KERR COUNTY, Texas – The Texas Rangers are joining the state investigation into allegations of neglect by Camp Mystic during the July 4 floods in the Hill Country.
On Tuesday, the Texas Rangers told KSAT they’re assisting the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in the investigation into Camp Mystic.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote to DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford on Tuesday, urging the agency to not renew the camp’s license amid what he called a “criminal investigation.”
“Now with a Texas Rangers criminal investigation of Camp Mystic, I am doubling down on (DSHS) not issuing a camping license until all investigations are complete and we know children are safe,” Patrick said in an X post.
It is unclear who would face potential charges or what they could be.
DSHS, which licenses camps in the state, said the agency has “received hundreds of complaints regarding Camp Mystic’s operations” last summer.
The families of several young victims are suing the agency, saying it should not have licensed Camp Mystic at all because the camp did not have an evacuation plan in place.
Twenty-five campers and two counselors died at the camp during catastrophic flooding on the Fourth of July. The camp’s director, Richard “Dick” Eastland, also died.
The body of camper Cile Steward has still not been recovered. The Texas Rangers are part of the mission to find her.
The Steward family is one of several that pushed back when Camp Mystic announced it would reopen its Cypress Lake location this summer for the camp’s 100th anniversary. The Cypress Lake camp is next to the Guadalupe location but is not located directly on the Guadalupe River.
Camp Mystic is also facing several lawsuits from victims’ families. The Steward family also sued to halt construction and renovations at the Camp Mystic location that flooded in an effort to preserve evidence as the lawsuits move forward.
A judge agreed with the Steward family’s push, and the camp is appealing the decision.
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