By Elise Carter | U.S. Crisis Daily | July 16, 2025
In a development that is equal parts miraculous and chilling, four of the 27 missing girls from Camp Mystic were discovered alive in a sewer tunnel late Tuesday — 14 days after they were swept away by deadly floodwaters.
Rescue workers, following up on a weak thermal signature, accessed an underground junction 2.3 km from the camp — and found the girls huddled in darkness, clutching a nearly-dead flashlight, dehydrated but responsive.
But what they said once rescued has left authorities stunned — and triggered an immediate state of emergency declaration in the area.
As medics rushed the girls to safety, one whispered:
“We only came out because the man upstairs stopped knocking.”
Another added:
“He told us not to scream. He was listening through the pipes.”
The statements, repeated independently by all four girls, have prompted federal agents to lock down the entire sewer grid and declare the site a “Tier-1 critical investigation zone.” All search operations have been suspended until structural sweeps confirm no further immediate danger.
“This is no longer just a flood recovery,” said Lt. Harland Reyes of the Texas Disaster Response. “We are now treating this as a potential criminal hostage situation — and possibly more.”
What’s even more disturbing: markings were found on the tunnel walls above the girls — hand-drawn eyes, tally marks, and a phrase scratched repeatedly into the concrete: “He hears when we breathe.”
The flashlight, a cheap dollar-store model, is believed to have been the only light source the girls had for the entire 14 days. Investigators say the battery was seconds from dying when the girls were found.
Psychological specialists are working with the survivors, who reportedly only spoke after being assured “he can’t hear us anymore.”
As of this writing, 13 girls remain unaccounted for.
Police are not ruling out the presence of a suspect or suspects who may have used the flooding as a cover for a far more sinister operation.
A statewide alert has been issued. Surveillance footage, staff records, and sewer schematics from the past 15 years are now under federal review.
This story is developing.