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AUSTIN (KXAN) — A series of deaths in Lady Bird Lake in recent years have spurred rumors and conspiracy theories.
Thirteen deaths have been reported since 2022, most of which were not deemed suspicious by the Austin Police Department.
“There are a lot of allegations that there’s a serial killer, but there’s no proof or evidence in any of our investigations to sustain that,” APD Assistant Chief Jeff Greenwalt told KXAN in April 2023.
The circumstances, exact locations and demographics of each case varies, APD said, but that “one common theme of the drownings in Austin… is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake.”
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Four deaths were reported in 2022, followed by five in 2023. Four deaths have been reported in 2024.
Autopsy reports
Not all bodies brought to Medical Examiner’s Office for examination are autopsied.
“The Medical Examiner may choose to either perform a complete autopsy or to perform an external examination only. Partial autopsies are not performed at TCME,” according to the office’s annual report.
If the bodies are not autopsied, the office does try to identify them. Autopsy reports from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCME) can take up to 120 days to be released.
Dr. Alan Rampy, associate professor of pathology at UT Austin’s Dell Medical School, isn’t working any of these investigations, but offered third-party perspective on the timeline behind generating autopsy reports.
“Once you get your samples, you often have to send out for outside analysis… so there are a lot of moving parts,” Rampy said. “If a body has been in water for some period of time, it does essentially make the entire process a little more challenging because being in the water does a lot of things to the skin and other parts of the body.”
American Forensics Chief Forensic Pathologist Dr. Amy Gruszecki said doctors in her field hope to answer several questions when investigating deaths like these.
“You do the autopsy, and you look for injury. You look for natural disease, and then you get your toxicology,” Gruszecki said. “Then you put all that together, and then you can determine what happened to the person to the best of your ability.”
Jason John autopsy report
In the autopsy report for Jason John, The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office determined his cause of death was drowning and the manner of death was ruled accidental.
“According to reports, this 30-year-old man was witnessed by a transient bystander to be vomiting by the bank of Lady Bird Lake and then subsequently fall and submerge into the water in the early morning of February 5, 2023. After attempting to aid the decedent, the bystander went to a nearby hotel and contacted 911,” the report read.
Law enforcement searched the area but he was not found until February 13, 2023. Police found him fully dressed with his wallet and phone in his pockets.
John’s toxicology report showed alcohol was in his system but no illegal drugs were detected.
John had no significant internal or external injuries and that there were no fractures or traumatic injuries found, according to the report.
Jonathan Honey autopsy report
The autopsy says Jonathan Honey, 33, was drinking at a bar and then “left his friends to find food.” Honey was reported missing to the Austin Police Department on March 31, police previously said. His body was later recovered from Lady Bird Lake near 10 Rainey Street, KXAN reported.
Honey’s toxicology report showed there was alcohol in his system. He had drugs in his system consistent with over the counter or prescribed medications.
