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(NEW YORK) — Camp Mystic announced plans to reopen one site of its summer camp a year after flash flooding killed 27 campers and counselors on Texas’ Guadalupe River on the Fourth of July earlier this year.

The summer camp made the announcement on Tuesday, saying it will be designing and building a memorial “dedicated to the lives of the campers and counselors lost on July 4th.”

“We hope this space will serve as a place of reflection and remembrance of these beautiful girls,” the camp’s statement read. “We continue to pray for the grieving families and all those who lost loved ones.”

The summer program officials said that Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, a sister site that opened in 2020, will be open in summer 2026, while Camp Mystic Guadalupe River will not be able to reopen by then due to the devastating damage sustained earlier this year.

“We are working to implement new safety protocols and other changes that comply with the requirements of the recently passed camp safety legislation, the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act,” Camp Mystic said in their letter announcing the reopening. “We will share more details as they become available in the coming weeks.”

Twenty-seven children and staff of Camp Mystic, an all-girls sleepaway camp located on the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, were killed by the floods in the middle of the night on July 4. some state leaders and environmental experts told ABC News in July that a number of the cabins were in known flood zones and close proximity to the river, according to officials and FEMA’s flood maps.

Texas’ rules and regulations about housing and construction and summer camps immediately came under scrutiny by environmentalists and urban planners. Though, in the case of Camp Mystic, which opened in 1926 and expanded throughout the years, many structures were built long before FEMA flood zones and other regulations were created and are likely to have approvals grandfathered in, Republican Texas Rep. Gary Gates, who chairs the state House’s Land & Resource Management Committee, told ABC this summer.

“We continue to evaluate plans to rebuild Camp Mystic Guadalupe River,” camp officials said. “Our planning and procedures will reflect the catastrophic 1,000-year weather event that occurred on July 4, including never having campers return to cabins that had floodwaters inside them. And, as at Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, our plans will comply with the requirements of the new camp safety.”

“The heart of Camp Mystic has never stopped beating, because you are Mystic. We are not only rebuilding cabins and trails, but also a place where laughter, friendship and spiritual growth will continue to flourish,” officials continued. “As we work to finalize plans, we will do so in a way that is mindful of those we have lost. You are all part of the mission and the ministry of Camp Mystic. You mean the world to us, and we look forward to welcoming you back inside the green gates.”

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(WAUKEGAN, Ill.) —  An Illinois driver remains at large after fatally striking a pregnant woman while she was crossing the street, according to the Waukegan Police Department.

At approximately 9:34 p.m. on Sunday, officials responded to a report of a “vehicle crash with injuries, involving a pedestrian,” police said in a press release obtained by ABC News.

Once at the scene, police and fire officials found the pedestrian, identified as 36-year-old Michelle Heidbrick, with “critical injuries,” authorities said.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Heidbrick “fled the scene prior to the arrival” of police, according to officials.

Heidbrick was transported to a local hospital where she was “pronounced dead in the emergency room,” police noted.

Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Heidbrick “died from blunt force injuries as a result of the incident,” officials said.

Heidbrick’s sister told ABC Chicago station WLS she was “sweet” and “wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She told WLS that Heidbrick leaves behind a teenage son.

Police confirmed Heidbrick was in the second trimester of pregnancy.

“She had called me last week and was excited. She’s like ‘Nicole, I felt the baby kick for the first time,'” Nicole Heidbrick told WLS.

She told WLS the family is demanding that “somebody come forward.”

The incident “remains under investigation” by police’s major crash unit, officials said.

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(NEW YORK) — Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course last year, has been found guilty on all five counts.

He was forcibly removed from the courtroom following the announcement of the verdict after sources say he tried to stab himself.

Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen amid the chaos after the verdict was handed down, according to sources. However the pen he had access to is specially designed not to injure, so it only left bruises or marks on his neck and he wasn’t injured, a source said.

Four armed marshals surrounded Routh, who appeared to stand once the jury left the courtroom. Routh was then walked out of the courtroom.

Sara Routh, his daughter seated in the courtroom, shouted, “Dad, I love you. Don’t do anything. I will get you out.” 

“He didn’t hurt anybody. This is not fair. This is all rigged. You guys are a——s,” she shouted before also being escorted from the courtroom.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon subsequently allowed Routh back in the courtroom in shackles and escorted by marshals. He was informed that he will be sentenced on Dec. 18.

According to federal prosecutors, some of the jurors saw the outburst as they were exiting.

“The jury has not yet left the room at the time of the defendant’s conduct,” a prosecutor said.

Judge Cannon, who previously oversaw and dismissed one of Trump’s criminal cases, thanked the lawyers and Routh for their time, “despite your outburst today.”

Routh, who was representing himself despite lacking any legal education or experience, faced five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number. He faces up to life in prison.

The jury reached their verdict after deliberating for approximately two hours. Their only note was a request to see the rifle, ammunition and magazine that Routh allegedly used. 

Judge Cannon allowed the jurors to view the exhibits in open court. 

Routh argued during his closing argument Tuesday that he did not intend to shoot Trump and that he lacks “the capacity to kill.” 

“The prime opportunity was there for the defendant to shoot the president,” Routh said in a rambling, 55-minute closing argument. “Why was the trigger not pulled?”

Routh said that he never brandished his rifle to shoot either Trump or the Secret Service agent who spotted him, and he said any evidence suggesting otherwise was a “blatant fabrication.” 

“It was just an individual on the fence with a gun resting there,” Routh told jurors. 

Throughout his argument, Rough repeatedly claimed his “intent was harmless.” He argued that killing Trump was a “fantasy,” comparing the idea to longing for a high-end sports car, dreaming of a vacation home, or lusting for his best friend’s wife. 

“It was never going to happen,” he told jurors. “It is not in the defendant’s heart.” 

“The opportunity was there,” Routh said. “It was so simple and easy — just pull the trigger.” And yet, said Routh, “This human being does not have the capability to shoot someone else.”

Judge Cannon cut off Routh’s closing about half a dozen times to remind the jury about their legal instructions, including two instances when she excused the jury so she could rein Routh in. 

In a brief rebuttal, federal prosecutor John Shipley argued that Routh should be found guilty because he still took multiple steps to carry out his alleged assassination plot, casting doubt on Routh’s central argument that he lacked the intention to actually shoot Trump.

“You’ve heard the evidence. This is not a peaceful and nonviolent man,” Shipley said. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, posting to social media following the announcement of the verdict, wrote, “Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.” 

“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself,” Bondi wrote.

Prosecutors allege that Routh put together a methodical plan — including purchasing a military-grade weapon, researching Trump’s movements, and utilizing a dozen burner phones — to kill Trump based on political grievances.

Hiding in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course and armed with a rifle, Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of the then-presidential nominee before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of the tree line.

Routh allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested by a local sheriff’s office on a nearby interstate.

Routh spent three hours Monday presenting his defense case after prosecutors called more than three dozen witnesses over the last two weeks in the government’s case. 

Routh called a firearms expert and two of his longtime friends in his defense.

“Is it your personal opinion of me that I am peaceful and gentle, and nonviolent?” Routh asked his second witness, longtime friend Marshall Hinshaw.

“I would say so,” Hinshaw said. “I would not expect you to harm anyone, Ryan.”

Routh argued that he lacked the capacity to kill Trump, though he appeared to concede some of the prosecution’s allegations during the trial. He acknowledged that he authored a letter that prosecutors say outlined his plans to kill Trump.

He was cut off multiple times Monday by Judge Cannon, who ended the day with a warning for Routh ahead of Tuesday’s closings. 

“Any argument you make … must be reasonably tied to the admitted evidence. Do you understand?” the judge asked Routh, saying that any deviation will “cause a problem.” 

“Yes, your honor,” Routh said. 

ABC News’ Luke Barr and Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.

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(CONEJOS COUNTY, Colo.) —  Two elk hunters found dead last week were killed when a tree they were standing near was struck by lightning, a coroner confirmed to ABC News.

The two bodies found near the Colorado-New Mexico border last week have officially been identified as Andrew Porter, 25, and Ian Stasko, 25, Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin told ABC News.

The bodies were found Sept. 18 after a dayslong search.

While the two hunters were not directly hit by lightning, the electricity traveled down through the tree and then struck Porter and Stasko, according to Martin.

“Do not stand under a tall tree during a lightning storm,” Martin advised.

The two bodies were otherwise “basically in perfect condition,” Martin said.

“I couldn’t believe they were that good of a condition after being in the wilderness for seven days,” he said.

The two hunters were first reported missing on Sept. 13 after they failed to check in with family.

After nearly a weeklong search, the bodies were found 2 miles from the Rio De Los Pinos Trail Head on Thursday morning, according to the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators responded to the Rio De Los Pinos Trail Head Sept. 13 to search for the hunters, finding their vehicle at the trail head, according to the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office.

The hunters were in the San Juan Wilderness Area west of Trujillo Meadows Reservoir. The Trujillo Meadows Reservoir is a 69-acre wildlife area in the Conejos Region, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Investigators found a vehicle that had camping gear and backpacks — but not the hunters — which concerned authorities due to heavy rain and bad weather, according to officials.

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(MEMPHIS) — A Missouri woman was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison on Tuesday for what prosecutors called a “brazen” attempt to fraudulently put Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate up for auction.

Lisa Findley, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Memphis, Tennessee, in February.

A federal judge sentenced her to 57 months in federal prison, with three years supervised probation, saying he wanted impress upon Findley the seriousness of her crime.

“It was brazen,” U.S. District Judge John Fowlkes told Findley at her sentencing at the federal courthouse in Memphis.

When asked by the judge if she had anything to say prior to being sentenced, Findley declined to speak.

No members of the Presley family were present at the sentencing hearing.

Findley has been in custody since her arrest in August 2024.  

In the plea agreement, Findley admitted the government’s factual basis in the case is “true and accurate,” and that had the case gone to trial the evidence would have established her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss one count of aggravated identity theft that was previously filed against her.

The mail fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

In the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend Findley be sentenced to 57 months in federal prison.

“There is a strong need to deter the defendant from future criminal conduct and to protect the public,” prosecutors wrote in a recent court filing, arguing a “substantial period of incarceration is appropriate.”

Federal prosecutors said Findley formulated a “brazen scheme” to try to “extort a settlement from the Presley family.”

“The defendant boldly attempted to extort funds from the estate of L.M.P. [Lisa Marie Presley] by the creation and filing of a false and fraudulent Deed of Trust,” they stated in the court filing.

As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Findley forged the signatures of Elvis Presley’s late daughter Lisa Marie and Florida notary Kimberly Philbrick in order to claim Lisa Marie Presley did not pay back a $3.8 million loan from a purported company called Naussany Investments that listed Graceland as collateral.

Naussany Investments, an unregistered entity that prosecutors said Findley was behind, filed public notices in May 2024 stating it would auction off Graceland at the front of the Shelby County Courthouse.

A Shelby County chancellor issued a temporary injunction at the eleventh hour that prevented such an auction from taking place, citing an affidavit from Philbrick that stated her signature was forged and she never met Lisa Marie Presley.

Philbrick spoke exclusively to ABC News, telling “Good Morning America” in August 2024 and “IMPACT x Nightline” in October 2024 that she never notarized anything for Lisa Marie Presley and has no idea how her name got involved in the scheme.

When Findley realized she was under investigation, prosecutors say she “attempted to deflect responsibility onto fictitious third persons.”

“Fortunately, the defendant’s scheme was unsuccessful,” prosecutors stated in the court filing.

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