Tenth body found in lake sparks serial killer fears over 'Rainey Street Ripper'
A tenth body has been pulled from an infamous lake which is now sparking fears of a serial killer in the area.
Police have now recovered a staggering amount of bodies from Lady Bird in Austin, Texas, over the past 18 months, with the most recent victim being identified as a woman. She was found on Monday after a 911 call from a resident who spotted the body in 20 feet of water.
Public information officer Ariel Crumes informed the media of the discovery, saying: "Homicide is actively investigating this as a death investigation. However, the police department has since declared the death isn't being ruled a homicide and toxicology reports are still pending. No formal identification of the woman has taken place yet.
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As a 10th body is pulled from a lake near Austin, Texas, police say that it's too early to call it a serial killing (KVUE)A statement on the social media site said: "As of today, the decedent has been identified as a female, and this case is not being ruled a homicide. Toxicology reports are still pending. It adds that the person was declared dead at 1:33 pm when officers arrived at the scene and that "at the time, no identifiers were known."
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Currently, the body is with the medical examiner's office while an autopsy is undertaken, police have confirmed. As residents heard the news of yet another body being pulled from the lake, unfounded theories of the Rainey St. serial killer were reignited.
True crime fanatics and armchair detectives have shared their theories on the Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer in a True Crime Facebook group and on Reddit.
They believe that a killer is targeting young men. Jason John, 30, disappeared on February 5, 2023, while he was out celebrating a promotion at work.
His body was pulled from the lake over a week later. This was followed just a few weeks later by the body of Johnathan Honey, 33, which was discovered at the lake.
Other men pulled from the lake were Clifton Axtell, 40, found on March 5, 2023, and John Christopher Hays-Clark, 30, on April 15, 2023. All men were between the ages of 20 and 40.
However, the identification of the latest body as female has thrown this unsubstantiated theory into question.
"There are a lot of allegations that there’s a serial killer, but there’s no proof or evidence in any of our investigations to sustain that," Austin Police Department Assistant Chief Jeff Greenwalt told local NBC affiliate KXAN in April 2023.
Numerous family members of the victims pulled from the lake have pleaded for new measures to increase safety following the mounting deaths.
In February 2023, the families of Martin Guiterrez, 25, and Jason John, 30, pleaded with the Austin City Council to install safety measures in the lake area. Guiterrez disappeared on November 19, 2018, and was found dead in Lady Bird Lake on November 26, 2018.
"Multiple people have gone missing with no changes," Mitchell Gutierrez, Martin’s brother, said at the time. Meanwhile, Reegan Aparicio was left shocked when the father of her child, Hays-Clark, was pulled from the lake.
"I don't want anyone to go through this, and I am sorry this keeps happening and there are no answers for it because it's very sad," Aparicio told local Fox affiliate KTBC following the discovery of the dead woman.
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"There is no evidence in any of these cases to support allegations of foul play," police said in a statement after the body of Johnathan Honey was found.
"The circumstances, exact location, and demographics surrounding these cases vary," the department said. In the statement, police also highlighted the issue of having a large body of water near city nightlife.
"One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake, which has numerous access points," they said.
However, Aparicio is not entirely convinced, saying, "I feel like there is a connection and there is something going on at Lady Bird Lake and the police are choosing not to do anything about it.
"They need to take action. People are hurting out here. My son is 12. He is never going to get his dad back ever. These families that have lost their loved ones are never going to get their loved ones back."
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