Missing Man in Ellicott City Flood Identified

The man went missing trying to help a woman find her cat.

Ellicott City, Md. (AP) – A man who went missing after flash flooding hit a central Maryland city was trying to help a woman rescue her cat amid the rising waters.

Howard County Police Chief Gary Gardner says witnesses saw the man go under the water Sunday evening, and he did not surface.

Police earlier identified him as 39-year-old Eddison Hermond of Severn.

Gardner said Monday that the missing National Guard member and U.S. Air Force veteran had been with a group at the La Palapa Grill & Cantina. He says Hermond was trying to help by holding a door open as water rushed in the building when a woman approached and said she was trying to find her pet.

Simon Cortes, who owns the restaurant, says Hermond is “a super nice guy,” who was always out in the community showing support when it worked to rebuild from flooding less than two years ago.