Families of Campers Who Died at Mystic Question Camp's Plans

The owners of Camp Mystic, a Texas summer camp where 27 girls and counselors died in a devastating July flood, plan to reopen next summer—a move that has split a once-close community and stunned many of the bereaved families, the New York Times reports. News of the reopening landed in two separate emails Monday: one to the families who lost children, another to the wider circle of Mystic alumni, who have long been loyal to the camp. The announcement included plans for a memorial on camp grounds, a gesture that some grieving parents say feels rushed and unapproved. One camper, 8-year-old Cile Steward, still has not been found.

"The truth is, Camp Mystic failed our daughters," wrote Steward's mother in a statement. "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." The Eastland family, which has owned the camp for nearly a century (and which lost a member, the camp's executive director Dick Eastland, in the flood), says it's rebuilding with new safety protocols. The family has also said it supports recent state safety reforms, pushed by families of the victims, which mandate alarm systems and demand that cabins be moved out of floodplains. As other outlets including KHOU explain, however, the camp only plans to reopen its Cypress Lake site, which is near the devastated Guadalupe River site, for now.

"Because of the devastating damage sustained by Camp Mystic Guadalupe River, we will not be able to re-open in 2026. However, we are finalizing plans that would allow Camp Mystic Guadalupe River campers to attend Camp Mystic Cypress Lake next summer," the letter reads. "We continue to evaluate plans to rebuild Camp Mystic Guadalupe River. Our planning and procedures will reflect the catastrophic 1,000-year weather event that occurred on July 4, including never having campers return to cabins that had floodwaters inside them." Even so, families of the victims say too many questions remain unanswered about what went so horrifically wrong in July.