Dick Eastland Camp Mystic director dies trying to save young girls amid flash floods in Kerr County, Texas. Two young girls now confirmed dead, identified as Janie Hunt and Renee Smajstrla.
Social media has confirmed Camp Mystic owner and director, Dick Eastland passing away after attempting to save the lives of the young girls at the camp site washed away amid flash floods overnight along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas.
News of the private Christian summer camp director death follows earlier reports of search efforts underway for 23 girls who had continued to remain missing, out of the 750 attendees at the camp.
The floods came after adjacent Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (eight meters) in 45 minutes following heavy rains that had dumped about 10 inches of rain over the area leading into Friday morning.
Camp Mystic director valiant hero
According to a post shared on Facebook, Eastland had driven down to the campsite to evacuate the girls as the floods began. At the time, he and five girls were swept away and found fine five miles down the Guadalupe river in Hunt, Texas.
Nevertheless the camp director would pass away shortly after.
Noted a post shared on X: ‘The group was around 5 girls with director Dick Eastland. There is still around 20 missing girls. The stranded group was rescued. Unfortunately Dick Eastland passed away after the rescue, he was a great man and truly cared for his girls and his camp.’
Responded a local resident on X: ‘This is heart shattering. This is a nightmare. Dick Eastland lost his son, lost his grandson, fought his family over the camp, and defeated brain cancer. He and Tweety are why we still have Mystic. He is forever an angel to me and those who knew him.’
Posted another, ‘I said earlier today that this man would give up his life to save those girls. His girls. And, it sounds like he did. Rest is peace, Dick Eastland. I love you. We all love you. You gave us more than we could ever say.’
Search underway for remaining Camp Mystic girls unaccounted
But there was more sad news for the local community, with the announcement on social media that two of the missing girls had been found deceased. The deceased girls were identified as Janie Hunt, 9, and Renee Smajstrla.
Posted Shawn Salta, the uncle of Renee Smajstrla on Facebook:
‘Thank you to all our friends and family for all the prayers and outreach, Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly.
‘We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday. She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic. Please continue to pray for the other families in Kerrville.’
Lila Bonner, Eloise Peck, Hadley Hanna, Kellyanne Lytal, Lainey Landry, Janie Hunt, Renee Smajstrla, Cile Steward, Virginia Hollis, Margaret Sheedy, Molly Dewitt, Anna Margaret Bellows, Blakely McCrory, Mary Grace Baker, Linnie McCown are missing in Texas Camp Mystic in flood pic.twitter.com/BCFL6Qg8Rb
— News Channel3 Now (@newschannel3now) July 4, 2025
Heart O’ the Hills camp director killed trying to save counsellors from flood
At the time of his passing, Dick Eastland along with his wife, Tweety Eastland had been with the family owned camp which first opened in 1926 since 1974.
Notes Camp Mystic on its website: ‘Camp Mystic aims to provide young girls with a wholesome Christian atmosphere in which they can develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem. It draws from families around Texas and beyond, with the youngest campers entering third grade in the fall.’
Each summer, Mystic challenges its campers to ‘be a better person for being at Mystic,” and to “let Mystic bring out the best in them.’
Camp activities include archery, cooking, cheerleading, fishing and a variety of sports.
The above confirmed deaths followed news of Heart o’ the Hills camp director, Jane Ragsdale, 67, drowning after having gone to locate and assist counselors who were at the site despite the school not being in session.
Texas officials said 24 people had to date died along with at least 20 others, mostly young girls part of the Camp Mystic continuing to remain unaccountable due to the flash flooding in the Kerrville area. A desperate search for the more than two dozen continues.
Terrified parents of those missing said they have been left in limbo as they await news from the ongoing searches, with the mother of one missing young campers saying: ‘We are just praying.’
Officials have stressed they hope to rescue many of the missing and say they’re still hopeful of finding most of those missing safe and well. Others meanwhile now fear the worse…
