A new theory has emerged about why 19 bodies have ended up in the lake running through one of America’s most popular and trendy cities.
The rising death toll in Austin, Texas, has fueled speculation about a possible serial killer targeting victims and dumping them in Lady Bird Lake – the body of water that cuts through the heart of the city just south of the bustling Rainey Street entertainment district.
Despite widespread rumors, the Austin Police Department (APD) has repeatedly denied the existence of a killer, stating that there is no evidence linking the deaths to foul play.
Authorities say most of the victims recovered from the lake, also known locally as ‘Town Lake’, died from accidental drownings or drug overdoses.
The most recent discovery occurred two weeks ago, when a teenager drowned while paddle boarding. He became the 19th person to die in the water since January 2022.
A further 19 bodies have also been found in the area surrounding the lake – where there is a homeless camp and apartment building – bringing the total number of deaths in the vicinity to 38.
Now, for the first time, a former investigator is publicly suggesting that some of the deaths might not be accidents.
Retired Austin police officer Dennis Farris told the Daily Mail: ‘There’s no evidence to say there’s a serial killer at Town Lake.
‘Now, are people being drugged on Rainey [Street]? I have no doubt people are being drugged in the entertainment district. Somebody’s putting something in the drinks.’
Since January 2022, 19 bodies have been pulled from Lady Bird Lake, the river that runs through the center of Austin, Texas, according to the Austin Police Department. There are no cameras monitoring the shoreline
A disturbing narrative has emerged from people who say that they were drugged while out in bars on Rainey Street, just steps from the lake where multiple bodies have been found.
Some believe that patrons are being targeted with spiked drinks, possibly to make them easier victims for theft or other crimes.
To be clear, no one is alleging that individuals responsible for drugging people are intentionally pushing them into Lady Bird Lake.
Rather, it is suspected that those under the influence of so-called date-rape drugs might become disoriented or incapacitated and unknowingly wander into the water.
The southern end of Rainey Street sits dangerously close to the shoreline, separated from Lady Bird Lake by only about 10 feet of grass and a walking trail.
Even some law enforcement officers aren’t ruling out criminal activity entirely.
‘Am I saying there’s not a pack of people preying on others who’ve been drinking? I can’t tell you ‘no’ on that,” Farris said.
‘Criminals prey on people coming out of bars in the entertainment district because they’re like wounded guppies. They get attacked because they can’t fight back. The easiest person to rip off is a drunk.’
Jonathan Honey, 33, was found dead on April 1, 2023
Jason John, 30, was found on February 13, 2023, after last being seen on Rainey Street a week earlier. His parents believe that there is more to the story behind his disappearance
Cliff Axtell, 40, was found in Lady Bird Lake on March 5 after he went missing near Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, a music and dining venue near Rainey Street on February 25, 2023
Bodies found in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake have sparked fears of a serial killer. A memorial, above, was left by Reegan Aparicio near to where the body of her partner Chris Hays-Clark, 30, was found. (Photo by James Breeden for DailyMail.com)
The APD has also pushed back against the serial killer theory.
‘The Austin Police Department (APD) has not found any evidence to support that these deaths are suspicious or connected to criminal activity,’ it said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
‘All of these incidents have been thoroughly investigated, and the vast majority have been determined to involve factors such as mental health issues, natural causes like heart attacks, inability to swim, substance use, or underlying medical conditions.’
However, individual reports continue to raise questions.
A Boston man, Jeff Jones, claims to have been drugged after attending a bachelor party on Rainey Street and later fell off a bridge. He provided medical records showing the presence of Rohypnol, a date-rape drug, in his system.
In response, an APD spokesman acknowledged that drugging incidents could occur but emphasized that there is no link so far to the lake deaths.
‘Although it’s a possibility that Rainey Street patrons may have been drugged at some point, just as it is possible in nightlife districts in other major cities, there is currently no evidence to suggest that any such incidents are linked to the deaths in Lady Bird Lake,’ the spokesman said.
‘Additionally, there is no evidence indicating that any of the deaths in Lady Bird Lake are connected.’
Rainey Street, which boasts many bars popular with locals and tourists, ends just ten feet from Lady Bird Lake
Rainey Street (above) is a vibrant area in Austin known for its night life and offerings of bars, food trucks and restaurants
Jason Jones was also last seen on Rainey Street before his disappearance in 2023
Farris, a former Austin police officer with more than 20 years of service, believes that it iss entirely possible that some bar patrons on Rainey Street are being drugged but says that the true scope is hard to ascertain.
‘Most people, especially men, are too embarrassed to report it,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘Without that information, investigators have no way to identify patterns or find a common link. People need to come forward if they think they were drugged.’
He is, however, firm on one point: the deaths are not the result of someone committing a series of murders.
‘There is no serial killer dumping bodies in Town Lake. If there were, the Austin Police Department would come out and say it. They’d warn the public – and, with this many bodies, they’d call in the FBI,’ he said.
Farris cited 2018 as an example, when the city faced a real serial threat in the form of a bomber who left explosives in packages, killing two people and injuring five others. Authorities quickly linked the attacks and went public with the information, ultimately identifying the suspect, Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, of Pflugerville, Texas, who later died in a confrontation with police.
Most officers, including Farris, believe that the explanation for the Lady Bird Lake deaths is far less sinister.
‘When you have a body of water and it’s that close to the entertainment district where people get drunk, it happens,’ he said.
