‘Our angel on earth’: Camp Mystic parents mourn girls who died in Texas flood
Grieving families of the 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic believed to have died in the Central Texas flash flood on July 4 have identified some of the girls whose tragic loss has left them “utterly shattered.”
While most of the children lost to the flood at the all-girls Christian summer camp on the Guadalupe River in Texas’ Hill Country have been found, authorities were still searching for five of the campers and one counselor as of Thursday morning. At least 120 people, mostly in Kerr County, have died in the flooding across the state, and about 170 are still missing.
“Our precious angel baby has entered the gates of Heaven,” the parents of 8-year-old Camp Mystic camper Mary Kate Jacobe, of Houston, said in a statement Wednesday. “Mary Kate Jacobe was the light of our lives. She was tiny but mighty, full of love and joy with a smile that melted your heart. Mary Kate, our Sissy, was the baby of our large family and was most certainly our angel on earth.
“We are utterly shattered and forever changed by the loss of our girl,” the Jacobe family said.
They thanked everyone across Texas and the nation who has offered prayers and support “so lovingly expressed by so many.”
“We sincerely thank you for respecting our family’s privacy as we process the unthinkable,” the Jacobe family said. “Our family extends our deepest sympathy to all those affected by the tragic flooding. We stand united by loss but rooted in love. May God be with you now and always.”
Seven of the families who lost children at Camp Mystic are from Dallas.
Best friends Lila Bonner, 9, and Eloise Peck, 8, recently completed the second grade at Bradfield Elementary School in Highland Park.
“We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss,” Lila’s family said in a statement.
Eloise’s mother, Missy Peck, told KDFW-TV that “Eloise was literally friends with everyone. She loved spaghetti but not more than she loved dogs and animals. She passed away with her cabinmate and best friend, Lila Bonner, who also died. Eloise had a family who loved her fiercely for the 8 years she was with us. Especially her Mommy.”
Highland Park ISD Superintendent Mike Rockwood released a statement, saying, “Our hearts are heavy following the devastating flood in the Texas Hill Country. Many of our students were in the area, and our community is heartbroken for the families deeply affected by this tragedy.”
Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, 8-year-old twins from Dallas who attended University Park Elementary School., were also among the Camp Mystic children who died, their grandfather Dave Lawrence told the Miami Herald.
“It has been an unimaginable time for all of us,” he said. “Hanna and Rebecca gave their parents John and Lacy and sister Harper, and all in our family, so much joy. They and that joy can never be forgotten.”
Their 14-year-old sister, Harper, survived the flood.
Janie Hunt, 9, of Dallas, a great-granddaughter of oil baron William Herbert Hunt and a relative of the family that owns the Kansas City Chiefs, was attending Camp Mystic for the first time, her grandmother Margaret Hunt told the New York Times.
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Janie was the oldest of three children. Six of her cousins who were also at Camp Mystic are safe, her grandmother said.
“Our hearts are broken by the devastation from the floods. ... and the tragic loss of so many lives — including a precious Hunt cousin, along with several friend’s little girls,” Tavia Hunt, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, wrote in a social media post.
Family members have started a GoFundMe to create a tribute in memory of 8-year-old Hadley Hanna, of Dallas.
“Hadley Hanna was a radiant 8 year old girl, joyful, creative, kind, and full of life,” her family wrote on the fundraising page. “On July 4, her life was tragically cut short during the catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country. Though her time on Earth was brief, her spirit made a lasting impression on everyone who knew her.”
“This fund has been created by those who love Hadley deeply, with the full support of her family, to honor her memory in a lasting and meaningful way,” the Hanna family said. “The Hadley Hanna Legacy Fund is not for expenses. It exists to build something beautiful in her name, a tribute that reflects the light she brought to this world. Whether through a scholarship, a memorial project, or a foundation supporting the joy and imagination Hadley so naturally shared, this fund will help ensure her impact continues for generations to come.”
The family of Wynne Naylor set up a fund with the Dallas Foundation, called “More Like Wynne,” to honor the memory of the 8-year-old from Dallas.
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Wynne had “a great love of the outdoors, a love of God, and love for her community,” the page reads.
The family of 19-year-old Chloe Childress, a Camp Mystic counselor from Houston, said she “lived a beautiful life that saturated those around her with contagious joy, unending grace, and abiding faith. Returning as a counselor to the place she loved so dearly, Chloe was looking forward to dedicating her summer days to loving and mentoring young girls at Camp Mystic.
“Our family was shocked to hear of the horrific tragic flooding in the Hill Country, and we were devastated to learn that our precious Chloe was among the victims,” the Childress family said in a statement. “While we know that her joy is now eternal and her faith has become sight, our hearts are shattered by this loss and the similar heartbreak of other families like ours. We desire to grieve privately during this time and thank so many caring people, in advance, for respecting this wish. Please know we are grateful for every kind thought, your quietly spoken prayers, and the countless hearts of sympathy that are carrying us through these days. We thank you for kindly respecting our privacy as we celebrate Chloe’s life and mourn our incomparable loss.”
The families of two 8-year-old girls from Austin also confirmed their deaths. Linnie McCown was a student at Casis Elementary, and Mary Stevens was a student at Highland Park Elementary.
“Linnie was a shining light who filled our lives with indescribable joy,” her family said in a statement. “As we face this sorrow, your empathy, prayers, and understanding mean more than words can say.”
Mary’s mother wrote in a social media post, “Our world is shattered but I have peace getting your letters and knowing you were having the time of your life at camp and had a dance party with all of your friends before the Lord decided to take you from us. He has bigger plans for you.”
Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland, who ran the camp with his wife Tweety, died when he was swept away by the floodwaters while trying to rescue some of the campers, according to officials and his family.
“If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,” Eastland’s grandson George wrote in an Instagram post. “That’s the man my grandfather was. A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to thousands of young women, he no longer walks this earth, but his impact will never leave the lives he touched.”
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 1:02 PM.
