Texas Rangers Seek Evidence of Manslaughter in Camp Mystic Deaths

Texas Rangers are seeking evidence that Camp Mystic's owners could be charged with manslaughter, negligent homicide or child abandonment in the deaths of 27 girls during flooding on the Guadalupe River last year, according to search warrant applications reported by the Associated Press and reviewed by the Guardian. No charges have been filed. A camp representative did not immediately return messages seeking comment, the AP reported.

The warrants, executed last week, sought the electronic communications of the camp's owners. Investigators framed the request around whether staff had advance warning of rising water and whether they acted on it. What follows is a timeline of the flood and the investigation built from the court documents cited by the AP.

What happened on July 4, 2025?

The Guadalupe River surged beyond its banks before dawn, according to the AP. Twenty-five campers and two teenage counselors at the Christian all-girls camp were killed. Camp Mystic owner Richard Eastland also died in the flood. Statewide, the flooding killed at least 136 people, the AP reported.

What do investigators allege about the camp's preparedness?

Texas Ranger Brant Johnston wrote in an affidavit, cited by the AP, that Camp Mystic had inadequate emergency plans, did not conduct emergency drills or training, and in some cabins lacked enough adult counselors. Johnston wrote that owners had monitored late-night flood warnings but neglected to relocate children from low-lying cabins.

Johnston wrote: "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."

He concluded that "Camp Mystic, LLC was aware of and consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death to the campers in their care," according to the affidavit as reported by the AP.

What are investigators trying to obtain, and why?

The search warrant applications sought the owners' electronic communications, with investigators stating those records could provide evidence of manslaughter, negligent homicide, child abandonment or other crimes, the AP reported. The warrants were executed last week, though the underlying applications and Johnston's affidavit were made public more recently in court filings reviewed by the AP. No specific timeline for a charging decision was included in the reporting.

What is known so far — a numbers summary

• 27 dead at Camp Mystic: 25 campers and two teenage counselors, per the AP.
• 136 total deaths statewide from the flooding, per the AP.
• 1 owner, Richard Eastland, also died in the flood.
• 0 criminal charges filed as of the AP's report.

The figures come directly from the AP's account of court documents; no additional casualty breakdowns, such as ages of victims beyond "campers" and "teenage counselors," were provided in the source material.

Has anyone been charged, and what happens to the camp now?

No charges have been brought, the AP reported. The investigation remains open, and the warrants indicate prosecutors are still building a record rather than announcing findings. Camp Mystic did not reopen this year and has filed for bankruptcy reorganization, according to the AP.

For decades, Camp Mystic operated as a sleepaway camp for girls, offering horseback riding, canoeing, fishing and Bible study, the AP reported. That history is part of the backdrop against which the Rangers' affidavit — alleging the camp "consciously disregarded" a known risk — will be tested if the case proceeds toward charges.

The reporting reviewed for this article comes from a single wire account carried by the Guardian; further developments, including any charging decision or camp response, would need independent confirmation before publication.

What legal standard would prosecutors need to meet?

Johnston's affidavit frames the case around whether Camp Mystic staff, and specifically its owners, knew of an escalating risk and failed to act on it — the threshold prosecutors would need to establish for manslaughter or negligent homicide charges under Texas law. The affidavit's language, that owners "consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death," tracks the statutory definition of reckless conduct central to manslaughter prosecutions, according to the AP's account of the document. Whether investigators can substantiate that standard through the owners' electronic communications remains the open question the warrants were designed to answer.

What is not yet known?

The AP's report, sourced to court documents, does not specify a timeline for a grand jury referral or charging decision. It also does not detail what, if anything, the seized communications have shown since the warrants were executed last week. The Guardian's account, carried via the AP wire, represents a single sourced report; no camp statement, defense response or additional prosecutorial comment appears in the material reviewed for this article.