Co-director of Camp Mystic has nursing license suspended; 'child abandonment' cited

KERR COUNTY, Texas - The co-director of Camp Mystic Guadalupe River, where 27 campers and staffers died in last summer's flooding tragedy, has had her nursing license suspended as a result of her alleged actions. 

According to the document temporarily revoking her license, Mary Liz Eastland is charged with numerous infractions, including abandonment of children. 

Camp Mystic nursing license revoked

What we know:

Eastland, who co-directs the riverside portion of the camp with her husband, Edward Eastland, has temporarily lost her ability to practice as a registered nurse after an order was handed down by the Texas Board of Nursing on Tuesday, May 19. 

Eastland was simultaneously serving as a registered nurse, supervising nurse, camp nurse, co-director, and chief health officer of the Guadalupe River camp when the historic flooding hit the Texas Hill Country on the morning of July 4, 2025. According to the document, her actions in planning for such an emergency, reacting to it as it happened, and responding to it afterward warrant the voiding of her license. 

What they're saying:

"Respondent abandoned the campers and staff when the camp site began to flood at approximately 0200 by evacuating herself and her children to higher ground without providing any assistance or direction," the document says.

Six major charges

Eastland has the following charges levied against her in the TBN document:

• Failure to prepare emergency plans and training: The board says Eastland had a duty as a nurse to have better awareness of and plans for reacting to a catastrophe.
• Failure to implement emergency procedures during the flood: Due to the alleged lack of planning, the board says Eastland did not react properly as a health professional while the flood was happening.
• Abandonment during the crisis: The board says Eastland helped herself and her family first, leaving the other children and staff to die in the camp.
• Failure to report deaths promptly: After the catastrophe, Eastland allegedly failed to report the deaths within the required time window.
• Improper delegation of medical authority: The document says Eastland allowed other nurses to administer medications without the proper authority.
• Medication handling and HIPAA violations: The board says medications were stored and given out improperly, and medical records and documents were deficient.

What's next:

The document says a probable cause hearing will take place within 17 days of the order being given. A final hearing on the matter is set no later than 61 days after the order. 

Read the full order below:

Texas Hill Country flooding

The backstory:

The camp is currently under state scrutiny for the handling of their response to the floods in the early hours of July 4, 2025, which critics say was too slow and uncoordinated to save the lives of "Heaven's 27," who were among the more than 100 victims in the historic disaster.

Heavy rainfall in Central Texas caused the Guadalupe River to rise far past its banks in an area known colloquially as "Flash Flood Alley," particularly in the area of Kerr County, where Camp Mystic and other children's camps are located. 

The floodwaters rose rapidly, washing out cabins, homes and other structures built near the river on or close to known flood plains. At least 135 people died in the disaster, 117 of which were in Kerr County. The search and rescue operations lasted for weeks afterward.