KERR COUNTY — The Texas Rangers are investigating Camp Mystic for potential criminal charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, child abandonment, injury to a child, and deadly conduct. A Kerr County state district judge approved 14 search warrants on Friday to investigate electronic data of the Eastland family and other camp staff.

No criminal charges have been brought against Camp Mystic leaders or staff as of the date of the reports. The investigation follows a flood on July 4, 2025, that killed 27 people at the Christian all-girls camp located on the south fork of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas.

Johnston wrote that "Camp Mystic, LLC was aware of and consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death to the campers in their care." He added that these offenses were committed against child campers, including both deceased victims and surviving campers of the flood event. He further noted that young campers cannot reasonably be expected to independently recognize a rapidly developing, life-threatening hazard or to organize and execute an evacuation absent direction from an adequate number of adult supervisors.

Richard Eastland Jr. woke up early on July 4, 2025, and saw a phone warning of dangerous flash flooding but was not concerned. Several members of the Eastland family and other top camp officials refused interviews with investigators. Camp director Edward Eastland testified in courtrooms and in front of the state Legislature and offered an apology.

Camp Mystic is located on a 725-acre campus near the confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek, 6 miles southwest of Hunt in Kerr County. The body of victim Cile Steward has not been found. Camp Mystic filed for bankruptcy reorganization and did not reopen for the 2026 summer season.

Christina Yarnell and Brad Beckworth, attorneys for the family of victim Cile Steward, issued a written statement regarding the investigation. They said that for more than a year, families of the 27 angels killed at Camp Mystic have fought, begged, and pleaded with the Eastland family for accountability and answers. They added that instead, the Eastlands have held hostage the information and answers owed to parents who deserve, more than anyone, to know the details surrounding their daughters' final moments.

Why It Matters

The Texas Senate has established a general investigating committee on the deadly July 2025 floods that will meet jointly with a corresponding committee in the Texas House of Representatives to examine the facts surrounding the deaths. A state-led probe found that Camp Mystic did not have state-required written emergency plans or adequate evacuation measures at the time of the floods. Casey Garrett and Michael Massengale, hired by the Texas Legislature to conduct a probe of the flood response, cited communication lapses between state and local authorities and lackluster instructions to counselors about how to safely evacuate in the event of a flood.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has received more than 600 complaints and requests to not renew Camp Mystic's state license this year. DSHS plans to conduct the onsite portion of its complaint investigation at the same time as the camp's renewal pre-inspection. These regulatory and legislative actions occur alongside the ongoing criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers.

Timeline

On July 4, 2025, 27 girls and counselors died in floods at Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls camp located on the south fork of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. Twenty-five campers and two teenage counselors died in the flooding at Camp Mystic on July 4, 2025. Camp Mystic owner Richard "Dick" Eastland died in the flood.

The Guadalupe River flooded Camp Mystic before dawn on July 4, 2025. 119 people died in Kerr County in the flooding. Richard Eastland's watch data showed he was submerged in over twenty feet of water just before 4 a.m. on July 4, 2025.

What's New

Later reporting indicates that Texas Rangers are investigating Camp Mystic, and the Texas Senate has established a general investigating committee on the deadly July 2025 floods that will meet jointly with a corresponding committee in the Texas House of Representatives to examine the facts surrounding the deaths of 27 children. Texas Ranger investigator Brant Johnston wrote in an affidavit that Camp Mystic had inadequate emergency plans, failed to conduct emergency drills or training, and in some cabins did not have enough adult counselors. He also stated that these offenses were committed against child campers, including both deceased victims and surviving campers of the flood event. Additional reporting shows the search warrants target electronic records of Richard "Dick" Eastland, Willetta "Tweety" Eastland, Edward Eastland, Britt Eastland, Richard Eastland Jr. Mary Liz Eastland, Catie Eastland, Glenn Juenke, Rachel Farhoudi, Lauren Bass, Jane Charpentier, Katarzyna Kruk, Kalina Krol, and Joanna Schwarz.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has received more than 600 complaints and requests to not renew Camp Mystic's state license this year, and DSHS plans to conduct the onsite portion of its complaint investigation at the same time as the camp's renewal pre-inspection. Further data indicates 119 people died in Kerr County in the flooding.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on details regarding Camp Mystic. The Texas Rangers search warrant affidavit states that Texas Ranger investigator Brant Johnston stated in an affidavit that Camp Mystic had inadequate emergency plans, failed to conduct emergency drills or training, and lacked sufficient adult counselors in some cabins.