The criminal investigation into the deadly Camp Mystic flood has taken a significant step forward, with Texas Rangers obtaining 14 search warrants targeting electronic data belonging to members of the family that operated the camp and several employees.
The warrants, approved last week by a Kerr County state district judge, are part of an investigation into Camp Mystic’s preparation for and response to the catastrophic July 4, 2025, flooding in the Texas Hill Country. Twenty-five campers and two counselors died at the camp, along with camp owner Richard “Dick” Eastland, bringing the total number of deaths at Camp Mystic to 28.
No criminal charges have been filed against Camp Mystic leadership. However, the search warrant affidavits show investigators are examining whether the actions or omissions of camp leaders could support charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, injury to a child, abandoning or endangering a child and deadly conduct.
What investigators are looking for
Texas Ranger Brant C. Johnston wrote in the affidavits that investigators have probable cause to believe criminal offenses may have occurred involving both children who died and those who survived the flood.
“These offenses were committed against child campers — including both deceased victims and surviving campers of the flood event,” Johnston wrote.
The warrants allow investigators to search electronic data belonging to members of the Eastland family and other Camp Mystic employees. At least one warrant seeks text messages, emails, photos, location information, internet searches, app data and deleted material from the months surrounding the flood. Investigators are attempting to establish what camp leaders knew about the developing flood threat, when they knew it and how they responded.
Johnston wrote that members of the Eastland family and other top camp officials declined requests to be interviewed by investigators. The Ranger also alleged that Camp Mystic lacked adequate emergency preparation and planning before the flood.
Investigators have focused in part on whether the camp had sufficient emergency procedures, evacuation plans and training in place before floodwaters swept through the property.
A previous state-led investigation found Camp Mystic did not have state-required written emergency plans or adequate evacuation measures at the time of the disaster. A separate investigation commissioned by the Texas Legislature also identified failures involving emergency communication and instructions provided to counselors.
The Rangers are now examining whether failures in preparation and the decisions made as the flood threat developed could amount to criminal conduct.
Camp remains closed amid lawsuits and bankruptcy
The criminal investigation adds another layer to the legal problems facing Camp Mystic and the Eastland family.
Camp Mystic initially planned to reopen portions of the property that were away from the areas hit hardest by the flood. Those plans changed in April, when the camp withdrew its application for a state license to operate in 2026 and announced it would not reopen this summer.
Camp Mystic and several related businesses later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The camp and its owners are also facing multiple lawsuits brought by families of children killed in the flood. Those lawsuits have accused camp leadership of negligence in its preparation for and response to the disaster.
The issuance of search warrants does not mean criminal charges will ultimately be filed. But the documents provide the clearest indication yet of the direction of the Texas Rangers’ investigation.
Investigators are no longer looking only at what went wrong at Camp Mystic. They are gathering evidence to determine whether decisions made before and during the flood could meet the standard for criminal prosecution in connection with the deaths of 25 campers and two counselors — as well as the alleged endangerment of children who survived.
