Thirteen parents whose children died in the July 2025 flash flooding at Camp Mystic have been appointed to serve on a creditors' committee involved in the camp’s ongoing bankruptcy case. The panel, formed as part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization filed by Camp Mystic and associated entities on June 24, will represent unsecured creditors owed money by the camp but without collateral backing their claims.
Most of the parents on the committee—who come from Texas cities including Beaumont, Houston, Dallas, and Austin, as well as Mountain Brook, Alabama—had previously filed wrongful death lawsuits against Camp Mystic, several members of the Eastland family that owns and operates the camp, and other related parties. These legal actions were paused and transferred to federal court following the bankruptcy filing.
The committee is empowered to investigate the debtor entities and their business operations, participate in negotiating a potential restructuring plan, and assess whether the camp’s assets should be liquidated to repay creditors. The parents' involvement on the panel gives them a significant role in influencing the bankruptcy case’s direction.
Among the parents on the committee are John Lawrence and CiCi Steward. Lawrence lost his 8-year-old twin daughters, Hanna and Rebecca, in the disaster, while Steward’s 8-year-old daughter, Cile, remains missing more than a year later. The committee was scheduled to hold its first virtual organizational meeting on Thursday evening.
The camp disaster claimed the lives of 25 children and two camp counselors during an intense flash flood on the morning of July 4, 2025. Camp Mystic owner and executive director Richard “Dick” Eastland, 70, also died trying to rescue campers trapped by rapidly rising waters. The flood struck the Hill Country retreat with little warning, catching campers and staff off guard.
The families’ lawsuits accuse the camp’s management and Eastland family of gross negligence and wrongful death, alleging failure to prepare for or respond adequately to the flash flood hazard. According to the complaints, the camp ignored weather warnings, lacked a formal evacuation plan, and delayed moving campers from vulnerable low-lying cabins as waters rose.
Camp Mystic’s defense attorneys have argued that the flood surge was sudden and that the camp only received evacuation notices after the dangerous waters had already engulfed the area. They also noted that the camp did not have sirens, flood warning systems, or monitoring tools that might have alerted them to the approaching threat.
In total, five lawsuits have been filed by victims’ families against Camp Mystic, the Eastland family members, and other defendants, collectively seeking millions of dollars in damages related to the tragic event. The bankruptcy proceedings and the creditors’ committee are now central to resolving these claims and determining the future of the camp’s assets.