July 13, 2025 | Kerr County, Texas — In a disturbing new development in the case of the 27 missing girls from Camp Mystic, law enforcement officials confirmed today that a trained K9 unit led search teams to a previously undocumented underground structure behind the camp’s main dining hall — a discovery that is now being called “potentially critical” to the ongoing investigation.
According to Sheriff’s Office reports, the dog — part of a federal search-and-rescue team assisting local authorities — began barking aggressively behind the large wooden structure around 10:45 a.m. Friday morning. The dog refused to leave a patch of overgrown ground, prompting investigators to examine the area more closely.
Beneath layers of moss, vines, and a collapsed section of old fencing, searchers uncovered what appeared to be a concealed access panel, covered in dirt and reinforced with aged boards. Once pried open, the entrance revealed a narrow concrete stairwell descending beneath the rear foundation of the dining hall.
At the bottom, authorities found a dimly lit chamber, approximately 20 feet by 12 feet, with handwritten notes pinned to one wall, rusted shelves containing canned goods and flashlights, and — most hauntingly — a makeshift bunk with small children’s items, including a pillow embroidered with the name “Juli.”
That name matches one of the 27 girls still unaccounted for.
“It’s unclear when this space was last used,” said lead investigator Carla Mendoza. “But it was not part of any official floor plan, nor disclosed by camp staff. And there’s evidence that someone tried to erase signs of activity.”
Authorities are now investigating whether the structure was built decades ago and forgotten — or if it was actively concealed. Questions are also being raised about how no staff member mentioned or acknowledged this underground room during the initial days of the search.
Complicating the discovery is a charred notebook found in one corner, half-soaked from previous flooding. Forensics teams are attempting to recover legible pages, though sources say one line, partially intact, reads:
“Night 6 — only 3 still speak.”
Camp Mystic, once a prestigious and long-running summer camp for girls, has been under intense scrutiny since the Hill Country flood swept through the area two weeks ago. While several children have been found alive, 27 remain missing — and this latest discovery is pushing the investigation away from natural disaster and closer toward something more ominous.
“The flood may have exposed more than it destroyed,” said one federal official close to the case. “We’re not ruling out the possibility that these girls were moved — or kept — underground.”
Camp officials have declined to comment as of this writing. Meanwhile, grief-stricken families are demanding transparency and a full reexamination of the camp’s entire layout and history.
As this chilling discovery circulates, many are asking:
What else lies buried beneath Camp Mystic?
And more urgently — why?