The parents of 8-year-old Mary Grace Baker have sued Camp Mystic for wrongful death, filing a 106-page petition accusing the historic summer camp of gross negligence in the July 4, 2025 flash flood that killed their daughter and 26 other children and counsellors. Clarke and Katie Baker of Beaumont filed the Camp Mystic wrongful death lawsuit on Monday, November 9, 2026, in Travis County District Court, seeking more than $1 million in damages and a jury trial.

Key Points

• Clarke and Katie Baker of Beaumont filed a 106-page wrongful-death petition on Monday, November 9, 2026, in the 261st District Court in Travis County over the death of their 8-year-old daughter, Mary Grace Baker, in the July 4, 2025 flash flood at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas.
• The suit seeks damages in excess of $1 million and a jury trial, alleging gross negligence, premises liability, breach of fiduciary duty and violations of state youth camp safety rules.
• The petition says the deaths of Mary Grace and 26 other children and counsellors were entirely preventable, and accuses camp leadership of failing to evacuate low-lying cabins after flood warnings.
• The filing names nine individuals and four companies, including Camp Mystic LLC and Natural Fountains Properties, plus camp guard Glenn Juenke.
• The suit became possible after a federal bankruptcy judge modified the automatic stay from the camp’s June 24 Chapter 11 filing, opening a window effective November 9.

What Happened

The Bakers filed their petition on Monday, the first day the courthouse door was open to them. Camp Mystic had sought protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code on June 24, 2026, and the automatic stay that came with that filing froze wrongful-death claims against the camp. On October 14, federal bankruptcy Judge Christopher M. Lopez modified the stay, creating a window for families to sue. That window took effect on November 9, and the Bakers filed the same day.

The 106-page petition is the first major wrongful-death case to reach court since the stay was lifted. It asks a Travis County jury to decide whether the camp’s leaders failed the children in their care on the night the Guadalupe River rose through the campgrounds. The Bakers seek damages of more than $1 million.

Background

Camp Mystic is a Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, in the Texas Hill Country of Kerr County. It has operated since 1926, and generations of Texas families have sent their daughters there. On July 4, 2025, heavy rain fell across the Hill Country and the Guadalupe River surged, rising more than 25 feet in under an hour in places. Cabins in the camp’s low-lying areas were overwhelmed in the dark, before dawn. Mary Grace Baker, 8, was among the 27 children and counsellors who died at the camp. More than 130 people died across the Texas Hill Country in the flooding.

The disaster drew national attention. State lawmakers later examined camp safety rules, and families waited months for the legal process to open. The bankruptcy filing added another layer: the court removed the Eastland family from control of the camp and placed it under two independent overseers while the Chapter 11 case proceeds.

Camp Mystic Wrongful Death Lawsuit: What the Filing Alleges

The petition’s central claim is that the deaths were preventable. It alleges that camp leadership failed to evacuate the low-lying cabins after flood warnings, and says staff prioritised moving watercraft equipment instead of moving children to higher ground. The camp had warnings, higher ground and time, the filing argues, but the children were left where the river could reach them.

The claims reach beyond a single decision on one night. The suit alleges gross negligence and premises liability, arguing the camp failed to keep its grounds safe for the children entrusted to it. It also alleges breach of fiduciary duty and violations of Texas youth camp safety rules. Nine individuals and four companies are named, among them Camp Mystic LLC, Natural Fountains Properties and camp guard Glenn Juenke.

Reactions

The Bakers have not spoken publicly in detail about the filing; their petition speaks for them, describing the deaths as entirely preventable and asking a jury to hold the camp accountable.

The camp has not issued a public response. Separately, the Texas Rangers are running a criminal investigation into the camp, with search warrants executed and a Kerr County hearing on the warrants scheduled for Tuesday, November 10. No criminal charges have been announced.

Why It Matters

This case is the first test of whether the camp’s leadership can be held legally responsible for the deadliest night in its century-long history. The bankruptcy stay had kept families out of court for months; the Bakers’ filing opens the door for others to follow, and how the court treats the evacuation allegations will shape every claim after it.

It also matters beyond Camp Mystic. Summer camps across the country house children beside rivers and lakes, and the questions in this petition — what warnings were received, what was done with them, who decided what to move first — are the questions every camp’s parents will now ask.

What Happens Next

The case now moves through the 261st District Court in Travis County. The defendants will file their responses, and the court will set a schedule for discovery, when the Bakers’ lawyers can seek the camp’s records, warnings and communications from the night of the flood. A jury trial date will follow, though cases of this size often take many months to reach a courtroom.

The bankruptcy case continues in parallel, with the independent overseers running the camp. The Texas Rangers’ criminal investigation also continues, with the Kerr County hearing on the search warrants due Tuesday, and more families are expected to file now that the stay has been lifted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is suing Camp Mystic?
Clarke and Katie Baker of Beaumont, Texas, the parents of 8-year-old Mary Grace Baker, who died in the July 4, 2025 flash flood at the camp.

How many people died at Camp Mystic in the flood?
Twenty-seven children and counsellors died at the camp, including Mary Grace Baker. More than 130 people died across the Texas Hill Country in the flooding.

What does the lawsuit allege?
Gross negligence, premises liability, breach of fiduciary duty and violations of state youth camp safety rules. It says the deaths were entirely preventable and accuses camp leadership of failing to evacuate low-lying cabins after flood warnings.

Why was the lawsuit filed now?
Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 24, 2026, and the automatic stay blocked wrongful-death claims. Judge Christopher M. Lopez modified the stay on October 14, opening a window for families to sue effective November 9.

Is there also a criminal investigation?
Yes. The Texas Rangers are running a separate criminal investigation, with search warrants executed and a Kerr County hearing scheduled for Tuesday, November 10. No charges have been announced.

Read more: Brevard Flooding Moves Election Day Polling Places as Voters Head to Polls, Wisconsin Pilot Killed in L-39 Jet Crash in Kentucky After Refuelling Stop, MSC Seascape Murder: Texas Man Charged After Wife Strangled in Cabin on Cruise.