TX - Four deaths in 2023 and five in 2022 in similar location of Lady Bird Lake, Austin

[sunflowermomma]

I'm curious if this has been discussed here yet? A few articles:

MAP: Tracking deaths near Lady Bird Lake in Austin

This report aims to provide KXAN viewers with full transparency and facts.

www.kxan.com

Latest body found at Lady Bird Lake highlights high rate of drownings in Travis County

A body found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend is raising concerns on two fronts. It follows three drownings on the lake just this year which has many wonderin

cbsaustin.com

East Austinites demand action after decades of Lady Bird Lake drownings

Residents say safety concerns preceded Rainey Street deaths

spectrumlocalnews.com

"AUSTIN, Texas — A body found in Lady Bird Lake over the weekend is raising concerns on two fronts. It follows three drownings on the lake just this year which has many wondering if the deaths are somehow related. But it also shows how dangerous local waters have become recently.

The body, identified as 30-year-old Christopher Hays-Clark, was spotted at the east end of Lady Bird Lake near Longhorn Dam. Austin Police say there was no obvious sign of how the person died.

Police Officer Michael Bullock said shortly after the discovery, "Our investigations are done tandemly with the medical examiner’s office because we don’t determine the cause of death, that’s up to the medical examiner.”

The body was found downstream from three separate previous drownings this year. Those drownings prompted the Austin City Council to unanimously approve a resolution calling for new safety measures on the lake, especially south of the Rainey Street neighborhood and the downtown entertainment district."

 

[Howl]

The waters on Lady Bird Lake are no more dangerous than they've ever been.
Lady Bird Lake is a dammed up section of the Colorado River; it runs for miles through downtown Austin. This area is the center of a metroplex with over 2 million people. There is some current, but it's not dramatic.

Texas Monthly debunks the serial killer thing here:
May 1, 2023 Reality Check: There's Almost Certainly No Serial Killer in Austin
What began as a baseless theory has turned into a social media frenzy—one with the power to frighten the public and hamper police investigations, experts say.

 

[happyday]

My daughter and I were just talking about this. She thinks it’s a serial killer and maybe even a female killer. I don’t really know what to think! On one hand I think there are just so many people in Austin now—and lots of late nights, drinking at the bars all so close to the lake. Men, lots of alcohol and water can end in tragedy. But then on the other hand, that is ALOT of bodies in one lake. It really is suspicious.

 

[sunflowermomma]

I really think there need to be more public safety campaigns and conversations around getting your drunk friends home safely, especially for young men. Some basic PSAs could save lives.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I really think there need to be more public safety campaigns and conversations around getting your drunk friends home safely, especially for young men. Some basic PSAs could save lives.

I read yesterday, but I don't have the link (so, imo) they are putting up some barriers between the hike and bike path and the water and adding additional lighting. Hope that helps. I find the number of bodies suspicious. MOO

 

[Puzzles8]

So, more deaths around Rainey Street (Austin TX) in Ladybird Lake.
When does it go from coincidence to conspiracy?

Has the Rainey Street ripper struck again? Two more bodies found

Rumors continue to circulate online and in the community in Austin that at least some of the 12 bodies plucked from Lady Bird Lake could be victims of a serial killer labeled the Rainey Street Ripper.

www.dailymail.co.uk

JMO

 

[whinewiththegravy]

So, more deaths around Rainey Street (Austin TX) in Ladybird Lake.
When does it go from coincidence to conspiracy?

Has the Rainey Street ripper struck again? Two more bodies found

Rumors continue to circulate online and in the community in Austin that at least some of the 12 bodies plucked from Lady Bird Lake could be victims of a serial killer labeled the Rainey Street Ripper.

www.dailymail.co.uk

JMO

Are those the only options? I wouldn’t necessarily characterize nature (of humans, near water) taking its anticipated, predictable, preventable course as “coincidence,” exactly, and definitely not conspiracy. Maybe that’s hair-splitting on my part.

Anyone know if the mitigation efforts referenced by @GoBuckeyes above were ever completed? DM article linked only references a previous plan for more lighting and fencing, plus a more recent suggestion for cameras and visible ranger beats in addition to amped-up police patrol, all around the lake. DM article quotes a local concerned about how far the lake is from populated areas and that this seems suspicious to her; which makes little sense since only three of the drowning victims were thought to have disappeared near the lake itself, and many more entered the water via the Colorado in populated areas with known nightlife hotspots adjacent, primarily on Rainey.

This local’s words express bafflement at how someone “could leave Rainey and end up at the lake.” Rainey abuts the river, and Lady Bird is downstream from it. Given these facts, I’m not sure why locals who ought to have a good sense of the geography and culture of their own city are confused about drownings and suspected drownings of residents last seen in the very late/early hours near their city’s main waterway.

It’s nice to hear Austin PD doing their best to correct this misinformation, but how can you manage a common folktale about the treachery of water at night found throughout the ages in different forms, from sea serpents, to ladies in white, to serial killers armed with friendly stickers?

Edited to correct myself: one of the dead is suspected of having succumbed to a cardiac event, one was found not in the lake but under a bridge, and another was found in his car.