Camp Mystic owners seek to sell the century-old Texas girls’ camp after the 2025 flood; the bankruptcy plan puts its entire 749-acre riverfront property up for auction while families of victims fight over its future

Camp Mystic has been in the news since 2025. The camp was the site of a catastrophic flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas on July 4, 2025 that led to the death of 28 people, including 25 young campers, two teenage counselors and the camp’s co-owner and director, Dick Eastland. A year later, the owners of the camp have proposed selling off the riverfront property as part of a bankruptcy plan, with hopes that a buyer will preserve the camp’s “historic mission” following the harrowing incident.The century-old private Christian girls’ camp filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganisation plan on September 25, 2025, with debts estimated between $10 million and $50 million, stating it would auction off 749 acres it owns along with other assets. The camp’s bankruptcy proposal would have to be approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher M. Lopez.The camp has been owned by the Eastland Family for decades and initially sought to reopen this summer. However, they faced fierce opposition from victims’ families and some state lawmakers, lawsuits and legislative investigations that went wrong. A buyer would likely get a portion of the camp frozen in time. Families of the victims have fought to stop any demolition of damaged cabins and buildings and to stop repairs as part of their lawsuits.Under the proposed plan, virtually all Camp Mystic assets would be sold through a court-supervised sale process. The proceeds would be preserved and distributed to creditors, which include the families of the campers and counsellors who died. Other creditors include unsecured creditors and families who made deposits for the 2026 season before Camp Mystic withdrew its license application. Additionally, per the filing, insurance coverage would first cover those claims, and if that coverage doesn’t fully cover the claims, the families would share the remaining funds with the other unsecured creditors. All creditors, including the families who have sued Camp Mystic over the deaths, will have a chance to respond to the plan.Edward S. Eastland, a member of the family that owns the camp, was listed as the camp’s authorised representative in the filing. The corporation behind the camp is represented by a Dallas attorney.A total of four companies are listed as affiliated entities in the filing:

“The Eastlands are now attempting to determine the future of the Camp Mystic property, but the victims’ families, including my clients, will fight to protect their rights and ensure any sale is fair and transparent,” said Tim Ferguson, attorney for the family of 8-year-old Mary Grace Baker, one of the campers who died. “The Bakers intend to continue fighting for answers, accountability and justice for their daughter,” Ferguson said.The bankruptcy plan said the owners expect a purchaser would be backed by a group of families that support the camp. “Nothing in the plan requires any buyer to operate the property as a camp,” the filing said, “but the plan states an express preference, in determining the highest or otherwise best bid, for a buyer that will maintain the historic mission of the camp.”The river surged over its banks in the pre-dawn hours of July 4, 2025. At least 136 people were killed along a several-mile stretch of the river. State investigations and court filings revealed that camp leadership received a life-threatening flash flood alert on their phones around 1:15 am, but delayed beginning evacuations for roughly 45 minutes. Moreover, a probe by state lawmakers determined the young and inexperienced counsellors lacked emergency training, and the camp did not effectively utilise its alert systems, including its PA network, as water levels rose. It said an earlier decision to evacuate could have saved every life. Most of the victims were under age 10, and some were attending camp for the first time.Earlier this month, state police investigators sought search warrants for the electronic communications of the camp’s owners, saying they could provide evidence of manslaughter, negligent homicide, child abandonment or other crimes. No charges have been brought forward as of yet.