MAP: Tracking deaths near Lady Bird Lake in Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — People in Austin are questioning a series of deaths in lake waters in Austin.
Online reports have been swirling in recent weeks about a possible connection between the deaths in Lady Bird Lake.
Texas expert explores why conspiracies swirl around Lady Bird Lake deaths
This report aims to provide KXAN viewers with full transparency and facts.
As of now, there is no strong connection to the deaths, according to Austin Police. “There are a lot of allegations that there’s a serial killer, but there’s no proof or evidence in any of our investigations to sustain that,” APD Assistant Chief Jeff Greenwalt told KXAN in April.
APD said the “circumstances, exact locations and demographics surrounding these cases vary.”
“One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake,” the department continued.
Deaths in Lady Bird Lake
So far this year, there have been at least four bodies that were found in Lady Bird Lake. Last year, there were also a number of reported bodies pulled from the lake. KXAN has requested the number of times Austin Police has investigated a body recovery from Lady Bird Lake in the past five years.
KXAN is keeping track of the number of bodies in Lady Bird Lake in Austin.
Date Recovered | Victim | Body Found | Information |
Feb. 5, 2024 | Near 300 W. Cesar Chavez St. | ||
June 27, 2023 | Near 1000 block of W. Cesar Chavez St. | APD: “This is not being investigated as a homicide.” | |
April 15, 2023 | Near 2700 block of Canterbury St. | APD: “No foul play or suspicious circumstances are involved.” | |
April 1, 2023 | Near 10 Rainey St. | Medical Examiner: Accidental drowning. | |
March 5, 2023 | Near 1100 W. Riverside Drive | Medical Examiner: Cause of death “undetermined.” | |
Feb. 13, 2023 | Near 30 East Avenue | Medical Examiner: Accidental drowning. | |
Dec. 28, 2022 | Near Congress Avenue bridge | APD: No foul play. Investigation has been closed. | |
Dec. 19, 2022 | Near pedestrian bridge near S. Lamar Boulevard | Shooting/Crash. | |
Dec. 10, 2022 | Near S. Pleasant Valley Road and S. Lakeshore Boulevard | APD: No foul play. Investigation has been closed. | |
July 14, 2022 | Near 9 East Ave. | APD: No foul play. Investigation has been closed. |
Autopsy Reports
We have also requested autopsy reports from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCME) for all the people found in Lady Bird Lake this year. Those reports take up to 120 days to be released.
Not all bodies brought to Medical Examiner’s Office for examination are autopsied. “The Medical Examiner may choose to either perform a complete autopsy or to perform an external examination only. Partial autopsies are not performed at TCME,” according to the office’s annual report.
If the bodies are not autopsied, the office does try to identify bodies taken in for examination. In 2022, only two bodies remain unidentified according to its latest report.
Doctor Alan Rampy, a courtesy associate professor of diagnostic medicine with UT Austin’s Dell Medical School, isn’t working any of these investigations – but offered third-party perspective on the timeline behind generating autopsy reports.
“Once you get your samples you often have to send out for outside analysis… so there are a lot of moving parts,” he said. “If a body has been in water for some period of time, it does essentially make the entire process a little more challenging because being in the water does a lot of things to the skin and other parts of the body.”
Jason John Autopsy Report
In the autopsy report for Jason John, The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office determined his cause of death was drowning and the manner of death was ruled accidental.
“According to reports, this 30-year-old man was witnessed by a transient bystander to be vomiting by the bank of Lady Bird Lake and then subsequently fall and submerge into the water in the early morning of February 5, 2023. After attempting to aid the decedent, the bystander went to a nearby hotel and contacted 911,” the report read.
Law enforcement searched the area but he was not found until February 13, 2023. Police found him fully dressed with his wallet and phone in his pockets.
John’s toxicology report showed alcohol was in his system but no illegal drugs were detected.
John had no significant internal or external injuries and that there were no fractures or traumatic injuries found, according to the report.
Jonathan Honey Autopsy Report
The autopsy says Jonathan Honey, 33, was drinking at a bar and then “left his friends to find food.” Honey was reported missing to the Austin Police Department on March 31, police previously said. His body was later recovered from Lady Bird Lake near 10 Rainey Street, KXAN reported.
Honey’s toxicology report showed there was alcohol in his system. He had drugs in his system consistent with over the counter or prescribed medications.
As the investigations continue, KXAN will continue to update reporting.
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