'Heaven's 27' parents file lawsuit against Camp Mystic, claiming 'gross negligence'

KERR COUNTY, Texas - The families of five young campers and two counselors killed in the July 4 flash flood at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River have filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing the Hill Country camp of gross negligence and reckless disregard for safety.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Travis County District Court, claims Camp Mystic and its owners ignored weather warnings and ordered campers to stay inside cabins as floodwaters rose, leading to what the plaintiffs call an "entirely preventable tragedy" that killed 27 people.

Families Seek Accountability

What they're saying:

According to the 32-page petition, the plaintiffs allege the for-profit girls’ camp "put profit over safety," failing to implement evacuation plans or train staff for emergencies in one of the most flood-prone regions of Texas, commonly known as "Flash Flood Alley."

The plaintiffs include the parents of the seven victims named in the filing:

• Warren and Patricia Bellows, parents of Anna Margaret Bellows
• Blake and Caitlin Bonner, parents of Lila Bonner
• Matthew and Wendie Childress, parents of Chloe Childress
• Ryan and Elizabeth DeWitt, parents of Molly DeWitt
• John and Andrea Ferruzzo, parents of Katherine Ferruzzo
• Ben and Natalie Landry, parents of Lainey Landry
• Lindsey McCrory, mother of Blakely McCrory

"We carry the memory of our daughter in everything we do," said Ryan DeWitt in a statement. "This legal step is one of honoring her, and we believe that truth and justice are essential to finding peace, not only for our family, but for every family affected."

The families seek both actual and exemplary damages, alleging violations of Texas law requiring camps to maintain written evacuation plans and train staff accordingly.

The lawsuit was filed and assigned to the 455th District Court in Travis County.

Allegations of Ignored Warnings

The petition details a timeline beginning on late July 3, when the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch, which later upgraded to a warning for "life-threatening flooding" around 1:14 a.m. on July 4.

Instead of evacuating, camp leaders allegedly directed staff to move equipment to safety while rising floodwaters surrounded the cabins. Plaintiffs say that even after counselors pleaded for help, the camp ordered them to "stay put," resulting in the deaths of 25 campers and two counselors in two riverside cabins, the Bubble Inn cabins and the Twins cabin, which are located just 300 feet from higher ground.

"Camp Mystic failed at its primary job to keep its campers and counselors safe, and young girls died as a result," said attorney Paul Yetter of Yetter Coleman LLP in Houston, which represents the families. 

"This action is about transparency, responsibility and ensuring no other family experiences what these parents will now suffer the rest of their lives."

Evacuation timetable

Timeline:

According to the petition, the critical hours leading to the tragedy unfolded between 1:14 a.m. and 4:10 a.m. on July 4.

1:14 a.m. 

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning, describing the situation as "life-threatening." Camp Mystic leadership received the alert but took no immediate action to protect campers, the filing says.

1:45 a.m. 

Camp directors Richard and Edward Eastland met in the office and began moving camp equipment rather than evacuating children.

2:20 a.m.

Counselors from cabins nearest the river ran through heavy rain to report that water was entering their cabins. The Eastlands allegedly told them to "stay put" and returned to the office.

Between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. 

Five cabins were eventually evacuated to a nearby recreation hall. However, six other cabins, including Bubble Inn and Twins, were never evacuated, despite being just 300 feet away from higher ground.

3:26 a.m. 

Photos taken by camp staff show other girls walking safely to the recreation hall. The petition states the Bubble Inn and Twins campers could have made the same walk in under a minute.

Between 3:35 and 3:51 a.m. 

Richard Eastland attempted to rescue the Bubble Inn girls by vehicle as floodwaters reached waist to neck level. His car was swept away and found submerged downstream. All 13 campers and two counselors from that cabin died.

Around 4:09 a.m. 

Edward Eastland, attempting to reach the Twins cabins, was swept into floodwaters along with several campers. Eleven girls in that cabin died, including 8-year-old Blakely McCrory.

6 counts filed in the lawsuit

By the numbers:

The petition lists six causes of action against Camp Mystic, its owners, and affiliated entities:

1. A negligence count, alleging the camp breached its duty of care by failing to protect campers and counselors, directly causing their deaths.
2. A negligence per se count, accusing the camp of violating state regulations that require youth camps to maintain and train staff on written disaster and evacuation plans.
3. A negligent undertaking, claiming the camp began an evacuation "without reasonable care," worsening the danger to campers.
4. A premise's liability, asserting that the Bubble Inn and Twins cabins were unreasonably dangerous due to their location in a known floodplain, and that the camp failed to make them safe or warn occupants.
5. A gross negligence count alleging that the camp and its directors acted with "conscious indifference" to extreme risks, justifying punitive damages.
6. Lastly, an intentional infliction of emotional distress, targeting the camp’s actions after the flood, including alleged misleading messages to parents and promotional use of deceased campers’ names while reopening the camp.

The lawsuit also includes sections seeking wrongful death and survival damages, exemplary damages, and claims of alter ego and veil piercing, arguing that the camp’s various business entities operated as one.

History of Flooding and Safety Concerns

The petition traces Camp Mystic’s history back to 1926 and cites repeated floods along the Guadalupe River, including deadly incidents in 1932, 1978, and 1987. It alleges that despite this history, camp leaders continued housing children in cabins located within the river’s floodplain.

Court filings accuse the Eastland family, who have owned and operated the camp for decades, of removing the cabins from FEMA flood maps in 2013 to lower insurance costs rather than relocating them to safer ground. The petition also references a standing policy instructing campers to remain in cabins during floods, describing it as part of a "never evacuate" rule motivated by profit and convenience.

Camp Mystic's Response

The other side:

As of Monday, Camp Mystic issued the following statement: 

"We continue to pray for the grieving families and ask for God’s healing and comfort."

Jeff Ray is the legal counsel for Camp Mystic and issued the following statement:

"We empathize with the families of the campers and counselors and all families in the Hill Country who lost loved ones in the horrific and unprecedented flood of July 4. We intend to demonstrate and prove that this sudden surge of floodwaters far exceeded any previous flood in the area by several magnitudes, that it was unexpected and that no adequate warning systems existed in the area. We disagree with several accusations and misinformation in the legal filings regarding the actions of Camp Mystic and Dick Eastland, who lost his life as well. We will thoroughly respond to these accusations in due course."

About Camp Mystic

The backstory:

Located near Hunt, Texas, about 80 miles northwest of San Antonio, Camp Mystic has been a popular summer destination for generations of Texas families. The petition notes that the area’s rocky soil and steep terrain make it one of the most flood-prone regions in the country.

The families’ lawsuit comes as state lawmakers and safety advocates renew scrutiny of emergency preparedness at Texas youth camps in the wake of increasingly severe weather across the Hill Country.

TexasNatural DisastersSevere WeatherTravis CountyCrime and Public Safety