The city of Austin(Texas) is on alert for a possible serial killer. The bodies of four men have been found in the vicinity of Lady Bird Lake in the Texas capital since mid-February. A figure that, reports
The Mirror
reports, amounts to eight bodies in the last ten months.
The last deceased were identified as Jason John, 30; Clifton Axtell, 40; Jonathan Honey, 33; and, John Christopher Hays-Clark, 30.
Austin Police Rule Out Serial Killer
For this reason, experts are beginning to fear that a serial killer is operating in the area, although the authorities do not consider for now that these events have anything to do with each other: "Our initial information does not show anything suspicious," he assured during a press conference, the police officer of the Austin, Michael Bullock after finding the last body:
Our homicide unit responded to the scene and are investigating this incident. At this time, it is a very unfortunate incident, but so far, we have not uncovered anything suspicious directly related to this incident.
However, detectives and the media already began to consider these events as the different attacks of a serial killer who they named"Lady Bird Serial Killer" or "Rainey Street Ripper", since all the bodies appeared in that busy street. There is already a Facebook group with more than 71,000 followers with various theories and claims that claim, on a daily basis, the existence of a serial killer in the vicinity of Lady Bird, preferably targeting men in their thirties.
But the police do not want to worry the public and assure that they could have died due to excessive alcohol consumption. Something very common in Rainey Street, known for being a place where people have fun and consume alcohol. As a result, the Austin Police Department claimed, based on the initial evidence they found on Hays-Clark's body, that her death may have been caused by a"combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake."
"There is no indication of criminal offenses."
The concern already existed before the last body appeared. Austin Police issued a press release in early April in an effort to reassure local residents. In it, they assured that the autopsies performed by the Travis County Medical Examiner showed"notrauma to the bodies and no evidence of criminal offenses":
The Austin Police Department is aware of speculation about the recent drowning at Lady Bird Lake. Although these cases are still under investigation and evidence is being analyzed, at this time, there is no evidence in any of these cases to support allegations of criminal wrongdoing. Although each incident has occurred on the lake, the circumstances, exact locations and demographics surrounding these cases vary. Our investigators approach each case with an open mind and objectively examine all available evidence.
We work closely with the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office, which conducts a parallel investigation of all deaths. The medical examiner performs the autopsy in each of these types of death investigations. The results of these autopsies have not revealed any trauma to the bodies or evidence of criminal offenses.
A common theme of drownings this year in Austin is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake, which has numerous access points. Many of these access points can be difficult to see at night. The parks where most of these drownings have occurred are areas that close at 22:00 hours and occur after park closing. We advise the public to respect the closing rules.
APD Statement on Lady Bird Lake Drownings pic.twitter.com/mpc3uuJJ1N
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 3, 2023
