Rumors of Austin serial killer dubbed the ‘Rainey Street Ripper’ swirl online

After a body was pulled from Austin’s Lady Bird Lake over the weekend, social media is abuzz with speculation that a serial killer is on the loose in the state capital.

The corpse of Jonathan Honey, 33, was discovered Saturday in the urban lake. He was visiting the city for a bachelor party and was last seen on Rainey Street on March 31, Austin-based news TV station KVUE reports.

Honey is the second victim to be pulled from the lake in a month, and the seventh body discovered at Lady Bird Lake in the past 10 months, according to media reports. However, the Austin Police Department issued a statement Monday saying it has no reason to suspect foul play in the incidents.

Just the same, the deaths have fueled online speculation that a serial killer — dubbed the “Rainey Street Ripper” — is stalking Austin streets.

“Austin has a serial killer, and I’m not the only one noticing similarities with men in their 30s just ending up in the river after midnight this early in the year,” Twitter user @jBril3y06 wrote.
“Austin definitely has a serial killer,” @vicorriaguera said. “All these deaths around the same area are not a coincidence.”
“This is no longer a coincidence,” Twitter user @disaacarmen added. “There’s no conspiracy theory anymore. There’s clearly a serial killer in Austin. There’s a new body found every other week/day. Set up fucking camera along the lake already.”

In its recent statement, the Austin Police Department acknowledged that the cases are still under investigation. However, it suggested that there’s a far more mundane explanation for the series of fatalities.

“One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake, which has numerous access points,” the statement reads. “Many of the access points can be challenging to see at night.”

The statement also recommends that members of the public steer clear of the parks areas where most of the drownings occurred after their 10 p.m. closure time.

Despite APD’s reassurance, some aren’t convinced. Indeed, a Facebook group dubbed “Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer/Rainey St Killer” popped up in February.

Since news of Honey’s death, more than 2,000 new members have joined the group, page administrators said. It now has around 20,000 members in total.

San Antonio is no stranger to crime-related internet rumors. In December, online buzz about a potential serial killer in the 210 swirled on social media. However, these myths were debunked by SAPD and reports by local media outlets, including the Current.

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This article appears in Mar 22 – Apr 4, 2023.