Annelise Camp, the 2-year-old Houston-area girl at the center of a closely watched legal fight over brain death testing, has died more than two months after a Memorial Day drowning incident, her family announced this week.
What Happened
Annelise nearly drowned on Memorial Day, May 25, at a hotel pool in Harris County, Texas, while visiting relatives. According to her father, Johnston Camp, she had briefly wandered away from family members and was found unresponsive at the bottom of the pool by her 12-year-old cousin. Camp performed CPR, and it took nearly an hour before her heartbeat returned. She was taken to Texas Children's Hospital's West Campus facility, where she remained dependent on a ventilator.
The Legal Fight
Two days after her admission, a physician recommended Annelise be declared brain dead. Her parents objected, believing additional time and treatment could still make a difference, and sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the hospital from conducting brain death testing or withdrawing life support. A Harris County court granted the order, blocking testing while requiring the hospital to continue full supportive care. Texas Children's said it had "exhausted all medically viable options" and reached out to 24 other hospitals about a transfer, though the family says 22 of those declined. The case drew statewide attention after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton posted on social media that he was "closely monitoring" the situation and called on hospitals to either prioritize the family's requested treatment or allow time for a transfer.
The Transfer to Louisiana
In late June, Annelise was transferred to Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana — a facility her family and advocacy group Texas Right to Life described as committed to continuing her care rather than pursuing a brain death determination. At the time, the organization said Annelise's heart was beating and her body continued to respond, though it's worth noting that determination was disputed rather than a formal medical finding contradicting the original hospital's assessment.
Her Passing
According to an update posted to the family's GoFundMe page, Annelise passed away on Monday, August 4 — more than two months after the initial incident. "Annelise is now with Jesus," her family wrote. "While our hearts are broken, we trust in His perfect love, His faithfulness, and His promises. We know she is fully healed and experiencing the joy of being in His presence." A Celebration of Life is scheduled to be held in Houston on August 12, with arrangements still being finalized.
Reaction From Advocacy Groups
The Independent Medical Alliance, a coalition representing more than 12,000 independent physicians and clinicians that had assisted the Camp family, issued a statement mourning her death. "Throughout this unimaginable journey, her parents demonstrated extraordinary love, courage, and determination, leaving no stone unturned in their effort to give their daughter every possible chance," said the organization's president. "That unwavering devotion is what will define this story far more than its heartbreaking ending."
Part of a Broader Legal and Ethical Debate
Annelise's case became a test of a newer strategy within Texas's broader "right to life" movement, which has increasingly focused on contesting brain death testing itself — an earlier stage than most similar disputes, which typically arise only after a brain death diagnosis has already been made. Bioethics and legal experts had said the attention drawn to her family's fight could embolden other families to challenge brain death testing procedures going forward, and the case had already prompted at least one Texas lawmaker to pursue new legislation building on the state's existing right-to-try framework.
What's Next
With Annelise's death now confirmed and a public celebration of her life planned for August 12 in Houston, her case is likely to remain a reference point in ongoing legal and legislative debates in Texas over how much authority families should have to delay or refuse brain death testing for loved ones. The broader questions her family's fight raised — about medical decision-making, parental rights, and the legal definition of brain death — are expected to continue shaping similar disputes in the state going forward.