Camp Mystic plans to reopen after flooding killed 27 people – and one girl’s body has yet to be found

By Holly Yan, Pamela Brown, CNN

(CNN) — Two months after catastrophic flooding killed 27 girls and counselors at Camp Mystic, the famed Texas camp plans to reopen – shocking some family members who still don’t know where their loved one is.

“The truth is, Camp Mystic failed our daughters,” CiCi Steward, whose 8-year-old daughter Cile remains missing, said in a statement to The New York Times.

“For the camp, it seems like nothing more than a brief pause before business as usual,” she said. “Camp Mystic is pressing ahead with reopening, even if it means inviting girls to swim in the same river that may potentially still hold my daughter’s body.”

More than two dozen girls and counselors died after torrential rainfall and cataclysmic flooding ripped through parts of the camp in the predawn hours of July 4. Many of the youngest victims were housed in cabins closest to the river.

Richard “Dick” Eastland, who co-owned the camp with his wife Tweety, died while he was trying to save some of the girls, a family spokesperson has said.

Now, Camp Mystic plans to partially reopen next summer, which marks the camp’s 100th anniversary.

“As we work to finalize plans, we will do so in a way that is mindful of those we have lost,” the owners said in one of two emails to the camp community.

The camp consists of two parts. The older portion, called Camp Mystic Guadalupe River, is downhill and close to the river. A more recent expansion, Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, sits farther uphill – and was spared the enormous loss of life at the lower-lying campsite.

“Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, which sustained no damage from floodwaters, will be opening in Summer 2026,” Camp Mystic’s owners wrote in an email to families.

“Because of the immense damage it sustained, Camp Mystic Guadalupe River will not be re-opening for Summer 2026.”

Families ‘are living an ongoing nightmare’

The agony is still fresh for Katie and Clarke Baker, whose 8-year-old daughter Mary Grace perished in the flooding.

“Our families are living an ongoing nightmare,” the Bakers said in a statement to CNN. “Less than three months after 27 girls lost their lives — under circumstances we believe were preventable — Camp Mystic is already announcing plans to reopen.”

The couple echoed Steward’s belief that the camp should not reopen while Cile remains missing.

“Until Cile is found and clear safety changes are formalized, Camp Mystic should not be talking about returning to ‘business as usual,’” the Bakers said.

Widespread grief leads to new laws

The catastrophic flooding that engulfed parts of Camp Mystic killed at least 136 people across Texas’ fabled Hill Country.

Parts of the Guadalupe River rose from about 3 feet to almost 30 feet in just 45 minutes.

Most of the victims died in Kerr County, where county leaders were asleep or unavailable during the height of the disaster.

Michael McCown, whose 8-year-old daughter Linnie died at Camp Mystic, was among the parents who urged lawmakers to take action.

“It will hurt my family forever that, for reasons I still do not know, these protections were not in place nor thought out thoroughly for my daughter and the rest of the girls here,” he told The Associated Press in August.

This month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed tougher camp safety laws that require “local governments in flood-prone areas to install outdoor siren and warning systems,” Abbott said.

In addition, camps must “install and maintain emergency alert systems, train staff on evacuation routes and procedures … develop emergency plans, require cabins to be located away from flood plains, (and) be able to communicate with campers and staff during emergencies,” the governor said.

Before Camp Mystic Cypress Lake reopens next summer, the camp is “working to implement new safety protocols and other changes that comply” with the new requirements, the owners said.

As for the more devastated part of the camp, “We continue to evaluate plans to rebuild Camp Mystic Guadalupe River,” the owners said. If or when it does reopen, campers will never return to any cabins “that had floodwaters inside them.”

‘Friendship and spiritual growth will continue to flourish’

For generations, girls have traveled from across the US and even internationally to attend Camp Mystic. Some of those girls later became mothers and sent their own daughters to the beloved camp.

But after the unfathomable tragedy this summer, Camp Mystic acknowledged that it has lost the support of some families.

“We are sorry that we have not been perfect at communicating, and we know that,” the Eastlands said in its email to families.

“The distance that has grown between some of us saddens us all, and we are here to communicate with you as much as you desire while respecting each of your individual needs.”

The camp said it will build a memorial honoring the victims.

“In the memorial’s design, we will strive to capture the beauty, kindness and grace they all shared, while focusing on the joy they carried and will always inspire in us all,” the camp said.

“We are not only rebuilding cabins and trails, but also a place where laughter, friendship and spiritual growth will continue to flourish.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Shoshana Dubnow and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

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