Parents of Missing Camp Mystic Camper Condemn Reopening Plans Amid Ongoing Search
HUNT, Texas — Nearly seven months after catastrophic flash flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country and devastated Camp Mystic, the grief and anguish of the Stewards — parents of 8-year-old Cile Steward, a camper who remains missing — are far from over. Cile’s family and other victims’ loved ones are sounding off against plans by the camp’s leadership to partially reopen for summer 2026, calling the decision “unthinkable” while search teams still comb the Guadalupe River area where Cile vanished.
The tragedy at Camp Mystic unfolded on July 4, 2025, during intense and sudden weather that caused flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas. Waters from the Guadalupe River surged through the low-lying campgrounds where 27 campers and counselors were killed, and Cile Steward’s body has not been recovered despite extensive recovery efforts.
Since then, the Stewards — CiCi and Will Steward — describe every day as a “never-ending nightmare.” In a heartbreaking letter sent to camp administrators and made public through local media, they wrote that reopening part of Camp Mystic “less than three months after the tragedy — while one camper remains missing — is unthinkable.”
An Ongoing Search for Cile — and a Community in Mourning
Cile Steward was at Camp Mystic for what was supposed to be a joyful, month-long summer experience — part of a long tradition in her family that included her mother, aunt, grandmother, and cousins attending and serving at the all-girls Christian camp.
But on that July morning, violent floodwaters swept across cabins near the Guadalupe River, trapping campers and leaving chaos in their wake. While dozens of families received confirmation of their daughters’ deaths, the Stewards continue to live with uncertainty because Cile’s body has not yet been found — prolonging their pain and preventing the closure that funerals and recovery typically provide.
In their letter, the parents sharply criticized Camp Mystic’s leadership for failing to fully acknowledge that Cile is still unaccounted for, writing that the camp’s communications have “treated our never-ending nightmare as little more than a brief pause before resuming business as usual.”
Reopening Sparks Outrage and Painful Dialogue
Camp Mystic’s decision to reopen portions of the camp for summer 2026 has ignited fierce backlash from families, especially the Stewards. According to the letter, the camp plans to operate its Cypress Lake location, which was not directly damaged by the floods and sits on higher ground, as an initial reopening site — while the original Guadalupe River grounds that bore the brunt of the catastrophic flooding remain closed.
Despite assurances that the “heart” of the camp endures and that safety improvements will be incorporated, many parents see the announcement as insensitive or premature. “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,” CiCi and Will Steward wrote in their letter.
Other families of victims who lost young girls in the flood joined in criticizing the reopening announcement, with some calling it “insensitive” and underscoring that Camp Mystic’s messaging has failed to center the ongoing search for Cile even as they move ahead with enrollment and promotional messages.
Legal Action and Calls for Accountability
Legal fallout has also followed the tragedy. The Stewards — joined by other families — have taken legal action against Camp Mystic’s owners, the Eastland family, alleging negligence, insufficient safety measures and failures to adequately respond to flooding warnings. Their lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, arguing that the camp’s leadership put young lives at risk by not prioritizing evacuation and safety before it was too late.
In their complaint, the Stewards describe how Cile and other campers tried to flee on an inflatable mattress, but strong currents overwhelmed her before she could reach safety. “She almost makes it — but the current is too strong,” the lawsuit reads, highlighting the heartbreaking details of Cile’s disappearance.
Reopening Defense and Camp Statements
Camp Mystic has defended its decision to partially reopen and assert that it is implementing stronger safety protocols in compliance with new state legislation — known as the “Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act” — passed earlier in response to the flood’s devastation. The authors of the bill sought to improve youth camp preparedness for emergencies, including requiring evacuations, weather alert systems, radio communication, and evacuation route planning.
In its communications, Camp Mystic also outlined plans to build a memorial for the children and counselors who died during the floods, an acknowledgment that their lives and the tragedy will not be forgotten. However, families like the Stewards argue that efforts should remain focused on finding Cile before any memorials or reopening celebrations take place.
The Broader Impact: Grief, Healing and Safety Reform
The catastrophe at Camp Mystic did more than take lives: it sparked legislative action, community grief, and national conversation about camp safety standards and disaster preparedness. Parents of victims testified before the Texas Legislature, pushing for stronger safety requirements that would prevent future tragedies at summer camps.
Families and advocates have worked tirelessly to ensure that the deaths at Camp Mystic — and the continued disappearance of Cile Steward — translate into meaningful systemic change. Their advocacy underscores how personal loss can intersect with policy and how communities might ensure that similar tragedies never happen again.
For the Stewards, however, the fight is deeply personal: “My baby girl is still missing,” a family member said in an emotional interview with local news outlets — a sentiment that echoes the daily reality for parents who have yet to find their child’s remains or secure closure.
