Fresh fears of Rainey Street ripper grip Austin after body is found by Lady Bird Lake, the 13th since 2022 - as cops try to reassure residents

Police successful Texas are struggling to support a lid connected fears that nan 'Rainey Street Ripper' has struck again aft insisting nan latest suspected unfortunate must person killed himself.

The bodies of 11 men and 2 women person been recovered from a short agelong of nan Colorado River successful Austin successful conscionable nan past 2 years, pinch constabulary insisting that only 1 raised immoderate suspicion of foul play.

But skepticism astatine nan charismatic statement has reached caller heights aft constabulary announced that nan latest unfortunate had died from 'blunt unit trauma' aft being recovered connected Friday.

Hours later they issued a hasty correction claiming that caller grounds suggested he had changeable himself successful nan head.

'The deceased suffered an evident aforesaid inflicted gunshot wound,' they tweeted. 'This is NOT being investigated arsenic a Homicide.'

The latest assemblage was recovered contempt much than a year's worthy of information betterment useful astatine nan mile-long agelong of nan stream from nan Lamar Boulevard Bridge to Lady Bird Lake on which each 13 victims person been found.

Police responded astatine 5.30pm connected Friday to reports of a man pinch life-threatening injuries recovered connected a way adjacent to nan stream astatine Waller Beach, correct successful nan mediate of nan mile-long stretch.

The man was pronounced dormant wrong 15 minutes of being recovered by emergency services, and heavy pools of humor were near betwixt nan way and nan water's edge.

'All investigative steps being taken are regular measures,' nan department's Austin Zarling told a media briefing

'At this clip this is being considered an isolated incident and location is nary known threat to nan wide public.

'I said to homicide detectives and location is nary serial slayer astatine this time.

'At slightest we don't judge location is one.'

Police person concluded that astir of nan deaths are apt accidental drownings owed to nan lake's proximity to celebrated nightlife spots.

These see that of Ricky Parks, 59, whose assemblage was nan first to beryllium recovered successful July 2022.

The deaths of Christopher Gutierrez, Kyle Thornton, 56, and Christopher Hays-Clark 30, were besides not deemed suspicious.

Two of nan deceased, Jason John, 30, and Jonathan Honey, 33, were deemed to person drowned accidentally. Both men were past seen connected Rainey Street.

One man Josue Moreno was changeable while driving and his conveyance plunged into nan reservoir, cops said.

The decease of Clifton Axtell, 46, who was recovered successful March 2023 was ruled arsenic 'undetermined'. The remaining bodies were not being investigated arsenic homicides.

But investigators person been dogged by persistent claims that a homophobic slayer is targeting cheery men frequenting nan nightspots of nan adjacent Rainey Street area.

In April a bartender connected nan intermezo portion has claimed a patron told him he was nan rumored Rainey Street Ripper attacking men successful nan adjacent waterway arsenic 2 much bodies were pulled from nan water.

Posting connected Reddit he recalled that nan man 'suddenly started talking astir 'killing homos' from [Lady Bird Lake] that he recovered from [Rainey Street]'.

'He was intelligibly angry and was saying it successful a debased voice. But I cognize what I heard... Do group dishonesty astir these things?' the bartender added.

He described his customer arsenic a achromatic man successful his 40s, astir 5'10 gangly pinch a muscular build, brownish ray hair, and stubble.

That aforesaid period a man who was drugged and plummeted 25ft disconnected a adjacent bridge, narrowly missing definite drowning, told Dailymail.com he believed he had been attacked by nan ripper.

Jeff Jones, 38, was connected a bachelor statement travel to Austin pinch a twelve friends from his location successful Boston connected June 23 past year.

He woke up successful infirmary much than 2 weeks later pinch metallic rods holding his backmost together and doctors recovered nan date-rape supplier Rohypnol successful his system.

Whoever they whitethorn beryllium conscionable missed nan target and I deed nan ground, and luckily because of that I didn't drown,' he explained.

'I conscionable sewage lucky... Not galore group tin opportunity they perchance survived a serial killer, truthful that's a communicative I tin tell, I guess.'

One Facebook group unsocial has attracted 90,000 followers to its updates connected nan deaths, but constabulary person continued to insist that nan deaths are not linked.

Former forensic head pinch nan Austin Police Department, Mark Gillespie, antecedently stressed successful an question and reply pinch KVUE that nan nationalist should judge nan constabulary erstwhile they opportunity that location is nary foul play.

'They're looking for foul play, and truthful erstwhile APD comes retired pinch nan connection that astatine nan existent time, they don't fishy foul play, I committedness you they were looking for it, and they were looking very difficult for it, truthful I respect that,' Gillespie said.

In an question and reply pinch KXAN, Dr. Carsten Andresen of St. Edward's University, said that nan rumors astir nan Lady Bird Lake deaths are akin to conspiracy theories being dispersed successful cities crossed nan country.

'Human quality has ever looked astatine things and benignant of looked for patterns that whitethorn aliases whitethorn not exist. But also, societal media and nan expertise to conscionable benignant of put these rumors online and benignant of person them spell retired for illustration wildfire,' he said.

Andresen pointed retired that Austin has a estimation arsenic a metropolis wherever group spell to portion and trim loose.

'I don't deliberation that we've seen thing that would lead 1 to reason that there's a serial slayer retired there. But we do cognize that group portion to excess successful Austin, and that men often prosecute successful at-risk behavior,' he added.