Officer Bailey Martin was vacationing on the Guadalupe River near Kerrville for the Fourth of July holiday when he went missing in the flooding, which started early on Friday morning.
Officer Martin’s body was recovered on Monday July 7, the department said Tuesday July 8.
Martin’s body was at a facility in Travis County Tuesday July 8, the Odessa PD said, adding that the department’s honor guard and the deceased officers friends were watching over his casket until he can be escorted back to Odessa.
“At this time, all OPD officers are wearing mourning bands over their badges and all flags in front of OPD have been lowered to half-staff. The Odessa Police Department would like to encourage the citizens of Odessa to replace their porch lights with blue bulbs for the rest of the week in remembrance of Bailey,” the department said in a statement.
Texas officials say more than 100 people were killed in the disaster.
