Parents of a girl who are still in the Mystic Forning camp calls the reopening of the ‘unthinkable’ camp

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

“Promote reopening less than three months after the tragedy, while a camper remains disappeared, is unthinkable. Our families remain trapped in the deepest agony of pain, however, their communications treat our endless nightmare of a small nightmare as little more than a brief pause before resuming bus They wrote in a leadership letter in a camp that went to business on Wednesday.

The Mystic Camp, a summer camp for Christian girls 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 several cabins were in known flooding areas and proximity to the river, according to officials and FEMA road maps.

The summer camp made the announcement on Tuesday that Camp Mypress Lake, a brother site that opened in 2021, will be open in the summer of 2026, while the Guadalupe River of the camp will not be able to reopen due to the devastating damage suffered earlier this year. The announcement of the partial reopening was sent by email on September 22 to the families registered in the 2025 camp.

In a statement to ABC News, the camp emphasized that the Mystic Cypress Field Lake, which plan to reopen next summer, is a “separate property that is not adjacent to the Guadalupe River and do not suffer damage to the historical flood on July 4.

In their original reopening announcement, camp officials said that “the heart of the Mystic camp has never stopped winning” and is “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 build a monument “dedicated to the life of campers and lost counselors on July 4”.

“While we work to finish the plans, we will do it in a way that is aware of those we have lost. You are all part of the mission and the Mystic Camp Ministry. You mean the world for us, and we hope to welcome you to the green doors,” the authorities said in a letter on Tuesday.

But Cici and Will Steward said for many families: “The heart of Camp Mystic stopped winning at the moment when these 27 girls breathed for the last time.”

Cile Steward, 8, is the only camper that has not been located from the floods, and his parents say that the recovery teams “are still out there every day, tracking the river” for their son.

Their parents said the camp made their reopening announcement “without prior consultation or consent of affected families.”

“You are preparing to invite children to swim in the river that our daughter’s body can still contain when you plan” open your doors, “said Cici and Will Steward in the letter.

Carrie Hanna, Hadley Hanna’s mother, 8, a campist who died on the floods, said: “There is only a priority for us at this time: find Cile.”

“Camp Mystic should be putting every ounce of energy and resources to help the search. They are the unfathomable girls to swim in that river, while the bodies have not yet recovered,” Hanna said in a statement to ABC News.

Mary Grace Baker’s parents, another 8 -year -old boy who died on floods, told ABC News that “they were never consulted on a monument, despite the fact that the camp suggests otherwise.”

“An advertisement about a monument does not solve our security concerns or addresses our gross pain. With a child that still fails, it is not only insensitive, but you cannot invite new campers to the place where 27 young lives were lost,” said Clarke and Katie Baker in a statement to ABC News.

Cici and Will Steward are asking the camp that “stop all the discussion about reopening and memorials” and, instead, make sure that their missing daughter is recovered and “confront and explain their role in the events and failures that caused the death of our daughters.”

“Anything except dishonor the children who were killed while they were under their care, at a time when their security was their main responsibility,” the parents wrote in their letter.

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

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

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

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

Kerr County Public Relations did not immediately respond to the request for ABC News comments.