John Christopher Hays-Clark: Discovery of fourth dead body in Texas lake mounts fear of potential serial killer
AUSTIN, TEXAS: A fourth dead body has reportedly been found in a Texas lake over the course of the past two months, raising fears that a suspected serial killer may be haunting in the city's downtown social hub. The body of John Christopher Hays-Clark, 30, was found floating in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake just before 1.30 pm on Saturday, April 15, Austin Police Officer Michael Bullock confirmed during a press conference.
Austin police noted that they have found no evidence of foul play involved in Hays-Clark’s death. “Our homicide unit did respond to the scene and are investigating this incident. As of right now, it is a very unfortunate incident but up to this point, we have not discovered anything suspicious tied directly to this incident. But we don’t make that final determination until the Medical Examiner has been able to make their review as well,” Bullock said, according to the New York Post. Hays-Clark’s death made him the fourth person to be found in the lake over the past 2 months.
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Who are the other victims found dead in Austin lake?
Jason John, 30, was the first person to be found dead in the Austin lake this year. His body was pulled from the lake on February 13, just a week after he was last seen on Rainey Street, a well-known pub and restaurant strip about a mile from the lake. Later, 40-year-old Cliff Axtell’s deceased body was discovered in the same lake on March 5. In April, Johnathan Honey, 33, was found dead in the lake just one day after he was reported missing. A further four unidentified bodies have been recovered from the lake in the past 10 months, according to Crime Online.
While Hays-Clark's cause of death is still unknown, police stated the other three males died from a "combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake" and did not exhibit any indications of trauma. The discovery of so many bodies in such a short succession has left Austin residents fearful. Since then, terrified locals have created Facebook groups and posted on TikTok to express their growing concerns. A number of people have taken their concerns to TikTok by making films alerting viewers to an alleged serial murderer. Some people have noted how the conditions in which the guys were discovered are similar to those of the Smiley Face Killers, according to Daily Mail.
“No answers as to what has happened to any of those folks”
One Austin resident identified as Christopher Pugh said that too many people have gone missing but the community has “no answers as to what has happened to any of those folks." In November 2019, Pugh's 21-year-old son unexpectedly vanished after a night out on Rainey Street and was subsequently discovered by the lake with "serious" injuries. “There are too many people that have gone missing,” Pugh said during a council meeting, according to Fox. “There are too many people that have been injured. Two more people have died since the last time I came down here and talked to you, and I’m going to bet we have no video camera on anything that happened with those incidents.”
The police department has since been trying to put an end to rumors and fears that the city has been overrun by a serial murderer who mostly targets young males passing through the region. “We definitely understand people that have concerns,” Bullock said, adding “One thing to keep in mind is that Austin has thousands of acres of green space and waterways. It’s a very nature-focused large metropolitan area. So we would just encourage people to always be aware of your surroundings and if you can go with friends, keep yourself safe so that way we don’t have unfortunate incidents that can occur.”