TEXAS — In a quiet but emotional moment for the search teams and families, authorities confirmed today that numerous personal items belonging to the missing girls from Camp Mystic were discovered submerged in a flooded area near the camp, following an 8-hour underwater search operation.
Divers working in coordination with sonar teams focused on a section of the river where debris had gathered heavily after the recent Texas storm. Despite difficult conditions — low visibility, tangled branches, and strong currents — the team managed to recover a collection of small personal belongings believed to have been carried away by floodwaters.
What Was Found
Among the recovered items were:
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A child’s backpack containing a handwritten letter and a stuffed animal
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Several nametag bracelets used by campers
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A pair of rain boots marked with the name of one of the girls
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Pieces of notebooks and colored drawings, some still faintly legible
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A zippered pouch with small toys, hair ties, and lip balm
“They are simple things — but for the families, they mean everything,” said Chief Rescue Coordinator Andrea Kim.
“These are traces of who the girls were. It brings both sorrow and a sense of presence.”
The recovered items are being cataloged and cleaned before being returned to families for identification. Forensic teams will also examine the objects for any useful evidence regarding the girls’ movement during the flood.
Emotional Impact
The discovery, though not the outcome families had hoped for, provided a moment of connection in a search that has grown more difficult with each passing day.
“One parent recognized the drawing immediately,” said a rescue team volunteer.
“They said it was something their daughter had just finished the day before the storm.”
Several members of the search crew grew emotional during the retrieval process, with one diver quietly leaving a flower near the riverbank after surfacing with a child’s bracelet.
Search Efforts Continue
While the discovery does not yet confirm the exact location of the remaining missing girls, officials believe it strongly supports current theories that some may have been swept into a specific low-lying area downstream from the camp.
Operations will now expand into that zone, with additional diving teams and drones being deployed over the next 48 hours.
“This gives us a starting point,” said Kim.
“And more importantly, it reminds us that these are real children with real lives — not just names on a list.”