The parents of an 8-year-old girl whose remains have yet to be recovered after catastrophic flash flooding killed 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic in July are opposing plans to reopen the camp next year.

The July 4 flooding, part of a broader disaster that claimed over 130 lives across central Texas, including at least 100 in Kerr County, swept through the private camp in Hunt, located about 35 miles northwest of San Antonio along the Guadalupe River.

The tragedy has raised questions about why Kerr County opted not to have warning sirens installed, which some believe could have saved lives instead of depending on phone alerts. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt Gov. Dan Patrick both confirmed that the state will ensure that warning sirens are installed along the Guadalupe River before next summer.

Questions have also been raised about whether Camp Mystic’s leadership was adequately prepared for such a catastrophic flood.

In a letter to the "Leadership of Camp Mustic" released Thursday, CiCi and Will Steward, speaking on behalf of themselves and other families of the victims known as the “Heaven’s 27,” expressed profound grief and anger, calling the reopening plans “unthinkable” while their daughter remains unrecovered.

"Our daughters and loved ones died under Camp Mystic’s supervision and care. One child — our child, 8-year-old Cile Steward — remains missing. Recovery teams are still out there every day, scouring the river — your backyard  — risking their own safety to bring her home to us,” the letter states. “Yet, instead of recognizing or highlighting that effort, you have not once mentioned her name or the fact that she is still missing. Not in any formal communications with the affected families, not to the wider community, and not even to our family.”

The emotional letter also sharply criticized the lack of communication from Camp Mystic in the hours after the flooding. “The only acknowledgment we have ever received was your brisk phone call on the morning of July 4th, when you informed us that Cile was simply ‘unaccounted for,’” the letter stated. 

The Stewards’ contrasted that response with a Sept. 22 email from the camp stating, “The heart of Camp Mystic has never stopped beating,” to which the Stewards responded, “Have you considered that, for many of us, Camp Mystic’s heart stopped beating the moment these 27 girls took their last breath?”

They also called for a halt to discussions about reopening and memorials until Cile is found and the camp fully accounts for its role in the tragedy. “Anything less dishonors the children who were killed while in your care — at a time when their safety was your primary responsibility,” they added.

The email from Camp Mystic, which announced a memorial dedicated to the campers and counselors who lost their lives, also signaled plans to open Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, located near the former site but not directly on the Guadalupe River, by summer 2026.

While no additional details were announced, the letter said the camp was working to conform to Senate Bill 1, known as the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, which was passed in the aftermath of the Camp Mystic flooding. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 1 into law on Sept. 5.

Championed by state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, who chairs the Senate's Flooding and Disaster Response Committee, SB 1 mandates that when a flash flood warning is issued, campers must be immediately evacuated to higher ground, removing subjective decision-making from camp operators. It also prohibits sleeping in cabins located within 100-year flood plains. 

Additionally, the bill requires all summer camps to file a multi-hazard emergency response plan with the Department of State Health Services, mandating annual emergency training for employees and evacuation drills for campers at the start of each session. Camps must also maintain operational weather alert radios and public address systems to ensure timely communication during dangerous conditions.