By Julia Moreno | U.S. Crisis Wire | July 16, 2025
In a discovery that’s being described as both bizarre and heartbreaking, rescue teams in Texas say they were led to a hidden ravine near Camp Mystic after following what appeared to be unusual bird tracks — and what they found at the end of that trail has left authorities reeling.
The prints, spotted early Wednesday morning by a volunteer wildlife tracker assisting with the search for the 27 missing girls, led to a narrow path just beyond the eastern ridge — an area previously dismissed as wildlife-only terrain.
Tucked beneath thick brush and moss-covered stone, responders discovered a 4-foot-long blanket, tightly wrapped and tied with twine. What was inside stopped them cold.
Rather than clothing or remains, the blanket contained a bundle of folded paper scraps — many of them dirt-stained, some torn at the edges — all bearing what officials describe as “childlike handwriting, names, and numbers.”
One note read:
“9 of us are still here. We hear water. Please don’t stop.”
Another simply listed nine first names, followed by tally marks and what appears to be a crude drawing of a tunnel.
“We don’t know who wrote them, but they appear authentic,” said Lt. Mason Clarke, who was on scene during the discovery. “The handwriting varies slightly. These may have been written by multiple children — or by someone writing on their behalf.”
The blanket itself was dry on the inside, suggesting it had been carefully hidden and protected from the elements. Its presence in such a remote location has raised questions among investigators about whether someone intentionally placed it there for searchers to find.
Even stranger: locals reported seeing a group of large black birds — possibly vultures or herons — circling the ravine the night before, prompting the wildlife tracker to investigate.
Now, forensic analysts are examining the notes for fingerprints, DNA, and any clues that might reveal how long they’ve been there — or who might have left them.
“This feels like a message in a bottle,” said one rescue worker. “Only it was buried in silence, waiting for someone to follow the trail.”
The area around the ravine is now under full lockdown, with cadaver dogs and underground sonar scanners combing the terrain.
As of today, 16 girls remain missing. But this cryptic bundle may hold the key to their fate.
This is a developing story. More updates expected soon.