By Marissa Vance | U.S. True Line | July 16, 2025
In a story that has shaken the nation and shifted the course of the Camp Mystic investigation, police confirm that three of the 27 missing girls have been found alive — trapped inside a broken-down RV buried beneath floodwaters, nearly 1.8 kilometers from the camp’s outer fence.
But it’s what was discovered on the window of that RV that is sending shivers across the country — and has led rescue teams to the bodies of seven more children.
According to investigators, the submerged RV was detected when a sonar-equipped boat picked up a “large, irregular shape” in a flooded marsh behind a shuttered bait shop. Divers descended — and to their disbelief, saw a small hand pressed against the glass from the inside.
The RV, flipped on its side, had trapped the girls in an air pocket for what may have been over 9 days. They were weak, cold, but alive — surviving only on rainwater that dripped through a vent.
But the true twist came when rescuers noticed something written on the fogged rear window — with a fingertip:
“7 are west of us. They didn’t move. Please find them.”
The girls, too dehydrated to speak, later confirmed through writing and nods that they had been with 10 others early in the flood, before being separated. The message — scrawled in desperation and fear — was the only clue teams had.
Following the note’s directions, rescue teams launched a rapid search west of the RV site — and within hours, located a debris field beneath a cluster of broken trees. There, they found 7 bodies, all wearing identifiers from Camp Mystic.
“That window message changed everything,” said Lt. Damon Ellis of the Texas Flood Recovery Task Force. “Without it, those children would still be lost beneath the water.”
The RV itself is now being treated as a protected crime scene. Officials are investigating how it got there, why it was not reported, and whether it had been used before the flood.
The three surviving girls are receiving trauma care and remain under protective watch. Authorities say they may hold crucial information about what happened the night of the flood — and whether someone may have intentionally led or lured the group off course.
As of now, 17 girls remain unaccounted for.
This is a developing and emotionally devastating story. More updates to follow.