Nine families mourning the loss of their daughters, who tragically never returned from Camp Mystic, have now transformed their sorrow into a significant federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit targets Texas authorities, accusing them of granting a license to a camp situated in the notorious ‘Flash Flood Alley’ without ensuring it had a legally mandated evacuation plan in place. This oversight, they argue, contributed to the devastating July 4 floods that claimed the lives of 27 campers and counselors.

On Monday, the lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas. It charges the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and six of its officials with failing to enforce state regulations that require youth camps to maintain written emergency evacuation plans, which should be prominently displayed in cabins.

The plaintiffs contend that instead of adhering to these requirements, Camp Mystic operated under what they describe as an ‘anti-evacuation plan.’ This policy allegedly instructed campers to stay in their cabins during flooding, a decision that the lawsuit claims delayed efforts to move the girls to safety until it was tragically too late.

“Young campers and counselors lost their lives because the camp lacked a proper plan,” the lawsuit asserts.

“While the camp holds responsibility, so do the state officials who contributed to this unacceptable hazard by fostering and implementing a policy that disregarded Texas law,” the document states.

It was during the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, torrential rain overwhelmed the Guadalupe River, sending floodwaters tearing through the historic Christian girls’ camp in the Texas Hill Country.

According to the lawsuit, staff managed to evacuate only five of 11 cabins in an area known as ‘the flats,’ despite what plaintiffs allege was sufficient time to move all campers to safety. 

Nine families of Camp Mystic victims have filed a federal lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas

An officer prays with a family as they pick up items at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, last July

A person looks at damage to the main building at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, last July in Hunt, Texas

Most of the girls who died were sleeping in two riverside cabins built less than 250 feet from the river.

In total, 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors were killed including camp owner and executive director Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland, 70, who died while attempting to evacuate one of the cabins.

More than 100 people across Central Texas died in the historic flooding. One Camp Mystic camper, eight-year-old Cecilia ‘Cile’ Steward, remains missing.

The lawsuit alleges that the nine represented victims include seven young campers and two teenage counselors.

‘They died because the camp had no plan to evacuate the riverside cabins where the girls slept,’ the complaint states. 

‘Instead, the camp’s stated policy was for campers not to evacuate during a flood.’

At the center of the lawsuit is the role of DSHS, the agency responsible for licensing and inspecting youth camps in Texas for more than two decades.

The complaint alleges that while DSHS inspectors annually reviewed camps, they ‘systematically ignored required safety rules’ and failed to verify that emergency plans actually included evacuation procedures, as required by state law.

Items lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, last July

Members of a search and rescue team embrace as they visit a memorial wall for flood victims

Twenty-seven campers and counselors died in the July 4, 2025 flooding at Camp Mystic

The all-girls camp was in a low-lying area, which is why it was hit so hard by the wall of water Pictured, Destroyed bedding and the girls’ belongings at Camp Mystic

The belongings of campers sit outside one of Camp Mystic’s cabins near the Guadalupe River after a deadly flash flood swept through the area

The suit names six officials involved in the youth camp program, including Commissioner Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Deputy Commissioner Timothy H. Stevenson, Jeffrey Adam Buuck, Annabelle Dillard, Lindsey Eudey, and inspector Maricela Torres Zamarripa.

A year before the flood, Zamarripa reported that Camp Mystic had a written disaster plan, according to the complaint. 

She inspected the property again two days before the flood and filed a report two days after the disaster, again stating the camp had the required plan and citing no violations, the suit says.

But the plaintiffs argue that what existed was not a lawful evacuation plan at all.

‘DSHS officials quietly decided not to enforce this requirement,’ the lawsuit states. ‘For at least a decade, they licensed a camp on the banks of a river, in the heart of ‘Flash Flood Alley,’ with no evacuation plan.

 In fact, officials knew the camp had an anti-evacuation plan – a ‘stay put’ policy.’

The lawsuit seeks general and compensatory damages and ‘all other relief that is equitable,’ alleging that officials deprived the victims of their ‘constitutional rights to life and bodily integrity.’

The new lawsuit expands focus beyond the camp itself but to the regulators who approved its licenses year after year.

On the Fourth of July, water rose 26 feet on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles and some of Camp Mystic’s buildings

Most of the girls who died were sleeping in cabins located near the Guadalupe River.

A Camp Mystic sign is seen near the entrance to the establishment along the banks of the river

 Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic last July

 Parents and family of children who died at Camp Mystic join Texas Governor Greg Abbott, second from right, as he signs camp safety bills, last September

Plaintiffs’ attorney Paul Yetter said in a statement: ‘DSHS licensed a camp without it having a required evacuation plan. We filed this lawsuit to expose another failure that led to these tragic deaths – and to keep other children who attend Texas camps safe in the future.’

A DSHS spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

The filing comes amid growing political scrutiny.

On Monday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a letter urging DSHS not to renew Camp Mystic’s license for the 2026 summer season.

‘Please do not renew a 2026 license for Camp Mystic until all legislative investigations are complete and any necessary corrective actions are taken,’ Patrick wrote.

‘Twenty-eight lives were taken, and until these deaths are investigated and any necessary corrective actions are taken to ensure this never happens again, a camp license should not be issued to Camp Mystic.’

Camp Mystic’s current youth camp license expires March 31, according to state records.

Patrick also said it would be ‘naive to allow Camp Mystic to return to normal operations before all of the facts are known.’

On Monday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a letter urging DSHS not to renew Camp Mystic’s license for the 2026 summer season

The new lawsuit claims the camp’s policy instructed campers not to evacuate during a flood

Members of a search and rescue team look for people near Camp Mystic last July. The camp announced plans to reopen at its Cypress Lake location for the 2026 season

More than 100 people across Central Texas died during the historic July 4 flooding. Pictured, a woman searches the area, following flash flooding last July

In response, Camp Mystic said in a statement that its Cypress Lake location, about 500 yards from the destroyed riverside site, is ‘in compliance with all aspects of the state’s new camp safety laws.’

‘There is, consequently, no regulatory basis to deny Camp Mystic Cypress Lake its license,’ the camp said. 

‘Camp Mystic Cypress Lake is a separate property that is not adjacent to the Guadalupe River and sustained no significant damage from the historic flood on July 4.’

Other families have already filed separate lawsuits against the camp and its longtime owners.

CiCi and Will Steward, whose 8-year-old daughter Cile remains missing and presumed dead, said earlier this month: 

‘Cile was taken from us 7 months ago and while we recognize this lawsuit will not bring her back, we feel compelled to ensure the truth of Camp Mystic’s failures are exposed.’