FOUND NEAR RIVER: A mud-covered doll leads rescuers to secret tunnels beneath Texas camp that hold clues to 27 missing children

What began as a routine flood sweep near the Colorado River has turned into a potentially historic discovery in the search for 27 missing girls who vanished over the past decade across rural Texas.

Rescue teams, surveying debris after last week’s storms, stumbled upon a mud-covered doll wedged between tree roots along a remote trail bordering an abandoned youth summer camp — a location previously unexamined by investigators.

🧸 The Doll That Changed Everything

The worn doll — with a faded blue dress and hand-stitched initials “K.L.” — matched the exact description of a toy reported missing with Kylie Lanning, a 12-year-old who disappeared in 2019 while walking home from a rural school bus stop in Travis County.

“We’ve never had a physical object from any of the girls surface this close to where so many signs now point,” said Sheriff Alan McRee. “This isn’t just a clue. It’s a turning point.”

🚪 What Was Found Underground

Search and rescue teams, now working alongside FBI forensics units, descended into the narrow, brick-lined shafts beneath the campgrounds. So far, they’ve uncovered:

Three rooms roughly 10×12 feet wide, some with makeshift bedding
Children’s shoes, hairbands, and broken flashlights
An old map with several marked trails leading into deeper woods
A wall carving with tally marks — 27 in total

The air inside was damp and stale, and portions of the tunnel had collapsed. But experts say the structure was intentionally constructed and may date back decades.

🔍 Is This the Break the State Has Been Waiting For?

The so-called “Shadow Trail” disappearances — involving 27 girls ages 7 to 17 across central and northern Texas — have baffled investigators for years. Most girls vanished near water, campsites, or wooded rural roads. Until now, no unifying evidence had ever emerged.

“We’re not saying this is the place. But it’s the first place that has physical links to multiple victims,” said FBI spokesperson Carla Nunez. “We’re treating it as a potential epicenter.”

💬 Families React

Parents of several missing girls traveled to the site Monday, some quietly laying flowers at the trailhead. Kylie Lanning’s mother broke down in tears upon seeing a photo of the recovered doll.

“I sewed that dress,” she whispered. “I prayed it would come back to me one day.”

⚠️ What Happens Next

Forensic teams are examining DNA samples from the tunnels
Excavations will expand to the surrounding 15 acres
A 24-hour perimeter is now enforced as investigators fear evidence tampering

🧭 Bottom Line

A single mud-covered doll has cracked open the sealed doors of a decade-long mystery. And now, beneath the ruins of a forgotten camp, the truth about 27 missing girls may finally begin to surface.