FAMILIES of 10 victims found dead in the same lake just months apart have hit out at cops for not doing enough as fears of a serial killer mount.
A total of 10 bodies have been pulled from Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, in the last 18 months.
Since July 2022, 10 bodies have been pulled from Lady Bird Lake.
The most recent victim, an unidentified woman, was found on Monday after police responded to an urgent welfare check call.
Her toxicology results are still pending, and while cops have suggested her death was not a homicide, families of the victims remain desperate for answers.
In addition to the body found this week, five victims were found in 2023 and four in 2022, local NBC affiliate KXAN reported.
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Many people have worried that the deaths could all be connected to a serial killer in the area.
“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,” Austin Police Department Assistant Chief Jeff Greenwalt told KXAN in April 2023.
FAMILY FURY
"I never in a million years thought my family or myself would be going through this," Reegan Aparicio told local Fox affiliate KTBC.
Her child's father, Christopher Hays-Clark, 30, was pulled from the lake in April 2023.
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"I don't want anyone to go through this, and I am sorry this keeps happening and there are no answers for it because it's very sad," Aparicio said after the latest body was found.
She's among family members of the victims who have pleaded for new measures to increase safety around the lake.
In February 2023, the families of Martin Guiterrez, 25, and Jason John, 30, begged the Austin City Council to install safety measures in the lake area.
Guiterrez disappeared on November 19, 2018, and was found dead in Lady Bird Lake on November 26, 2018.
“Multiple people have gone missing with no changes,” Mitchell Gutierrez, Martin’s brother, said at the time.
Indianapolis serial killer theory ramps up as son of second woman found dead breaks silence on her final moments_“Something should’ve been done years ago, even before Martin.”
John's mother, Elise John, agreed with Gutierrez's statement.
“Our family is going through such unimaginable sorrow and despair over the past few weeks,” she said.
“We do not want another family to face the heartbreaking pain that we have experienced searching for our son…Make all the necessary actions to protect the life of the people of Austin near and at Lady Bird Lake.”
CALLS FOR ACTION
After John was found, his family asked the Austin City Council to increase lighting and security along the Rainey Street Trailhead, an area known for how dark it can be.
"You can't see someone's face from literally two feet in front of you," John's brother, Rinju John, said.
The city took some steps in March 2023, when they installed temporary solar lighting, signs, a fence along the trail, and a camera near the trailhead, KTBC reported.
City leaders have budgeted nearly a million dollars for further updates, including another camera, more lighting, and sidewalks.
The upgrades are expected to be finished by the summer.
"They need to just have lots of barriers around that lake and there needs to be 24-hour patrol around that lake," Aparicio said.
"There is so much going on where Chris was found. I actually go there often.
"I have been there in the nighttime and there is nothing that is being done, it is very dark, and you can't see anything once you enter the trails."
LAKE OF DEATH
The last victim discovered in the lake before Monday was Mogga Dogale, whose body was found on June 27, 2023.
Police stated that the case was not being investigated as a homicide.
The eighth body, found in April 2023, belonged to Clark and Austin police found that no foul play was involved in his death.
Jonathan Honey, 33, was pulled from the lake in April 2023 after dying of an accidental drowning.
“There is no evidence in any of these cases to support allegations of foul play,” police said in a statement at the time.
The department said "the circumstances, exact location, and demographics surrounding these cases vary.”
Police, however, did reveal one theme that tied the deaths together, “the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake.”
Clifton Axtell, 40, was discovered on March 5, 2023, and his death was ruled "undetermined."
After celebrating a job promotion on February 5, 2023, Jason John, 30, was found to have accidentally drowned.
Kyle Thornton was one of three victims pulled from the lake in December 2022.
He was found on December 28 and police ruled no foul play in his death.
Josue Moreno, 45, discovered on December 19, was allegedly shot and killed by Joel Gonzalez-Paron, 18, according to KXAN.
Christopher Gutierrez was found on December 10, 2022, and police ruled no foul play.
Ricky Parks, the first victim in the string of discoveries, was pulled from the water on July 14, 2022, and police ruled no foul play.
Despite the steps the city is taking to address concerns, families are still worried that something nefarious is going on.
"I feel like there is a connection and there is something going on at Lady Bird Lake and the police are choosing not to do anything about it," Aparicio told KTBC.
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"They need to take action. People are hurting out here.
"My son is 12. He is never going to get his dad back ever. These families that have lost their loved ones are never going to get their loved ones back."
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