A serial killer at Lady Bird Lake? Austin police say no foul play in latest death

Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read
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A hike-and-bike trail along Lady Bird Lake is feet from the end of Rainey Street. Two bodies have been recovered along the lake's shore near Rainey Street and East Avenue in the past six weeks.
A hike-and-bike trail along Lady Bird Lake is feet from the end of Rainey Street. Two bodies have been recovered along the lake's shore near Rainey Street and East Avenue in the past six weeks.

In the past month, Austin police have pulled two bodies from Lady Bird Lake near the Rainey Street entertainment district.

There have been numerous instances similar to this over the past decade or so, and many of Austin's true crime devotees and speculators, theorize that it's the work of someone they've dubbed the Lady Bird Lake serial killer.

Police say the deaths appear to be the result of a tragedy, not a killer, and have moved quickly to tamp down a growing chorus of speculation, especially across social media channels, which have spread the rumors exponentially.

More: Austin police find body of man in Lady Bird Lake on Saturday

And since the most recent body of 33-year-old Jonathan Honey was pulled from the lake on Saturday, that conspiracy theory has skyrocketed. If you live in Austin and are on TikTok, you've probably heard the theories by now. And a Facebook group titled "Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer/Rainey St Killer," which was founded Feb. 14, has ballooned in a matter of days from nearly 7,000 members to over 32,000.

Austin police, however, said that "there's no evidence at this time to support allegations of foul play" in a tweet Monday night after the theories went viral. However, the post said many of the cases are still under investigation and that evidence was still being analyzed.

With the shore of Lady Bird Lake less than 100 feet from the end of Rainey Street, police warn that it's usually hard to see at many lake access points, and they advised people to follow all park rules.
With the shore of Lady Bird Lake less than 100 feet from the end of Rainey Street, police warn that it's usually hard to see at many lake access points, and they advised people to follow all park rules.

"While each incident has occurred at the lake, the circumstance, exact locations and demographics surrounding these cases vary," Austin police said. "Our investigators approach every case with an open mind and objectively examine all available evidence."

Austin police told the Statesman that at least 16 drownings have occurred in the lake in the last five years.

Some common themes among the cases involving many of the bodies that turn up in this area are alcohol and access to Lady Bird Lake late at night, police said. Many of the people who drowned entered the water from parks late at night after the parks had already closed at 10 p.m., police said. Police said it's usually hard to see at many lake access points, and they advised people to follow all park rules and not enter them after closing time.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said alcohol is involved in 25% of emergency visits for drownings and 70% of deaths related to water recreation. In addition, men are 80% more likely to die by drowning because of increased exposure to water, risk-taking behaviors and alcohol use, the CDC said.

More: First responders find body in Lady Bird Lake on Sunday morning

Police said they work with the Travis County medical examiner's office, which also conducts its own investigation into the death and performs an autopsy on the victims.

"The results of these autopsies have not revealed any trauma to the bodies nor indication of foul play," Austin police said.

But many people are skeptical, which can be seen through the comments on the Police Department's Twitter post, where people replied everything from "very suspect" to theorizing the lake has an "insatiable bloodlust."

A sign warns of poor lighting conditions at night on the hike-and-bike trail along Lady Bird Lake that passes the end of Rainey Street.
A sign warns of poor lighting conditions at night on the hike-and-bike trail along Lady Bird Lake that passes the end of Rainey Street.

Recently, lights and equipment were installed near the area on Rainey Street for South by Southwest. This comes after relatives and friends of Jason John, a 30-year-old whose body was recovered near 30 East Ave. in February, called on the city to install security cameras and lights in the area to improve safety.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police say no evidence of foul play in Lady Bird Lake deaths