Local News
Names and Photos of Missing Individuals, Including Children, Swept Away from Camp Mystic During Central Texas Flash Flooding
HUNT, TEXAS — As catastrophic flash flooding continues to impact the Texas Hill Country, search and rescue efforts remain underway for multiple missing individuals swept away from Camp Mystic, a well-known all-girls Christian summer camp located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
Family-confirmed reports have identified numerous missing persons, including campers and staff, following the sudden overnight surge of the Guadalupe River, which rose more than 22 feet in just 30 minutes.
The floodwaters tore through cabins and facilities early Friday morning, July 4, leading to a mass casualty response.
Among the missing are:
- Lila Bonner
- Eloise Peck
- Hadley Hanna (confirmed missing by family)
- Kellyanne Lytal
- Lainey Landry
- Janie Hunt
- Renee Smajstrla
- Cile Steward
- Virginia Hollis
- Margaret Sheedy
- Molly DeWitt
- Anna Margaret Bellows
- Blakely McCrory
- Mary Grace Baker
- Linnie McCown
- Greta Toranzo
- Sarah Marsh
- Wynne Naylor
- Katherine Ferruzzo (camp counselor)
- Bella Kate (camp counselor)
- John and Julia Burgess, along with their two sons
According to officials, some of those reported missing have since been located and rescued, but many remain unaccounted for. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick confirmed in a press conference Friday afternoon that approximately 23 children are still missing.
Camp Mystic, which hosts around 750 girls ages 7 to 17, has been severely impacted by the unprecedented flooding.
“This is a mass casualty event,” said Freeman Martin, Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. At least 13 fatalities have been confirmed, with officials warning that number could rise.
Search and rescue teams—consisting of 400 to 500 personnel and 18 helicopters—are actively combing the area by land and air. Some victims have already been rescued from treetops and submerged vehicles, while others are feared to have been swept miles downstream.
The camp confirmed in a message to families that those whose daughters are unaccounted for have already been notified. The surrounding area remains without power, water, or internet, and flooding has washed away key access roads, further complicating rescue efforts.
“The reports that all campers are accounted for are false,” said a family member close to one of the missing girls. “The search is very much ongoing. Please continue to pray.”
Lt. Gov. Patrick added that President Donald Trump has been briefed and committed federal resources including the U.S. Coast Guard and FEMA, which are now assisting in the operation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also confirmed active coordination at the federal level.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz posted a message of support on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Please pray right now for everyone in the Hill Country, especially Camp Mystic. I’ve spoken with state and national leadership. Rescue operations are ongoing.”
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly echoed these concerns in a separate briefing, stating: “We know there are still people missing. We’ve identified some of their locations, but not all. The exact number is still being confirmed.”
Camp Mystic, which was set to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, is now at the center of a heartbreaking and historic emergency. Families of the missing continue to wait for news as rescue crews work around the clock.
Anyone in the area with information about the missing individuals is urged to contact local authorities immediately.
Please keep the victims, their families, and all first responders in your thoughts and prayers.
UPDATE: Search efforts have been suspended following the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts, marking another tragic loss for the city’s historic fishing community.
The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted early Friday morning by the vessel’s emergency beacon after it activated in the water; no mayday call was received.
Responders located a debris field, an unoccupied life raft, and one deceased individual in the water.
Six other crew members remain missing and are presumed lost after an extensive air and sea search yielded no additional results.
The Coast Guard cited frigid water temperatures, challenging weather conditions, and the vast search area in its decision to suspend operations.
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Authorities have identified all seven individuals who lost their lives after the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean sank approximately 25 miles off Cape Ann, Massachusetts, early Friday morning, marking a devastating loss for Gloucester’s historic fishing community.
The Lily Jean, a commercial fishing vessel measuring between 72 and 80 feet in length and homeported in Gloucester—the nation’s oldest working fishing port—activated its emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) at approximately 6:50 a.m. Friday while returning to port.
No mayday call was received, and subsequent attempts to contact the vessel were unsuccessful.
The U.S. Coast Guard immediately launched a large-scale search and rescue operation, deploying an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and multiple surface assets to the area of the distress signal.
Crews located a debris field and an unoccupied life raft roughly 25 miles offshore near the EPIRB activation site, confirming the vessel had sunk to the ocean floor. One deceased individual was recovered from the water.
The remaining six crew members were later presumed lost after extensive search efforts yielded no additional results.
Officials confirmed that seven people were aboard the vessel at the time of the incident, revising earlier reports that indicated six.
The seven individuals who perished aboard the Lily Jean are:
- John Paul Rousanidis, 33, of Salem/Peabody, Massachusetts
- Sean Therrien, 44, of Lynn/Peabody, Massachusetts
- Freeman Short, of the Marshfield/Scituate area
- Captain Gus Sanfilippo, a well-known and respected Gloucester fisherman
- Paul Beal Sr., deckhand
- Paul Beal Jr., deckhand and son of Paul Beal Sr.
- Jada Samitt, 22, of Virginia
Jada Samitt, the seventh crew member identified, was serving aboard the vessel in the role of a federal fisheries observer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She had recently relocated to Massachusetts to pursue her passion for environmental biology, graduating last year. Family members said joining the Lily Jean crew was her first major professional role at sea and a lifelong dream.
Her aunt, Heather Michaels, described Samitt as a compassionate and driven young woman who deeply respected her captain and dedicated herself fully to her work. “She put her heart and soul into this opportunity,” family members said, noting her commitment to marine conservation and the fishing community.
Officials said the Lily Jean had reported taking on water shortly before contact was lost.
The vessel is now presumed fully submerged.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through Gloucester’s close-knit maritime community.
Ashley Sullivan, a local business owner who knew the vessel’s owner, emphasized the daily risks faced by commercial fishermen. “I hope people really take a moment to understand the sacrifices these men and women make to put food on our tables,” she said. “This is heartbreaking.”
Massachusetts State Senator Bruce Tarr also expressed condolences, highlighting Gloucester’s deep fishing heritage. “Gloucester has a long fishing history, and that history includes tragic loss,” Tarr said. “It appears we are experiencing another of those painful chapters.”
Governor Maura Healey released a statement saying she was “heartbroken over the devastating news out of Gloucester,” adding that her administration has offered full assistance to local officials and the Coast Guard. She extended prayers to the victims’ families and the broader fishing community across Cape Ann and the Commonwealth.
Community members and local businesses have continued to share messages of remembrance and solidarity. Taylor Hunt, a relative of Freeman Short, posted a tribute honoring the crew, writing in part: “The salt has been in our blood for generations… A man is not lost while the sea remembers his name. Fair winds and following seas.”
The Lily Jean had previously been featured on the History Channel series Nor’Easter Men, which documented the dangers and demands of New England’s commercial fishing industry.
While search operations have concluded, the Coast Guard and relevant agencies continue to review the circumstances surrounding the sinking. Officials have stated that further updates will be released as additional information becomes available.
Authorities have urged the public to keep the victims’ families and Gloucester’s fishing community in their thoughts and prayers during this period of profound loss.