AUSTIN, TEXAS: Reegan Aparicio, the partner of Lady Bird Lake victim Chris Hays-Clark, has slammed the police for ruling out foul play in his death. Her thoughts are echoed by multiple family members of the victims. Speculation is rife that a serial killer, who is preying on men, is on the loose in Austin. An eighth body was pulled from a lake in the city in just 10 months.
Police dismissed claims that the deaths were the work of a serial killer, and said that although each incident occurred at the lake, "the circumstances, exact locations, and demographics surrounding these cases vary," according to the Daily Mail.
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"Police insist there was no foul play," Aparicio, a dental nurse, told Daily Mail. "Oh no, someone put him in there. I believe he was dead when he went in the water. We're getting nothing from the detectives. But honestly, I believe they know," he added.
Hays-Clark, 30, was the latest victim to be pulled from the lake. His body was found on April 15, 2023. "I don't believe Chris was near any bars, but no one has any idea what he was eventually doing down in the area of the lake," Aparicio, 28, said. "It was a long way from his mom's place. He would never go down there normally. There's no surveillance footage, nothing. It is totally baffling," she added. The two have a 12-year-old son named Lashawn.
Was every death a coincidence?
After multiple bodies were recovered from the lake, a Facebook group titled 'Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer/ Rainey St Killer' brought together a group of Internet sleuths who speculated there was a serial killer in Austin. The group also comprised members of the victim's families who shared the common belief -- foul play was involved.
Police, however, seem convinced that there is no reason for any suspicion, even after a car riddled with bullet holes was pulled from the lake recently. Austin police pulled out a vehicle from Lady Bird Lake, however, no one was inside. On the same day, May 1, authorities responded around 2.03 am to reports of a shooting near the Festival Beach boat ramp, which is less than three-quarters of a mile from the southern end of Rainey Street, where several men were found dead in the lake, FOX 7 Austin reported.
“On Monday, May 1, 2023, approximately at 2:03 am Austin Police Department (APD) officers responded to a shooting call at 2100 block of Jesse Segovia St. and located a car in the water,” cops told Fox News Digital, adding, “This is an active investigation. We do not have any more information to release at this time.” A dive team returned after sunrise. The car was pulled out by police with no one inside.
'I literally have no answers, only questions'
"It's taken two weeks for a detective to even get back to me properly," Aparicio said, adding, "I'd asked the police where is the investigation at and what's going on? And I'm just told it's pending and given very little else. They haven't told me the cause of death. I've asked, but nothing. Everything is still ''under investigation". I literally have no answers, only questions. That makes me angry, I feel upset and I feel like they can do more. I feel like there is more to be told and they are just not saying it."
She continued, "And it's strange to me that they say they are investigating, because I don't really see anything being done. I've been going to the lake every day since this happened. Just to look for my own, to see if there's anything significant, anyone about who might know something. I'm going to keep coming here until I find out what happened. I'm not going to give up on Chris, he deserves justice. Somebody should be able to give me that. My thing is the police are saying there's no foul play. And telling me it's not being investigated as a homicide because there are no real leads. Why? How is that even right? If you don't have the leads then get out there and find them. Do the work. If you don't have the staff to do it because you're so short-staffed that you can't even get back to a family that's been calling you for two weeks, then find somebody. They shouldn't wash off the case because they don't have any answers or can't find anything."
Aparicio said she wonders why no one would tell the "truth."I think that somebody put him in here and I don't believe that he was alive at the time. "And I don't believe that he was under the influence of any substance and that that made him drown. No way. I am devastated by this, very heartbroken. Chris was super sporty, a great swimmer. This wasn't an accident," she said.
"He was in a body bag," she said. "I got him released from the medical examiner to a funeral home, where I had just two minutes with him. They unzipped the bag and I only saw his face before they zipped it back up."
The families and friends of the other victims are also seeking answers. Acquaintances of Jason John, whose body was found in February, believe he was "drugged" and "non-violently assaulted".
What did the police say?
The Austin Police Department has dismissed claims that a serial killer is behind the deaths. "The Austin Police Department is aware of speculations regarding the recent drownings in Lady Bird Lake. 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. While each incident has occurred at the lake, the circumstances, exact locations, and demographics surrounding these cases vary. Our investigators approach every case with an open mind and objectively examine all available evidence," the department said in a statement.
"We work closely with the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office, which conducts a parallel investigation into all deaths. The Medical Examiner performs autopsies in each of these types of death investigations. The results of these autopsies have not revealed any trauma to the bodies nor indication of foul play," the cops added.
"One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake, which has numerous access points. Many of the access points can be challenging to see at night. The parks in which most of these drownings have occurred are park areas that close at 10:00 pm and occur after the park closes. We advise the public to follow the rules on park closures," the department concluded.
'The Austin Police Department's statement was so insulting'
In a conversation with MEAWW previously, " Whitney Gutierrez, Lady Bird Lake victim Martin Gutierrez's sister-in-law, slammed APD for its statement. "The Austin Police Department's statement was so insulting to the families of the victims. They need to actually take this seriously and stop ignoring that there is something happening. This is more than just a mix of alcohol and being near a body of water," Whitney said.
The cause of 25-year-old Martin's death was said to be an accidental drowning, but his family is not convinced. "We do not believe this," Whitney, 32, said. "Foul play was definitely involved. He was a good swimmer, he would have never just walked down to the water in mid-winter fully clothed for a swim. He had an occipital contusion in the back of his head and bruises happen when you’re still alive," she added.
On being asked about the serial killer rumors, Whitney said she believes foul play was involved in the deaths of all these men and the cases "do not seem coincidental." "We know our loved ones and there is so much that doesn’t add up between the cases. I believe there truly could be someone or a group of people doing this to them," she said.
