Texas officials investigating hundreds of complaints against Camp Mystic amid license renewal bid
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas health regulators told Camp Mystic owners Tuesday they are investigating hundreds of complaints filed after last year’s devastating disaster. flood It left 27 girls dead while the state was considering whether to allow the all-girls camp to reopen this summer.
Texas Rangers also help investigate allegations of negligence, according to the Texas Department of Safety, though the scope of the state’s elite investigative unit was not immediately clear.
The investigations underscore the hurdles Camp Mystic faces as it advances plans to reopen amid outrage from the families of 25 girls and two teenage counselors killed in the July 4 flood. More than 850 families have registered to return to the Christian girls’ camp this summer if a non-flooded portion of the camp is allowed to reopen.
The Department of State Health Services said that since February, the agency has received “hundreds of complaints regarding Camp Mystic’s activities in the summer of 2025” alleging violations of state laws regulating youth camps. The agency said it asked state police for help.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Texas Rangers participated in “an investigation into complaints of negligence” during the flood. Neither agency released details. The camp was not evacuated and was hard hit when the river rose from 4.2 meters (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) 60 minutes before dawn.
A letter from the health agency sent to camp owners on Tuesday notified camp owners of the agency’s investigation but did not mention the Texas Rangers’ involvement.
Attorneys for the families of the slain girls and the owners of Camp Mystic did not immediately respond to email messages seeking comment.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the Texas Rangers’ involvement a “criminal investigation” and said the state should not give the camp permission to reopen until that investigation and another by state lawmakers are completed.
“I ask that you prioritize safety and do everything you can to ensure that Camp Mystic and/or its operators are not allowed to operate until the facts are established,” Patrick wrote in a letter to the health agency chief on Tuesday.
Families of some of the dead girls filed a lawsuit against the camp’s operatorsHe argued that camp officials did not take the necessary steps to protect campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached. Last month, a district judge ordered the camp owners to: protect damaged cabinets and other portions of land in the area that were flooded while the lawsuits were ongoing.
The body of 8-year-old Cile Steward, one of the murdered campers, has not been found yet. DPS officials said the search for the girl continues.
One of the camp owners, Edward Eastland, was also killed. In total, the devastating flood killed at least 136 people along several kilometers of the river. ask questions It’s about how things got so bad.
