The Austin / Rainey St / Lake Serial Killer

[Bozo_Casanova 26270]

On 4/27/2023 at 2:19 AM, atomheartbevo said:

KXAN finally has their tracker up.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/tracking-lady-bird-lake-deaths-in-austin/

Jim Spencer needs to Futurecast this.

[YGIFS 19449]

11 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

Seems like Cliff Axtell has a brother named Luke Axtell.  Gotta be the former Longhorn basketball player, right?  Has anyone questioned Tom Penders about this?

https://www.statesman.com/obituaries/paco0454672 

authorities assure us there is no foul play, except for Luke's grades of course.  

It is probably more likely than not there is no serial killer.  It's just the whole "Bars and Water" thing rings a little hollow.  Austin has had a raging alcohol problem near Town Lake for decades and just suddenly people started falling in?  Eh.  

[SquishMitten 10397]

 

46 minutes ago, Nicole44 said:

There would be no point. Texas Monthly has spoken and they said the serial killer is imaginary. The article reads like author visits surly. Jmo. The only bit of information I guess I didn’t know was one of the bodies found in March, later identified as 40-year-old Cliff Axtell, was last seen at Stubb’s BBQ. But it’s more of the same: no trauma, people drunk, fall into lake and drown. That if the police really believed there was a serial killer they’d be panicking like they did with the Austin bomber and putting out as much information as they can/are able to share. And since they aren’t doing that there is no cause for the public to be alarmed. 
 

Again, I am often wrong and I acknowledge this fact…but whatever. I do wonder if it is possible that this phantom has a car—is possibly picking up victims and driving them to places around the lake? It could be a better explanation for why some of them were found so far from where they were last seen. I guess implying a hookup? How is this person finding their victims? Again I have stressed many times I don’t believe all are related but if one or more don’t fit a pattern or can be eliminated as being victims of foul play it appears the vast majority of the articles and police statements seem to be that none of them are related. 

There’s no way you can possibly look at these two situations the same way. You couldn’t dismiss someone getting blown up by saying they were drunk and wandering around alone. There was obviously someone responsible for making bombs. There isn’t any other possibility in that situation.

[SquishMitten 10397]

6 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

authorities assure us there is no foul play, except for Luke's grades of course.  

It is probably more likely than not there is no serial killer.  It's just the whole "Bars and Water" thing rings a little hollow.  Austin has had a raging alcohol problem near Town Lake for decades and just suddenly people started falling in?  Eh.  

I’ve said this up thread somewhere, but before the invasion of paddle boards the only people that ever went into the water was Texas Crew, that one pontoon tour boat company, and the occasional canoes from Zilker. The massive increase in the lake being turned into a recreational area would naturally lead to an increase in people thinking it was safe to swim in, especially young folks that haven’t lived here long. The number of deaths would naturally correlate to the enormous shift in it becoming a recreational body of water. 

[smuggs 9341]

3 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Austin has had a raging alcohol problem near Town Lake for decades and just suddenly people started falling in?  Eh.  

The signs are everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YGIFS 19449]

I get what you're saying, but I just don't see somebody, even shitfaced drunk, making the connection from Rainey Street of, "Hey, I'm shithoused drunk and didn't meet anybody to hook up with.  Last week, I saw some people paddle boarding in broad daylight.  But it's 3:00am, I have no paddleboard...so I should walk up to my shoulders into Town Lake for no apparent reason."  I mean, yeah it could happen with one or two rare occasions...but even our town isn't this fucking dumb.

[HenryJames 65884]

1 hour ago, Orange&White said:

Texas Monthly weighs in:

 

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/sorry-true-crime-fans-but-theres-no-serial-killer-in-austin/

 

 

Quote

This year only two of those found dead—Jason John and Jonathan Honey—were seen in the crowded nightlife district before going missing. (Based on his remains, John’s family members have said they don’t believe he was attacked, whereas Honey’s case remains under investigation). A third deceased individual, 25-year-old Martin Gutierrez, went missing from Rainey Street in 2018, more than four years before the latest incidents. A fourth man recently found dead in the lake, 30-year-old Christopher Hays-Clark, was discovered near Longhorn Dam with no signs of foul play, nearly two miles from Rainey Street, according to police. And another man, 40-year-old Cliff Axtell, whose body was found in early March, was last seen at Stubb’s Barbecue in downtown Austin. Other bodies have been pulled from various parts of the 416-acre lake, too. 

The most compelling reason to believe there’s no serial killer stalking Rainey Street is the police themselves, who have never wavered from their bottom line: the drownings in Lady Bird Lake show no signs of foul play, and investigators believe several deaths were accidental and several were suicides. Successfully killing that many people by drowning without signs of physical distress is almost unimaginable. To accept the idea that a serial killer is on the prowl in downtown Austin, you must first accept the notion that local police, and the Travis County medical examiner, are engaged in a massive criminal coverup. 

 

[Nicole44 22027]

1 hour ago, SquishMitten said:

 

There’s no way you can possibly look at these two situations the same way. You couldn’t dismiss someone getting blown up by saying they were drunk and wandering around alone. There was obviously someone responsible for making bombs. There isn’t any other possibility in that situation.

Agreed but that is what one of the sources the author of the Texas Monthly article said. Made that specific comparison. Said the police were panicked in the bombing case and as a result went immediately to the public with what they were able to share. Same source in the article suggested bc we see none of that here (sharing of information) that the police are not panicked and the conclusion that the source believes can be drawn is “there is no serial killer.” It’s a very lazy article basically written to discount any theories to the contrary. 
 

So FB group with 83,000 members (and there is no way I would join any FB group—it’s crazier than we are times infinity) and speculation is somehow WORSE than an actual killer? I will concede people interjecting themselves into an investigation OR calling in false tips is horrible and counterproductive but the author of that article suggests none of that has happened. Never mind in the Murdaugh case and other recent ones podcasts and online “sleuthers” have been instrumental in getting Justice where law enforcement has repeatedly failed. As well as helping to solve cold cases law enforcement was too busy to solve or didn’t have the resources to solve.

the real assholes are the ones that believe these crimes could be connected and want to keep people safe and warn them…Okeedokee. 

[Deej 76524]

Nicole is not going to rest until the catch the killer, whether there is one or not. 

[Pato del Muerto 52335]

What ever happened to the serial bleach balloonist?

[Js1 85085]

Exhibit 7,397,640 why social media was a mistake 

Quote

On TikTok, influencers presenting themselves as crime experts have generated engagement by posturing as advocates for victims’ families. “There’s so much going on here and the worst part is, it’s accelerating,” Ken Waks, who has more than a million followers on the platform, explained in a recent viral video. Waks said he’s turned down offers to work for the FBI because his impact on ongoing murder investigations around the country is too great to abandon. He also claims that the deaths in Austin are the work of a group with a ringleader whom he’s already identified. “I can’t tell you everything that I know,” he conveniently added. The post, which has received nearly two hundred thousand likes, has been picked up and recirculated by other news outlets. 

I’m 

[atomheartbevo 89392]

1 hour ago, smuggs said:

The signs are everywhere.

Best use of that T2 gif:

[atomheartbevo 89392]

1 minute ago, Js1 said:

He also claims that the deaths in Austin are the work of a group with a ringleader whom he’s already identified. “I can’t tell you everything that I know,” he conveniently added. The post, which has received nearly two hundred thousand likes, has been picked up and recirculated by other news outlets. 

He found Surly and spotted Nicole.

[Nicole44 22027]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

Best use of that T2 gif:

Most people don’t realize but that scene in T2 featured Linda Hamilton and her identical twin sister, Leslie. That whole dream sequence and nuclear blast shit. 

 

[HenryJames 65884]

2,1.

[tejas60 3526]

2 hours ago, HenryJames said:

2,1.

[Goredho 17340]

On 4/22/2023 at 3:41 PM, YGIFS said:

As much as I'd love to have my ashes scattered in the ocean, something about being in a body of water closer to my loved ones just on the off chance they're stuck in traffic one day, freaking out from stress, and they look at Town Lake or wherever.  They take a breath and say, “That fucking cunt.”

FIFY 😜

[DalTxHornFan 3085]

Nicole?  Casting call here:

[YGIFS 19449]

Oh yeah, I think I see where this is going.  

I'm picturing the "sit down interviews on private property" like Kim-Jung Il in "team America."    "Oh yeah, just sit right there while we move camera.  Scooch back towards the water.  Little bit more.  Little bit more.  Little closer.  BAM!  How you like that mother fucker?!!!?!??"  

[Deej 76524]

So, the killings have stopped, or have people stopped falling in the lake because they put up a fence and some lighting?

Edited May 23, 2023 by Deej

[YGIFS 19449]

Do you even serial killer podcast, bro?  They always take a break when the heat gets onto 'em.  I suspect with upcoming rains pushing currents in new ways, and early summer tourism, we'll see another uptick soon enough.  Has absolutely zero to do with Nicole complaining online of needing a new hobby.  Totally coincidence.  

Edited May 23, 2023 by YGIFS

[NorthLoop 14082]

23 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Do you even serial killer podcast, bro?  They always take a break when the heat gets onto 'em.  I suspect with upcoming rains pushing currents in new ways, and early summer tourism, we'll see another uptick soon enough.  Has absolutely zero to do with Nicole complaining online of needing a new hobby.  Totally coincidence.  

Maybe he'll move uptown. Would anyone bat an eye if a bunch of hipsters from North Loop started showing up dead in Waller Creek? 

[YGIFS 19449]

Yeah, I gotta tell you...as somebody who thinks of this place as 80% bullshit and only 20% IRL.  Your handle, username, posting history, avatar, and intimate knowledge of Waller Creek............you're kinda freaking me out. 

[NorthLoop 14082]

If it makes you feel better, I don't live in Austin anymore. 

[YGIFS 19449]

Yeah, most fugitive serial killers leave town.  The fuck makes you so goddamn special?  

[Bevo 13516]

I am so fucking tired of this thread. The serial killer is going to die of old age before Nicole solves this.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Bevo

[YGIFS 19449]

You give yourself away, old man.  You live at nearby Lakeside Apartments between Four Seasons & Rainey Street.  You're at least 62 and a white male.  You pretend you're going for walks late at night and drug/drown unsuspecting younger men.  The few times you've been confronted/questioned by passers-by, you make the claim, "I'm an old man, I live in that there tall building.  I thought I heard a large cat treading water and wanted to help.  I'll be on my way back to bed.  This?  Which hand?  This?  It's nothing.  It's a syringe for my medication.  Have a pleasant evening..."  

[Bevo 13516]

4 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

You give yourself away, old man.  You live at nearby Lakeside Apartments between Four Seasons & Rainey Street.  You're at least 62 and a white male.  You pretend you're going for walks late at night and drug/drown unsuspecting younger men.  The few times you've been confronted/questioned by passers-by, you make the claim, "I'm an old man, I live in that there tall building.  I thought I heard a large cat treading water and wanted to help.  I'll be on my way back to bed.  This?  Which hand?  This?  It's nothing.  It's a syringe for my medication.  Have a pleasant evening..."  

The Four Seasons doesn't sound bad. Otherwise, is Iron Works Barbecue on Red River still good? Because I'm too lazy to go all the way out there from the burbs and Ranch 616 isn't what it use to be and I'd still have to walk all the way through 6th which would suck. Maybe a scooter - are there tire tracks around the crime scene? How about scooters in the lake?

[Deej 76524]

17 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Otherwise, is Iron Works Barbecue on Red River still good?

Well, their website says Jay Leno likes it, so I'm gonna say no.

[Paco 1926]

Iron Works is the reason I hated beef ribs for years until John Mueller showed me the light.

[YGIFS 19449]

You doubt this man's tastebud prowess, you fucking sinners?:

 

[Armybrat 40710]

3 hours ago, Paco said:

Iron Works is the reason I hated beef ribs for years until John Mueller showed me the light.

A guy I know from Arizona was in town for a few days last week. He got food poisoning after eating at the Iron Cactus. 
No bueno.

[tejas60 3526]

15 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

A guy I know from Arizona was in town for a few days last week. He got food poisoning after eating at the Iron Cactus. 
No bueno.

did you drown him after you told him to eat there?

[Blotto 23424]

6 hours ago, Bevo said:

Otherwise, is Iron Works Barbecue on Red River still good?

I had a buddy in town staying at the Fairmont a few months back so I went down there to meet up. We stumbled into Iron Works and I honestly would have preferred Rudy's. It was completely forgettable. 

[Hook1997 5270]

4 hours ago, Armybrat said:

A guy I know from Arizona was in town for a few days last week. He got food poisoning after eating at the Iron Cactus. 
No bueno.

I had no clue that place had still been open the last ten years.  

[Deej 76524]

12 hours ago, Blotto said:

It was completely forgettable

Apparently not.

[texasdago 7552]

15 hours ago, Armybrat said:

A guy I know from Arizona was in town for a few days last week. He got food poisoning after eating at the Iron Cactus. 
No bueno.

Maybe he thought he was going to pick up chicks at 606

[texasdago 7552]

Ugh, I hate linking Twitter now but...

 

 

[YGIFS 19449]

That's not terribly specific.  Is that cause then that he was just so drunk that after he puked, he fell in and drowned?  If he was "vomiting on the banks", wouldn't he just stumble into a few inches of water?  I know that's enough to drown in if you're passed out...but how did his entire body then get down river with no tide?  

I just don't get it.  Drunk people have been puking down there for 15 years with no problem.  Suddenly in the last 15 months, they're also taking headers into Town Lake?    

[Mittens 8148]

20 minutes ago, texasdago said:

606

[Armybrat 40710]

I’ve never heard of it.

[Not a cat 5615]

Ahhh good old chicks o chicks.  I've got a lot of great memories in that place.  Well, not memories but more like brief flashbacks in which I seem to be enjoying myself.

[texasdago 7552]

2 hours ago, Not a cat said:

Ahhh good old chicks o chicks.  I've got a lot of great memories in that place.  Well, not memories but more like brief flashbacks in which I seem to be enjoying myself.

This... I was wondering if someone would refer to it as chicks o chiks.  One of the best reasons to be on 6th street, back in the day.

[futureman 22414]

On 5/23/2023 at 4:54 PM, Paco said:

Iron Works is the reason I hated beef ribs for years until John Mueller showed me the light.

sub county line for iron works and this was also my experience.

[Steamboat1874 4032]

When I worked at Steamboat in the early 80's we jokingly called the 606 "The Bob" because of their sign.

It was on Trinity back then just north on 6th.

 

[texasdago 7552]

1 hour ago, Steamboat1874 said:

When I worked at Steamboat in the early 80's we jokingly called the 606 "The Bob" because of their sign.

It was on Trinity back then just north on 6th.

 

I have a matchbook somewhere... is that the original sign???

[Steamboat1874 4032]

1 minute ago, texasdago said:

I have a matchbook somewhere... is that the original sign???

It sure looks like it.

[texasdago 7552]

1 minute ago, Steamboat1874 said:

It sure looks like it.

Looks exactly like the matchbook and it looks like the small sign I remember.  

[Bozo_Casanova 26270]

20 hours ago, Armybrat said:

I’ve never heard of it.

Before your time

[Armybrat 40710]

Louie’s Lounge just off 6th was my go-to beer joint back in the day. 
Beer & shuffleboard. 
Fancy date night would be at the New Orleans Club on Red River.