200 have drowned in Austin's Lady Bird Lake since 2004. A serial killer isn't to blame, study says. - Austin Monitor

"Rumors surfaced after Jason John, 30, and Jonathan Honey, 33, went missing weeks apart from each other in 2023. Both had been on Rainey Street and disappeared. Their bodies were later found in the lake. But the common factor in both of those cases was alcohol and proximity to the lake. The autopsy reports found no major abrasions or injuries consistent with being attacked."

"Rainey Street used to be a quiet neighborhood, but it is now lined with bars, apartments and hotels that all back up to Lady Bird Lake and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. More people, means higher risk of exposure to drownings. From 2022 to 2024, 36 drownings in Lady Bird Lake were reported, further fueling rumors, according to the report."

Researchers from Texas State University and the Austin Police Department reviewed nearly 200 cases and found no evidence of a serial murderer. Social media speculation labeled a supposed suspect the "Rainey Street Ripper" after two 2023 disappearances, but autopsy reports showed alcohol involvement and proximity to the lake without injuries indicative of an attack. Rainey Street's transformation into a dense corridor of bars, apartments and hotels adjacent to Lady Bird Lake increased visitor numbers and exposure risk. From 2022 to 2024, 36 drownings were reported. A 22-year review found eight cases near the Rainey Street District with no spatial or temporal clustering.

Read at Austin Monitor