Judge denies motion to limit the scope on Camp Mystic search warrants

DALLAS - A judge denied requests from the family that runs Camp Mystic to limit the scope of search warrants related to the deadly flood disaster from last year.

What we know:

The hearing held in Kerr County on Tuesday was part of the Texas Rangers criminal investigation into Camp Mystic, where 25 campers and two camp counselors died in a flash flood on July 4, 2025.

The state’s criminal case includes charges like manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, abandoning and endangering a child, and others. 

The state alleges Camp Mystic should have been far more prepared for a catastrophic flood from the Guadalupe River and taken precautions. It accuses the camp of instead being focused on profits.

A search warrant was issued for electronic records like cellphone calls and texts from members of the Eastland family, which own the camp, and the management team stretching from July 3, 2025 through late October.

But defense attorneys argue that length of time constitutes gross overreach. They’ve called it a "fishing expedition."

They filed motions asking the judge to lessen the scope of the search warrants and limit investigators’ reach into the personal files of the Eastland family and management team for Camp Mystic.

The judge denied those motions, according to a FOX San Antonio report.

Dig deeper:

Tuesday’s hearing in the criminal matter comes just days after another civil lawsuit was filed.

The parents of 8-year-old Mary Grace Baker filed a multi-million wrongful death lawsuit against Camp Mystic.

Texas