ONE YEAR LATER, CILE STILL HASN’T COME HOME

KERR COUNTY, TEXAS — Nearly one year after the catastrophic July 4, 2025 flooding that devastated Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River, 8-year-old Cile Steward remains missing.

The floods claimed the lives of campers, counselors, and others caught in the rapidly rising waters, becoming one of the deadliest natural disasters to strike the Texas Hill Country in recent years. While many families have been able to recover and bury their loved ones, Cile’s family continues to live with the painful uncertainty of not knowing where their daughter is.

A Family Still Waiting

As the first anniversary of the disaster approaches, Cile’s parents, Will and Cici Steward, have shared an emotional message thanking the hundreds of volunteers, first responders, search-and-rescue teams, and community members who have continued searching long after national attention faded.

They said their gratitude remains immense for everyone who has refused to give up.

Despite the passing months, the family’s hope has not disappeared.

Their greatest wish is still the same—to bring Cile home.

A Search That Never Truly Ended

Although official recovery operations gradually scaled back, volunteers have continued returning to the Guadalupe River and surrounding areas, searching riverbanks, wooded terrain, and debris fields for any sign of those who were never recovered.

For many searchers, the mission has become deeply personal.

They say every family deserves the chance to lay their loved one to rest, and every missing victim deserves to be found.

More Than an Anniversary

For many communities across Texas, the anniversary is a time to remember those who lost their lives during the flooding.

For the Steward family, however, it is also a reminder that their search is not over.

They continue to hold onto hope that one day they will finally be able to bring Cile home and give her the farewell every child deserves.

Nearly one year has passed, but one family is still waiting.
Volunteers continue searching for those who were never recovered.
For Cile’s parents, hope remains stronger than time..

Sources: Associated Press (AP News) – https://apnews.com/