Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Tuesday that the Texas Rangers have launched a criminal investigation into Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors were killed during a catastrophic flash flood on July 4.

The Texas Department of State Health Services, which also is investigating the Hill Country camp, has received more than 600 complaints and requests to not renew Camp Mystic’s state license this year, Patrick said in a letter to the state agency.

“You should not renew or approve a camp license for Camp Mystic, or any other camp the same operators intend to run, until your investigation, and all criminal and legislative investigations are complete and necessary corrective actions are taken,” he wrote.

“With many questions remaining unanswered surrounding the deaths of 27 young girls, parents and Texans deserve to have all issues resolved prior to Camp Mystic and/or their operators being allowed to welcome children back into their care this summer,” he added.

Camp Mystic submitted a license renewal application to DSHS on March 30 seeking approval to reopen its Cypress Lake camp this summer, a portion of the retreat that did not flood on July 4. The camp’s current license expired March 31.

Camp Mystic has drawn intense scrutiny and criticism since the July 4 flash flood killed 25 children and two counselors staying at its original Guadalupe River camp on the south fork of the river near Hunt, about 18 miles southwest of Kerrville.

Richard “Dick” Eastland, 70, one of Camp Mystic’s executive directors, also was killed as he tried to rescue campers from the high waters. His vehicle was carried away by the current and crashed into a tree.

The DSHS said it will investigate potential violations of laws and rules governing youth camps. The Texas Rangers, an arm of Texas Department of Public Safety, said it’s assisting DSHS “regarding complaints of neglect by Camp Mystic.”

Patrick said in his letter to DSHS that the Texas Rangers are conducting a criminal investigation, though the DSHS’s investigation is administrative. Patrick didn’t elaborate.

Camp Mystic’s officials said in a statement Tuesday that they have “cooperated with every investigative request we have received.”

“We have worked closely with the Texas Rangers since the tragic events of July 4, assisting them in their search and recovery efforts, which are ongoing,” they said. “We look forward to cooperating with the Texas Rangers and supporting them in their efforts to gain a thorough and accurate understanding of what happened on the south fork of the Guadalupe River during the early hours of July 4.”

The Texas Senate has established a general investigating committee on the deadly July 2025 floods that will meet jointly with a corresponding committee in the Texas House of Representatives to examine the facts surrounding “the extreme loss” of 27 children’s lives at Camp Mystic, Patrick said in his letter.

That committee is working to finish its investigation in the coming weeks, with a hearing and report expected by early summer.

DSHS said in a letter Tuesday to Eastland’s widow, Tweety Eastland, another executive director of the camp, and other members of the Eastland family, that it plans to conduct the onsite portion of its complaint investigation at the same time as the camp’s renewal pre-inspection.

“We may need to speak with you, your directors and other Camp Mystic staff as part of this process,” wrote Annabelle Dillard, environmental section director of DSHS’ consumer protection division. “DSHS will consider any findings from the inspection and investigation when making the determination on your renewal application.

“DSHS also expects to similarly review findings of the investigating committee.”

The Rangers’ search and recovery mission for remaining flood victims in Kerr County is ongoing, DPS said.

Will Camp Mystic reopen this summer?

In February, the parents of 8-year-old Cile Steward – the only Camp Mystic camper whose remains have not been found – filed a lawsuit seeking to halt construction, repairs and renovations at the camp until their earlier lawsuit over Steward’s death is resolved.

A state district judge granted an injunction, saying the halt was necessary to preserve evidence. Camp Mystic is appealing the decision, calling it “deeply flawed” and saying it caused “irreparable harm.”

The families of nine Camp Mystic flooding victims have filed lawsuits against DSHS, claiming the state agency should not have issued the camp a license last year due to the camp’s lack of an evacuation plan.

Multiple flash flooding victims’ families have also sued the camp, claiming its owners and operators knew of the flooding risk and did not adequately prepare for or respond to the emergency.

Lawyers for Camp Mystic have said there was little the camp could have done, calling the flooding “unexpected” and saying there were not adequate warning systems in the area where the flooding occurred.

A torrential storm pushed the Guadalupe River to a record-breaking height of nearly 40 feet in the dark, early morning hours before sunrise on July 4. The disaster killed 119 people in Kerr County, where Camp Mystic is located. Many of the victims were camping along or near the Guadalupe River.

This article originally published at Texas Rangers launch criminal investigation into Camp Mystic.