Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy as investigations, lawsuits ongoing

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(The Center Square) – Camp Mystic L.L.C. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, potentially ending the camp the Eastland family founded in 1939.

The bankruptcy filing was made nearly one year to the day when 25 campers and two counselors drowned at the all-girl’s camp in Hunt, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 4, 2025. They were told to stay in their cabins and weren’t evacuated ahead of flood waters leading to their drowning. Their parents have filed multiple wrongful death lawsuits, each requesting a minimum of $1 million in damages, The Center Square reported.

The filing claims Camp Mystic and its related companies are in between $10 million and $50 million worth of debt. Total assets are between $1 million and $10 million, according to the paperwork filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas in Houston, NBC News reported. 

Despite calls from the parents for the state to suspend Camp Mystic’s license, the Eastlands planned to open this summer. An estimated 900 campers were scheduled to attend bringing in an estimated $4 million to the camp, The Center Square reported.

The Eastlands had denied culpability even as three state investigations were launched, including a criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers. The Texas Board of Nursing also partially suspended one of the owner’s, Mary Liz Eastland’s, nursing license.

After a state legislative hearing held in April, the Eastlands agreed not to reopen the camp this summer. State lawmakers said 22 deficiencies were found in their license application, also arguing they lost their privilege to have a license. They also expressed exasperation with Mary Liz Eastland for failing to report the deaths of 27 girls in defiance of state law.

Lawmakers repeatedly said the Eastlands were complacent. State investigators listed examples of alleged negligence, including not moving campers to higher ground when they had the opportunity to do so that would have saved their lives. They pointed to Edward Eastland prioritizing moving canoes instead of children as heavy rain fell, The Center Square reported.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the hearing testimony showed “that Camp Mystic was totally unprepared, understaffed, complacent, incompetent, and lacking an evacuation plan.” 

Last week, the state legislative committee unanimously adopted a report submitted by investigators that includes their findings and conclusions in a follow up to the hearings.  

The report concludes Camp Mystic was not in compliance with state law, it did not have written emergency plans to evacuate campers but instead instructed them “to shelter in place and await further instruction.” Evacuation procedures weren’t reviewed with camp staff and counselors and campers weren’t instructed about evacuations, the report states. 

Camp Mystic did not adequately prepare for the storm despite having access to weather updates, it adds. “Many of Camp Mystic’s leaders went to bed on July 3 with no awareness of the potential for extreme weather.” 

As the flooding began, adults evacuated themselves but didn’t evacuate the children. Dozens of adult staff were close enough to the cabins where girls drowned who were never tasked with nor took the initiative to evacuate them, investigators said. “If all campers had been instructed to evacuate their cabins by foot” at 3 a.m. when some campers were, “there was ample time and opportunity for them all to safely reach higher ground,” the report states. 

The camp’s “reunification efforts and incident management were chaotic with traumatic effects for families,” it concludes. 

After the Eastlands agreed to not reopen this summer, Gov. Greg Abbott said the results of a criminal investigation conducted by the Texas Rangers into Camp Mystic “will be made public as soon as possible.”

Sam Taylor of The Lanier Law Firm told The Center Square, “The families we represent are grateful that no other Texas family will hand their daughter over to Camp Mystic this summer. But until there is full accountability for what happened on July 4 and until there are real, enforceable safeguards for every child sent to a Texas summer camp, our work continues.” 

Taylor serves as legal counsel for the families of six campers who drowned at Camp Mystic. 

Their parents’ lawsuit alleges liability for wrongful death, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and failure to warn. It seeks actual and exemplary monetary damages, and policy changes to improve youth camp safety, and emergency preparedness in Texas. 

Camp Mystic did not respond to a request for comment.