Parents of children killed or still missing after Texas’ July 4 floods blasted Camp Mystic this week after learning one of its locations will reopen next summer. “The truth is, Camp Mystic failed our daughters,” said Cici Steward, whose 8-year-old, Cile, remains missing. “For my family, these months have felt like an eternity. For the camp, it seems like nothing more than a brief pause before business as usual. 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.” According to letters obtained by CBS News and KHOU 11, Camp Mystic Cypress Lake will reopen next year, even though the bodies from the floods have not all been recovered. The Christian girls’ camp’s Guadalupe location—where 27 campers and counselors drowned when “catastrophic” rains swept through—was deemed too damaged to reopen in 2026. The letters also revealed plans for a memorial to honor victims. But Blake Bonner, father of 9-year-old Lila, said families “were not consulted about and did not approve this memorial.” By July 14, Hill County’s official death toll from the floods had reached 132, with more than 100 still missing.
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