The families of several campers and two Camp Mystic counselors who died in the devastating flash flood in Texas in July are suing the camp, alleging gross negligence and reckless disregard for safety that led to a “self-created disaster” that claimed the lives of 28 people in total.
The Fourth of July Flood It devastated the Christian girls’ camp located along the Guadalupe River, which quickly swelled overnight while the campers slept. Twenty-five campers, two counselors and the camp director died after floodwaters flooded the camp, trapping many in their cabins.
A search and rescue team searches for people along the Guadalupe River near a damaged building at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, July 7, 2025, following severe flash flooding that occurred over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
One of the three lawsuits filed Monday includes the families of five campers: Anna Margaret Bellows, 8; Lila Bonner, 9 years old; Molly DeWitt, 9; Lainey Landry, 9; and Blakely McCrory, 8, and the two counselors who died, Chloe Childress, 18, and Katherine Ferruzzo, 19, as plaintiffs.
“Today, campers Margaret, Lila, Molly, Lainey and Blakely should be third graders, and counselors Chloe and Katherine should be freshmen at the University of Texas. They are all gone,” the petition said. “And as their families struggle with their loss, the Camp’s actions since the tragedy have only deepened the pain.”
Among the actions, the lawsuit cites the recent announcement that Camp Mystic will partially reopen one of its sister sites next summer and continues to evaluate plans to redevelop the Guadalupe River location.
“And through it all, the Camp refuses to accept any responsibility for its actions and inactions, defiantly blaming this tragedy on ‘an act of God’ that no responsible measure could have prevented,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit claims that camp officials “focused on profits over safety,” made “catastrophic decisions regarding the location of cabins” and had unsafe policies regarding flooding, including an alleged “never evacuate” order.
The families are seeking more than $1 million in damages, according to the petition.
“Our clients have filed this lawsuit to seek accountability and truth,” one of the families’ attorneys, Paul Yetter, said in a statement. “Camp Mystic failed in its primary job of keeping its campers and counselors safe, and young girls died as a result. “This action is about transparency, accountability and ensuring that no other family experiences what these parents will endure for the rest of their lives.”
A view inside a cabin at Camp Mystic, the site where the girls went missing after a flash flood in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
The second lawsuit against Camp Mystic was filed by the parents of 8-year-old camper Eloise “LuLu” Peck.
The lawsuit alleged that the campers and counselors were killed “then, as expected, the river rose rapidly and floodwaters swept through what Camp Mystic knew was a vulnerable, low-lying area of the camp.”
“Lulu Peck was among those horribly dragged away and murdered,” he continued.
The lawsuit alleged that “these last terrifying moments and then deaths were caused primarily by the negligence and gross negligence” of the defendants, alleging that they “knew that the camp facilities were located in a flood zone, were aware of the history of flash flooding in Kerr County, were aware of previous repeated flooding at the camp, and received warnings from family members about the risk of flooding.”
The third lawsuit was filed Monday against Camp Mystic and related entities by the father of Ellen Getten, a 9-year-old camper who died on July 4.
The lawsuit names two additional defendants who were not named in the multifamily or Peck family lawsuits: William Neely Bonner III and Seaborn Stacy Eastland.
All three lawsuits seek at least $1 million in damages.
ABC News has reached out to Camp Mystic’s attorney and representatives of the Eastland family for comment.
At least 138 people died in flash flooding in the Hill Country region, including 117 in Kerr County, authorities said.
Officials in hard-hit Kerr County, where Camp Mystic is located, said more than 12 inches of rain fell in less than 6 hours and the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet per hour during the storm.
Regulations regarding the development of summer camps in an area known as “Flash Flood Alley” and flash flood warning systems came under scrutiny after the disaster.
The catastrophe led the state to pass legislation aimed at improving safety measures at summer camps and creating a grant program to support the installation of early warning sirens in areas prone to flash flooding.
In September, Camp Mystic announced plans to reopen one site of its summer camp next year. Summer program officials said Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, a sister site that opened in 2020, will be open in the summer of 2026, while Camp Mystic Guadalupe River will not be able to reopen by then due to devastating damage suffered earlier this year.
“The heart of Camp Mystic has never stopped beating, because you are Mystic. We are not only rebuilding cabins and trails, but also a place where laughter, friendship and spiritual growth will continue to flourish,” camp officials said at the time. “As we work to finalize plans, we will do so with those we have lost in mind. You are all part of the mission and ministry of Camp Mystic. You mean a lot to us and we look forward to welcoming you back inside the green gates.”
