Texas judge allows Camp Mystic to reopen despite family's lawsuit

Camp must preserve damaged cabins as lawsuit over 2025 flood deaths proceeds

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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A Texas judge has ordered Camp Mystic to preserve damaged cabins but stopped short of blocking the camp's reopening plans after a family of one of the 25 girls and two counselors who died in a tragic flood last summer sued to keep the camp closed. The family had asked the judge to prevent the owners from reopening the facility and halt any construction while the lawsuit is pending, arguing that changes could destroy evidence needed for their case. However, the judge ruled that the camp must not alter or demolish the cabins where campers were housed during the floods and cannot use the portion of the camp closest to the Guadalupe River where those cabins were located.

Why it matters

The tragic flood at Camp Mystic last year raised serious questions about the camp's safety protocols and emergency preparedness. The lawsuit by the family of one of the victims seeks to ensure that the camp cannot reopen without addressing these concerns and preserving evidence for their legal case. The judge's ruling represents a compromise, allowing the camp to reopen but requiring it to preserve key evidence related to the disaster.

The details

The family of 8-year-old Cile Steward, who was swept away in the flood and whose body has not been recovered, had asked the judge to prevent the camp from reopening and halt any construction. However, the judge ruled that Camp Mystic's owners must not alter or demolish the cabins where campers were housed during the floods, and said they must not use the portion of the camp closest to the Guadalupe River where those cabins were located. The camp's attorney said over 850 campers have already signed up to attend this summer, but the camp still needs state approval to operate.

  • The tragic flood at Camp Mystic occurred on July 4, 2025.
  • The hearing before the judge took place on March 4, 2026.

The players

Alli Naylor

Mother of Wynne Naylor, who died at Camp Mystic.

Will Steward

Father of Cile Steward, an 8-year-old who was swept away in the flood and whose body has not been recovered.

Malorie Lytal

Mother of Kellanne Lytal, who died at Camp Mystic.

Tweety Eastland

Owner of Camp Mystic.

Maya Guerra Gamble

The Texas district judge who ruled on the case.

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What they’re saying

“What we're trying to do is preserve the evidence that's there so that we can understand, so that future campers will never be put in a situation like this again.”

— Will Steward, Father of Cile Steward (Austin American-Statesman)

“The worst thing you can do is put a bunch of 8-year-olds on a bus and try to drive them out of there. They all would have drowned.”

— Mikal Watts, Attorney for Camp Mystic (Austin American-Statesman)

“Nobody had every seen a prior flood anything like we saw in 2025.”

— Mikal Watts, Attorney for Camp Mystic (Austin American-Statesman)

What’s next

The camp still needs to be approved for a license by state regulators to operate this summer. Legislative probes into the 2025 flood deaths at Camp Mystic are also expected to begin in the spring.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between the families of the victims and the camp's operators, as well as the challenges of balancing the need for justice and accountability with the desire to allow the camp to reopen. The judge's ruling represents a compromise that preserves key evidence while allowing the camp to move forward, but significant questions remain about the camp's safety protocols and emergency preparedness.