A 28-year-old Florida woman has been arrested on charges of impersonating the father of a teenage camp counselor killed in last year’s deadly Texas flood to fraudulently collect online donations.
Maitlin White of Crestview was taken into custody on January 9 by a U.S. Marshals task force in Okaloosa County on two felony counts of online impersonation, according to Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen. She faces extradition to Texas, where she was charged on January 2.
White was previously convicted in Walton County, Florida, on charges of battery, theft, and drug possession, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Investigators said White set up fundraising pages on GoFundMe and Spotfund four days after the July 4, 2025, flash flood, using the name and photo of Chloe Childress’ father without permission to solicit funds for purported funeral costs.
The accounts linked to White’s personal contact and banking details, and she allegedly kept the money.
In a phone call with investigators, she allegedly admitted to setting up the fraudulent fundraising accounts, stating that she is “a single mother of two young children and was looking for a quick way to make some money,” according to a police affidavit.
Childress, a 19-year-old from Houston working as a counselor at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, was one of two staff members who died in the disaster along the Guadalupe River. The flood claimed the lives of 25 children and two adults at the all-girls Christian camp, part of 117 total fatalities in Kerr County.
The victim’s father reported the scam, leading to the charges.
Authorities have not disclosed the amount raised, but court documents indicate the offense could carry a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine per count if the financial gain exceeds $100,000 or involves multiple victims.
“It is inexcusable how she sought to prey on the emotions of our community and abused the family of Chloe Childress, who have endured an unimaginable tragedy,” Rosen said in a Facebook post.
“Using a young woman’s tragic death to scam people is despicable,” Rosen added in a separate social media statement regarding the warrants.
State and federal officials issued alerts shortly after the flood warning against fraudulent fundraisers, steering donors toward verified organizations like the Hill Country Community Foundation, which amassed over $100 million for relief efforts.
In the aftermath, families of the deceased children lodged a negligence lawsuit against Camp Mystic last fall. Co-owner Dick Eastland drowned during rescue attempts amid the rising waters, while his wife, Tweety, survived.
Camp Mystic intends to reopen its Cypress Lake site this summer, incorporating flood-monitoring systems, improved communications, and enhanced power infrastructure, though the flooded property remains closed.
Texas legislators passed the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act last year, mandating real-time weather notifications, staff emergency drills, updated evacuation protocols, and relocation of structures from flood-prone areas.
