Everything changed in Hunt, Texas, on the morning of July 4, 2025. One minute, hundreds of girls were asleep in their cabins, dreaming about the next day’s Independence Day festivities. The next, a thirty-foot wall of water was tearing through the banks of the Guadalupe River.
It was a nightmare.
If you’ve been following the news or scrolling through frantic social media threads lately, you've probably seen the question: how many girls from camp mystic are still missing right now? Honestly, the numbers have been a moving target for months, shifting between "unaccounted for" and "confirmed deceased" as recovery teams combed through miles of river debris.
Here is the reality of the situation as of early 2026.
The Current Count of Missing and Lost
Let’s get straight to the numbers because people deserve clarity. At the height of the chaos, officials were reporting upwards of 27 girls missing. It was terrifying. Parents were driving from Dallas and Houston, standing on the edge of washed-out roads, just waiting for a name.
As of today, the official count from the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office and state recovery teams has stabilized, though the news remains grim. Five girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic are still officially listed as missing. While the initial "missing" list was much longer, most of those cases were tragically resolved. To date, 27 lives were lost at Camp Mystic alone—a staggering figure that includes 25 campers, two counselors, and the camp’s long-time executive director, Richard "Dick" Eastland.
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Wait. Why are some still "missing" after all this time?
Basically, the Guadalupe River didn't just flood; it transformed the landscape. We’re talking about massive cypress trees uprooted and piled into "strainers" that are thirty feet high. Search teams have used drones, sonar, and cadaver dogs for months, but the sheer volume of debris means some may never be recovered. It’s a haunting reality for the families still waiting for that final phone call.
What Really Happened That Night?
You might wonder how a historic camp—one that’s been around since 1926—could be caught so off guard. The Guadalupe River is known for flash floods, but this was different.
The river rose 26 feet in less than an hour.
Think about that. That's the height of a two-story building appearing in your yard in the time it takes to watch a sitcom. Most of the girls who are still missing or were lost were staying in the "Bubble Inn" cabin. This was one of the lowest-lying areas of the camp.
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A Timeline of Confusion
- 1:14 AM: The National Weather Service issues a flash flood warning.
- 2:30 AM: Evacuations finally begin at the camp, but the water is already aggressive.
- 3:57 AM: The first 911 call from a stranded counselor reaches dispatchers.
- Dawn: The Guadalupe site is described by first responders as "completely in ruin."
There’s been a lot of talk about why it took over an hour to start moving the kids. Some reports suggest the camp was following an older emergency plan that advised "sheltering in place" for certain cabins. That decision is now at the center of several massive lawsuits filed by grieving families in late 2025.
Why the "Missing" Number Keeps Changing in the Media
If you’re confused by different numbers on TikTok versus the evening news, you’re not alone. In the first 48 hours, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick mentioned 23 girls were unaccounted for. Then the Sheriff said 10.
Kinda chaotic, right?
The reason for the discrepancy was communication. Camp Mystic is a "no-phone" camp. When the power went out and the roads washed away, counselors couldn't just call parents. Hundreds of girls were evacuated to an elementary school in Ingram, but until every face was matched to a roster, they were all technically "missing."
Most were found safe. They were just stranded on high ground without a way to tell the world they were okay. But for the families of those final five, the silence never ended.
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The Legal and Safety Fallout
This hasn't just stayed a local tragedy. It’s become a massive political firestorm in Austin.
Recently, the Texas Legislature moved forward with Senate Bill 1, which they’ve nicknamed Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act. It’s basically designed to make sure this never happens again. The law will require every summer camp in Texas to have a real-time connection to the National Weather Service and an "immediate evacuation" trigger for flood-plain cabins.
No more "wait and see." No more sheltering in place when the river is rising.
Misconceptions You Should Know
- "The camp had no plan": Actually, they did. They had passed a state inspection just two days before. The problem was the plan itself—it didn't account for a "thousand-year flood" event.
- "All the girls were swept away": Most of the 750 campers were evacuated safely. The tragedy was concentrated in specific cabins near the riverbank.
- "Search efforts have stopped": They haven't. While the "active rescue" phase ended weeks after the flood, the "recovery" phase continues. Local volunteers still walk the banks whenever the water level drops.
What to Do if You Want to Help
Honestly, the best thing you can do isn't to spread rumors on social media. The families of the missing girls are still going through an unimaginable limbo.
If you want to take action, focus on these areas:
- Support the Recovery Teams: Organizations like TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue) were on the ground for weeks. They rely on donations to keep their equipment—like underwater sonar—running.
- Check Camp Safety Records: If you're a parent, ask your child’s camp for their specific Flood Emergency Plan. Don't just ask if they have one; ask what the "trigger" is for evacuation.
- Advocate for Warning Systems: Many parts of the Texas Hill Country still lack "Code Red" sirens. Pushing for better infrastructure in rural areas saves lives.
The story of the girls from Camp Mystic isn't over. As long as those five girls are still missing, there's a hole in the heart of the Hunt community. We’re looking at a long road of litigation, mourning, and hopefully, much-needed change in how we protect kids in the great outdoors.