Texans fear a serial killer is on the loose after eight bodies were recovered from a lake in the city in less than a year – but police suspect no foul play.
John Christopher Hays-Clark, 30, was the latest person found dead in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake on Saturday.
Police patrolled the water by boat after several people reported an unconscious person in the lake around 1 p.m.
His identity was confirmed on Monday when investigators said they did not suspect foul play in the early stages of the investigation. It is unclear how long his body was in the water.
Earlier this month, 33-year-old Jonathan Honey was found dead on April 1. Another unidentified man was found dead on March 5 and Jason John, 30, was found on February 13.
Four more unidentified bodies have been recovered from the lake in the past 10 months.
This year, four bodies were found in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake. Earlier this month, 33-year-old Jonathan Honey (pictured) was found dead on April 1
Jason John, 30, was found on Feb. 13 after he was last seen on Rainey Street a week earlier. His parents believe there is more to his disappearance
The autopsies of the men who died this year were not available, but police said their bodies showed no signs of trauma.
“While these cases are still being investigated and the evidence is being analyzed, there is currently no evidence to support allegations of foul play in any of these cases,” the Austin Police Department said.
“While every incident has occurred at the lake, the circumstances, exact locations and demographics surrounding these cases vary.”
Police said the suitcases all shared a “combination of alcohol” and “easy access” to the lake, which is hard to see at night.
Investigators have not released information on the whereabouts of the men before their untimely deaths, but have revealed that both Jonathan and Jason were seen on Rainey Street before their separate disappearances.
Rainey Street is a vibrant neighborhood in Austin known for its nightlife and features an array of bars, food trucks, and restaurants.
Lady Bird Lake is approximately 1.8 miles or a 35 minute walk down the street. There are no cameras around the lake.
Jason John’s family believes there is more to the story behind their son’s death and think the four men are somehow connected.
He was last seen walking home
Jason was 30. Jonathan Honey was 33. 2am. Rainy Street. So there were some similarities in the case,” said Elsie John, Jason John’s mother fox7.
Elsie added that she disagrees with the police’s initial statement that no foul play was involved. She is afraid that more men will die.
“We strongly disagree with that,” she said. “We don’t know how many Jasons, how many Martins, and how many Jonathans will lose their lives again. And this is not acceptable.’
Other bodies previously found in the lake include 22-year-old Julio Santos in 2015 and 25-year-old Martin Gutierrez in 2018.
Christian Pugh, 21, was found alive in the lake in 2019, but was in a “bad” condition. He suffered a blow to the head and bruised hands.
Gutierrez was found with several injuries after landing in a lake after a night out on Rainey Street – the same place Honey was last seen, his brother, Mitchell, previously told the news outlet.
Lady Bird Lake is approximately 1.8 miles or a 35 minute walk down the street. There are no cameras around the lake
Police patrolled the lake after the fourth body of 30-year-old John Christopher Hays-Clark was found on Saturday. A photo of John was not immediately available
Johnathan Honey was last seen at a food truck on Rainy Street before disappearing
Jason Jones was also last seen on Rainey Street before his disappearance
Rainey Street (above) is a vibrant Austin neighborhood known for its nightlife and array of bars, food trucks, and restaurants. Lady Bird Lake is approximately 1.8 miles or a 35 minute walk down the street. There are no cameras around the lake
Other bodies previously found in the lake include 22-year-old Julio Santos in 2015 and 25-year-old Martin Gutierrez in 2018. Martin was found with several injuries after landing in a lake after a night out on Rainey Street
Christian Pugh, 21, was found alive in the lake in 2019, but was in a “bad” condition. He suffered a blow to the head and bruised hands
Austin residents have been frightened by the many incidents and are warning others to stay safe.
A private Facebook group called Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer with more than 50,000 followers was created when Jason John’s body was discovered in February.
Several people urged others not to visit the infamous Rainey Street alone and to stay with someone else at all times.
Others have also taken their concerns to TikTok, posting videos warning of an alleged serial killer as some questions about the men’s disappearances remain unanswered.
“Is there a serial killer among us?” asked a TikToker.
Preliminary findings showed that no foul play was involved. But the investigation is ongoing
Lady Bird Lake is a popular Austin destination for water activities, including kayaking
Although investigators unmasked a serial killer in this part of the investigation, the conditions in which the men were found resemble those of the Smiley Face Killers.
The deaths began in 1997 and all bear striking similarities, but have never been considered related in the past.
Most of the men were young, athletic, and high achievers academically.
According to retired NYPD Detective Kevin Gannon and his team of investigators, they have evidence that 100 of the men may have been murdered by a gang.
A key piece of evidence is that the team found smiley face graffiti symbols at all the sites where the bodies were recovered.
Gannon began working on the issue in 1997 when the parents of a New Yorker found dead in the water begged him to find out what really happened to their son.
Among the deaths they say are suspicious is that of Dakota James, a 24-year-old who was found dead in the Ohio River after a night out with friends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in January 2017.
Police said he probably fell into the river while crossing an overpass on his way home. But there was no damage to his body, which probably would have been had he been in the river for more than a month — the amount of time that elapsed between his disappearance and his body being found.
Some of the victims’ autopsies, including William Hurley in 2009, showed alcohol and a hypnotic depressant — used to treat like a date rape drug — in their systems.
The gang of Smiley Face Killers left clues at murder sites. The clues: All the locations where the bodies were found have smiley faces spray-painted nearby