Mary Stevens Was Just 8 — Now a Texas Camp Is in Mourning

I’ve trained hundreds of boys — taught them how to lose with grace, how to stand back up after defeat, how to find their strength again. But nothing in my life ever prepared me for this — for the unbearable task of living without my daughter.”

Those were the words of a grieving father from Austin, Texas, whose life changed forever in the summer of 2025. His daughter, 8-year-old Mary Stevens, had been spending her first summer at Camp Mystic, a storied all-girls camp on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country. Known for its traditions, laughter, and focus on friendship, the camp had promised adventure and joy.

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