Fears of a serial killer are growing in Texas as 38 bodies have been pulled from a single lake in a short time frame.
Since 2022, a shocking 38 bodies have been pulled from Lady Bird Lake, and some residents fear a serial murderer, now dubbed the "Rainey Street Ripper", could be on the loose, per Newsweek.
If all 38 deaths were connected, it would mean America might be dealing with one of the most prolific killers in history.
Every few weeks, it seems, residents of Austin wake up to headlines of another body found in Lady Bird Lake — a stretch of the Colorado River winding straight through the city and right alongside Downtown’s buzzing nightlife hub, Rainey Street.
It's a hotspot packed with bars and partygoers, now shrouded in grim rumors.
While every mysterious death adds fuel to the fire, Austin Police say there’s no cause for panic. Only one of the 38 cases has been confirmed as a homicide. As for the rest, several remain unsolved — but cops aren’t calling it foul play.
In the most recent incident, a teen who was kayaking with his family never resurfaced.
According to Fox 7 Austin: "Another paddleboarder was here out on Lady Bird Lake and notified us that it appeared that an individual was deceased and floating on Lady Bird Lake," said Corporal Jose Mendez of the Austin Police Department.
Despite the online frenzy and mounting public fear, Austin Police are standing firm that there’s no serial killer behind the deaths.
Back in 2023, they addressed the speculation head-on with a detailed Facebook post.
"The Austin Police Department is aware of speculations regarding the recent drownings in Lady Bird Lake. Although these cases are still under investigation and evidence is being analyzed, at this time, there is no evidence in any of these cases to support allegations of foul play,” the post stated.
It continued: “While each incident has occurred at the lake, the circumstances, exact locations, and demographics surrounding these cases vary. Our investigators approach every case with an open mind and objectively examine all available evidence.
"We work closely with the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office, which conducts a parallel investigation into all deaths. The Medical Examiner performs autopsies in each of these types of death investigations. The results of these autopsies have not revealed any trauma to the bodies nor indication of foul play."
The police highlighted a recurring theme: "One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake, which has numerous access points. Many of the access points can be challenging to see at night.
"The parks in which most of these drownings have occurred are park areas that close at 10:00PM, and occur after the park closes. We advise the public to follow the rules on park closures."
What’s got people talking isn’t just the number of bodies, but the striking similarities. The most recent body marked the 30th male to be pulled from the lake since 2022. Two more bodies were recovered in April alone.
According to Fox News 7, 60 percent of the recovered bodies belonged to men aged between 39 and 49. Two teens have also been found dead in the area.
Jeff Jones, 39, believes he may have narrowly escaped an attack by the alleged killer.
While in Austin for a bachelor party with friends flown in from Boston, Massachusetts, Jones says he ended up beneath a bridge with benzodiazepines — the class of drug that includes Rohypnol — found in his system.
“Whoever they may be just missed the target and I hit the ground, and luckily because of that I didn’t drown,” Jones told the Mail Online. “I just got lucky… Not many people can say they potentially survived a serial killer, so that’s a story I can tell, I guess.”
Jones was discovered unconscious beneath the West Sixth Street Bridge, which spans Shoal Creek before it flows into the Colorado River.