Fact check: What were the circumstances surrounding the 3 girls being found alive under a tree in Texas?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal that there were no actual circumstances surrounding 3 girls being found alive under a tree in Texas because this event never occurred. Multiple fact-checking sources confirm that this story is completely fabricated.

Snopes explicitly states that the story of three girls being found alive in a hollow tree after the 2025 Texas floods is false, identifying it as a work of fiction generated using artificial intelligence (AI) and designed to attract clicks and advertising revenue on unreliable websites ^[1].

A related but separate false story involved two girls allegedly found alive in a tree near Comfort, Texas, which was confirmed by the Kerr County Sheriff to be "100% inaccurate" ^[2]. This misinformation spread through social media and was reported by some news outlets before being retracted ^[3].

The remaining sources focused on legitimate Texas flood coverage and missing persons cases but provided no information supporting the existence of any incident involving girls found alive under trees ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question assumes the existence of an event that never happened, missing crucial context about the proliferation of AI-generated fake news stories designed for financial gain. The analyses reveal that:

• Unreliable websites benefit financially from creating and spreading these fabricated stories through advertising revenue ^[1]
• Social media platforms and news outlets that initially reported the false story without verification contributed to its spread ^[3]
• The emotional nature of flood disasters makes people more susceptible to believing and sharing unverified rescue stories ^[3]

The question also lacks context about legitimate Texas flood response efforts and actual missing persons cases that were occurring during this period ^{[7] [8]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains inherent misinformation by treating a completely fabricated story as factual. By asking about "circumstances" surrounding the event, it presupposes that the incident actually occurred, which amplifies the false narrative.

This type of questioning demonstrates how AI-generated fake news can become embedded in public discourse when people accept fabricated stories as real events requiring explanation ^[1]. The question inadvertently perpetuates the very misinformation that was designed to generate clicks and revenue for unreliable websites ^[1].

The framing also shows confirmation bias - seeking details about an assumed event rather than first verifying whether the event actually happened, which is exactly how false hopes and misinformation spread during emotionally charged news events ^[3].