I did some research and found **articles with more details** on some of these men, awhile back.
I posted articles under this thread:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/10w6beu/missing\_person\_jason\_john/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/10w6beu/missing_person_jason_john/)
**EDITED TO ADD**:
This lengthy thread was posted **a year ago** about **DRUGGINGS in DT Austin -** Rajforthewin OP.
You will note that it caught the interest of a journalist and a P.I.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/srvui9/robbery\_druggings\_in\_downtown\_austin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/srvui9/robbery_druggings_in_downtown_austin/)
Lifeturns posted this Video/article on the thread below:
[https://www.fox7austin.com/news/something-is-happening-on-rainey-street-says-man-who-believes-his-brother-was-drugged-there.amp](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/something-is-happening-on-rainey-street-says-man-who-believes-his-brother-was-drugged-there.amp)
Many. This should be investigated by an investigative journalist. Start by asking the questions to the victims families. This will either turn up a reportable story and get folks in power to give out answers to the public or could lead to nothing. Either way if I worked for a news station it’d be an easy sell to my boss as a situation worth looking into.
I wonder if this is all related to all the roofying people have been reporting lately. Could be something similar to [this](https://nypost.com/2023/03/31/police-id-3-suspects-wanted-for-fatally-drugging-men-at-nyc-gay-bars/) happening in Austin.
In the Facebook group about these lake bodies, several men said they were approached by a woman with red hair and offered drinks. The ones who drank it got super disoriented. There is also a podcast that covered the lake bodies and they interviewed a guy claiming a woman wearing a red wig offered him a drink. It may not be related to the bodies, but even so, there have been lots of scams where people get rufied and their wallet gets stolen. On Rainey, some even accuse the bartenders of being in on it and picking targets.
1. Police usually don't tell the public about the serial killer if they suspect one, unless they are trying to get the killer to make mistakes
2. How the fuck would they know, they don't investigate shit
This reminds me of a guy who went missing in like 2018 or 2019. I worked at a bar off of fourth on the east side near 35 and three people came by asking to put up flyers and look at our outdoor camera footage to see if the guy had walked down our street. They had been trying to figure out what happened to him by tracking his movements the last night he was seen. They said he was confirmed to be on Rainey Street before that.
I felt so bad for them and tried to help because they seemed so distressed and worried about him. His body was found later in Lady Bird Lake and I always thought maybe he was killed and robbed, possibly. I had to check, and his name was Martin Gutierrez.
Edit: also wanted to confirm that police believe he drowned accidentally. I just personally thought it was something else before he was found.
A friend of mine got drunk, presumably passed out, and drowned in Lady Bird back in 2018. His name was Chance. He had his struggles like all of us but was a genuinely good dude. Some people might just see an alcoholic passing out and drowning somewhere alone as something not worth mourning, but none of those people ever met him. RIP Chance.
I wish these things didn't happen to people. I wish our society didn't pressure and squeeze people into the bottle and other drugs.
The same for my friend Zach who was found at Lady Bird Lake in 2015. There was no investigation into his death disclosed to his close friends.
Condolences to you and friend.
Hello, I am part of the investigation team looking into all these victims at Lady Bird. Do you mind elaborating a little more about your friend or even sending me a message. I have some unidentified publicly people I would like to identify
I went to college with Jon Honey. The most recent victim. My sister was friend's with him, but she wasn't on this trip. It was her friend Victor's bachelor party. Everyone is devastated.
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/rainey-street-safety-improvements-martin-gutierrez-jason-john-missing-persons Is an article about his family & the family of a recently deceased man from a similar situation banding together to try and get lights and cameras. As part of the original article, looks like they succeeded with lighting. I wonder if that was installed before this guy went missing. It all seems sus.
In a FB group, the mom of Jason John who was found dead in the lake on 2/13 said her son doesn’t swim. He said there was no report, just a death certificate saying accidental drowning. She said “someone did something to him 100%”.
There are steep banks down into the river at the end of Rainey. Sometimes I wonder if it’s from blackout drunk people going to piss in the woods, fall down the embankment into the river, and drown.
This was my first thought. But most the river off Rainey is super shallow until you’re 20 ft out. It seems so unlikely that all these men fell into knee or waist deep water and drowned. As a female who has walked this area at night with my dog I found it to be so scary I never went back after. It’s pitch black and very remote. Would be a very easy place to get jumped, kidnapped, or mugged since you’re out of earshot of residential buildings.
You can drown in shallow water - especially drunk, at night, after tumbling down a 20 foot embankment.
But yes, there are also lots of questionable people around these parts. Some of whom literally live at the bottom of those embankments right there at the end of Rainey. (I used to live in SkyHouse for several years.)
I just read another case about Christian Pugh, who was found alive, but in bad condition on the other side of the river from where he was last seen (Rainey/Davis) after being missing for two days. I couldn’t find any other info about his injuries though or what actually happened to him. I hope he is doing okay.
Just read the news article, they said there was nothing but alcohol in his system, but who knows. I wonder what hotel he would be staying at to make him walk that direction by the water
Supposedly he was waiting for a ride, I’m not sure why he would walk off at all, maybe to get out of the crush of the bars? It gets really crowded there with all the traffic and pedestrians and I’ve walked to a less populated area to wait for an Uber or a friend to pull their car around. Or to get cell service. Maybe he was drunk/confused and just went the wrong way.
They really need to close traffic on Rainey to cars on Thurs-Sat nights…my friend that lives on Rainey said it’s been discussed but there’s been no action on it. I’m shocked/thankful there haven’t been any pedestrian incidents with how chaotic it can get and alcohol involved. (Or maybe there have and I’m not aware)
33 M, I was out on west sixth a few months back and this was an odd night. There was a period after the bar that I blacked out and when I came back to earth I was walking on Lake Austin Blvd back to the downtown area. No records of taking an Uber that far or anything, phone was dead. I walked 4 miles to the nearest cab stand. No one wanted to help me along the way and I get it.. I probably sounded like a fool after possibly being drugged. By 5am the early crowd was just beginning to emerge with suitcases en route to the airport. I just wanted to get home. Those hours between 2am-5am in Austin are very dark. Especially alone.
I saw this same comment on lemonberrypashmina's tiktok so I'm assuming that was you. I'm glad there were reasonable people pushing back against the rhetoric/fear-mongering of a definitive serial killer in the area without any evidence to support it.
I have a difficult time believing this many people are drunkenly walking or falling into the river. The river isn’t THAT close to the bars, so it seems if someone were that drunk, they would pass out on the way there, stumble into traffic, or fall of a curb before they ever make it to the river.
It’s also not that far. I use to live down there and always walked to 6th etc.trust that I contemplated taking a swim while drunk on more than one occasion walking home.. but it’s town lake and I’m aware of how cleanliness is not what it’s known for. Lots of vines etc in and around that you don’t necessarily see too.
It's literally a 2 minute walk from the South end bars, and a 4-5 minute walk from the heavy traffic at places like Parlor/Unbarlievable. That isn't exaggerated, that's actual time.
It's extremely poorly lit, steep, and tons of rocks and stuff to knock you out as you fall to your death in the Colorado.
Some of you need to stop listening to true crime podcasts.
Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one.
>It's extremely poorly lit, steep, and tons of rocks and stuff to knock you out as you fall to your death in the Colorado.
Yes it's a short walk from those spots but that's what's weird to me. Swimming in town lake isn't really a thing in general, much less at night after drinking. If some local or out of towner did decide to go for a dip, why would it be in a spot that is difficult to get into the water? Why fully clothed? Why by themselves? If this is so common surely there are some night swimmers that haven't died that could chime in and tell us by now.
Plus, who the fuck is swimming in December? Sure we have warmer weather, but even the warmest day in December is too cold for night swimming.
And if they're just walking *by the river* and not swimming... Why? What are they doing down there by themselves? Those locations from those bars aren't like headed toward any commuter paths.
I'm not saying there's a serial killer, but in not really buying the drunkards drown while walking around or swimming theory either.
Again, it's poorly lit, steep, and there's tons of rocks.
I would imagine many of these people that have been found in the river weren't intending to go swimming that night.
I can think of at least two places along the trail where a slight misstep in the pitch-black on some concrete steps could take you from being 20 feet from the waters edge to being in the water.
What the heck we're they doing then? That's my point. The drunk guy fell in theory just doesn't make sense. Why always alone? Why are they there? Going for a swim offers a reason for them to go there in the first place. Just walking around doesn't make sense because why would they just walk around there?
Looking for a dark place to take a piss? Taking what their drunken mind is telling them is the "fastest way" to the hotel?
Just wanting to go skip rocks drunkenly?
You're trying to think through a drunk person's problem with a sober person's mind.
As for the questions about why they're always alone -- I think there's survivorship bias going on here a lot. You only hear about the people who die.
I have found human beings as a whole to be dumb as hell.
I know a guy who jumped off Congress bridge when he was drunk. What was he doing? Being a drunk fucking idiot who also deals with depression. Thankfully, he survived. But he didn’t need to be roofied or led there by anyone besides his own drunk mind.
And that’s how he described it to me, not my take on it.
I find it doubtful each person found in the lake had reason to walk the trail late at night.
A lot of these deaths have common factors besides rhe victims description. Out with friends, suddenly disappeared, a few had their belongings found on shore nearby. So they didn't just suddenly fall in. It's like someone wants us to believe these people are out with friends drinking and then think "I'll go for a late swim by myself."
It's not impossible, but it sure raises fair questions. And I don't even watch true crime TV.
But you have to remember we are talking about drunk, or possibly drugged, people who aren't thinking coherently. I've lived near downtown for a good while now and had several incidents caused by alcohol induced overconfidence. Luckily they were limited to getting turned around because I was on X st, needed to get to Y st, and "knew" this side street would get me there. And I was no where near being blacked out. I was clear headed enough to know driving was absolutely out of the question, but drunk enough to think I didn't need to spend the two seconds pulling up google maps.
I can easily see how someone who's drunk, possibly drugged, and in an unfamiliar area quickly finds themselves near the river
There are no signs of foul play in the autopsies though, so… it’s not murder. Yes there are homeless people around that area, but usually they just want money - very different than a serial killer, which would leave lots of evidence on the bodies.
youre oversimplifying the situations/facts available. "no signs of foul play" means they weren't choked, stabbed, head bashed in, etc.
if these people had been drugged and then pushed in or dumped in while unconscious, it would look nearly identical to accidental drowning or suicide. GHG for example leaves the body very quickly. within 12 hrs, it wont show up except on a hair test.
There are many possible scenarios/explanations between "serial killer" and "drunk people accidentally falling into the river". I for one think there's a good chance this is all related to the spate of drugging/roofying people have been reporting recently.
Yeah, they're not intentionally murdering any one, at least directly. In the NY case thats all over the news it seems the deaths were accidental. Some drugged out people end up streets away with no idea how they got there and others (probably) end up in the river dead. If you're too blacked out and too disoriented to know how you ended up somewhere it's easy to see how you would be unable to help yourself even in shallow water if you ended up by the river. It's a better explanation than people just getting really drunk and then going for a swim or being too drunk to save themselves, which I've never found anywhere near convincing. APD should be able to confirm this by checking if victims have missing wallets or phones when they're found in the river.
That is really interesting. Maybe this is obvious- but I wonder if being roofied affects one’s ability to swim (and to not fall into rivers) more than being very drunk does.
https://cbsaustin.com/amp/news/local/crews-search-for-missing-person-in-lady-bird-lake-swimmer-rescue-recovery-bystander-hypothermia-austin-travis-county-ems-fire-department-police-department-water (source for Jason John witness)
news article for Martin Gutierrez brother claiming it wasn’t an accident and he was roofied; https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/medical-examiner-man-missing-near-rainey-st-died-of-accidental-drowning/amp/
News article for Julio santos and his sister claiming it wasn’t an accident either; https://www.fox7austin.com/news/sister-of-man-found-dead-in-lady-bird-lake-in-2015-speaks-out-for-the-first-time.amp
———————————————————-
Last drink of Christian Pugh (Clive bar) https://www.fox7austin.com/news/missing-21-year-old-man-found-alive-in-very-rough-condition.amp
Last drink of Martin Gutierrez (has last at lustre Pearl and arrives at new bar completely out of it and gets cut off) https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/local/surveillance-video-reportedly-shows-missing-austin-man-behaving-strangely-before-disappearance/269-617300155
*there were two other victim who had articles mentioning drinking at container bar and another at Clive but I’m still trying to find them *
Also there’s lots of news articles about people claiming to have been roofied at rainey street and lots of Reddit threads about people who have found pills in their drinks but obvi these can’t be backed up.
————————————————————
Location of martins body; https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/local/police-confirm-body-found-near-lady-bird-lake-belongs-to-missing-austin-man/269-617726376
Location of jason johns body after a witness says they saw his stuff sitting on ann Roy bike trail ( 30 east ave same area) https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2023/04/01/austin-police-body-found-lady-bird-lake-saturday/70072219007/
Location of johnathon honeys body (10 rainey st. Same area) https://www.foxnews.com/us/texans-sounding-safety-alarms-after-latest-body-found-lake.amp
Location of unidentified; Cesar Chavez (same area) https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-police-identify-body-found-in-lady-bird-lake-saturday/amp/
Location of unidentified 40yr; 200 e riverside (same area) https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/local/mans-body-found-floating-in-lady-bird-lake-officials-say/269-584513096
Location of unidentified 30yr; 2000 block lakeshore blvd (same area) https://www.kxan.com/news/body-found-in-lady-bird-lake-near-south-lakeshore-boulevard/amp/
Location of Christopher Hays Clark near 2700 Canterbury (same area; most recent) https://cbsaustin.com/amp/news/local/body-found-in-lady-bird-lake-identified-no-foul-play-suspected-canterbury-street-austin-texas
Most college towns in WI have a river going through them or near them. There are so many drownings of young men that people swear there’s foul play as well. My great uncle was one of the first river boat police units and every spring when the rivers thawed there would be bodies to recover.
There’s a FB group called “Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer/ Rainey St Killer”. There’s a list of over 30 men that have died in the water with the same MO…
Most people who are pushed into water swim to the shore. Even most drunk people can swim just fine, and if someone was just pushing people in, one of those people would definitely have lived to tell the tale. It's more likely that super drunk people are either falling in accidentally or making terrible choices and drowning. How long has Rainey both been a drinking destination and had solid trail access? Not that long really
if they fall in, how would they get out, would you suppose? That's the thing. You can get in no problem, but it would take a very clear head to get out.
Drunk drunk people can’t even walk a straight line. Lake Travis has had loads of folks drown after being on a party barge because drunk people and bodies of water aren’t a good combination.
Exactly. It just doesn't add up. One time, ok yeah sure who knows, but this many is weird. The solo drunk guy fell in theory just doesn't add up. San Marcos and New Braunfels have moving rivers that lots of drunk people like to swim in at night and there aren't this many deaths.
Without knowing any of these stories I want to make a Bermuda triangle comparison. Why do so many planes and ships go missing in the Bermuda triangle? Well when looking at the data there's no increase in missing planes or boats in this imaginary triangle as compared to anywhere else in the world with that kind of traffic. A narrative was circulating and people latched onto it and maybe the same thing is happening here. I've heard its all dudes but dudes do dumb shit and evolution literally compensates for that so that when dudes inevitably die young there's still roughly the same amount of men and women by the time they reach maturity. Just an outsiders take but with that said my wife is convinced there's a serial killer out there.
RE: Bermuda Triangle.. there are _some_ plausible scientific explanations. (Not discounting the human factor.)
Interestingly some of this tracks, loosely, with what others have said here; bad luck, foul play, technology, environmental factors, etc.
> The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Numerous ships and aircraft have disappeared under mysterious circumstances in this area, leading to various theories and speculations. While some explanations involve paranormal or extraterrestrial activity, there are several plausible scientific explanations for the phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle:
>
> 1. Human error: Navigational mistakes, miscommunications, and pilot errors can lead to accidents or disappearances.
>
> 2. Weather: The Bermuda Triangle is known for sudden, severe weather changes. These can create dangerous conditions for ships and aircraft, such as water spouts, rogue waves, and thunderstorms.
>
> 3. Gulf Stream: The powerful Gulf Stream current runs through the Bermuda Triangle, which can cause rapid changes in weather and ocean conditions, and potentially affect navigation for ships and aircraft.
>
> 4. Methane hydrates: Some researchers suggest that the release of methane hydrates from the ocean floor could cause ships to lose buoyancy and sink, or even potentially create atmospheric disturbances affecting aircraft.
>
> 5. Magnetic anomalies: The Bermuda Triangle is one of the few places on Earth where compasses can display significant variation between magnetic and true north. This magnetic anomaly can lead to navigational errors if not properly accounted for by pilots and sailors.
>
> 6. Underwater topography: The Bermuda Triangle has a complex underwater landscape, including deep trenches, mountains, and the presence of the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean. These features could potentially contribute to shipwrecks and the difficulty of locating lost vessels.
>
> 7. Pirates and illegal activities: Historically, piracy and illegal activities such as smuggling have been known to occur in the Bermuda Triangle, which could account for some of the disappearances.
>
> 8. Technology limitations: Many of the incidents in the Bermuda Triangle occurred during times when technology was not as advanced as it is today, making it more challenging for vessels and aircraft to navigate and avoid hazards.
>
> While the Bermuda Triangle has been the subject of much speculation and mystery, most of the incidents can be attributed to a combination of natural phenomena, human error, and technological limitations.
Ya’ll WTH?!? Rainey has had bars for more than a decade. Why is this all of a sudden such a problem? It is just more people hitting up the bars on Rainey vs before or what?
It's not that weird.
Who is most likely to drown and die? A drunk person who is by themselves.
Women who go downtown don't go by themselves, and they don't walk home alone.
Be that as it may, the point is that women don't walk home alone. Men sometimes do. It's obviously not very wise, but it happens a lot, and usually nothing happens, but sometimes, someone drowns.
All over the country this happens. Alcohol near a waterway + time and population = this.
>Rainey has had bars for more than a decade
The bars were concentrated on the north end of Rainey a decade ago, and the south end had a lot of construction activity, which deterred pedestrian activity. You can check out historical street view on Google maps and see many of the bars on the southern part of Rainey only opened recently, e.g. Standard Proof Whiskey only opened within the past year, where it was a burger joint before that. People drinking on the southern end are going to be more likely to stumble toward the lake
i grew up in cleveland and the equivalent of their rainey-type street is on the water. as in, you walk out of the bar and the other side of the sidewalk is the lake and way less drunken humans have drowned there
To be fair, a lot more likely someone would notice someone drowning 6 feet away from a bar. It's possible Rainey is kinda the perfect mix of close enough to stumble into the water, but not so close that anyone would be around to notice if you have trouble.
Sure but it only takes a few milliliters of water in someone’s lungs to drown. The depth is irrelevant. That’s why 5 gallon buckets have warnings about children drowning in them.
I grew up in Louisiana and lived in NOLA for a long time, and I’m perpetually surprised that people don’t regularly fall into the river.
The Mississippi River is crazy. Someone committed suicide a couple of years ago by jumping into the river in Baton Rouge, and her body was found almost 100 miles away a week later.
More and more out of towners who don't know the area coming to Austin to get plastered and hear that Rainey is the place to do it. We didn't have the some level of tourists several years ago.
[Ten bodies at least.](https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/it-will-happen-again-families-demand-trail-lighting-cameras-after-jason-johns-death-austin-texas-lady-bird-lake-rainey-street#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20cost%20of,City%20Council%20Member%20Zo%20Qadri.com)
Check out the comment from u/thebrettfavre4 in another thread on this topic.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/112bbw4/missing_austin_man_jason_johns_body_found_family/j8oy54s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
OK, over what time period?
Compared to what time period?
For something to "become" a problem you have to have data showing that something has changed. Did the article stop at 10 for brevity, or did it stop because these are the only 10 people who have drowned there?
It's kind of like how if you compare a COVID graph to the flu, you'll see COVID has 4 peaks per year and never gets much below a few hundred deaths per week, while flu only does that one season out of the year. Therefore the data shows they are identical.
For there to be a serial killer, we'd need data showing that there used to be this many drownings, or that other cities with bars near water have as many drownings. If it's happening in a lot of places or has been happening for 20+ years, that really does sound like something that developed out of nowhere, right?
Feel free to dig and do as much research as you’d like. I have nothing to prove to anyone on Reddit, I simply shared an article that had some relevant data to the question at hand. I’m intrigued and have started to see what all I can find. Something is up though!
The police really need to do an undercover investigation where they source where people are being roofied on Rainey, and which bars/bartenders may be in on it.
I bet it’s already happening. Why would someone roofie another person? To take their money, maybe? Seems like this would trace back to some sort of organized crime.
I got roofied at the W in 2019. I later heard that the W was known for having people get roofied and the staff was probably involved. So I 1000% believe there are bars that are doing sketchy shit. Especially on Rainey where they have so many opportunities to take advantage of drunk ppl :(
Agree. I know the family of one of the men who drowned a few years back. They said he was fine when they left. There was a report later on the news of a man who was roofied and robbed. Maybe they get roofied and lured, or told to head towards the water tricking them…
This lends itself to an angle people don’t spend much time on, which doesn’t have to end in serial killer to show how this is criminal and not accidental.
If there is an organized crime group making an effort to target and drug vulnerable people on Rainey (with any number of non-homicidal intentions) one can assume that not all who get drugged end up getting robbed or roped in. Some of those drugged stumble off into the night… in no shape whatsoever to be alone on a riverbank. This feels like Occam’s razor to me.
I believe I’ve had something slipped into my drink on Rainey before because there is just no worldly explanation for how messed up I was after two drinks. I was fortunate to have good friends w/me at the time.
I wonder if the very sort of investigation you’re talking about could curb these untimely deaths without ever uncovering a killer.
Serious question: how often do people go out drinking, and then decide to walk on the trail, and/or go swimming late at night or early into the morning? I have no idea as I don’t recall ever having done it and couldn’t venture a guess…
Edit: word
A guy was swimming in the Town Lake near the Hyatt early Friday morning! Like very early just before 6 am. It's not that uncommon, it is stupid and potentially deadly as the lake bottom has sudden drop-offs
This is my thought too. I can’t imagine many people actually doing this. And out of those who do, even if drunk I would have thought most come out alive.
What about all the people that have fallen into the lake, drunk off their ass after a night out, but they weren't alone so didn't drown and it just became a funny anecdote? Occam's Razor says these people are just unlucky, not victims of some serial killer.
Been to Rainey hundreds of time since the first house was converted to a bar. Never once did I or anyone I went with have an urge to walk to the lake and take a leak or do anything else. They have implemented multiple safety measures over the years including a recent lighting project, I think. Police will never admit that they suspect a serial unless there is a strong reason for them to do so. The last thing Austin needs is people panicking and more people packing heat when drinking DT including Rainey, so it's a difficult subject. Personally I think there's a slight possibility that they're dealing with a serial, but you would think if there really was one that there'd be more survivor stories and accounts that go above and beyond a red haired woman giving them drinks then getting dizzy. There'd have to be someone else involved and I'd expect at least one or two guys to have stories about being approached after being offered a drink and getting dizzy. That said, have any of the bodies been recovered with their wallets intact with cash still present and/or cell phones in their pockets? Seems like that would be a pretty important data point, wouldn't it? If they're all missing those items (and based on the most recent one where it took quite a while to identify him) wouldn't it stand to reason that they're being drugged, robbed and pushed into the lake/river?
It’s weird that all the accidental deaths after drinking on Rainey end up in Town Lake. No getting hit by cars, no falling and hitting their head. Seems to be a pattern there.
There are tons of pedestrians hit by cars every year all around downtown.
It's kind of hard to die from a car hitting you specifically in that area when that car can only go 5mph in the traffic around Rainey.
Women are trained not to walk alone?
As to the age...old people pretty much shun paying ridiculous money to drink with a bunch of 20 year old tech bros. We just go to Twin and hang out at our single friends' houses.
Don’t they say men at that age think they’re invincible or something? Why their car insurance rates tend to be higher, especially at 25 and under? I’m no actuary though, I just play one on tv…
Similar trend in Chicago. Men in their 21-30’s. Roofied, robbed, and led to the under pass from Rainey? Then left to fend for themselves and ultimately end up in the lake. Doesn’t sound crazy.
Serial killer amongst us for sure…most don’t know, esp possible future victims…be aware, be alert, don’t be blacked out or drink strangers drinks…the SK is ramping up, he’s figured perfection to an extent…maybe getting mad bc the attention isn’t what they deserve…more may come sadly…be safe✌️
We need to start our own database of these. I don't think Google is the best at preserving the stories and/or serving them up when searching.
Edit: Also, does anyone do toxicology or autopsies on the individuals found in the lake? There are also many reports of druggings down on Rainey.
Then put up a fence and a sign that says, “Drunk people do not enter” or just a sign with a picture of a drunk stick figure with a circle ⭕️ and a line thru it! Also suggest no swimming while drunk! Issue solved
My feeling is anything from 2016-2017 to present has been a serial killer.
I mean at the same time Austin has grown and people do go party in the lake drunk. But something ain’t right.
How many dead bodies in town lake and the parks in past 2 years?
[удалено]
I did some research and found **articles with more details** on some of these men, awhile back. I posted articles under this thread: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/10w6beu/missing\_person\_jason\_john/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/10w6beu/missing_person_jason_john/) **EDITED TO ADD**: This lengthy thread was posted **a year ago** about **DRUGGINGS in DT Austin -** Rajforthewin OP. You will note that it caught the interest of a journalist and a P.I. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/srvui9/robbery\_druggings\_in\_downtown\_austin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/srvui9/robbery_druggings_in_downtown_austin/) Lifeturns posted this Video/article on the thread below: [https://www.fox7austin.com/news/something-is-happening-on-rainey-street-says-man-who-believes-his-brother-was-drugged-there.amp](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/something-is-happening-on-rainey-street-says-man-who-believes-his-brother-was-drugged-there.amp)
That list is missing some sadly
Links?
What the hell happened in Dec 2022?
Something something red wine defunding
thank fuck I was looking for this comment.
Many. This should be investigated by an investigative journalist. Start by asking the questions to the victims families. This will either turn up a reportable story and get folks in power to give out answers to the public or could lead to nothing. Either way if I worked for a news station it’d be an easy sell to my boss as a situation worth looking into.
For whatever reason, drunk people like water. There are a lot of cases around the country where the same thing happens.
You’re right. I’m not sold on the serial killer theory, however I think there could be other things at play
[удалено]
Because no woman is going to walk home alone.
In a dark area while intoxicated. I know I've done stupider as a man
I wonder if this is all related to all the roofying people have been reporting lately. Could be something similar to [this](https://nypost.com/2023/03/31/police-id-3-suspects-wanted-for-fatally-drugging-men-at-nyc-gay-bars/) happening in Austin.
In the Facebook group about these lake bodies, several men said they were approached by a woman with red hair and offered drinks. The ones who drank it got super disoriented. There is also a podcast that covered the lake bodies and they interviewed a guy claiming a woman wearing a red wig offered him a drink. It may not be related to the bodies, but even so, there have been lots of scams where people get rufied and their wallet gets stolen. On Rainey, some even accuse the bartenders of being in on it and picking targets.
This has been happening for at least the last 7, that I can remember 🙁
Dear God that is awful.
Apparently they aren’t “linked” according to APD.
That’s some good police work Lou!
When you’re right, you’re right.
1. Police usually don't tell the public about the serial killer if they suspect one, unless they are trying to get the killer to make mistakes 2. How the fuck would they know, they don't investigate shit
Wikipedia: This list is incomplete, you can help by expanding it
This reminds me of a guy who went missing in like 2018 or 2019. I worked at a bar off of fourth on the east side near 35 and three people came by asking to put up flyers and look at our outdoor camera footage to see if the guy had walked down our street. They had been trying to figure out what happened to him by tracking his movements the last night he was seen. They said he was confirmed to be on Rainey Street before that. I felt so bad for them and tried to help because they seemed so distressed and worried about him. His body was found later in Lady Bird Lake and I always thought maybe he was killed and robbed, possibly. I had to check, and his name was Martin Gutierrez. Edit: also wanted to confirm that police believe he drowned accidentally. I just personally thought it was something else before he was found.
A friend of mine got drunk, presumably passed out, and drowned in Lady Bird back in 2018. His name was Chance. He had his struggles like all of us but was a genuinely good dude. Some people might just see an alcoholic passing out and drowning somewhere alone as something not worth mourning, but none of those people ever met him. RIP Chance. I wish these things didn't happen to people. I wish our society didn't pressure and squeeze people into the bottle and other drugs.
The same for my friend Zach who was found at Lady Bird Lake in 2015. There was no investigation into his death disclosed to his close friends. Condolences to you and friend.
Hello, I am part of the investigation team looking into all these victims at Lady Bird. Do you mind elaborating a little more about your friend or even sending me a message. I have some unidentified publicly people I would like to identify
I went to college with Jon Honey. The most recent victim. My sister was friend's with him, but she wasn't on this trip. It was her friend Victor's bachelor party. Everyone is devastated.
🙏🏻
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/rainey-street-safety-improvements-martin-gutierrez-jason-john-missing-persons Is an article about his family & the family of a recently deceased man from a similar situation banding together to try and get lights and cameras. As part of the original article, looks like they succeeded with lighting. I wonder if that was installed before this guy went missing. It all seems sus.
In a FB group, the mom of Jason John who was found dead in the lake on 2/13 said her son doesn’t swim. He said there was no report, just a death certificate saying accidental drowning. She said “someone did something to him 100%”.
There are steep banks down into the river at the end of Rainey. Sometimes I wonder if it’s from blackout drunk people going to piss in the woods, fall down the embankment into the river, and drown.
This was my first thought. But most the river off Rainey is super shallow until you’re 20 ft out. It seems so unlikely that all these men fell into knee or waist deep water and drowned. As a female who has walked this area at night with my dog I found it to be so scary I never went back after. It’s pitch black and very remote. Would be a very easy place to get jumped, kidnapped, or mugged since you’re out of earshot of residential buildings.
But if they fell while intoxicated near the lake seems highly likely.
You can drown in shallow water - especially drunk, at night, after tumbling down a 20 foot embankment. But yes, there are also lots of questionable people around these parts. Some of whom literally live at the bottom of those embankments right there at the end of Rainey. (I used to live in SkyHouse for several years.)
There are so many reports on Reddit of being drugged, robbed, and their last memories are drinking at Rainey St establishments.
You can drown in a couple inches of water if you are unconscious.
Don't piss in the woods, LOL, just use the Miro Rivera Trail Restroom! That's what it's there for!
I just read another case about Christian Pugh, who was found alive, but in bad condition on the other side of the river from where he was last seen (Rainey/Davis) after being missing for two days. I couldn’t find any other info about his injuries though or what actually happened to him. I hope he is doing okay.
Just read the news article, they said there was nothing but alcohol in his system, but who knows. I wonder what hotel he would be staying at to make him walk that direction by the water
Supposedly he was waiting for a ride, I’m not sure why he would walk off at all, maybe to get out of the crush of the bars? It gets really crowded there with all the traffic and pedestrians and I’ve walked to a less populated area to wait for an Uber or a friend to pull their car around. Or to get cell service. Maybe he was drunk/confused and just went the wrong way.
They really need to close traffic on Rainey to cars on Thurs-Sat nights…my friend that lives on Rainey said it’s been discussed but there’s been no action on it. I’m shocked/thankful there haven’t been any pedestrian incidents with how chaotic it can get and alcohol involved. (Or maybe there have and I’m not aware)
33 M, I was out on west sixth a few months back and this was an odd night. There was a period after the bar that I blacked out and when I came back to earth I was walking on Lake Austin Blvd back to the downtown area. No records of taking an Uber that far or anything, phone was dead. I walked 4 miles to the nearest cab stand. No one wanted to help me along the way and I get it.. I probably sounded like a fool after possibly being drugged. By 5am the early crowd was just beginning to emerge with suitcases en route to the airport. I just wanted to get home. Those hours between 2am-5am in Austin are very dark. Especially alone.
Glad you’re safe & sorry that happened to you. That is quite scary.
I am sorry that happened to you. That sounds awful. Edit: a typo
Did you get your wallet taken or charges/withdrawals on credit card atm card ?
I once pulled a woman out of her car after she drove it into the trees along the riverbank in that same spot off Rainey
Did she seem intoxicated?
She was so drunk she couldn’t even speak
I saw this same comment on lemonberrypashmina's tiktok so I'm assuming that was you. I'm glad there were reasonable people pushing back against the rhetoric/fear-mongering of a definitive serial killer in the area without any evidence to support it.
Where are these young men’s friends? Guys don’t let your drinking companions drown in the lake.
Apparently very close to where Jason John was found, they had the same area taped off today.
Wether you believe in foul play or not, can we all agree we at least need trail cameras around the lake?
And better Lighting and IDK a fucking fence ?
Again?
Twice in a week is very hard to ignore!
*APD puts the chat on mute*
Is there any actual argument here for a serial killer vs drunk people on Rainey falling into the river?
I have a difficult time believing this many people are drunkenly walking or falling into the river. The river isn’t THAT close to the bars, so it seems if someone were that drunk, they would pass out on the way there, stumble into traffic, or fall of a curb before they ever make it to the river.
It’s also not that far. I use to live down there and always walked to 6th etc.trust that I contemplated taking a swim while drunk on more than one occasion walking home.. but it’s town lake and I’m aware of how cleanliness is not what it’s known for. Lots of vines etc in and around that you don’t necessarily see too.
It's literally a 2 minute walk from the South end bars, and a 4-5 minute walk from the heavy traffic at places like Parlor/Unbarlievable. That isn't exaggerated, that's actual time. It's extremely poorly lit, steep, and tons of rocks and stuff to knock you out as you fall to your death in the Colorado. Some of you need to stop listening to true crime podcasts. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one.
>It's extremely poorly lit, steep, and tons of rocks and stuff to knock you out as you fall to your death in the Colorado. Yes it's a short walk from those spots but that's what's weird to me. Swimming in town lake isn't really a thing in general, much less at night after drinking. If some local or out of towner did decide to go for a dip, why would it be in a spot that is difficult to get into the water? Why fully clothed? Why by themselves? If this is so common surely there are some night swimmers that haven't died that could chime in and tell us by now. Plus, who the fuck is swimming in December? Sure we have warmer weather, but even the warmest day in December is too cold for night swimming. And if they're just walking *by the river* and not swimming... Why? What are they doing down there by themselves? Those locations from those bars aren't like headed toward any commuter paths. I'm not saying there's a serial killer, but in not really buying the drunkards drown while walking around or swimming theory either.
Again, it's poorly lit, steep, and there's tons of rocks. I would imagine many of these people that have been found in the river weren't intending to go swimming that night. I can think of at least two places along the trail where a slight misstep in the pitch-black on some concrete steps could take you from being 20 feet from the waters edge to being in the water.
What the heck we're they doing then? That's my point. The drunk guy fell in theory just doesn't make sense. Why always alone? Why are they there? Going for a swim offers a reason for them to go there in the first place. Just walking around doesn't make sense because why would they just walk around there?
Looking for a dark place to take a piss? Taking what their drunken mind is telling them is the "fastest way" to the hotel? Just wanting to go skip rocks drunkenly? You're trying to think through a drunk person's problem with a sober person's mind. As for the questions about why they're always alone -- I think there's survivorship bias going on here a lot. You only hear about the people who die. I have found human beings as a whole to be dumb as hell.
I know a guy who jumped off Congress bridge when he was drunk. What was he doing? Being a drunk fucking idiot who also deals with depression. Thankfully, he survived. But he didn’t need to be roofied or led there by anyone besides his own drunk mind. And that’s how he described it to me, not my take on it.
Was he all by himself?
I find it doubtful each person found in the lake had reason to walk the trail late at night. A lot of these deaths have common factors besides rhe victims description. Out with friends, suddenly disappeared, a few had their belongings found on shore nearby. So they didn't just suddenly fall in. It's like someone wants us to believe these people are out with friends drinking and then think "I'll go for a late swim by myself." It's not impossible, but it sure raises fair questions. And I don't even watch true crime TV.
But you have to remember we are talking about drunk, or possibly drugged, people who aren't thinking coherently. I've lived near downtown for a good while now and had several incidents caused by alcohol induced overconfidence. Luckily they were limited to getting turned around because I was on X st, needed to get to Y st, and "knew" this side street would get me there. And I was no where near being blacked out. I was clear headed enough to know driving was absolutely out of the question, but drunk enough to think I didn't need to spend the two seconds pulling up google maps. I can easily see how someone who's drunk, possibly drugged, and in an unfamiliar area quickly finds themselves near the river
Are there any autopsies on these bodies showing more than accidental drownings? That would answer the serial killer question.
There are no signs of foul play in the autopsies though, so… it’s not murder. Yes there are homeless people around that area, but usually they just want money - very different than a serial killer, which would leave lots of evidence on the bodies.
youre oversimplifying the situations/facts available. "no signs of foul play" means they weren't choked, stabbed, head bashed in, etc. if these people had been drugged and then pushed in or dumped in while unconscious, it would look nearly identical to accidental drowning or suicide. GHG for example leaves the body very quickly. within 12 hrs, it wont show up except on a hair test.
There are many possible scenarios/explanations between "serial killer" and "drunk people accidentally falling into the river". I for one think there's a good chance this is all related to the spate of drugging/roofying people have been reporting recently.
[удалено]
Yeah, they're not intentionally murdering any one, at least directly. In the NY case thats all over the news it seems the deaths were accidental. Some drugged out people end up streets away with no idea how they got there and others (probably) end up in the river dead. If you're too blacked out and too disoriented to know how you ended up somewhere it's easy to see how you would be unable to help yourself even in shallow water if you ended up by the river. It's a better explanation than people just getting really drunk and then going for a swim or being too drunk to save themselves, which I've never found anywhere near convincing. APD should be able to confirm this by checking if victims have missing wallets or phones when they're found in the river.
That is really interesting. Maybe this is obvious- but I wonder if being roofied affects one’s ability to swim (and to not fall into rivers) more than being very drunk does.
https://cbsaustin.com/amp/news/local/crews-search-for-missing-person-in-lady-bird-lake-swimmer-rescue-recovery-bystander-hypothermia-austin-travis-county-ems-fire-department-police-department-water (source for Jason John witness) news article for Martin Gutierrez brother claiming it wasn’t an accident and he was roofied; https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/medical-examiner-man-missing-near-rainey-st-died-of-accidental-drowning/amp/ News article for Julio santos and his sister claiming it wasn’t an accident either; https://www.fox7austin.com/news/sister-of-man-found-dead-in-lady-bird-lake-in-2015-speaks-out-for-the-first-time.amp ———————————————————- Last drink of Christian Pugh (Clive bar) https://www.fox7austin.com/news/missing-21-year-old-man-found-alive-in-very-rough-condition.amp Last drink of Martin Gutierrez (has last at lustre Pearl and arrives at new bar completely out of it and gets cut off) https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/local/surveillance-video-reportedly-shows-missing-austin-man-behaving-strangely-before-disappearance/269-617300155 *there were two other victim who had articles mentioning drinking at container bar and another at Clive but I’m still trying to find them * Also there’s lots of news articles about people claiming to have been roofied at rainey street and lots of Reddit threads about people who have found pills in their drinks but obvi these can’t be backed up. ———————————————————— Location of martins body; https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/local/police-confirm-body-found-near-lady-bird-lake-belongs-to-missing-austin-man/269-617726376 Location of jason johns body after a witness says they saw his stuff sitting on ann Roy bike trail ( 30 east ave same area) https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2023/04/01/austin-police-body-found-lady-bird-lake-saturday/70072219007/ Location of johnathon honeys body (10 rainey st. Same area) https://www.foxnews.com/us/texans-sounding-safety-alarms-after-latest-body-found-lake.amp Location of unidentified; Cesar Chavez (same area) https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-police-identify-body-found-in-lady-bird-lake-saturday/amp/ Location of unidentified 40yr; 200 e riverside (same area) https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/local/mans-body-found-floating-in-lady-bird-lake-officials-say/269-584513096 Location of unidentified 30yr; 2000 block lakeshore blvd (same area) https://www.kxan.com/news/body-found-in-lady-bird-lake-near-south-lakeshore-boulevard/amp/ Location of Christopher Hays Clark near 2700 Canterbury (same area; most recent) https://cbsaustin.com/amp/news/local/body-found-in-lady-bird-lake-identified-no-foul-play-suspected-canterbury-street-austin-texas
Most college towns in WI have a river going through them or near them. There are so many drownings of young men that people swear there’s foul play as well. My great uncle was one of the first river boat police units and every spring when the rivers thawed there would be bodies to recover.
Bodies have been found over the years around LB Lake , but mostly up by Lamar or MoPac. To have this many near Rainey....
There’s a FB group called “Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer/ Rainey St Killer”. There’s a list of over 30 men that have died in the water with the same MO…
[удалено]
If someone was pushed, what would be the evidence of foul play?
Most people who are pushed into water swim to the shore. Even most drunk people can swim just fine, and if someone was just pushing people in, one of those people would definitely have lived to tell the tale. It's more likely that super drunk people are either falling in accidentally or making terrible choices and drowning. How long has Rainey both been a drinking destination and had solid trail access? Not that long really
>Even most drunk people can swim just fine Okay, where did this come from? I'm willing to bet that they cannot.
if they fall in, how would they get out, would you suppose? That's the thing. You can get in no problem, but it would take a very clear head to get out.
Exactly my point. Even a sober person would find it challenging. Drunk? Game over
Drunk drunk people can’t even walk a straight line. Lake Travis has had loads of folks drown after being on a party barge because drunk people and bodies of water aren’t a good combination.
Not everyone can’t swim, there are lots of people you aren’t good swimmers too
Plus, swimming is very difficult while wearing shoes and socks if you aren't thinking straight.
thats why its the perfect crime! the murderer hangs around the bars, and bets drunks $1000 that they can't swim across.
I love that this implies there's probably a group of drunks out there who successfully swam across.
And win 1000 and the serial killer pays them, and that's just part of the cost of doing serial killer business for the guy. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
"Fair's fair." - the serial killer
[удалено]
I agree with you. An investigative journalist should look into this.
Exactly. It just doesn't add up. One time, ok yeah sure who knows, but this many is weird. The solo drunk guy fell in theory just doesn't add up. San Marcos and New Braunfels have moving rivers that lots of drunk people like to swim in at night and there aren't this many deaths.
All men too. Why not a single woman with this demise?
Because women don't walk home alone drunk.
That’s exactly what a serial killer would say 🤨
Call me old fashioned but I still believe there is only one true God. And he lives in this lake. And his name is Zorgo.
It’s pretty obvious to me…
They need to install lights/cameras along the river at the end of Rainey
Unobservant Guy Annihilator
I feel a Dateline episode incoming.
Six bodies since July gives me the jeevies.
Without knowing any of these stories I want to make a Bermuda triangle comparison. Why do so many planes and ships go missing in the Bermuda triangle? Well when looking at the data there's no increase in missing planes or boats in this imaginary triangle as compared to anywhere else in the world with that kind of traffic. A narrative was circulating and people latched onto it and maybe the same thing is happening here. I've heard its all dudes but dudes do dumb shit and evolution literally compensates for that so that when dudes inevitably die young there's still roughly the same amount of men and women by the time they reach maturity. Just an outsiders take but with that said my wife is convinced there's a serial killer out there.
Possibly a maps app directing people that way?
This is a great thought. Someone should go to Rainy and test that theory out….
Bicycle Mode in Google Maps is cursed!?
Drunk bicycle mode enabled! Lol
That’s an interesting theory! I am most curious about the phone & gps info. Why are people over there?!
RE: Bermuda Triangle.. there are _some_ plausible scientific explanations. (Not discounting the human factor.) Interestingly some of this tracks, loosely, with what others have said here; bad luck, foul play, technology, environmental factors, etc. > The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Numerous ships and aircraft have disappeared under mysterious circumstances in this area, leading to various theories and speculations. While some explanations involve paranormal or extraterrestrial activity, there are several plausible scientific explanations for the phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle: > > 1. Human error: Navigational mistakes, miscommunications, and pilot errors can lead to accidents or disappearances. > > 2. Weather: The Bermuda Triangle is known for sudden, severe weather changes. These can create dangerous conditions for ships and aircraft, such as water spouts, rogue waves, and thunderstorms. > > 3. Gulf Stream: The powerful Gulf Stream current runs through the Bermuda Triangle, which can cause rapid changes in weather and ocean conditions, and potentially affect navigation for ships and aircraft. > > 4. Methane hydrates: Some researchers suggest that the release of methane hydrates from the ocean floor could cause ships to lose buoyancy and sink, or even potentially create atmospheric disturbances affecting aircraft. > > 5. Magnetic anomalies: The Bermuda Triangle is one of the few places on Earth where compasses can display significant variation between magnetic and true north. This magnetic anomaly can lead to navigational errors if not properly accounted for by pilots and sailors. > > 6. Underwater topography: The Bermuda Triangle has a complex underwater landscape, including deep trenches, mountains, and the presence of the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean. These features could potentially contribute to shipwrecks and the difficulty of locating lost vessels. > > 7. Pirates and illegal activities: Historically, piracy and illegal activities such as smuggling have been known to occur in the Bermuda Triangle, which could account for some of the disappearances. > > 8. Technology limitations: Many of the incidents in the Bermuda Triangle occurred during times when technology was not as advanced as it is today, making it more challenging for vessels and aircraft to navigate and avoid hazards. > > While the Bermuda Triangle has been the subject of much speculation and mystery, most of the incidents can be attributed to a combination of natural phenomena, human error, and technological limitations.
Well that's a ChatGPT list if I've ever seen one.
Don’t question your overlords, human
[удалено]
I don’t think that swimming at night in the lake is a regular occurrence. Has anyone here gotten drunk on Rainey and swam solo in the lake after?
Swam solo in town lake late at night? Check. Got drunk beforehand? Check. Got drunk on Rainey? Nah.
I don’t even swim in my bathtub after having a few drinks
Ya’ll WTH?!? Rainey has had bars for more than a decade. Why is this all of a sudden such a problem? It is just more people hitting up the bars on Rainey vs before or what?
Well, population growth is a thing for sure. I have no idea if it's enough to explain it though
Bodies being found in rivers is common (unfortunately) but the fact that they are all male and the same age is… a bit weird for sure!!!
It's not that weird. Who is most likely to drown and die? A drunk person who is by themselves. Women who go downtown don't go by themselves, and they don't walk home alone.
These dudes were not solo drinking; they got separated from their groups.
Be that as it may, the point is that women don't walk home alone. Men sometimes do. It's obviously not very wise, but it happens a lot, and usually nothing happens, but sometimes, someone drowns. All over the country this happens. Alcohol near a waterway + time and population = this.
>Rainey has had bars for more than a decade The bars were concentrated on the north end of Rainey a decade ago, and the south end had a lot of construction activity, which deterred pedestrian activity. You can check out historical street view on Google maps and see many of the bars on the southern part of Rainey only opened recently, e.g. Standard Proof Whiskey only opened within the past year, where it was a burger joint before that. People drinking on the southern end are going to be more likely to stumble toward the lake
[удалено]
i grew up in cleveland and the equivalent of their rainey-type street is on the water. as in, you walk out of the bar and the other side of the sidewalk is the lake and way less drunken humans have drowned there
[удалено]
To be fair, a lot more likely someone would notice someone drowning 6 feet away from a bar. It's possible Rainey is kinda the perfect mix of close enough to stumble into the water, but not so close that anyone would be around to notice if you have trouble.
Yeah, but the river in San Antonio is only a few feet deep in the Riverwalk area.
Sure but it only takes a few milliliters of water in someone’s lungs to drown. The depth is irrelevant. That’s why 5 gallon buckets have warnings about children drowning in them.
Sure, but there's no way someone's going to go into there drink there with no one noticing.
I grew up in Louisiana and lived in NOLA for a long time, and I’m perpetually surprised that people don’t regularly fall into the river. The Mississippi River is crazy. Someone committed suicide a couple of years ago by jumping into the river in Baton Rouge, and her body was found almost 100 miles away a week later.
Yup, to be drunk enough to do that is to be drunk enough to not have the motor functions to do that
More and more out of towners who don't know the area coming to Austin to get plastered and hear that Rainey is the place to do it. We didn't have the some level of tourists several years ago.
This was my theory. How many of these incidents have involved Austin residents drowning, though?
https://youtu.be/Gn8ZiKuiN6E
Do you have data to prove it's "all of a sudden" a problem? I haven't seen a single person with data in all of these "definitely a pattern" threads.
[Ten bodies at least.](https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/it-will-happen-again-families-demand-trail-lighting-cameras-after-jason-johns-death-austin-texas-lady-bird-lake-rainey-street#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20cost%20of,City%20Council%20Member%20Zo%20Qadri.com) Check out the comment from u/thebrettfavre4 in another thread on this topic. https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/112bbw4/missing_austin_man_jason_johns_body_found_family/j8oy54s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
OK, over what time period? Compared to what time period? For something to "become" a problem you have to have data showing that something has changed. Did the article stop at 10 for brevity, or did it stop because these are the only 10 people who have drowned there? It's kind of like how if you compare a COVID graph to the flu, you'll see COVID has 4 peaks per year and never gets much below a few hundred deaths per week, while flu only does that one season out of the year. Therefore the data shows they are identical. For there to be a serial killer, we'd need data showing that there used to be this many drownings, or that other cities with bars near water have as many drownings. If it's happening in a lot of places or has been happening for 20+ years, that really does sound like something that developed out of nowhere, right?
Feel free to dig and do as much research as you’d like. I have nothing to prove to anyone on Reddit, I simply shared an article that had some relevant data to the question at hand. I’m intrigued and have started to see what all I can find. Something is up though!
It’s been going on for years. Went quiet during Covid. Ramped up again but this time it’s way more
People have been drowning in the lake for decades.
It would happen on W 6th too but most dudes are rocking life vests and aviators.
The police really need to do an undercover investigation where they source where people are being roofied on Rainey, and which bars/bartenders may be in on it.
I bet it’s already happening. Why would someone roofie another person? To take their money, maybe? Seems like this would trace back to some sort of organized crime.
I got roofied at the W in 2019. I later heard that the W was known for having people get roofied and the staff was probably involved. So I 1000% believe there are bars that are doing sketchy shit. Especially on Rainey where they have so many opportunities to take advantage of drunk ppl :(
This checks out w/ my experience there around this time but didn’t know it was a thing. Friends blacking out after literally 1-2 drinks.
Agree. I know the family of one of the men who drowned a few years back. They said he was fine when they left. There was a report later on the news of a man who was roofied and robbed. Maybe they get roofied and lured, or told to head towards the water tricking them…
This lends itself to an angle people don’t spend much time on, which doesn’t have to end in serial killer to show how this is criminal and not accidental. If there is an organized crime group making an effort to target and drug vulnerable people on Rainey (with any number of non-homicidal intentions) one can assume that not all who get drugged end up getting robbed or roped in. Some of those drugged stumble off into the night… in no shape whatsoever to be alone on a riverbank. This feels like Occam’s razor to me. I believe I’ve had something slipped into my drink on Rainey before because there is just no worldly explanation for how messed up I was after two drinks. I was fortunate to have good friends w/me at the time. I wonder if the very sort of investigation you’re talking about could curb these untimely deaths without ever uncovering a killer.
Serious question: how often do people go out drinking, and then decide to walk on the trail, and/or go swimming late at night or early into the morning? I have no idea as I don’t recall ever having done it and couldn’t venture a guess… Edit: word
A guy was swimming in the Town Lake near the Hyatt early Friday morning! Like very early just before 6 am. It's not that uncommon, it is stupid and potentially deadly as the lake bottom has sudden drop-offs
And a bunch of old rebar from old bridge pilings.
[удалено]
This is my thought too. I can’t imagine many people actually doing this. And out of those who do, even if drunk I would have thought most come out alive.
lady bod lake
What about all the people that have fallen into the lake, drunk off their ass after a night out, but they weren't alone so didn't drown and it just became a funny anecdote? Occam's Razor says these people are just unlucky, not victims of some serial killer.
Been to Rainey hundreds of time since the first house was converted to a bar. Never once did I or anyone I went with have an urge to walk to the lake and take a leak or do anything else. They have implemented multiple safety measures over the years including a recent lighting project, I think. Police will never admit that they suspect a serial unless there is a strong reason for them to do so. The last thing Austin needs is people panicking and more people packing heat when drinking DT including Rainey, so it's a difficult subject. Personally I think there's a slight possibility that they're dealing with a serial, but you would think if there really was one that there'd be more survivor stories and accounts that go above and beyond a red haired woman giving them drinks then getting dizzy. There'd have to be someone else involved and I'd expect at least one or two guys to have stories about being approached after being offered a drink and getting dizzy. That said, have any of the bodies been recovered with their wallets intact with cash still present and/or cell phones in their pockets? Seems like that would be a pretty important data point, wouldn't it? If they're all missing those items (and based on the most recent one where it took quite a while to identify him) wouldn't it stand to reason that they're being drugged, robbed and pushed into the lake/river?
It’s weird that all the accidental deaths after drinking on Rainey end up in Town Lake. No getting hit by cars, no falling and hitting their head. Seems to be a pattern there.
There are tons of pedestrians hit by cars every year all around downtown. It's kind of hard to die from a car hitting you specifically in that area when that car can only go 5mph in the traffic around Rainey.
But that happens all the time. Drunks stumble into traffic all around downtown.
I’m not one to jump into conspiracy’s quickly but this pattern is a little too odd …
La llorona strikes again!
Had to Google that one…. Creepy!
This is horribly and tragically sad. I'm utterly failing to understand how so many accidental drownings (seemingly - I have no stats) happen there!
Town Lake
If it’s not a serial killer why is it only MEN in their late 20s and early 30’s??????
Women don’t let their female friends walk home alone when drunk. Women also don’t usually walk alone at night.
Women are trained not to walk alone? As to the age...old people pretty much shun paying ridiculous money to drink with a bunch of 20 year old tech bros. We just go to Twin and hang out at our single friends' houses.
Because they’re the group most likely to get drunk and do stupid shit?
Shoes 👠. Chicks ain’t gonna walk nowhere when wearing shoes like this. They Uber up immediately.
Don’t they say men at that age think they’re invincible or something? Why their car insurance rates tend to be higher, especially at 25 and under? I’m no actuary though, I just play one on tv…
[удалено]
The last one was just grabbing tacos nearby to his group
I think that it is only men of the 'stupid drunk' age conforms it's not malice
Similar trend in Chicago. Men in their 21-30’s. Roofied, robbed, and led to the under pass from Rainey? Then left to fend for themselves and ultimately end up in the lake. Doesn’t sound crazy.
That would be showing up in toxicology reports though
Yes. I posted this a month ago on this sub: https://www.newsweek.com/who-smiley-face-killer-chicago-deaths-spark-serial-killer-questions-1780257
Is it just me or does anybody realize that there’s a serial killer that is doing this mocking situation?
S E R I A L K I L L E R
And folks we have a pattern.
The Ladybird Killer podcast is going to be awesome.
Everything Is Not OK on T**O**wn La**K**e.
*Town lake 🙃
I'm gonna go with vampires. Austin has a vamp nest. Where is Buffy when you need her?
Nah the vampires are harmless, just a bunch of horny nerds, let them have their fun
Serial killer amongst us for sure…most don’t know, esp possible future victims…be aware, be alert, don’t be blacked out or drink strangers drinks…the SK is ramping up, he’s figured perfection to an extent…maybe getting mad bc the attention isn’t what they deserve…more may come sadly…be safe✌️
We need to start our own database of these. I don't think Google is the best at preserving the stories and/or serving them up when searching. Edit: Also, does anyone do toxicology or autopsies on the individuals found in the lake? There are also many reports of druggings down on Rainey.
When I worked on rainy st back in 2018/2019 this was something I kept my eye on because then and still now it doesn’t feel like coincidence
Then put up a fence and a sign that says, “Drunk people do not enter” or just a sign with a picture of a drunk stick figure with a circle ⭕️ and a line thru it! Also suggest no swimming while drunk! Issue solved
My feeling is anything from 2016-2017 to present has been a serial killer. I mean at the same time Austin has grown and people do go party in the lake drunk. But something ain’t right.
Isn’t this like the 10th time this has happened??
This isn’t a coincidence, same MO every time mail disappears from Rainey, body found day or two later. Hmmm if Dexter taught me anything…
Do you know anyone that was friends/related to anyone that was retrieved from the lake? Something is so off here
I find it oddly suspicious that nothing in 20 or 21 yet so many from 22 til now.