Camp Mystic in Texas is a Christian summer camp that has been around for nearly a century and has been a beloved part of summer for thousands of girls. At the camp, set on the banks of the Guadalupe River, girls look forward to spending the summer with their friends each year. They enjoy typical camping activities such as canoeing and horseback riding while enjoying the outdoors. No one could have ever anticipated the horrific flood that washed away much of the camp on July 4, 2025.
Officials have confirmed that 27 campers and counselors died in the Camp Mystic flood along with the camp’s owner, Richard Eastland. Officials are still searching for missing campers, holding out hope that they’re still alive.
Central Texas experienced heavy and persistent rain during the overnight hours of July 3 and 4, KXAN reported. Kerry County, home of Camp Mystic, received more than 10 inches. The drenching rain caused the Guadalupe River to rise to 23.4 feet by 4:30 a.m. on July 4.
According to the New York Post, at least 80 people have died in the flood, including 68 in Kerr County alone. Per the Post, campers Lila Bonner, 9, Janie Hunt, 9, Sarah Marsh, 8, Eloise Peck, 8, and Renee Smajstrla, 9, lost their lives in the flood. A post on X also confirmed the death of 9-year-old Lainey Landry. A separate X post confirmed the death of camp counselor Chloe Childress.
The families of the missing girls remain hopeful they are alive. Anne Margaret Bellows, 8; Cile Steward, 8; Wynne Naylor, 8; Margaret Sheedy, age unknown; Molly DeWitt, 9; Blakely McCrory, 8; Mary Grace Baker, 8; Greta Toranzo, 10; Virginia Hollis, age unknown, Linnie McCown, 8; Kellyanne Lytal, age unknown; and Hadley Hanna, 8, remain unaccounted for.
State officials and local authorities have vowed to work until they find every missing camper.
“My instruction to every state agency involved in this is to assume everybody who is missing is alive, and there’s a need for speed,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference. “Not just every hour. Every minute counts. Which is why those people in the air, people in the water, people on the ground right now, because they’re looking to save every last life. And we will not give up that effort to what was the other side as well.”
George Eastland, the grandson of Camp Mystic’s owner, shared a touching tribute to his grandfather on Instagram.
“If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for. That’s the man my grandfather was. A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to thousands of young women, he no longer walks this earth, but his impact will never leave the lives he touched,” he wrote in his post. “I’m proud to have made you a grandfather Daddy Dicky, but blessed that you made me the man I am today.”
Camp Mystic released a statement on its website expressing profound sadness.
Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly.
We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.
We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level.
We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us.
