KERR COUNTY, Texas – The family of an 8-year-old girl still missing after the devastating July 4 floods sent a blistering letter to Camp Mystic leadership following the announcement that the camp will reopen next year.
Twenty-seven Camp Mystic campers and counselors died in the floodwaters at the Guadalupe River campsite.
On Tuesday, Camp Mystic announced plans to reopen its Cypress Lake location in summer 2026.
“We are not only rebuilding cabins and trails, but also a place where laughter, friendship and spiritual growth will continue to flourish,” the camp said in an email. “We look forward to welcoming you back inside the green gates.”
Cypress Lake is in the same area but not along the Guadalupe River. Camp Mystic also said it intended to rebuild the Guadalupe location at some point with added safety measures.
KSAT obtained a copy of the letter to the camp on Thursday. The letter was written on behalf of some parents in the Heaven’s 27 memorial group.
Read the full letter obtained by KSAT below:
“To promote reopening less than three months after the tragedy — while one camper remains missing — is unthinkable. ... Your communications treat our never-ending nightmare as little more than a brief pause before resuming business as usual,” the letter read, in part.
On Friday, the camp sent KSAT the following statement:
“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.
“Camp Mystic is working with engineers and other experts to comply with all elements of the recently passed camp safety legislation. Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, which we are planning to re-open 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.”
More recent Hill Country Floods coverage on KSAT: