The owners of the Texas summer camp where 27 campers and counselors died in 2025 proposed to sell the property.
The owners of Camp Mystic filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan last week that would auction the 749 acres and other assets, The Associated Press reported.
The Eastland family owned the century-old private Christian girls’ camp for several decades. They had tried to reopen the camp this summer, but the families of the victims, along with lawmakers, opposed the operation, which was eventually shelved.
The Texas Department of State Health Services denied the camp an operating license, KSAT reported.
The buildings still stand on the property after the deadly flooding, as lawsuits prevented the demolition and even repairs to the damaged cabins, the AP said.
Whoever buys the property won’t have to operate it as a camp.
“Nothing in the plan requires any buyer to operate the property as a camp,” the filing said, “but the plan states an express preference, in determining the highest or otherwise best bid, for a buyer that will maintain the historic mission of the camp.”
They expect the buyers to be a group of families and alumni that had supported the camp, and will allow it to keep operating as a camp, KSAT reported.
Law assistant professor Abigail Willie said it is “highly unusual.”
“The standard for the winning bid price in a bankruptcy auction is generally understood to be who brings the most money to the table,” Willie told KSAT. “The question is never who does the debtor want to sell it to? That’s not relevant.”
No charges have been brought in the case, but state police investigators have tried to get search warrants for the electronic communications from the owners, saying that it could show evidence of manslaughter, negligent homicide, child abandonment, or other crimes, the AP said.
State lawmakers’ investigation said that the camp’s young and inexperienced counselors were not trained for floods or other emergencies. They also said the camp’s earlier evacuation could have saved the lives of those killed, many of whom were under the age of 10 and some who were first-time campers.
The bankruptcy filing will have to be approved by a U.S. Bankruptcy judge.
The victims’ families who have sued the camp can respond to the filing, but one attorney already issued a statement.
Tim Ferguson, attorney for the family of Mary Gracy Baker, who was 8 when she died, said, “The Eastlands are now attempting to determine the future of the Camp Mystic property, but the victims’ families including my clients, will fight to protect their rights and ensure any sale is fair and transparent.”
“The Bakers intend to continue fighting for answers, accountability and justice for their daughter,” Ferguson added.
The Eastland family did not respond to the AP’s request for comment.
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