String of deaths on Rainey Street addressed by Austin City Council
After another body turned up in an Austin lake a few weeks ago, a rumor has been stirring of a serial killer on the loose. Many of the deaths, located near Rainey Street, have been ruled as accidental drownings and the Austin Police Department does not believe there is a serial killer at work, but concerns about the area’s safety have grown louder.
At a meeting on Thursday, April 13, Austin City Council agreed to develop a plan that would allocate funds toward increasing patrols and placing security cameras in the area. Still, some residents, like Mitchell Gutierrez, noted little had been done about the issues in the popular entertainment district after earlier deaths.
“When I brought up how safety measures needed to be implemented to prevent this from happening again not one thing was done — no lighting, no surveillance, no fencing,” said Gutierrez, who lost his brother over four years ago, during the meeting’s public comments.
Several young men have disappeared from Rainey Street or were found dead in nearby bodies of water over the last few years. Three bodies have been discovered in the last two months, including 33-year-old Jonathan Honey, whose body was recovered on April 1.
On April 3, Austin Police Department released a statement regarding speculation that there was a serial killer on the loose near Lady Bird Lake, indicating that it did not believe the explanation to be truthful.
“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.”
Still families have been expressing concerns about the string of occurrences for the better part of four years. But it wasn’t until Honey’s death that City Council pledged a commitment to additional resources.
“Nothing was done until more people died. Unfortunately, there’s been a significant amount since then … There’s been nearly 12 [deaths] since my little brother [in 2018] and one is too many,” Gutierrez said. “The installation of Halo cameras and permanent lighting is no longer an option. It’s a necessity to provide answers for what is truly going on in the area.”
In March, a fence and signage were placed along the waterfront to prevent people from accessing the water when leaving bars on Rainey Street, according to an article by CBS Austin. However, Gutierrez said it wasn’t enough to prevent similar incidents. Austin City Council Member Zohaib Quadri, who helped sponsor the resolution, addressed comments from Gutierrez and other residents.
“I can’t imagine what so many families in the city go through and have been going through that we’ve heard from, and truthfully that we will potentially never hear from, who have lost loved ones and all they’re looking for are answers and clarity and closure,” Quadri said. “The job’s not over and the job wasn’t over when there was temporary lighting put up and fencing and signage. The job isn’t over when we pass this resolution … We have a lot of work to do.”
