Texas Camp Faces Criminal Probe Over 2023 Flood Deaths

Camp Mystic, a summer camp in Texas, is currently facing a criminal investigation that could lead to charges including manslaughter, child abandonment, and negligent homicide, according to court documents. The probe stems from a catastrophic flood that occurred last July, resulting in the deaths of 27 girls and counselors.

Brant Johnston, representing the Texas Rangers, stated in an affidavit that Camp Mystic had inadequate emergency plans and failed to conduct necessary emergency training. He also noted that some cabins lacked a sufficient number of adult counselors. Court documents indicate that the camp's owners were unaware of monitored late-night flood warnings and did not move children from low-lying cabins to safer locations.

"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," Johnston wrote. He also mentioned that several individuals, including members of the Eastland family and other senior camp officials, declined to be interviewed.

Johnston concluded that "Camp Mystic, LLC was aware of and consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death to the campers in their care."

The camp, which has operated for 100 years on the banks of the Guadalupe River, was not accredited by the American Camp Association when the tragedy occurred. It became the site of the deadliest summer camp disaster in U.S. history.

Among the victims was the camp's owner, Richard "Dick" Eastland, 70, who died while attempting to rescue young girls. The incident involved 13 girls and two counselors staying in Camp Mystic's Bubble Inn cabin when the floods hit.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Camp Mystic was named in multiple lawsuits filed by grieving families. The camp has maintained that the flood was an unforeseeable natural disaster and has denied liability. Attorneys for the family of victim Cile Steward stated, "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."

A father of one of the victims, speaking anonymously to the Daily Mail, expressed regret over not questioning the camp's safety protocols. "I failed her," he said about his only daughter, wishing he had known that a long-standing reputation does not guarantee safety.

Reports indicate that some camp counselors did not have communication devices during the flood. Caroline Cutrona, a former counselor, told CNN that while a few leaders had walkie-talkies, most staff members did not. She also stated that the camp had a "no-screen policy," requiring staff to turn off their phones, which prevented many from receiving emergency weather alerts.

Records show that state inspectors had approved Camp Mystic's disaster plan just two days before the flood.

The camp, once a popular summer destination for generations of families, did not reopen this year and has filed for bankruptcy reorganization. The Camp Mystic tragedy has prompted legislative reforms in Texas, aligning its regulations for summer camps with those in states like New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, and California, which enforce best-practice safety standards.