Latest news with #BlakelyMcCrory
The Sun
7 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Tragic ‘dear mom' note sent by Camp Mystic victim, 8, revealed following Texas floods – after family's double tragedy
A MOM who lost her daughter in the floods that swept through Texas' Camp Mystic has shared details of a letter she wrote before her death. Notes that children had written to their parents while at the summer camp had started arriving - days after the July 4 floods. 6 6 Blakely McCrory, eight, was among 27 campers and staffers that perished in the Texas floods. She died days after arriving at Camp Mystic, and months after she lost her dad. Devastated mom, Lindsey McCrory, shared details of the note Blakely had written to her family, per People. Blakely had filled in the blanks to sentences on a piece of paper. The letter started with the phrase: "Dear mom." In the note, Blakely revealed she was feeling 'good' and described Camp Mystic as amazing. She told her mom that she would be playing tennis as well as horseback riding. She revealed that she was in the 'tonk' group. Blakely rated the sleep and food at the camp as the best. Children were given the option to score food and how they slept from best to worst. Lindsey revealed that she took comfort in receiving the letter as it conveyed her daughter was enjoying herself at Camp Mystic. College football coach's 8-year-old daughter confirmed dead in horrifying Texas floods – 'asking for all prayers' She described Blakely as 'very resilient.' 'She was a live wire, just had a fun, spirited attitude, the type of child that doesn't stay down for long,' Lindsey told People. Lindsey told the Today program that she received two letters from Blakely. In the second note, Blakely begged her mom not to sell her Barbie house. 6 6 Lindsey recalled how her daughter appeared to change in her mind. That's because Blakely had initially allowed her mom to sell the dolls house. Blakely departed for Camp Mystic on June 29, but her family was rocked by tragedy months previously. Lindsey's husband and Blakely's dad, Blake, died in March after a battle with stage two cancer. And, Lindsey's brother also died. Camp Mystic had been a constant on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas for almost 100 years. And, 750 children were at the Christian campsite when the floods hit over the Independence Day weekend. The Guadalupe River rose around 26 feet in 45 minutes as it burst its banks. Around a foot of rain hit Kerr County in central Texas when caused the river to overflow. Janie Hunt, nine, was also killed in the floods. It was her first year at Camp Mystic. Her family identified her via a necklace that had been given to her by her grandma, Margaret. Stacy Stevens' daughter Mary, eight, was identified as one of the victims, as per the New York Post. FAMILIES GRIEF Tragic details emerged after it was reported that sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, 13 and 11, didn't survive the floods. The sisters were holding hands when their bodies were found. And, Ellen Getten, nine, had recently celebrated her birthday at Walt Disney World in Florida before heading to Camp Mystic. She was staying in the camp's Bubble Inn and her family said some of her happiest memories were the dancing parties put on by counselors, per an online obit. 'Ellen woke up happy, went to sleep happy, and made everyone around her happy,' her family said. 'Though her nine years on earth was brief, she will always be remembered for her love of others and her sweet smile. 'Ellen would want everyone to give more hugs.' Dick Eastland, the owner of Camp Mystic, was killed and he was credited for his heroism in trying to evacuate campers. He and his wife Tweety had been associated with the camp for more than 50 years. He received an order to evacuate campers at 1:14am but only started moving the girls to higher ground 45 minutes later, as reported by The New York Post. 'They had no information that indicated the magnitude of what was coming,' Jeff Carr, the Eastland's family spokesperson, said. Eastland's body was found in his Tahoe car that had been swept away. Officials confirmed that at least 134 people died from the flooding, with 100 still missing. But, another summer camp, Camp CAMP, which is located 30 miles downriver has since reopened. 6 6
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Heartbreaking letters Camp Mystic children wrote to their family arrive days after they died in Texas floods
LETTERS that were written by children staying at Camp Mystic have started to arrive at their family's homes - just days after they died in the floods that saw cabins swept away. More than 120 people were killed and over 150 remain missing - one week after the floods hit central Texas. 7 7 Twenty-seven children and staffers at Camp Mystic, located on the banks of the Guadalupe River, died in what was the deadliest floods to hit the Lone Star State in more than a century. The river is located in the notorious 'Flash Flood Alley,' rising more than 26 feet in just 45 minutes as it burst its banks. Little Blakely McCrory, eight, was among the children at the summer camp killed. And, it's emerged that she wrote her family a letter before her body was found dead. Her grandad, Douglas McLeod, received the note in the mail, as shared on Facebook. Blakely suffered tragedy just weeks before her death. Douglas told ABC News that the child's dad died of a heart attack and he said what unfolded was a 'double tragedy.' 'We're just devastated,' he said. Blakely's devastated mom, Lindsey, paid tribute to her daughter online. She revealed she was comforted that her daughter was in the 'arms of Jesus.' Camp Mystic director's tragic final act to save girls from Texas floods as wall of water tore through cabins killing 27 'Eight years on this earth is far too short a stay,' she wrote. 'Still, we know that Blakely was light and life, and she brightened the day of everyone fortunate enough to cross her path. 'Our little corner of the world is a better and brighter place because Blakely was here. Although we must mourn her absence, we will choose to celebrate her life.' Meanwhile, families of the victims continue to search for possessions that were left behind. 7 7 Stacy Stevens' daughter, Mary, also perished in the floods. Stevens shared a message on social media, saying she was looking for her daughter's monkey, per The New York Post. She described the stuffed toy as her daughter's 'most prized possession.' The mom later deleted her social media entry in a public Facebook group dedicated to items found on the Guadalupe River. It was likely that the children at Mystic didn't have their cell phones, former camper Charlotte Lauten said. Lauten, 19, spent nine summers at Mystic during her childhood. She also noted that as the camp is situated in such a remote location, there was high chance that there wouldn't be cell phone signal. The July 4 deluge was not the first time the Guadalupe River had burst its banks. HISTORY OF FLOODING Ten teens were killed in floods that hit another camp in 1987, as reported by The New York Times. Floods in 1998 saw 12 fatalities and left more than 4,000 people injured. Camp Mystic chiefs invested $5 million in a move to expand the summer camp in 2019. But, the cabins that were most at risk of flooding were not relocated, as reported by the outlet. Dick Eastland, the director of the camp who was also killed, didn't believe the scale of the floods that occurred on July 4 wouldn't happen. 'He didn't feel that there was any way that camp could flood like this,' Lisa Miller, a former counselor, told the outlet. Tributes were paid to Eastland over his bravery and heroism. His grandson, George, said he died when the flood waters crashed into the walls of his cabin. '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,' he wrote on Instagram. Eastland and doting wife Tweety bought the camp in 1974 and were the third-generation of their family to manage it. An investigation into the floods is underway. But, it has since emerged that Texas officials signed off on the camp's emergency plans just days before the floods. Inspectors surveyed Mystic and didn't find any outstanding issues. Before and after pictures show the damage the flooding caused. The camp was located in a picturesque setting, but the landscape shows cabins destroyed and surrounding grassy areas turned to mud. 7 7 7
