The Rainey Street Ripper

Serial Killer

The Rainey Street Ripper: The Austin Serial-Killer Rumor

Overview

The "Rainey Street Ripper" is the name given by social-media users and some news outlets to a supposed serial killer believed to have operated around Austin's Rainey Street entertainment district and Lady Bird Lake. The theory developed after a succession of men disappeared following nights out in downtown Austin and were later recovered from the lake or nearby sections of the Colorado River. No person has ever been identified, arrested, or charged as the Rainey Street Ripper. Although the deaths generated intense public concern, law-enforcement officials have repeatedly stated that they found no evidence connecting them to one offender. In September 2025, Texas State University researchers and the Austin Police Department released the results of an extensive study of 189 drowning cases occurring between 2004 and 2025. Investigators reported that they found no direct or indirect evidence of a serial murderer, no meaningful geographic or chronological clustering, and no medical evidence that victims had been deliberately pushed or placed in the water.

Origins of the Name

Rainey Street is a heavily traveled Austin nightlife district filled with bars, restaurants, hotels, and residential buildings. The eastern end of the district is only a short distance from the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and the shoreline of Lady Bird Lake. A person leaving a bar can reach poorly illuminated portions of the trail and waterfront within minutes. The modern rumor gained momentum during 2022 and 2023, when several bodies were recovered from Lady Bird Lake in a relatively short period. Many of the dead were men, and some had reportedly been drinking or were last seen near downtown nightlife establishments. Online discussions treated these shared circumstances as evidence of a predator who drugged, followed, assaulted, or pushed victims into the water. The frightening nickname exaggerated what authorities had actually established. There was no verified pattern of mutilation, stabbing, ritualistic injury, or other conduct normally associated with the word "Ripper." In most of the highly publicized cases, police reported no suspicious trauma and medical examiners classified the death as accidental, undetermined, or unrelated to homicide. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)
Suspected Victims:

Julio Santos Age: (22), Date of Death: 2015-06-07

Martin Gutierrez Age: (25), Date of Death: 2018-11-19

Ricky Parks Age: (59), Date of Death: 2022-07-14

Christopher Gutierrez Age: (25), Date of Death: 2022-12-10

Josue Moreno Age: (45), Date of Death: 2022-12-19

Kyle Thornton Age: (56)

Jason John Age: (30), Date of Death: 2023-02-13

Cliff Axtell Age: (40), Date of Death: 2023-02-23

Jonathan Honey Age: (33), Date of Death: 2023-04-01

John Christopher Hays-Clark Age: (30), Date of Death: 2023-04-15

Mogga Dogale , Date of Death: 2023-06-27

Unidentified woman

Survivors:

Christian Pugh Age: (21), Date of Attack: 2019

Was He Targeted By the Rainey Street Ripper in Austin