Judge denies Eastland family’s bid to narrow search warrants in Camp Mystic criminal investigation

A Kerr County judge denied a request from members of the Eastland family to narrow search warrants for electronic data sought in the criminal investigation into the deadly 2025 Hill Country flood at Camp Mystic.

The ruling means a court-appointed special master can begin reviewing the seized material to determine what investigators may see and what information must remain protected because of potential legal privileges.

The hearing did not determine whether anyone is guilty of a crime or whether prosecutors will file charges.

The Texas Rangers sought Apple records for 14 people, including browser histories, call logs, emails, GPS information, photos and videos, according to records discussed ahead of the hearing. Seven of those accounts belonged to Eastland family members, including Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland, who died in the flood. The warrants were executed in September.

The Eastland family argued the warrants were too broad and asked the court to limit the scope of the electronic-data review. Their attorneys argued investigators should be restricted largely to information surrounding the July 4, 2025, flood.

Judge Sid Harle declined to impose those limits at this stage. Instead, he said the special master would conduct an initial review, with another hearing possible after both sides have had an opportunity to examine that work.

The special master’s role is to identify communications that may be protected by attorney-client or spousal privilege before the investigative team reviews them.

“Once the evidence is actually seized it will be turned over to the master, Judge Keasler, out of Austin,” attorney Bobby Barrera said after the hearing.

“The master then is going to determine what each party desires to see or what each party, the defense clearly, desires not to be seen. And the Master will make the determination of what documents the state actually has access to and what they’re not going to have access to.”

Barrera said he represents two people who are not named in the search warrants but have been described as targets of the investigation.

“When you have issues of attorney-client privilege that may be in the communications, when you have the issues of spousal privilege between the parties, those communications are protected by law,” Barrera said.

The judge said both sides may raise additional issues after the special master reviews the material.

The criminal investigation stems from last year’s flood that killed 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic.

More of this story on KSAT:

• Texas Rangers seize iPhones, Apple watches in Camp Mystic criminal investigation
• Parents sue Camp Mystic, Eastland family over daughter’s death in July 2025 flood