A family mourning the loss of a teenage girl tragically swept away by floods almost three years ago can finally lay her to rest after her remains were found.
Krystal Cain, 14, from Victoria, was traveling with her father Lenny to visit family in Agnes Water, Queensland, when their vehicle became trapped in floodwaters on the Burnett Highway near Gympie on January 8, 2022.
The pair managed to escape their submerged car before Krystal was eventually swept away after surviving for hours with her father clinging to tree branches.
The heartbroken father told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday night that the human remains discovered six weeks ago have now been confirmed to be those of Krystal following forensic testing.
The teenager’s body is now in a funeral home while her family makes preparations for a dignified farewell to be held on January 10 in Bundaberg.
“There’s happiness, there’s sadness, there’s contentment,” Cain said.
“There are all kinds of mixed emotions right now.”
He said the discovery of her remains was bittersweet, but expressed relief that the family can finally give Krystal the send-off she deserves.
14-year-old Krystal Cain (right) was traveling with her father Lenny (left) in January 2022 when their car became stranded due to flooding.
The ninth-grade student (pictured) was pulled from the car by her father, who tied them up with an extension cord. They clung to a tree for six hours, before the branches broke and they were dragged to another tree. They were then dragged to a third tree where the father was trapped underwater and when he resurfaced his daughter was gone.
“This has been the most important thing for me in recent years,” he said.
“I felt a lot of jealousy, a lot of hatred towards people who were capable of doing something that I couldn’t do.”
At the time the Year Nine student went missing, emergency services searched 10 kilometers of farms and bushland for two weeks before the effort was scaled back.
Cain said it was pig hunters who discovered skeletal remains at Boobyjan in late October, just 500 meters from the original search area.
Authorities found Krystal’s clothing, which helped the forensic team compare her daughter’s remains.
Cain described Krystal as an “amazing, kind-hearted girl” who was also a talented artist.
‘She loved English at school, she was very good at all her subjects, but she wasn’t one of those people who excelled very much. “She was a quiet achiever,” the proud father said.
‘Every time new children came to school, she was the one who accompanied them and spent time with them.
Krystal’s remains were found by hog hunters six weeks ago. The teenager appears in the photo with her father.
Krystal Cain (pictured) was an “amazing” teenager with a “kind heart” and a talented artist
“Some of the children were less fortunate than us and didn’t have food and she shared her lunch with them.”
Her school, near Ballarat, has named an academic award in her honour, the Krystal Cain Quiet Achievers Award.
After Krystal disappeared, Mr Cain remained in Agnes Water thanks to the support of family and friends and the “friendly locals”.
She has found it impossible to return to work after the harrowing loss, prompting her sister to set up a GoFundMe to help pay your medical expenses.
“There are reports that we were separated and that’s not true,” Mr. Cain said.
‘As the water was rising I pulled us both out of the car window and I had an extension cord which I managed to get hold of.
‘I tied myself and Krystal.
‘I climbed Krystal up the tree and had a heart attack. I also broke my elbow in half at that time, but I managed to get up and we stayed in the first tree for about six hours.’
The father’s right elbow never recovered. Cain also suffered rib fractures.
Mr Cain said it was bittersweet news that the remains belonged to Krystal, but he is relieved to finally give her the send-off she deserves (pictured Krystal Cain).
Cain created a monument for his beloved daughter (pictured) on the site of the first tree that “saved” them.
The 56-year-old also had most of his teeth knocked out, had one tooth lodged in his lung and at one point was immobilized underwater for a minute and a half.
“What I went through was absolute hell,” he said.
Making Agnes Water his home has helped him feel close to Krystal and the father created a memorial in memory of his beloved daughter.
‘I get out there quite a bit,’ he said.
‘I tidy up the place, put fresh flowers and make a path to the tree.
‘Because that tree was the first tree that saved our lives. And that’s where Krystal is, so that’s my go-to place to spend time with her.’