Camp Mystic directors and staff Mary Liz Eastland, left to right, her husband Edward Eastland, Britt Eastland and Tweety Eastland stand for the judge’s entrance at a hearing about a temporary restraining order at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Will and CiCi Steward of Austin, whose 8-year-old daughter, Cile Steward, was swept away in the July 4, 2025, flash flood at Camp Mystic and has not been found, are seeking to prevent the camp from reopening this summer and to halt repairs and construction until their lawsuit against the camp and other parties goes to trial. The Stewards say they want to preserve potential evidence related to their daughter’s death.
Jay Janner/Jay Janner | Austin American-Statesman
Camp Mystic directors, left to right, Edward Eastland, Mary Liz Eastland, Britt Eastland and Richard Eastland testify at a joint House and Senate flood investigating committee hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday April 28, 2026.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
The company operating Camp Mystic, the storied Hill Country girls camp where 25 campers and two counselors died in catastrophic Fourth of July flooding, has filed for bankruptcy protection.
It filed for Chapter 11 reorganization at 1 a.m. Wednesday, but said it could later decide to liquidate.
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The move comes nearly a year after flash flooding along the Guadalupe River swept through the camp near Hunt in one of the deadliest floods in Texas history.
The filing pauses lawsuits filed by by families of victims who allege Camp Mystic failed to adequately prepare for or respond to the flooding.
FROM NOVEMBER: Families of flooding victims sue Camp Mystic, owners for wrongful deaths of 13 campers, 2 counselors
Paul Yetter, a Houston attorney representing seven families suing the camp over their daughters’ deaths, said the court fight will continue.
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“Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable,” he said. “These innocent girls deserve justice.”
The camp and the Eastland family, which owns and operates it, have faced allegations that they ignored weather warnings, lacked a written evacuation plan and delayed moving campers from low-lying cabins as floodwaters rapidly rose. The flood also claimed the life of camp Director Richard “Dick” Eastland, who died attempting to rescue campers.
Five civil suits have been filed by parents of most of the victims killed. The lawsuits — targeting Camp Mystic and members of the Eastland family — accuse the defendants of gross negligence and wrongful death, among other claims. They are seeking millions of dollars in damages.
The bankruptcy filing estimates Camp Mystic has more than 1,000 creditors, could owe as much as $50 million and has assets in the range of $100,001 to $500,000. It is seeking a complex case designation due to the large debt and number of creditors.
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The filing in the Southern District of Texas also pauses collection efforts. It includes associated entities Camp Mystic LLC, Natural Fountains Properties Inc., Mystic Camps Family Partnership Ltd. and Mystic Camps Management LLC.
Beyond the civil suits, multiple investigations of the camp’s response to the flooding have raised questions.
RELATED: Camp Mystic leaders failed at almost every step during July 4 floods, Texas legislative report finds
A report delivered last week to a special committee of the Legislature investigating the tragedy concluded that camp leadership failed in several key areas. Investigators found the camp lacked written emergency procedures required under state regulations and that staff members had not received adequate emergency training. It also said the camp failed to evacuate campers in advance of the flash floods despite “ample opportunity” to do so.
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The camp had sought to reopen for nearly 900 campers for the 2026 summer season but withdrew its application for a state license in April out of respect for “grieving families,” it said at the time. But state lawmakers earlier made clear they would not support its reopening, leaving the camp little choice.
Families of the victims had packed two days of legislative hearings, weeping as they listened to details of missed flood warnings and the camp’s decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. Testimony included video of raging floodwaters with a girl repeatedly screaming “help!” in the distance.
“The Legislature will support whatever it takes to shut them down as soon as possible,” Lubbock state Sen. Charles Perry said after the hearings.
The Texas Rangers and Texas Department of State Health Services are still investigating the camp’s actions.
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All told, last summer’s destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the Guadalupe.
Peggy O’Hare contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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