CAMP MYSTIC, TEXAS — In a haunting turn in the search for the 27 missing girls from Camp Mystic, dive teams have recovered a child’s backpack and a mysterious handmade object from a section of river just downstream from the camp.

The backpack, found tangled in debris, belonged to a 9-year-old camper. Inside were a journal, a damp photo of two smiling girls, and a friendship bracelet — all deeply personal, all intact.

But it was the second item that shook the search team: a crudely made doll or effigy, tied with string and scraps of fabric that may have come from camper uniforms. Authorities have not shared details publicly, but one rescuer called it “deeply unsettling.” Forensic teams are now examining it.

Families were privately informed, with one parent describing the discovery as “both a breakthrough and a heartbreak.”

Search efforts are intensifying, with more divers and scent dogs deployed in the area. Investigators are also digging into the camp’s past to see if the strange object might connect to old traditions.

As the third week begins, hope and dread continue to hang in the air — and it seems the truth may be closer than anyone imagined.