Collin County couple mourning loss of newborn baby killed in tornado

COLLIN COUNY, TX - A Collin County couple is mourning the loss of their 3-day-old baby girl while recovering in a McKinney hospital.

Jose and Zuleyma Santillano said they barely had enough time to take cover when they realized a tornado was upon their mobile home just off Highway 78 in Blue Ridge.

The family of six hid in the bathroom while being tossed around during the EF-0 tornado Saturday night. Santillano put his 10, 9, and 7-year-old-kids in the bathtub with his wife who held baby Aaleyah in her arms.

The mobile home was flipped five to six times. Santillano was thrown from a window. His clavicle was shattered and his knee and ankle were both dislocated. He says he got up and limped towards the sounds of his older kids crying. He heard his panicked wife too, asking him if he had the baby.

 "The baby was just laying outside maybe about 10 feet from the place it was at," Santillano said. "She was still unconscious she was still alive. I didn't know what to do."

Santillano's neighbor Debralee King says she spotted him limping towards her with the baby in his arms. King tells us she and another neighbor flagged down a game warden who started first aid but it was too late.

The Santillanos agree King did all she could and are thankful for her help and the help of the first responders that day, "Thank you for your help, thank you for being there on this horrible, horrible days."

One Cause Church in McKinney will be collecting donations for the families in Blue Ridge who were affected by the storm. They are not expected to receive any federal funding.

The church asks that people drop off items like clothes, plastic totes, personal hygeine items, gift cards and monetary donations on Saturday between 2 and 4 .m. For more information, visit onecausechurch.com.

GoFundMe.com accounts are also set up at www.gofundme.com/blueridgetornadov and www.gofundme.com/VDGJ9PRW.