Attorneys for six members of the Eastland family filed motions in Kerr County District Court this week seeking a hearing on the scope of several Texas Rangers search warrants related to the Camp Mystic flood tragedy. The family argues the warrants are overly broad, effectively constituting a “fishing expedition” that could sweep up unrelated electronic data and privileged attorney‑client communications.
Background of the investigation
The Texas Rangers are probing potential criminal liability for the deaths of 25 campers and two counselors when the Guadalupe River flooded Camp Mystic in July 2025. While no criminal charges have yet been filed, the investigation focuses on what camp leaders and staff knew about the flood threat, how they responded as the river rose, and actions taken in the months that followed.
Details of the contested warrants
Search warrant applications filed in September request electronic records from individuals associated with Camp Mystic. The affidavits list possible offenses such as manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, abandoning or endangering a child, injury to a child, and deadly conduct.
One warrant targeting Tweety Eastland seeks data from July 3‑4, 2025 – the exact dates of the flood. Another, aimed at Edward Stacy Eastland, spans July 3 through October 17, 2025, covering a three‑and‑a‑half‑month period. Edward Eastland’s counsel contends that while the flood‑related dates justify limited data collection, extending the request to the entire period is “overbroad” and lacks probable cause.
The filing states, “The warrant instead moves from several identified flood‑related data points to unrestricted access to nearly every category of information a cloud account can contain.” It further notes two post‑flood calls on July 21 and October 17, arguing that even if those calls warrant retrieval, they do not justify sweeping searches of photographs, location entries, application records, contacts, notes, calendar entries, passwords, backups, deleted items, and unrelated communications through October 17.
Privileged communications concern
Beyond the breadth of the data requests, the Eastland family warns that the warrants could capture attorney‑client communications tied to ongoing civil litigation stemming from the flood. Camp Mystic and the Eastlands are already defendants in civil suits, and the motion highlights that electronic records obtained through October 17 could include strategy discussions, discovery material, and settlement negotiations.
To protect privileged material, the family proposes appointing a court‑designated special master or an independent review team separate from the investigation. The Kerr County District Attorney’s Office has indicated that the Department of Public Safety is already working on a “Taint Team” process to filter privileged information before any review.
State’s response and procedural timeline
In a separate filing, the state requests that the encrypted iCloud data be downloaded before the provider link expires, though it promises the data will not be converted into a readable format until a court order is issued. The state also asked to continue the hearing past October 12, citing scheduling and representation issues, but did not specify a new date.
216th Judicial District Attorney Lucy Wilke plans to file a motion to recuse herself, citing a conflict of interest and limited resources, and will seek the appointment of a prosecutor pro tem.
Implications for Camp Mystic
The search warrant dispute arises as Camp Mystic faces civil lawsuits and has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The camp intends to sell its 749‑acre property along the Guadalupe River to a buyer who pledges to “maintain the historic mission” of the facility.
Both sides await a court hearing that could set a precedent for how law‑enforcement agencies handle electronic data requests in large‑scale disaster investigations while safeguarding privileged communications.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
