Okay.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Tuesday that the Texas Rangers have launched a criminal investigation into Camp Mystic, where 25 campers and two counselors were killed during a catastrophic flash flood on July 4.
And the Texas Department of State Health Services, which also is investigating the Hill Country camp, has received more than 600 complaints and requests to not renew Camp Mystic’s state license this year, Patrick said in a letter to the agency.
“You should not renew or approve a camp license for Camp Mystic, or any other camp the same operators intend to run, until your investigation, and all criminal and legislative investigations are complete and necessary corrective actions are taken,” he wrote.
“With many questions remaining unanswered surrounding the deaths of 27 young girls, parents and Texans deserve to have all issues resolved prior to Camp Mystic and/or their operators being allowed to welcome children back into their care this summer,” he added.
Camp Mystic submitted a license renewal application to DSHS on March 30 seeking approval to reopen its Cypress Lake camp this summer, a portion of the retreat that did not flood on July 4. The camp’s current license expired March 31.
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The DSHS said it will investigate potential violations of laws and rules governing youth camps. The Texas Rangers, an arm of Texas Department of Public Safety, said it’s assisting DSHS “regarding complaints of neglect by Camp Mystic.”
Patrick said in his letter to DSHS that the Texas Rangers are conducting a criminal investigation, though the DSHS’s investigation is administrative. Patrick didn’t elaborate.
Camp Mystic’s officials said in a statement Tuesday that they have “cooperated with every investigative request we have received.”
“We have worked closely with the Texas Rangers since the tragic events of July 4, assisting them in their search and recovery efforts, which are ongoing,” they said. “We look forward to cooperating with the Texas Rangers and supporting them in their efforts to gain a thorough and accurate understanding of what happened on the south fork of the Guadalupe River during the early hours of July 4.”
The Texas Senate has established a general investigating committee on the deadly July 2025 floods that will meet jointly with a corresponding committee in the Texas House of Representatives to examine the facts surrounding “the extreme loss” of 27 children’s lives at Camp Mystic, Patrick said in his letter.
That committee is working to finish its investigation in the coming weeks, with a hearing and report expected by early summer.
See here for some background. I assume Camp Mystic expected some extremely close scrutiny when it applied for another license this summer. They may not get to open regardless of what happens with that, as one of the many lawsuits filed against it seeks to prevent its opening until all the litigation is resolved. Those plaintiffs got an order preventing any alterations to the camp grounds at this time; the camp has appealed that ruling. I don’t know what value DPS and the Rangers are bringing here, but I suppose if Dan Patrick wants them involved, they’ll be involved. Spectrum News has more.