Okay.
Investigators in Texas executed search warrants last week against the family that runs Camp Mystic as part of a criminal inquiry into the 28 deaths there during last year’s flooding, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.
The documents outlined why Texas state police investigators believe the camp may be criminally liable for the actions of its leadership, including for manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and child abandonment.
“These offenses were committed against child campers — including both deceased victims and surviving campers of the flood event,” an investigator from the Texas Rangers, Brant C. Johnston, wrote in affidavits.
So far, no one in the camp’s leadership has been charged with a crime, and the existence of the warrants does not mean charges would automatically follow. It was not clear when, or if, a case against the camp would be presented to a grand jury.
The warrants — of which there are 14 — allowed Texas state police investigators to search electronic data belonging to members of the Eastland family, who runs the camp, as well as data belonging to several counselors and other employees. The warrants were approved by a state court judge and filed in Kerr County on Friday.
[…]
Mr. Johnston said he began his inquiry in March — about eight months after the floods — and that he had made several visits to the camp. But he said he “was refused in the attempt to conduct interviews” with several Eastland family members, including those who had leadership roles in the camp. People who declined to be interviewed at that time included Edward Eastland; his wife, Mary Liz Eastland; his brother, Richard Eastland Jr.; and the camp’s night security guard, Glenn Juenke.
Mr. Johnston obtained search warrants for their Apple devices. He said in his affidavit seeking data from Edward Eastland that investigators believed the data contained “evidence demonstrating a conscious disregard of recognized risks or reckless deviation from standard safety protocols.”
“Under Texas law, a person who has assumed care, custody or control of a child may be held criminally responsible for an omission that causes injury to that child,” Mr. Johnston wrote.
See here for the background. We heard about the investigation initially because Dan Patrick talked about it, but there was no mention of him in the stories I found. I agree that the use of these warrants doesn’t mean that charges will follow, but I rather expect they will. I kind of doubt the Rangers would bother in a case like this if they don’t plan to do something about the results of those warrants. We’ll know soon enough. The Trib, the Chron, and TPR have more.