Where this was said
Cold Open: A Night of Terror at Camp Mystic
At 2:01 · chapter starts 1:00
Dateline's cold open drops listeners immediately into the chaos of July 4, 2025. Rapid-fire clips from counselor Ainsley Bishara, Lindsay McCrory, Jenny Gettin, and others sketch the outlines of an unimaginable night: a wall of water, terrified girls, trunks floating down the river, and 27 deaths. Lindsay McCrory's voice cuts through — '27 girls died. It should have never happened.' The competing claims are introduced instantly: parents insisting the tragedy was preventable, the camp's attorney defending the shelter-in-place policy. Lester Holt then opens formally, setting the scene for what will be a devastating hour of testimony and investigation.
