Heartbreaking Letter Arrives Days After…
A Letter of Joy Before Tragedy
Lindsey McCrory holds tightly to a letter from her 8-year-old daughter, Blakely, who died during devastating flash floods at Camp Mystic in Texas over the July 4, 2025, weekend.
Just days before the tragedy, Blakely had written to her mom about the fun she was having at camp, including playing tennis and horseback riding. “Having the letter is actually very special because I knew that she was having the best time of her life,” Lindsey said.
A Legacy of Camp Mystic
This was Blakely’s first summer at Camp Mystic, a Christian camp in the Texas Hill Country, and it held special meaning. Lindsey had attended the same camp with her sisters and stepmother. “She could not wait to be in the outdoors,” Lindsey recalled. “It was like having the biggest sleepover you can imagine as a little girl.”
Blakely was proud to be a “third-generation Mystic camper,” following in her mother’s footsteps.
From Calm to Panic
Lindsey, vacationing in Europe with her sister, wasn’t initially alarmed by reports of rain at the camp. “They’re probably having a blast,” she thought. But panic set in after receiving a call that some campers were missing. A voicemail from the camp confirmed Blakely was unaccounted for.
A Mother’s Hope
Lindsey and her sister rushed to fly home, while Blakely’s half-brother Brady searched nearby shelters. Even as hours passed with no news, Lindsey held onto hope: “Maybe they’re just lost, and…they’re surviving together somehow.”
