Nineteen bodies have been pulled from Austin’s Lady Bird Lake since 2022, sparking speculation a serial killer could be stalking the Texas capital.
Police have repeatedly denied the existence of the so‑called ‘Rainey Street Ripper,’ insisting there is no evidence of a mass murderer.
Yet five of the deaths remain unexplained, with no clear cause and no arrests.
Previously unseen records obtained by the Daily Mail shed new light on almost all of the cases and, except for one, reveal the identities of those found in the river that runs through the Texas capital.
Accidental drowning was ruled in 12 of the deaths, according to Austin Police Department documents.
Another victim was deemed to have died by suicide and one more of natural causes complicated by an extensive history of drug use.
However, five deaths remain classified as ‘pending’ or ’cause unknown’, stirring speculation of a more sinister pattern.
Families of the dead and people who claim that they were targeted but survived have fueled theories about a serial killer on the loose in the entertainment district near Lady Bird Lake.
Austin police have repeatedly denied the existence of a so-called Rainey Street Ripper, insisting that there is no evidence of a mass murderer preying on revelers.
That is little comfort for those who have lost loved ones, still consumed by grief and unanswered questions.
Previously unseen records obtained by the Daily Mail shed new light on almost all of the cases since 2022 and, except for one, reveal the identities of those found in the river that runs through the Texas capital
Josue Shema, 15, is among 19 people who have been found dead at Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. His remains were pulled from the water on April 13, 2024
Ellis Hope, whose younger brother, Josue Shema, was pulled from the water on April 13, 2024, is desperate for clarity about the final moments of the 15-year-old who could not swim.
‘It would help because it would remove the confusion,’ Hope said. ‘We don’t know if someone killed him. It could be anything.
‘We used to go to the pool, and he would not even go into the water because he’s scared of water.’
The 11th grader had never even been to Town Lake, as the body of water is also known, his brother said.
Shema disappeared at around 4am from his home in Manor, Texas, on April 10, 2024, about 16 miles from the lake.
‘We were planning to move the next day,’ Hope said. ‘We had been living in an apartment and we were going to a house. He had helped us pack at night. We were planning to wake up early and that’s when we looked in his room and he was missing.’
The family, originally from Rwanda, reported his absence immediately, and later learned he had last been seen downtown. His body was found three days later.
Hope said that investigators had asked if Shema might have been going through a rough time or taken his own life but relatives had seen no sign of that.
‘The cops said he didn’t have trauma. They don’t know if he [died by] suicide,’ he added.
‘He was normal. He’s the youngest in the family. Anything he wanted, he got.’
Shema, an 11th grader in Manor, Texas, was afraid of the water and didn’t know how to swim, his brother tells the Daily Mail
Since January 2022, 19 bodies have been pulled from Lady Bird Lake, the river that runs through the center of Austin, Texas, according to police
Shema’s case is considered open by police but his cause of death was ruled as ‘unknown’ after the Travis County Medical Examiner completed the autopsy report on September 10, 2024.
‘There is nothing in the report suggesting that the death was a suicide,’ Austin police told the Daily Mail. ‘The lead detective, Spitler, spoke with the family and documented in his report that the family advised Josue was not suicidal.’
It took four months before Shema’s family were able to view his body, Hope said – and, when they did, it was unrecognizable, offering no clues as to what might have happened to him.
A spokesman told the Daily Mail that the Travis County Medical Examiner does not offer interviews or explanations beyond what is contained in autopsy reports.
Under Texas law, all unattended deaths are investigated as potential homicides until foul play can be ruled out.
Among the four other unresolved cases are those of Clifton Axtell, Thi Lang Nguyen, Jaime Tamariz, and one unidentified man.
Axtell, 40, died in March 2023. An autopsy concluded that he might have fallen, entered the water or suffered a ‘natural event’ once in the lake, local station KXAN reported.
Last year, the city of Austin announced that further safety measures including lighting and fencing around the lake
Clifton Axtell, 40, was discovered in Lady Bird Lake in March 2023. The investigation was closed after the medical examiner ruled his cause of death could not be determined
The sister of Clifton Axtell paid tribute to him a year after his death in an online post, sharing original music recorded by the Texas native
Thi Lang Nguyen, 73, was found in Lady Bird Lake on December 1. The Austin Police Department says it is awaiting an autopsy report to determine how she died
Jaime Tamariz, 81, was found in the lake on December 21. The manner of his death has yet to be determined
No one saw the father of two go into Town Lake, and investigators noted that he had sought treatment for ‘severe depression though he denied suicidal ideation’ in the days before he died.
‘APD closed the case once the autopsy was received from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office and it was ruled undetermined,’ Austin police said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
‘There was no evidence to suggest it was a homicide nor were any specific findings discovered to confirm a drowning. All deaths are investigated to determine if foul play is suspected. Investigators gather evidence and work with the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office to investigate each death fully and to completion. In this case, there was nothing indicative that it was a homicide.’
On the anniversary of his death, Axtell’s sister shared a tribute on Instagram and described his death as ‘suspicious’.
‘We may never get any answers surrounding his death, but his spirit lives on through his music,’ Brooke Axtell wrote, sharing a song her brother had recorded.
Two other deaths remain ‘pending’ as authorities await autopsy results.
Thi Lang Nguyen, 73, described by police as a homeless woman, was found floating in the lake in December. Police asked the public to help locate her family – and were eventually able to make contact.
An unidentified white man, believed to be between 30 and 49 years old, was discovered in the water on September 29, 2024.
The cause of death for Jaime Tamariz, 81, a Hispanic man with dementia who only spoke Spanish, is also ‘pending’.
A Silver Alert – issued by police concerned for an elderly person or someone with cognitive disabilities – had been sent out after he went missing, and his remains were recovered from the river four days before Christmas.
