Remains of 8-year-old Texas flood camper still haven’t been found — 6 months later
A Texas family is still living a nightmare six months after their 8-year-old daughter, Cecilia “Cile” Steward, was among 27 people killed in the devastating Camp Mystic floods — and her remains have yet to be recovered.
Cile was one of 25 campers and two counselors swept away when floodwaters tore through the all-girls Christian sleepaway camp in Kerr County, Texas, last July.
Despite closely monitoring the ongoing investigation, Cile’s parents are losing hope they will ever be able to bring her home. “I have this sinking feeling there’s no way they’re ever gonna find her,” Cile’s father, Will Steward, told “TODAY” show host Jenna Bush Hager this week, speaking alongside his wife, CiCi.
Of the 135 people killed nationwide on July 4, 2025, due to severe flash flooding, two victims’ remains remain missing: Cile and a 63-year-old man, according to the Texas Standard.
Last week, the Stewards filed a lawsuit against the Eastland family, who have run Camp Mystic for decades. The lawsuit claims the camp, situated on a floodplain along the Guadalupe River, had a weak emergency evacuation plan and repeatedly ignored National Weather Service flood alerts.
“They were completely unprepared,” said the Steward family’s lawyer, Brad Beckworth.
According to the lawsuit, Richard “Dick” Eastland and his son, Edward, waited more than an hour to evacuate campers — by which time many of the girls and staff were already in danger. “It’s just absolute chaos,” Beckworth told Bush Hager. “Counselors could hear screams. Nobody knew what to do or where to go.”
The Eastland patriarch died in the flood trying to save campers, the family said.
Despite their criticisms, the Stewards acknowledged the courage of camp counselors and first responders, who managed to save most of the 750 campers on site. “There are heroes at Camp Mystic and none of them are named Eastland,” CiCi Steward said.
The Eastlands’ attorney, Mikal Watts, said they plan to argue that the flood was “sudden, unprecedented, and unforeseeable,” and that no early-warning systems existed in the area.
Camp Mystic announced in December it will reopen for Summer 2026 at a nearby Cypress Lake property, which was not affected by the floods. “We recognize that returning to Camp Mystic carries both hope and heartache,” the camp’s owners wrote to families in January. “For many of your daughters, this return is not simple, but it is a courageous step in their healing journey.”
The number of returning campers is unclear, but camp officials say there is “strong interest,” according to The Post.
The Stewards, however, are furious that the camp is reopening while Cile remains missing. “It is an active crime scene,” CiCi Steward said. “I don’t know anyone in their right mind who would willingly send their child there.”
“With the same leadership,” Will Steward added, “we’re not opposed to children going to camp. We’re opposed to the Eastlands — the audacity of sending out deposit slips while our child is still missing.”
Beckworth, the Stewards’ lawyer, said the reopening was “rushed” and would never be acceptable to the family. “I can tell you as a parent, my children would never go back to a camp operated by this family,” he said.
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