Grieving mom of Camp Mystic victim makes plea to find 8-year-old daughter's ‘most prized possession’
KERR COUNTY, TEXAS: As Texas mourns the lives lost in the catastrophic July 4 floods, one grieving mother is making a heart-wrenching appeal to the public, asking for help finding her late daughter’s cherished stuffed animal that was swept away in the storm.
Stacy Stevens lost her 8-year-old daughter, Mary Barrett Stevens, in the flash floods that tore through Camp Mystic, a private all-girls summer camp near the Guadalupe River.
Mary was among the 27 campers and counselors who died when rising waters inundated the area, catching dozens off guard in the early morning hours.
Mom pleads for help finding daughter’s favorite toy lost after tragic death
“Looking for my daughter’s monkey that she has had her whole life and took with her to camp,” Stacy wrote in a since-deleted public post on Facebook.
“We lost my daughter and would love to have it back as it was her most prized possession.”
She added that the toy may be identifiable by a square sticker with Mary’s full name on it.
Mary Stevens was described by her mother as “fearless, enthusiastic, and full of joy,” according to the Austin American-Statesman. The family lives in Austin, approximately 100 miles from the site of the tragedy.
Mary had been attending elementary school there before the summer break.
“Our world is shattered,” Stacy wrote, “but I have peace getting your letters and knowing you were having the time of your life at camp and had a dance party with all of your friends before the Lord decided to take you from us. He has bigger plans for you.”
GoFundMe launched to support Mary Steven’s family and preserve her legacy
A GoFundMe campaign launched in Mary’s memory has already raised more than $124,000 of its $130,000 goal. Organizers said part of the funds will support immediate needs following the family’s loss, but the majority will go toward honoring Mary’s legacy.
“While some of the funds will help ease the immediate burdens that come with such a tragic loss, the heart of this effort is to create something lasting in Mary’s honor, a way for her memory to continue touching lives, just as she always did,” the campaign read.
“The goal is to carry her light forward into the world and help others in the way she always would have wanted.”
The broader impact of the Texas floods continues to grow, with at least 120 lives lost and over 170 people still missing.
