Parents of girl still missing from Camp Mystic flooding calls reopening of camp ‘unthinkable’

(ABC NEWS) — Less than three months after devastating floods tragically killed 27 people at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas, the camp announced it will reopen in 2026, with several families — including the parents of an 8-year-old girl who is still missing after the floods — criticizing this decision.

“To promote reopening less than three months after the tragedy — while one camper remains missing — is unthinkable. Our families remain trapped in the deepest throes of grief, yet your communications treat our never-ending nightmare as little more than a brief pause before resuming business as usual,” CiCi and Will Steward, the parents of missing Cile Steward, wrote in a letter addressed to camp leadership on Wednesday.

Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp located on the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, was hit with devastating floods on July 4, killing 27 campers and counselors in the middle of the night. Some state leaders and environmental experts told ABC News in July that a number of the cabins were in known flood zones and close proximity to the river, according to officials and FEMA’s road maps.

The summer camp made the announcement on Tuesday that Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, a sister site that opened in 2021, will be open in summer 2026, while Camp Mystic Guadalupe River will not be able to reopen by then due to the devastating damage sustained earlier this year. The announcement of the partial reopening was emailed on Sept. 22 to families enrolled in the 2025 camp.

In a statement to ABC News, the camp emphasized that Camp Mystic Cypress Lake — which they are planning on reopening next summer — is a “separate property that is not adjacent to the Guadalupe River and sustained no damage from the historic flood on July 4.”

In their original reopening announcement, Camp officials said “the heart of Camp Mystic has never stopped beating” and they are “not only rebuilding cabins and trails, but also a place where laughter, friendship and spiritual growth will continue to flourish.”

They also said they would be building a memorial “dedicated to the lives of the campers and counselors lost on July 4th.”

“As we work to finalize plans, we will do so in a way that is mindful of those we have lost. You are all part of the mission and the ministry of Camp Mystic. You mean the world to us, and we look forward to welcoming you back inside the green gates,” officials said in a letter on Tuesday.

But CiCi and Will Steward said for many families, “Camp Mystic’s heart stopped beating the moment these 27 girls took their last breath.”

Cile Steward, 8, is the only camper who has not been located since the floods, with her parents saying recovery teams are “still out there every day, scouring the river” for their child.

Her parents said the camp made its reopening announcement “without prior consultation or consent from the affected families.”

“You are preparing to invite children to swim in the very river that may still hold our daughter’s body when you plan to ‘open your gates,'”CiCi and Will Steward said in the letter.

Carrie Hanna, the mother of 8-year-old Hadley Hanna, a camper who died in the floods, said, “there’s only one priority for us right now: finding Cile.”

“Camp Mystic should be putting every ounce of energy and resources into helping the search. It’s unfathomable girls would be swimming in that river, while bodies have yet to be recovered,” Hanna said in a statement to ABC News.

The parents of Mary Grace Baker, another 8-year-old who died in the floods, told ABC News they were “never consulted about a memorial, despite the camp suggesting otherwise.”

“An announcement about a memorial does not resolve our safety concerns or address our raw grief. With one child still missing, it is not just insensitive but unconscionable to invite new campers back to the very place where 27 young lives were lost,” Clarke and Katie Baker said in a statement to ABC News.

CiCi and Will Steward are asking the camp to “halt all discussion of reopening and memorials” and instead ensure their missing daughter be recovered and to “fully confront and account for your role in the events and failures that caused the deaths of our daughters.”

“Anything less dishonors the children who were killed while in your care – at a time when their safety was your primary responsibility,” the parents wrote in their letter.

“We will continue to advocate for reforms and demand full accountability,” Cile Steward’s parents added.

In a statement to ABC News, Camp Mystic said they are in the “initial stages of planning a memorial” and “have notified bereaved parents.” They said they also “welcome” the participation of families “as the process develops.”

“Our decision to partially reopen areas of the camp is informed by our faith and our commitment to continue the nearly century-long mission and ministry of Camp Mystic to provide a Christian camping experience for girls that allows them to grow physically, mentally and spiritually,” the camp said in a statement to ABC News.

The camp said it is “working with engineers and other experts to comply with all elements of the recently passed camp safety legislation.”

Kerr County Public Relations did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.