Camp Mystic Testimonies: Caitlin and Blake Bonner, parents of Lila Bonner

Caitlin and Blake Bonner shared the story of their daughter Lila, who turned nine just days before attending Camp Mystic for the first time. Lila was “special, beautiful, pure,” Caitlin said.  “She was so kind. The most gentle little girl who fiercely loved her little sisters and all of her friends.” Caitlin described packing Lila’s trunk with care and giving her tips from her own experience as a camper.  She said Lila followed all the camp rules and was voted best manners at her dining table. “We thought she was safer at camp than anywhere else,” Caitlin said. “When I think about the trauma and fear that our girls endured, it makes me physically ill. This loss is one no parent should have to endure.” Blake Bonner called the tragedy “an act of pure complacency.” “Our daughters paid the ultimate price for their obedience to a plan that was destined to fail,” he said. “This was not an accident. It was 100% preventable failure. It was a failure of planning, prevention, detection and response.”