The top medical officer at Camp Mystic evacuated herself and her children without contacting staff as a deadly Texas flood struck last summer, according to official documents. Mary Elizabeth Eastland, the chief health officer at the all-girls Christian camp, "abandoned" campers and colleagues when water from the Guadalupe River began flooding the campsite in the early hours of July 4, 2025, the Texas Board of Nursing stated in an order.
Twenty-five young campers and two teenage counselors lost their lives in one of the worst horrors of the flood that ravaged Kerr County. The order, entered on Tuesday, temporarily suspends Eastland's nursing license, detailing violations during her tenure at Camp Mystic. Eastland's attorney, Joshua Fiveson, has stated that his client denies the allegations.
By evacuating herself and her family to higher ground without assisting campers and staff, the board found that she "unnecessarily" exposed others to a "risk of harm." Eastland is part of the family that owns and operates Camp Mystic, and she and her husband serve as co-directors. The board also alleged that Eastland failed to contact nursing staff for instructions and did not reach out to emergency services during the flood. She also did not communicate with emergency services after learning that campers and staff were missing, the documents claimed.
Hundreds of first responders searched Kerr County after the flood for those unaccounted for. In the following days, campers' belongings were photographed scattered across the campsite lawn, with hot pink items visible among piles of clothes and stacked mattresses. Petty Officer Third Class Scott Ruskan of the Coast Guard recalled finding survivors, telling The New York Times, "Kids were in pajamas."
Eastland's alleged actions "resulted in the campers and staff not getting the health care, support, and supervision they needed to manage physical harm, emotional harm, psychological harm, and loss of life," according to the documents. Attorney Fiveson claimed the temporary suspension order was issued without "the benefit of testimony, evidence or a complete investigation," calling it a "sad day" for Eastland and "every licensed nurse in Texas." He added that Eastland "has admirably committed herself to service of others for the last 18 years" and that the order is a "premature punishment." Fiveson stated Eastland "rejects the Board's allegations and looks forward to defending her rights before the State Office of Administrative Hearings."
The board also alleged that Eastland lacked "adequate" emergency plans for campers and staff before the flood. In a "deceptive" move, she failed to report the 27 deaths within 24 hours as required by the Texas Administrative Code, according to the documents. The board said allowing Eastland to continue practicing nursing would pose a "continuing and imminent threat to public welfare."
Camp Mystic decided not to reopen this summer, stating, "No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July's tragedy." Cici and Will Steward, whose daughter Cile's body has still not been found as of late April, expressed gratitude that "no child will be placed in the Eastlands' care this summer."
