Ep. 164: TEXAS - There Is An Active Serial Killer In AUSTIN, TEXAS 01:24:59

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Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned. Running right through the heart of Austin, Texas is a body of water called Lady Bird Lake.

During the day, it's filled with people tanning, drinking, paddle boarding, and kayaking. But when the sun sets and darkness falls upon the city, horrible things happen on Lady Bird Lake. From 2022 to 2024, just two short years, 13 bodies have been found floating in the waters, most of whom are young men. And the victims aren't just swimming and accidentally drown.

In fact, many of them had been partying along a popular bar scene called Rainy Street. Rainy Street is where everyone goes to have fun in Austin. It's a long road filled with renovated homes that have been turned into bars. There's lights, music, food trucks, drinking, and it's kind of tucked away from the busy downtown. A lot of people will start their night at the top of Rainy Street and slowly make their way down.

getting more drunk as the night goes on. But at the very end of Rainy Street is Lady Bird Lake. Somehow, within the past two years, many people start their night on Rainy Street, get separated from their group, and are never seen alive again. Then days later, their lifeless bodies are found floating in the water,

Now, some of these victims have injuries to their bodies, but the Austin Police Department continues to rule their deaths as either suicides, accidental drownings, or in other cases, their deaths are undetermined, which has caused a lot of controversy in the city. A common question people have is how are all of these people getting into the water by themselves, fully clothed after a night of drinking on the town?

Many of these victims' family members have come forward saying that their loved one was a great swimmer. So even if they fell into the water, they would have been able to get themselves out. But another thing that haunts the city is that there are more bodies being found in the lake than ever before. And to them, that's not a coincidence. Although the Austin Police Department denies it, many people believe that there is a serial killer

who preys on the young men of Rainy Street, earning him the name the Rainy Street Ripper. So we are going to walk you through the victims' stories. We have also had the pleasure of interviewing some of their family members. And in the end, you can decide if there is a serial killer in Austin, Texas. I'm Courtney Browen. And I'm Colin Browen. And you're listening to Murder in America. ♪♪

ladybird lake stretches six miles right through the heart of downtown austin texas it's one of the most popular things in austin and it's been that way ever since it was built in 1960. back then the colorado river kept overflowing and flooding the area so they opened up the longhorn dam thus creating ladybird lake but at first it was called town lake

Now, according to locals who lived in Austin at the time it was built, it was kind of ugly at first. The shoreline was filled with weeds and trash and it definitely needed some upkeep. And that's where Lady Bird Johnson came in. From 1963 to 1969, during her husband's presidency, Lady Bird Johnson was the first lady of the United States and she set out to enhance Town Lakes beauty.

Using nearly $20,000 of her own money, Lady Bird Johnson helped plant trees, native plants, and wildflowers along the shoreline. She also organized a massive cleanup of the area and even helped create walking trails and recreational spaces. So, because of her efforts to improve the area, the city changed the name from Town Lake to Lady Bird Lake after her death in 2007.

But ever since Lady Bird Lake was built in 1960, it's been a very popular outdoor destination in Austin, Texas. For decades, during the Texas summer heat, families have made their way out to the water where they will spend hours kayaking and paddle boarding. When me and Colin lived in Austin, it was one of our favorite things to do. Along the lake are these trails where hundreds of people every day will jog, bike,

walk their dogs, or even set up picnics. But the city of Austin has been well aware of the dangers of Lady Bird Lake. In fact, swimming in the lake has been banned since 1964, just four years after it was created.

And it all started with the drownings of two young girls. On May 10th, 1964, 11-year-old Inez Rendon and her younger sister, 8-year-old Cynthia, had gone to Town Lake with their parents and nine brothers and sisters to celebrate Mother's Day. The Rendons were new to the Austin area, so they didn't realize how dangerous Town Lake could be.

So that day, they all jumped in the water, ready to have a fun day. Unaware of the danger that lurked beneath, both girls swam about five feet off the shoreline into the cold Town Lake waters. There were a lot of people out that day. Along the shoreline were dozens of other families who were laying out swimming and soaking up the sun.

Both Inez and Cynthia were splashing in the water, having the time of their lives. And at some point, they decided to swim further out. Their parents smiled knowing that the girls were enjoying themselves. But this Mother's Day was about to take a turn for the worse. Out of nowhere, eight-year-old Cynthia was suddenly pulled underwater.

So seeing this, her older sister Inez quickly rushed over to save her. But their parents watched in horror as both girls were quickly pulled under by the rippling currents just beneath the I-35 bridge. The girl's father quickly jumped in to save them.

He was actually able to grab one of their hands, but he wasn't the strongest swimmer. So he too started to go under. Throughout the chaos, Mr. Rendon lost sight of his daughters. And sadly, their bodies sank about 20 feet below to the cold, dark floor of Town Lake.

Within minutes, the fire department arrived on scene, but it was too late. Inez and Cynthia were gone. And there's just something so horrific about watching a loved one drown. A body can only go a few minutes without oxygen. So a lot of the time their loved one just sits there on the shore, praying that they will come back up.

But as each minute passes, their anxiety grows. A piece of them hopes that maybe the girls got swept away to another part of the lake and that they're okay. And they'll hold on to that hope until told otherwise.

For the Rendon family, that hope was crushed at around 5:30 p.m. when Inez and Cynthia's bodies were pulled from the water. What had started out as a beautiful Mother's Day ended in a horrific tragedy. And this wasn't the first. Over the years, there were a number of drownings in that lake. A responding police officer even stated, "It gets worse each time."

I've said it before and I'll say it again. People need to be warned about the dangers lurking here. End quote.

Over the years, there were many accidental drownings on the lake. The currents were just too unpredictable. So the Austin City Council decided to ban swimming in it altogether. And today, 60 years later, that ban is still in effect. So now, if you go to Austin, you will see hundreds of people on the water, but not that many people in it.

But that's not the case for all of the people who have died in Lady Bird Lake. The next story we have for you is considered to be the first suspicious death, and it happened in 2008, with the disappearance of 55-year-old Riyad Hamad. Riyad was born in Lebanon, but moved to the Austin area in 1970, where he continued his education at UT Austin. Riyad was a very studious person. In fact,

He often joked around with his friends that he was a professional student, as he had earned three bachelor's degrees and four master's degrees. He loved to learn, and UT was a great school, so he was really enjoying his time in Austin. In 2008, Riyadh was a teacher at Small Middle School, where he taught keyboarding and business education.

He was also very dedicated to Palestine efforts. You see, the Palestine-Israel conflict has been going on for over 70 years. And back in 2008, Riad was the co-founder of the Palestinian Children's Welfare Fund, where he helped raise money for Palestinian children living in poverty.

Riyad was very passionate and outspoken in his opinions on Israel and the US policy in the Middle East. So much so, it was rumored that he had actually been fired from a teaching job at Austin Community College for speaking up about it. But Riyad was steadfast in his beliefs. His students described him as smart, generous, and patient. And interestingly,

Two months before his disappearance, in February of 2008, the FBI and IRS raided his home that he shared with his wife and two kids. Now, the circumstances behind the raid are still a little unclear to this day, but Riyadh did send an email to some of his friends describing what happened.

We had a very unpleasant visit from the FBI and IRS agents yesterday morning, and they walked out with more than 40 boxes of tax returns, forms, documents, books, flags, CDs, etc. The special agents said that they have a probable cause for money laundering, wire fraud, bank fraud, etc. And I think that all of it stems from more than 35 years of watching me.

So, according to that email, Riyad suspected that the government had been watching him for decades. Maybe it was because he was an immigrant who was outspoken on foreign policy. Now, after the raid, Riyad reached out to several of his friends for financial help. He had to get a good attorney. And being a middle school teacher, he didn't have the money for that.

But strangely enough, after the FBI raided his home, he started receiving late night phone calls. When he would answer, the person on the other end would say racist things like, "Where's your camel?" Riyadh also emailed his friends about a late night visitor who stopped by his home.

The email read the following. Last night around 1.30 in the morning, someone rang the bell and ran away. And you could hear all the dogs in the neighborhood barking when the person who rang the bell ran away. A real loving environment towards Arabs and Muslims. And it makes me wonder, what have I done wrong?

Now it's totally possible that Riyadh was just being ding-dong ditched by a couple of kids, but there's also the possibility that it was something darker because just one week later on Monday, April 14th, Riyadh would leave his home to pick up a prescription from the local pharmacy.

never to be seen alive again. A few hours after he left, his wife began to grow worried. He was just supposed to pick up his medication and come right back home. So where was he? That night, she reported him missing. But for days, there was no sign of Rayad Hamad. That is until Wednesday, April 16th.

That day, there were some people hanging out at the edge of Lady Bird Lake when they noticed something odd floating in the water. The people were standing east of the I-35 bridge and they just stood there watching as the current drifted the item closer to the shore. The witnesses would later say that as it got closer, they were horrified to see that it was a human body.

so they quickly called 911 to report what they had found. Within minutes, first responders made their way to the scene, and it wouldn't take them long to identify the body as 55-year-old father of two, Rayad Hamad. By the following afternoon, Thursday, April 17th, the Austin police were quick to inform the public that Rayad's death had been ruled a suicide.

According to them, they had spoken with members of Ryad's family and he had recently had thoughts about harming himself. APD said that Ryad was upset about the FBI raid on his home. He thought it would tarnish his reputation and charity work. So, he ended his life. Case closed. But when this news hit the public, the people who found his body in Lady Bird Lake

had a lot of questions. You see, when Ryad's body washed ashore, witnesses said that his hands and feet were bound with rope and his eyes and mouth had been covered in duct tape. So how on earth was this being ruled a suicide? Soon enough, these witnesses went to the public with this information, but APD was quick to shut them down.

Sergeant Joseph Chacon would even release a statement that said the following: "Right now, the indications are that this was not, there was no foul play involved. The bindings, although I can't go into them extensively, I can tell you that it is possible that he could have done this himself." However, the people of Austin were not convinced. Tying your hands and feet together with rope and putting duct tape over your eyes and mouth is not a common way to kill yourself.

And to add even more suspicion, after his autopsy, Riyadh's body was released to the Islamic Center of Greater Austin. And the funeral director, Ibrahim Dramali, said that his body was in "barbaric condition."

He said that Riyadh had torn flesh all over his body that looked like a quote "animal" might have attacked him. He also said that there was blood oozing from an open wound on his head and torso, and that there was bruising all over Riyadh's face, almost like he had been violently attacked before going into the water.

Now, the reason why the FBI raided his home in the months before his death are still unknown. Riyadh was never charged with anything following the raid and the FBI has never released any public statements revealing their motives. And sadly, that's where his story ends. Despite him being found with his hands and feet bound with rope and duct tape all around his face, APD closed his case, ruling his manner of death a suicide.

Many people familiar with this story have been appalled at APD's lack of investigation here. Riyad Hamad clearly didn't kill himself. There have been rumors that he may have been the victim of a hate crime, but because APD refused to look into it further, his family never got the answers they deserved. And sadly, his death would not be the only suspicious death on Lady Bird Lake.

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Two years later, on February 17th, 2010, an unidentified male was found in the water. It was reported that he had been in the water for a while before he was discovered. No other information is listed.

Then, on January 14th, 2010, another body was found in Barton Springs. However, there's no other information about that either. And then, two years later, on June 14th, 2012, another body was found in the water. Now, obviously, not all of these deaths are inherently suspicious. When you have a city with a lot of water, there are bound to be accidental drownings.

But on Saturday, October 13th, 2012, 20-year-old Cole Christiansen went missing.

From what we could gather, it's believed Cole was visiting Austin that weekend to go to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, a popular place for tourists. Now, it's unknown if he was with friends or what, but three days later, on Saturday, October 16th, 2012, at 11:10 AM, his body was found floating in Shoal Creek behind the Austin Music Hall. It's assumed that when he was leaving ACL, he somehow ended up in the water and drowned.

But eerily, according to Cole's obituary, he enjoyed all things on the water. Born on January 22, 1991 in Anchorage, Alaska, Cole loved jet skiing, wakeboarding, and swimming. He had attended the University of Alaska Anchorage, and he was known for his sense of humor and outgoing personality.

His friend, Dennis Bodo, said, "He made a lot of people laugh. He had a really big smile. He treated everybody really well and was kind to everybody that he knew." Cole's favorite thing was to be surrounded with his loved ones at their cabin on Big Lake, sitting around a campfire or, like we said, participating in water activities. Cole never shied away from a challenge and even taught himself how to do flips on his wakeboard and jetski.

it's safe to assume that Cole felt comfortable around water. So when his lifeless body was discovered by an employee of the Austin Music Hall in Shoal Creek, there were red flags. However, the Austin Police Department ruled immediately that his death was not suspicious. Jennifer Herbert, a spokesperson for the APD, stated that there would be no further investigation into his death.

Cole's cause of death was listed as unknown, as the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office waited for the results of a toxicology report. Interestingly, the results of that test have never been made public. - On February 7th, 2014, 20-year-old Elano Vallee was reported missing by his family. Elano was a student at St. Edward's University, which is a private college in Austin.

He was in his sophomore year and everything seemed to be going well for him. Then on the evening of February 6th, 2014, Elano told his roommate Nathan that he was going for a walk. He was last seen leaving his dorm at the Casa Resident Hall, but he never came back.

And the following day on February 7th, his family reported him missing. Eleno was born on March 23rd, 1993. He was described as quiet but opinionated and would always stand up for social injustice. He was extremely reliable and would always go out of his way to help his friends. One friend said, quote, "Any time I told him I needed help with something, he would be over in less than five minutes to help me," end quote.

His loved ones said that he loved racquetball, ice cream, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. And like many people in college, Elano wasn't really sure what he wanted to do with his life.

But he was the type of person who wanted to make a difference. So when he went missing, his family was devastated. More than anything, they just wanted to bring him home. But sadly, 10 days after his disappearance, on the morning of February 17th, Eleno's body was found floating in Lady Bird Lake, near West Cesar Chavez Street.

University spokeswoman Michelle Diaz issued a statement that said, quote, the past 10 days while Alaino was missing have been a period of anxious waiting for the university community. We are saddened by the news of Alaino's death and our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends, end quote.

Austin police this morning find the body of a missing college student in Lady Bird Lake. Eleno Valle vanished from the St. Edwards University campus in South Austin back on February the 6th. His family had been trying to find him ever since. Officers found Valle's body this morning in the lake after a report of a body floating in the water near Lavaca and Congress. They say this man's body had been in the water for at least a week, and they're treating this case as a possible suicide.

The Austin Police Department reported that Alain Omey had been off of his antidepressant medication, and it appeared he had been in the water for at least a week. The last known report stated that APD was investigating his death as a suicide, and sadly, we couldn't find any more information on it. Later that year, in October of 2014, another young man would go missing. This time, it was 25-year-old Aaron David Rublik, who

who was born in Maryland on December 17th, 1988. But in 2011, Aaron made the move to Austin, Texas. And by 2014, he was working at a marketing firm downtown and according to his loved ones, was really enjoying his time in the city. He had a good job, a good group of friends, and everything in his life was going smoothly.

However, on the night of Thursday, October 11th, 2014, Aaron decided to go out drinking with a few of his friends. For hours, the group had a lot of fun together bar hopping around the city. But at around 2:00 AM, Aaron was ready to call it a night. So he ordered an Uber to take him back home from the infamous Rainy Street where he had been drinking.

The Uber driver would later say that Aaron was dropped off outside the Holiday Inn near Interstate 35. And this hotel happens to be right on Lady Bird Lake. It was around 2:30 am, and nothing seemed to be amiss. The Uber didn't see Aaron meet up with anyone, he just got out of the car and walked off. But what happened next is a mystery.

Somehow, after being dropped off, Aaron ended up in the water, and no one was able to get in touch with him. Two days later, on Saturday, October 13th, 2014, two fishermen spotted a body floating in Lady Bird Lake at around 2.30pm. It would later be identified as 25-year-old Aaron Rublik. The

The body was identified as Aaron and the APD would later state that there were no obvious signs of trauma to his body. Investigators believed that Aaron had most likely been walking too close to the water and accidentally fell in. Foul play was not suspected as police waited for a toxicology report. But as with Cole Christensen, the results of the toxicology report have never been made public.

And something I want to point out is that it isn't easy to just slip into the lake. It's not like it's on this narrow path with a steep hill that you can easily fall into. Me and Colin both lived in Austin for almost a decade.

and we spent a lot of time on Lady Burke. And yes, you do have to take into consideration that some of these people are drunk. So obviously they aren't going to be as coordinated as someone who's sober. But the idea that these men, most of whom are great swimmers, are just falling in the lake and drowning just doesn't make sense. For you to even fall in the lake, you have to get extremely close to the water's edge and all by yourself.

And for what reason, it just doesn't add up. And not long after, another person would be found dead in Lady Bird Lake.

22-year-old Julio Santos III had just graduated from the University of North Texas. Originally from Kyle, right outside of Austin, Julio enjoyed coming back to the city whenever he could to see his old friends. Those very friends would later say that he was kind, friendly, and approachable. He had this art of going into a thrift store and turning something really ordinary into something beautiful.

He was creative and he loved talking about all things fashion and makeup. He had this blog titled Juju the Guru. And in one of his posts, he wrote, quote, you are welcome to visit whenever you need a laugh, fashion inspiration, or a good eye roll, especially the eye roll, end quote.

All of his friends agreed that he was quote, "The most interesting person in Denton." And he was really looking forward to an upcoming internship at Nordstrom's north of Seattle, Washington. However, that opportunity would never come. On Thursday, June 6th, 2015, Julio and a group of his friends decided to go dancing at a club called Barbarella's, which isn't that far from Rainy Street.

For hours that night, Julio and his friends danced and had the time of their lives. Then at around 2:00 AM,

Julio left the club and decided to go across the street to get a bite to eat at a food truck. And sadly, that was the last time he was ever seen alive. Now, as for Julio's friends that he was with, they decided to stay at the club for a little bit longer. So when he went to that food truck, he was all by himself. And from there, no one really knows what happened. The following morning, his friends realized that Julio never made it home.

So they called APD to report him missing. And after doing a little investigating of their own, they learned that Julio's wallet and his ID and cash

were found in the street behind Barbarella's, the bar he was dancing at that night. They also found his snakeskin wristlet behind the bar as well. Upon learning of his disappearance, his family was terrified, and the fact that his belongings were just strewn about made them even more scared. Julio was not the type of person to not call home, and the fact that he hadn't called meant that something had happened to him, and they were right.

On Sunday, June 8th, Julio's body was discovered in Lady Bird Lake, right next to the Holiday Inn on I-35, where the previous victim, Aaron, was dropped off before his disappearance. Now, interestingly, APD actually thought Julio's death was suspicious at first, but they would later change their mind. When they found his body, they noted that there were no obvious signs of trauma,

but he was missing his belt that he had been wearing on the night he went missing. A toxicology report would state that Julio's body contained alcohol, but there were no drugs found in his system. And ultimately, APD would rule his death as another unfortunate accidental drowning. But his family disagrees. Years later, after so many other men were found in Lady Bird Lake,

Julio's sister believes that there's someone preying on the vulnerable young men around Rainey Street. She even said, quote, "That's what we always call it. It's not Lady Bird. It's not Town Lake. It's Death River." Here is his sister speaking to Fox 7. - He was just a great kid.

amazing guy, but his life was cut short while his death certificate says drowning his sister, Melanie Raymond doesn't agree. I think he was drugged. I think he was over served. I think he was lured over there. She says any site of the lake can be triggering. I picture him, you know,

in the river. I picture somebody hurting him. His sister also talked about all the other victims of Lady Bird Lake who shared a similar fate and how all of these cases can't just be accidental drownings. I think they're connected. It's not... They're two...

much the same to be a coincidence. The city says at this point there's no evidence of foul play in any of these cases. It's like, you know, APDs reading from a script and it's the exact same things and if they were different, why would they be saying the exact same things? So yes, I think they're all connected.

And there are still so many victims that we haven't even got to yet. A few months after Julio went missing, another young man in Austin disappeared. This time, it was 23-year-old UT graduate student, Santiago Gonzalez Becerra. Santiago was a very smart young man. At the time, he was in UT's accounting professional program at the McCombs School of Business. And sadly, there isn't much out there about his life.

But what we do know is that on November 26th, Thanksgiving, Santiago's family started to grow worried when they couldn't get in contact with him. It's unclear whether or not he was supposed to go home to spend Thanksgiving with his family, but either way, no one had heard from him, which was strange.

So instead of spending Thanksgiving eating around a table, enjoying each other's company, his family spent the day worried sick, talking to law enforcement. Santiago's sister is the one who ultimately filed his missing persons report to the University of Texas Police. And for the next three days, no one knew where he was. Then, on November 29th, a person was canoeing near the 2800 block of Stratford Lane, between Redbud Trail and Mopac Boulevard, when they came across a body floating in the water.

The body was later identified as Santiago's. And again, the police were quick to say that his death did not appear suspicious and that there was no obvious trauma to his body. But many people questioned how a graduate student ended up in the water so close to winter.

Following his death, UT released a statement saying, "The loss of Santiago is devastating to our entire university. We express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. Out of respect to the family, we are unable to share any other details."

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Police have identified the person who was found dead in Lady Bird Lake Sunday as a University of Texas student. He is Santiago Gonzalez Becerra, a graduate student in the accounting professional program at the McCombs School of Business. EMS crews pulled his body from the water near Stratford Drive. The cause of death has not yet been determined. UT Police Chief David Carter says the university is providing counselors and other resources to help those students mourning Gonzalez Becerra's death.

Months later, on February 14th, 2016, Valentine's Day, a 50-year-old male was found in Lady Bird Lake. The only information there is about his death is that he was fully dressed and none of his items were missing. Then later that year, two days before Christmas, an unidentified male in his 40s was found in Lady Bird Lake, right next to that Holiday Inn.

where previous victims, Aaron and Julio were found, which again is very strange. What are the chances that within two years,

Three men are found floating in the exact same location. APD will say that they were all accidental drownings, but to me, that's a hell of a coincidence. The next victim of Lady Bird Lake was 25-year-old Fernando Dominguez Ortiz. On Saturday, June 18th, 2016, a group of people were walking along the south shore of the Colorado River when they spotted something in the water.

As they got closer, a horrible stench emerged and it became clear that they were looking at a body. Now the body was technically found south of Lady Bird Lake near the 2900 block of Wickham Lane. But immediately these witnesses called the police. When first responders arrived on scene, it was obvious that the body had been in the water for quite some time and it was very difficult to retrieve them.

Apparently, the body was in a part of the lake that was hard to access. But finally, after about 30 minutes, they were able to pull them out. After they did, the body was brought to the medical examiner, but identification would be difficult as there were no missing person cases in the area. Eventually, however, investigators were able to run the John Doe's thumbprint

and they discovered that the body was that of 35-year-old Fernando Domingo Ortiz. Fernando was born on November 6th, 1980, and he came from a large family. According to his loved ones, he loved being outdoors, and his favorite thing to do was travel to the coast so he could fish. He also enjoyed working with his hands and was known to be a skilled carpenter.

His friends and family members described him as "quiet yet strong, and a humble and gentle soul who always made time for conversation." Although much isn't known about Fernando's life, a man named John Pena posted on his memorial page that he had met him one day while fishing and Fernando talked to him about his wife's passing and how much he missed her. An official cause of death for Fernando has never been made public.

The following summer, on June 16th, 2017, a man in his 30s was found in Lady Bird Lake, close to South Lakeshore Boulevard. But that's all the information we have on him. Unluckily, he would be the only victim of Lady Bird Lake in 2017. The next wouldn't come until the following summer, in August of 2018.

37-year-old Louie Ramirez was born on December 21st, 1980 in McAllen, Texas. After graduating from high school, he decided to move to Austin to attend St. Edward's University, where he earned a double bachelor's degree in political science and psychology. Louie was intelligent, positive, and extremely caring. His family members said, quote, "'Even if that was his last dollar, "'he would give it to a person in need.'"

Louis was passionate about music. And despite holding two college degrees, he chose to follow his dreams and worked at a DJ at the local Kingdom Club. He also enjoyed being outside in nature and he often hiked near the Barton Springs pool. Now, unlike a lot of the other victims, Louis was afraid of the water. It was reported that he couldn't swim. So because of that, his loved ones said that he never would have gotten near the water

or even close enough to where he might accidentally fall in. But on Wednesday, August 15th, 2018, EMS responded to a call at 7.20 p.m. after there was a report of a body floating in Lady Bird Lake near Riverside Drive.

About 20 minutes later at 7:48 PM, the body was pulled from the water and taken to the medical examiner who would later be identified as 37 year old, Louis Ramirez. According to APD, they did not suspect foul play and his death was ultimately ruled as an accidental drowning.

About a month later, on September 27th, 2018, an unidentified male was found in Lady Bird Lake near the Congress Bridge. However, there's no other information about who he was or what his autopsy findings were. But just a little over a week later, another body would be found floating in the Austin waters. It was October 6th, 2018.

The first week of the Austin City Limits Music Festival had just begun, and thousands of people from all over the United States were making their way to Austin, including 25-year-old Christopher White.

Christopher was born on March 16th, 1993 in Denver, Colorado. He would go on to attend the University of Colorado Boulder and after graduation, he moved to Minneapolis to work at Homegrown Lacrosse as the CFO and youth coach. According to Christopher's friends, he was very well traveled and enjoyed being outdoors whether it was hiking, scuba diving, snowboarding, or riding his dirt bike with his brother. He had a very adventurous soul.

So that year, when some friends of his started talking about going to Austin for ACL, he was really excited to go. Now, ACL, or Austin City Limits, is a three-day event, and getting Ubers to and from the festival is nearly impossible. I know this from first-hand experience. So, Chris and his group decided to rent a house nearby.

On the first day of ACL, he and his group had the time of their lives, drinking and listening to artists like Travis Scott, Metallica, and Odessa. Side note, I myself was actually at ACL that year, and I was moshing to Metallica. But anyways, when the first night of the festival ended, Chris and his group made their way back to their rental house where they continued to party. The group ended up drinking until around 6am the next morning.

Chris's friends would later say he was very intoxicated, and for whatever reason, it was at this point when he announced to everyone that he was going to check the water out near their property. Given that it was 6am, no one wanted to go with him. So with that, Chris left the house, leaving behind his shoes, phone, and wallet. I'm assuming it's here where Chris's friends decided to call it a night and go to bed. However, hours later when they woke up, Chris still wasn't home.

By then, the second day of the festival was well underway, and Chris was still nowhere to be found. Which was concerning. He paid a lot of money for those tickets, and there's no way he would have missed it. So it was here when his friends decided to file a missing persons report.

But that day would come and go and Chris never showed back up. Then October 7th came around, the last day of the festival, and still no sign of Chris. By then, his friends knew that something horrible had happened. And they were right. The day after ACL ended, on October 8th, a passerby noticed a body floating in the Colorado River near a dock by the rental property. The body was identified by fingerprints and it turned out to be Christopher White.

The medical examiner found that his body was moderately decomposed, being consistent with his body being in the water for two days. And like all the others before him, the Travis County medical examiner ruled his death as an accidental drowning.

Hey guys, a really quick pause in the middle of the show. If you are infuriated by the story, if you think that the Austin Police Department is failing these family members and these victims, if you want to be a part of this change, Courtney and I have started a petition on change.org that you can go sign today. You can even leave the podcast app that you're listening on. The show will keep playing and you can go sign the petition today.

and come back to the show or go back to whatever you're doing. It'll take you 10 seconds to fill this stuff out. The link to this petition is going to be posted on our Instagram. It'll be in the show notes of this episode. So it should be very easy to find. But please help us make this series actually worth something. Help us to enact this change ourselves because no one's listening, no one's doing anything, and something has to be done.

Anyways, let's get back to our story. The next victim found in Lady Bird Lake came about a month later and his name was Martin Gutierrez. And we had the privilege of interviewing his older brother, Mitchell.

In November of 2018, Martin Gutierrez was 25 years old.

Originally from Big Spring, Texas, Martin decided to attend Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Then in December of 2017, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in business. And following that, he moved to Austin, where his brother Mitchell lives. He used to come visit me all the time. He went to Texas Tech and all that. When he graduated, he actually moved in with me and my now wife. And so, you know, we...

All was well in the world with the two brothers.

Martin was getting on his feet, trying to find his place in the world, and his brother was happy to give him a place to stay while he figured things out. Martin also had some friends in Austin, so he was adjusting well to the move. But unbeknownst to everyone, things were about to take a drastic change.

Rainy Street.

One of the places in Austin where people go to have fun and let loose. As a little background on the party scene in Austin, Rainy Street is actually a really nice area. It's kind of where the older, more established crowd goes to party. When you're young and in college, you mostly will go to Dirty Sixth. And while there, you'll see a lot of people stumbling around, blackout drunk,

There are usually some YouTubers interviewing people on the streets and it's kind of messy, hence Dirty Sixth. But then as you get older, where you can handle your alcohol better, you'll transition over to Rainy Street. It's nicer, people aren't as unhinged, and it's just overall a better experience. It's also really fun. So on this day, November 19th, 2018,

Martin Gutierrez and his friends went to Rainy Street to watch some football. But Martin wasn't planning to have a lot to drink that night. After all, he had work the next morning. So the first bar they met up at, he didn't drink at all. Next, the group went to a bar called Luster Pearl. And strangely, after having just a few drinks there, Martin was visibly intoxicated.

But from there, his group made their way to another bar called Alibi. And according to his friends, Martin was acting very strange. His roommate Whitney said, quote, he kind of kept to himself at the bar, looking at his phone and at his hands for extended periods of time instead of interacting with his friends, which isn't like him.

And this was very weird because Martin only had two drinks, but somehow while in this bar, Martin got separated from his group. At some point, his friends looked around and he was nowhere to be seen. And like we mentioned, he was pretty intoxicated by this point. So I'm sure his friends just figured he got a ride home, except later that night, all of his friends returned home from Rainy Street and got in bed.

Everyone except Martin. He never made it home. But his brother Mitchell said that he wasn't panicking just yet. Maybe he just stayed with a friend. Now Mitchell would later say that he and his brother worked out together every single day at 5 p.m. So the following day, he expected to see Martin at the gym after he got off work. And then I woke up the next day, went to work.

I worked 630 to 230 Monday through Friday. I had like the best job back then. And I'd always wait for him. I'd get our pre-workouts and everything ready. And at five o'clock, he didn't show up. I was like, hey, dude, like, where are you at? You know, called him up, nothing. And then I called his work and he didn't show up for work. This kid never missed a day of work in his life ever.

He was very consistent, he was dependable, and so something was off. I called my buddy, and he's like, "Dude, I texted him, I was like, 'Where you at, man?' Like, he left the bar, you know, this and that." And I knew something was off immediately. Like I said, we were a victim of routine. We never broke away or steered from it. And then the search began. Mitchell and his family told APD about Martin's disappearance.

But like we see time and time again, there didn't seem to be an urgency to find him. I'm sure they figured that he was just a young man who didn't want to come home after a night of drinking. But Martin's family knew that that wasn't the case.

So they immediately went around town trying to retrace Martin's steps. After calling the friends he had been with the night before, Mitchell found out that they had been at the bar called Luster Pearl. Then after that, they went to Alibi and that was the last anyone saw him. So first, Mitchell went to Luster Pearl and asked if he could see their surveillance footage. But apparently their manager was out of town so they couldn't give over the footage just yet.

However, Mitchell was able to look at Martin's bank statement, and it showed that he only had two drinks at Luster Pearl. His friends also corroborated this. He met them actually at one bar, but he didn't get any drinks or anything. And then he went to Luster Pearl, was the next bar they went to.

And he had had, according to his tab, and Lynn got him one drink and he bought one drink. That was it. From here, Mitchell went next door to Alibi, the next bar Martin went to. And luckily, they were able to show him the footage from the night before. As Mitchell watched the screen in front of him, he scanned the crowd for his little brother.

And there he was. But something immediately stood out to Mitchell. In the footage, Martin appeared to be extremely intoxicated, which again, didn't make sense because according to his bar tab and his friends, Martin only had two drinks. By the time he got to Alibi, which was next door, he couldn't even walk.

I looked at the footage, the manager was nice enough to let me know, let me and my family see the footage from Alibi. And I mean, he was like, you know, kind of leaning off and just acting different, like very odd behavior. I've drank with my brother, you know, for years and years, you know, and I know his mannerisms. I know when something, and what I saw was not him.

Now, Martin was a pretty big guy who could handle his alcohol. So in no world would two drinks cause him to be stumbling around like that. It just didn't make sense. So there's a theory that the drinks he had at Luster Pearl were drugged.

The next thing they see in the alibi footage was Martin stumbling towards the bathrooms. However, instead of going to the bathroom, he just walks outside to the bar's deck area. None of the friends he was with saw him walk out. So sadly, once Martin was outside, he leaves the bar all by himself.

Now after seeing this footage, Mitchell takes a look at the footage from the outside of the bar. And again, as Martin walks away, he just isn't acting like himself. What I saw, he was like skipping. You know, he's like a buff kid, like he was a power lifter. And he was like skipping out of the bar. I was like, what the hell is that, you know? Next, Mitchell sees his brother walk by the Kraft Pride Bar.

which is the bar located at the end of Rainy Street, not far from Lady Bird Lake. And outside of this bar is a little roundabout. It's kind of secluded. And on the footage, you see Martin just kind of standing around. And you see him just kind of looking at his phone, you know, and then going across. And then, but he's just not himself.

From there, his family sees him cross the street near a building called Towers of Town Lake. So Mitchell immediately goes there and asks to see their surveillance footage. Luckily, they were able to pull it up. - We were able to get some footage at the Towers of Town Lake, which is the last footage I have of my brother. - On the tape, they see Martin reach a split in the road,

One direction would lead him towards a convenience store and the other would lead him down this dark secluded cul-de-sac near the water. Now they couldn't actually see which path Martin took, but based on the footage, he never walked by the convenience store. So it's safe to assume he walked towards the cul-de-sac, never to be seen again.

Mitchell said he watched that footage over and over, trying to see if he could catch anything that would give him some explanation on where Martin went. But there was nothing. Once Martin stepped out of that frame, he was never seen alive again. For some reason, I have no idea why, he had to have gone in this area.

And we always took Ubers everywhere. We were very consistent with it. Like, you know, but Martin was very naive. He was very kind. You know, whereas if someone said, oh, hey, I have a flat tire. Can you help me? He would have been there in a heartbeat, you know, or someone screams for help. He's going to help, like ask questions later, help someone. So after gathering this footage, Mitchell brought all of it to the Austin Police Department.

And finally, they started helping in the search. Mitchell was bound and determined to bring his brother home. And that day, he and his family did everything they could to try and find him. They took to the streets putting up flyers. They called every single person that Martin knew.

And they even called around to the hospitals, thinking he may have gotten injured. The next day, we were calling around, we were calling his girlfriend, all these things, trying to piece together. Somebody's went to Rainey Street asking questions, all this. The next day, I went to Seton facilities, I went to St. David's facilities trying to find a John Doe or something that matched his description or anything like that, any new admissions, traumas, anything.

But hour after hour, they came up empty-handed. There was no sign of Martin Gutierrez. So not knowing what else to do, they took to social media. We got back, we put up a post on Instagram and Facebook and it just blew up. And we had a news crew from like KXAN, Spectrum, Fox, all that. They were here like within hours. And so we were really able to get the word out to, you know, start this search.

It's been almost three days and Martin Gutierrez is still missing his friends and family search for him all day today, but nothing turned up. They are not giving up though. K views Patrick Perez is live on Rainy St near downtown Austin where they put up posters. Patrick.

Well, Mike, this is a poster Martin's friends and family have placed throughout Rainy Street and the surrounding area. They're hoping that someone will recognize him from that picture and know where he is. Now, throughout the day, search crews have been in the air, on the water and on the ground looking for Martin. His friends and family were out there to checking places he may have wandered off to in the dark.

Many of them drove at least five hours just to help search for him. Martin's friends last saw him early Monday morning at the Alibi on Rainey Street. He tried to find a ride home, but he never made it. Nearly 72 hours later, his family hopes he'll turn up soon. I'm hoping he's not in the water that had drowned. I'm hoping someone didn't hurt him and he's down somewhere and he can't do anything or someone took him. I just don't want to think that he's behind a dumpster somewhere.

At a press conference earlier today, a detective said they don't suspect foul play, but an APD spokesperson later told me they haven't ruled it out just yet. Morton's family is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who has any information about where he may be. They'll also be here tomorrow morning, bright and early, working on Thanksgiving to find him. We're live in downtown Austin tonight. I'm Patrick Perez, KB News.

And just as a side note, I think it is crazy that before they ever even found Martin, APD was saying that they didn't suspect foul play, which is so bold to say when they've had so many drownings and zero evidence on what actually happened to him. But the following day, November 22nd, was Thanksgiving. And instead of sitting around a table, eating good food, and

and enjoying each other's company, the Gutierrez family was frantically running around town trying to find Martin. Over the next few days, APD helped in the search as well. They even had the Travis County search and rescue team go up in helicopters to try and see if he can be located. But sadly, they didn't find him. They did, however, give his family a small glimmer of hope.

They actually had the Travis County Search and Rescue go out with their helicopters and look around. And they told us that he was not in the water. They were adamant that he wasn't there. And so I was ecstatic. I was like, oh, God dang it. Like, that was my biggest fear. He was going to be in the water. And I remember telling my mom, like, he's got to be somewhere. Like, we got him, mom. Like, you know, he's not in the water. You know, let's focus our searches elsewhere.

Every day we'd meet up at the top of Rainey Street and people would go all over the place to search around, put flyers up, whatever we could. Mitchell and his family were so desperate to find him, they even upped the reward money to $10,000. But in the early days of the investigation, it felt like they were doing more to find Martin than the police were. For instance, when the police went to investigate, they didn't even have the right date on when Martin went missing.

the apd man they had two dumbass police officers that were actually going to local areas and asking for the wrong date like i had their employees call me to tell me this because they refused to listen

And they were like, the kid went missing Sunday night, Monday morning. No, they're like, we want Monday. We want this and that. And I was just livid. Like, you know, this is their job. You know, like, get it right. And my brother isn't just a nobody. He's not a number. He's a human being, just like everyone else, you know. And we just had so many inconsistencies with the APD. And it was tough, man. Why the hell would you ask for the wrong date? You know, like, you have...

All the details. You have it all over the news. You have it all over your police department on what's going on. And you go to this specific spot and you're asking. And not only were they asking for the wrong date, after the staff corrected them, they were belligerent and got aggressive towards them. Like it was their fault. They're like, no, we can give you this. No, no, no. We don't want that. Makes you think. The majority of the footage we got, the surveillance from Craft Pride, from Alibi, from all these other ones, we did all that.

Like before they even got to like there, we were already getting footage and I was sending stuff to the detective. Like I was presenting them with all this shit. Like, you know, I get it. It was a Thanksgiving holiday. I didn't give a fuck what day it was. Like my brother went missing. I don't care what the hell you're eating or what day it is. Or if you want to watch the football game, I don't care. Like you have a job to do. And my mom would like,

call him or like hey like we got this footage here my son's gonna send you something like he would just ignore it he would respond maybe a day or two later we'd send them an email with everything maybe a day or two later we get i'm like this is an active thing man like you need to be looking at your damn phone at all times like i mean we didn't stop we went from like seven in the morning to as soon as it got dark and even then after dark well i still had to pull my mom away from her searches

- We kept it up, we never stopped. - By November 26th, it had been seven long days since Martin had gone missing. And every single day since, his family would work from early in the morning to late at night to try and find him.

Then, after the long day was over, they would come home and lie awake at night, wondering what could have happened. Sleep was nearly impossible, and they found themselves constantly checking their computers and phones. As each day passed, they knew that Martin's chances of being alive were slim. But that was all about to change, starting with a text message from an unknown number. The message read, quote,

To whom it may concern, this is to let you know that Martin was kidnapped by myself and my men. We request a ransom payment of $1,500 before releasing him alive." When Mitchell read this, he was overcome with relief. His brother Martin was alive. Then moments later, he received another message from the same number. It read, "I warn you, do not tell the cops about this.

I assure you his life will be taken if you do so. You will have his body on your doorstep if you act smart." So immediately Mitchell sends them a text back. - I will do whatever you need. Please don't hurt him. When and where can I give you the money? - Soon after Mitchell received another message from them that read, "If you are fast enough, you can do this. You will have him back today."

Just go to Western Union and send $1,000 to JT Darrell Newberry Jr., Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74115. I was terrified. Like, just, I remember waking Whitney up. I was like, oh my God, oh my God, he's alive, he's alive, he's alive. We got him, we got him. You know, I woke up my mom. I was like, we got him. Like,

I was like, I'll do whatever you want. They were like, we know where you live. We have your phone number, all this stuff. I want you to drive to this area and I'm going to call you right back. And they were texting me and all this. And I was like, okay, okay, okay. Whatever you want. And I looked at my wife and I looked at my mom and I gave them a hug and a kiss. And I said, if I don't come back, I like, I will love you forever. And, but I will bring back Martin. You have my word. No matter what, he's coming back with me.

From there, Mitchell left the house determined to find his brother and bring him home. He didn't know exactly what he was getting himself into, but it didn't matter. All that mattered to him was that Martin was alive.

and he was going to do anything to get him back. So, Mitchell does what the person asks. He goes to the bank and sends them money. Meanwhile, the kidnapper continues to text him updates, with one message reading, He is really sick because of the bad environment I kept him in. You need to do all of this fast so you can take him to the hospital for proper care. I drove around, they were like, if you send, they were like,

Now after sending the kidnapper thousands of dollars, Mitchell actually had a meeting with the detectives downtown. It had been scheduled for a while to go over everything they had.

But Mitchell was kind of nervous to go. After all, these kidnappers just told him that they had one of their guys watching him. And if they knew he was meeting with the police, they could very well kill Martin. But after considering his options, he decided to go anyway. I had a meeting with the detectives at 10 a.m. that morning. I had this whole template set up, man, of everything I was going to drill them on, everything they mismanaged, all the information that they should have gone, gotten, and all this stuff. And

When I showed up to that interview, I told those guys like, I have to go to this or else they're going to suspect they were like, don't say anything. We have someone going there to where we have them stored. I'm going to send you a photo of them right now. And so I was like, okay, okay. Like whatever, whatever you want, man. And so I showed up to that interview with my wife and a buddy of mine who worked for the Travis County Sheriff's department.

And I was just numb, man. I couldn't focus. I couldn't, you know, all I could picture was just my brother there. Cause they told me they were like in the condition he's in, you're going to have to take him to a hospital as soon as we drop him off to you. And I mean, I'm just picturing my little brother, man, who's like the greatest person in the world. Just, you know,

in that situation. - After seven days, Mitchell figured it was only a matter of time until he would see his brother again. The ransom was paid, and although Martin would be in rough shape, at least he was alive. But unbeknownst to him,

Around the same time Mitchell was paying the ransom, a body was found in Lady Bird Lake. They didn't have confirmation that it was Martin just yet, but the person was wearing the same outfit that Martin was last seen in, a pair of blue jeans and a blue Patagonia jacket, so his family knew it was him.

Meaning, the people who claimed to have had Martin were lying. The police got a call like five minutes before I showed up and they said they found a body on Rangy Street that matched his description. He was wearing the clothing. They found him, you know, in Lady Bird Lake, face down. They were just scammers, man. They just wanted money out of me and they got so much money out of me, man. By using my brother missing. There's a lot of fucking sick people out there, man.

APD didn't do anything about it. It was just scammers, man. I had all this hope that my brother was going to be alive, man. And it was just swiped and people scamming us, scamming my mom, my family. Like it's,

some sick people. - And stories like this are truly some of the most disturbing things we come across in these true crime stories. Sadly, it happens all the time. These scammers usually come across social media posts where the family members will put their phone numbers out there begging the public to call if they have any information on their loved one. These scammers also know that these loved ones will do anything to bring them home.

So they take advantage of that desperation. They prey on grieving family members. And not only did they take all of their money, but they give them false hope that their loved one is alive.

truly some of the most sick and disgusting behavior out there. And to add insult to injury, a lot of these people will never be caught. They use burner phones and wire transfers that can't be traced, making it to where they get away with it

And sadly, that's exactly what happened here. The Gutierrez family was scammed out of thousands of dollars while simultaneously learning that Martin's body had just been found in Lady Bird Lake.

A dead body to shore this morning along Lady Bird Lake. That triggers fears of the worst for families with missing loved ones, including the family of 25-year-old Martin Gutierrez, who disappeared a week ago. KXAN's Phil Prezen is live from where the call came in. Phil.

Well, Sidney, I'm around 1300 Riverside, and this is a popular spot for people to ride their bikes, jog, walk their dogs in the morning. But this morning, just before 10 o'clock, somebody called in 911 to say they saw a body in the lake. Emotions boiled over along Lady Bird Lake Monday morning. For the past week, the Gutierrez family painstakingly searched for their brother and son, Martin Gutierrez.

On this crisp fall morning, the family told the press police called them down to the staging area, but did not confirm the body was Gutierrez. At this time, we are not able to confirm that the body located is related to any open missing person investigations. We are also not able to determine age, race or gender.

Let me give you the lay of the land here in downtown Austin. Last week Gutierrez was last spotted after a night out on Rainey Street.

Then Monday morning, police responded to a body in the water at 1300 Riverside along the boardwalk. Police showed up, took that body out at a nearby park across the river right below Fiesta Gardens, and that's where they spoke to the press. So anytime that we find a deceased person, of course we want information. So if you were in the area, if you saw anything suspicious or just something out of the ordinary, please call that tip line.

A man's body found in the lake. A family continues to search for what happened and why. Well, Sidney, homicide detectives were on scene this morning, but so far police are not considering this a criminal investigation. We, of course, will keep you updated on KXAN News later this evening and then also on KXAN.com. Live in Austin, Phil Prezen, KXAN.

KXAN News. Families' worst fears confirmed. Austin police homicide detectives say the body pulled from Lady Bird Lake yesterday is Martin Gutierrez, the man who went missing after a night out on Rainy Street. And after more than a week of searching, loved ones are now mourning the 25-year-old. KXAN's Alyssa Gord is live from Rainy Street with the latest.

Sydney and Tom, you can actually still see some of those missing flyers with Martin's face on them here on Rainy Street. We heard it from his family members first that the body which was recovered out of Lady Bird Lake yesterday was his. They got that confirmation from the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office. And that spot at Lady Bird Lake is just a short ways across the river from this spot here on Rainy Street, one of the last places where Martin was seen.

A team of around 30 law enforcement actually searched in the very area where Martin was later found. Last Wednesday, they deployed boats and helicopters. Austin police say they had plans to do so again on Monday when his body was discovered.

Martin's family and friends have spent the past week combing nearby areas for him. In fact, they searched for him along the trail right next to where Martin's body was eventually spotted. His brother Mitchell had become something of a spokesperson for the search. You can hear the worry in his voice as he talked to us on the trail last week. He's just a good kid, and if he was to come up to you, you'd fall for him in a second. Like, he's just, his personality swallows you.

Loved ones still don't understand why he disappeared. They say Martin was captured on surveillance video, behaving strangely and seeming intoxicated at the Alibi Bar on Rainey Street just before he disappeared. But the bar said he wasn't served any alcohol there, and his family says he only purchased one drink at the previous bar. But the sadness of losing him weighs heavier than any unanswered question. We don't have the full closure. Finding him helped.

But there's just not, the story isn't complete. I knew it was him. I could feel it in my gut. I knew. My mom knew too. I mean, she was going up to the police officers trying to get through because she knew. We both did. Can you talk about what difficulties they had with identifying him? Yeah, he had been in the water for quite an extensive period of time.

He was unidentifiable, is what they had said. The clothing was what helped identify him, and he had his wallet on him. So we kind of had an idea before the scientific evidence came out. At this point, have you formed an opinion or do you have thoughts on what happened to him? I wish I did. I just don't know how he got in the water.

i don't know if he fell or someone hurt him or there's just so many questions unanswered a lot of people were out there searching for martin did you guys learn anything or find any evidence that you were able to hand over to police we were we actually found some surveillance at an apartment complex nearby that showed martin going towards the water or what we thought was martin and

It looked very similar the way he was walking and everything, so we were almost quite positive it was, and we turned it over to the detective. How do you want your brother remembered? Just as he was, you know, happy, laughing, humble, kind, loving. He was perfect. I don't want people to forget how happy he was.

On November 27th, Martin's brother Mitchell went to Facebook and wrote, "I lost my best friend, a void that will never be filled again. The pain is constant and more than I could ever imagine with what seems like no end in sight. Martin was the brother I could go to for everything

and now he's gone. I am lost with no idea what direction to go from here. My family, friends, and community have come together in a way I never believed possible in an effort to help me find him. I appreciate every text, call, message, posting, etc. Either sending prayers or providing assistance or advice to find him.

"Just keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. It helps more than you know. The world will always and forever be significantly less happy without Martin Gutierrez." Following the discovery of Martin's body, he was taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy. So they did the whole thing, the autopsy, said he had bugs in his body and all that stuff, maybe been in the water a while.

The capillaries release in the body after about six, seven days and then he flew up. And so I anticipate he was there the whole time. And like all of the other victims, Martin's death was ruled as an accidental drowning. There was speculation that maybe he just wanted to go for a swim, but it was in the middle of November and that just wouldn't have made any sense. Strangely enough, they also found that Martin had blunt force trauma to the back of his head.

I mean, of course, my brother wasn't going to be swimming in the middle of Lady Bird Lake in fucking November, but he was a great swimmer. My brother had a large contusion on the back of his head. Dead people don't bleed. The cops kept saying, well, maybe he just, he fell off the bridge, he hit his head, he drowned. Well, if that would have happened, he would have never developed a bruise because you have to be alive for blood to go to that area, create that bruise on the back of your head. He had a large contusion on the occipital portion of his head right back here.

He didn't have anything in his system as far as the tox cream. He didn't have to do drugs. It was just alcohol. But, you know, the agents that people use nowadays are just so different. You know, you got untraceable stuff. And they did a basic tox panel on him. You know, I hear that they're finally getting their shit together and using, like, tests now to check for rufolin finally. Which is, I mean, finally, they're listening. The medical examiner's office also indicated that Martin had bruising on his scalp.

and there was swelling inside of his brain and chest. Even further, his blood alcohol levels weren't off the charts high, which makes sense considering he only had a couple of drinks, and they definitely weren't high enough where he wouldn't have been able to swim. But if that was the case, then why was he stumbling around like he was really drunk? His family's guess is that Martin was drugged.

A toxicology report stated that no drugs were found in his system, but it also noted that because his body was in the water for so long, it's possible that certain substances could have been released by the time his autopsy was performed. And when you add to the fact that he had blunt force trauma to the back of his head, accidental drowning just doesn't make a lot of sense. Mitchell Gutierrez does not believe that his brother accidentally fell into the water and drowned.

He would later say, "I know my brother and I know somebody did something to him. Nothing will change my mind. Somebody did something to him and hopefully we will find an answer." Many people believe that Martin was drugged at Luster Pearl, the bar where he only had two drinks. But sadly, Mitchell was never able to get the surveillance footage from them, which only added to everyone's suspicion.

We had all these questions, unanswered questions that will never be answered. You know, and, you know, the footage I really wanted to see was from Luster Pearl. They wouldn't give us anything, wouldn't give us anything. They said their manager was out of town for the holiday. He comes in. They finally give the footage to the police. They gave the wrong date and deleted what we needed. I never got to see what happened to my brother in that bar.

There was no repercussions for that. Nothing. They got away with whatever they were doing, whatever transpired in that bar that night. They deleted something. And sadly, that is where Martin's story ends. APD claims that he was drunk walking near Lady Bird Lake when he hit his head, fell into the water, and drowned. But a lot of other people believe that Martin was possibly drugged.

Then, as he was walking by himself that night, someone came up behind him, hit him in the head, and threw him into the water. But like all of the other deaths before him, and the ones that would come after, APD was quick to rule it an accident.

But many out there know that that's not the case. And considering the number of bodies that will surface over the next few years, rumors of a serial killer operating right in the heart of Austin, Texas began to circulate. Locals call him the Rainy Street Ripper, but APD says that no such person exists.

Now obviously Courtney and I have our own thoughts on this case and next week we are going to get into a personal connection that I myself have with one of the victims. We're going to explore that and we're going to talk about why I think that this isn't just a string of unrelated accidents.

Next week's episode is explosive. It features another in-depth interview, a personal story time, and a shocking conclusion to this story that shows that the Austin Police Department is failing its citizens every single day. And we're going to show you that if this problem is not addressed soon, more citizens are going to die and the blood will be on Austin's hands. Thank you guys for listening and we'll see you next week for part two.

Hey everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. If you haven't seen my documentary that I produced about this, you should definitely head to my YouTube channel, The Paranormal Files. It's almost got a million views already and it features these interviews that are in this episode. It's got the video component where I'm talking to Mitchell and we actually went down to the shore of Lady Bird Lake at night to expose a

just how dangerous the area is and we caught something on camera a person that was down there that um has disturbed people and it disturbs me a little bit based on what i know now but anyways if you guys want to join us on patreon well well well a visitor

Make yourself at home and feel free to explore my establishment. Each visit to my shop will unleash a sordid tale about the many relics curated within. Every one darker than the next, I'm afraid.

Welcome to the antiquarium of sinister happenings and odd goings on. I can smell your intestines. I'm scaring her, aren't I? If you are uncomfortable with the supernatural, the occult, or exploring other realms, I encourage you to stop listening to this immediately. It's so last in afternoon. I'm in my world. I want to go home. Terrible things happen when we talk about him too much. Take that! Take that!

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Welcome to the All 80s Movies Podcast. I'm Bill. And I'm Jason. And this is the podcast where we talk about the blockbusters, the flops, and everything in between from one of the freshest decades for movies, the 1980s. So whether you're a brain, a jock,

a valley girl, or a Jedi, we've got some 80s classics for you. Do these movies stand the test of time? Are we discovering something new? Is there an 80s movie we are finally watching for the first time? Join us each week as we dive into the cinematic nostalgia that inspired and influenced a generation. From the hits to the cult classics, we'll discuss our earliest memories, favorite scenes, fun facts, and our not-so-favorite movie moments, too. You can find the All 80s Movies Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Please follow, and happy listening. Hey there, are you in need of a new weekly fix of horror gaming discussions? Then look no further than Saferoom, Bloody FM's horror video gaming podcast. I'm your host Jay Krieger, and I am the other one, Neil Bowen. And every week, Neil, myself, and the occasional guest get together to chat about classic and contemporary horror games, and the elements that make them a standout amongst the hordes of horror games being released seemingly every day now.

In addition to celebrating anniversaries and new releases, we also interview influential horror developers such as Amnesia the Bunker's creative lead, Frederick Olsen, and even the maestro of lo-fi horror, Erdorf, the developer behind the Faith trilogy. And finally, on Thursdays, we release episodes of Horror Bytes, our bite-sized indie horror showcase in which Neil and I share a game that we discovered on Itch.io from an up-and-coming developer.

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And in addition, there are hundreds of other episodes on there. So if you want to listen, if you want to sign up today and go through the whole catalog, you can. I don't even know how many hours of content is on there. Bonus episodes that have only ever been on Patreon. But yeah, if you love the show, that's a great way to help support us. And there's a lot of content on there for you guys to enjoy.

Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every case that we cover. And yeah, everybody, next week's episode is personal. And I don't think people are going to be walking away from this series thinking that these are just accidents. But what do Courtney and I know? We're just internet sleuths, according to the Austin Police and the Austin News. Anyways, though, we will catch y'all next week. Thank you for listening and have a great weekend.