What started as a series of quiet drownings has exploded into a national horror story — and now, with 19 bodies pulled from the same lake, terrified locals are begging for answers authorities refuse to give.
The lake in question is Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, a peaceful stretch of water that hugs the edge of the city’s bustling nightlife district, Rainey Street. But since 2022, it’s become the epicenter of something chilling. Nineteen bodies. All found in or near the same area. Most of them men. All of them dead.
19 bodies. Same lake. Same city. Similar stories. How is this not a serial killer?! #LadyBirdLake #RaineyStreetRipper— Lauren Giraldi (@laurengiraldi) June 4, 2025
The most recent victim, a 19-year-old college student, was pulled from the water just days ago — his body discovered face down near the same pedestrian trail where multiple other men were last seen. Police said he was “intoxicated” and called the death an “unfortunate accident.”
But not everyone is buying it.
A growing number of residents — and online sleuths — believe these deaths follow a pattern too obvious to ignore. Similar demographics. Similar locations. Nightlife. Late hours. “These aren’t just drunk guys falling into a lake,” one local mom posted on Facebook. “They’re being targeted.”
If 19 women were found in that lake, we’d be calling it a crisis. What is happening to these men?? #JusticeForAustin— True Crime Time (@truecrimeclock) June 4, 2025
What’s terrifying isn’t just the body count — it’s how similar so many of the cases are. Multiple men were last seen at bars on Rainey Street. Some had Uber receipts showing they never made it home. Others were caught on surveillance wandering toward the trail near the lake, then never seen alive again.
Authorities have publicly stated there’s no evidence of a serial killer. Just “a tragic series of drownings.” But the families of the victims say otherwise.
“We were told from day one that it was an accident,” said the brother of Jacob W., who was found in the lake in 2023. “But he didn’t drown. He had head trauma. Broken ribs. And no water in his lungs.”
Austin police: “We have no reason to believe these are connected.” Nineteen bodies later, we beg to differ. #LadyBirdLake— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) June 4, 2025
Some believe the deaths mirror cases from other cities, like the “Smiley Face Killer” theory that alleges young men were abducted and dumped in water across U.S. college towns. That theory has never been proven, but experts are seeing troubling similarities.
“I’ve reviewed three of the autopsies,” said former FBI profiler Laura Campbell. “And what I see is suspicious. Multiple blunt force injuries. No signs of struggle. Toxicology reports inconsistent with drowning alone.”
Ex-FBI profiler says “pattern, motive, and location point toward an organized offender.” But no one’s listening. #LakeMurders— Crime Analyst Central (@CrimeCentral) June 4, 2025
The term “Rainey Street Ripper” has now gone viral on TikTok, with thousands of users analyzing maps, autopsies, and security footage. Several have even organized independent searches of the lake’s edges, claiming city officials are “covering something up.”
A viral petition titled “Investigate Lady Bird Lake Murders” has now passed 75,000 signatures in less than a week.
Lady Bird Lake is no longer safe. If police won’t investigate, the public will. #RaineyStreetRipper— Justice Watch ATX (@JusticeWatchATX) June 4, 2025
City officials, under mounting pressure, have promised to install more cameras and lights along the lakeside trail, and are stationing patrols in known risk zones. But for many families, it’s too little, too late.
“What good are lights when my brother’s already dead?” one woman said at a local vigil held for the most recent victim. “We needed action 10 bodies ago.”
Another vigil. Another mother sobbing by the water. We deserve to know the truth. #LadyBirdLake #19Bodies— Austin Citizen News (@AustinCitizen) June 4, 2025
The cases remain officially closed, one by one, as accidents. But the streets of Austin — especially Rainey — are filled with whispers. Parents walk their kids a little closer. Tourists look twice at the water. And beneath the surface of the lake, something darker seems to be lurking.
