Almost a year after the fatal flooding incident at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, an investigation has revealed a series of failures that investigators say contributed to the tragedy.
Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, sits in the Texas Hill Country along the Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek.
On July 4, 2025, a catastrophic flash flood struck the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. The river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours. The flood swept away girls’ cabins while campers were sleeping, ultimately claiming the lives of 25 girls and two camp counselors.
Last Thursday, at the direction of the Texas Legislature, state investigators, Casey Garrett and Michael Massengale revealed that their investigation found multiple failures at the camp that contributed to the tragedy.
According to the 115-page report, Camp Mystic did not have written emergency plans that complied with state requirements, which mandates that emergency procedures be posted inside each cabin. Massengale said staff members and counselors were not assigned responsibilities in the event of an evacuation.
“Staff members and counselors were not assigned any responsibilities in the event of that kind of an evacuation. This was a fatal error,” said Massengale.
Investigators also found that Camp Mystic did not adequately prepare for the severe weather despite receiving notifications about the approaching storm. The report also stated that camp officials did not evacuate the area, even though they had nearly two hours after the first flash flood warning was issued.
In addition, camp leadership confiscated counselors’ cellphones and failed to provide replacement communication systems, such as radios or handheld transmitters. Investigators also found that some cabins were staffed with only two counselors despite concerns from camp leadership that younger staff members were having difficulty keeping up with the cabins and campers.
During the hearing, Davin and Anne Lindsey Hunt, the parents of 9-year-old Janie Hunt, who died in the flooding, listened to the findings.
“In some ways there’s relief,” Davin Hunt said. “In some ways it’s just the pain you still feel because despite all this, our daughter is never coming back.”
“All of it is incredibly painful,” Hunt continued. “It’s not armchair quarterbacking to just look at this and scream, ‘What are you doing?’ It was an absolute failure.”
Camp Mystic has withdrawn its application for a 2026 summer camp license, saying it will continue to cooperate with investigators.
“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” said the camp in a release.
“We commend DSHS for their testimony this week that recognized their legal obligations. But rather than risk defending our rights under Texas law in a manner that may unintentionally effect further harm, we choose rather to withdraw our application for the 2026 camp season,” the camp added.
