‘It's the Death River’: Melanie Raymond claims Lady Bird Lake deaths ‘connected’ to her brother Julio Santos' drowning
AUSTIN, TEXAS: The sister of Julio Santos, who was discovered dead in 2015 in Lady Bird Lake, has spoken up on the recent deaths. In a period of three months, four bodies were found in or close to the lake, resulting in people believing that a serial killer was behind the deaths. The victims were reportedly Jason John, 30, Clifton Axtell, 40, Jonathan Honey, 33, and the 30-year-old John Christopher Hays-Clark.
Now, Santos’ sister Melanie Raymond told Fox 7 Austin, “I'm a little overwhelmed,” before she mentioned her brother. The woman said, “A fantastic kid. He was smart. He is one of a kind. He was just a great kid. Just an amazing guy.”
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‘It's the Death River’
The 22-year-old’s official cause of death was stated to be drowning, but Raymond does not believe that. She shared, “I think he was drugged. I think he was over-served. I think he was lured over there. I picture him being scared and not knowing what to do and being hurt. And I just imagine the worst. That's what we always call it: It's not Lady Bird, it's not Town Lake. It's the Death River.”
Referring to the recent shocking discoveries, Raymond told the news channel, “I think they're connected. They're too much the same to be a coincidence.” She asserted, “It's like [Austin Police Department] APD is 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.”
Amid these tragedies, City Council passed several resolutions, as an official statement said, “The City Manager is directed to provide an interim pedestrian safety plan for the Rainey Street Historic District and provide a report to Council regarding the status of this directive by April 20, 2023. The plan should explore the capacity for Park Rangers to patrol and have EMS stationed at the Rainey Street Trailhead, along with detailing hours and days when those personnel would be deployed.”
“The City Manager shall provide recommendations related to the possibility of installing more HALO cameras throughout the Rainey Street Historic District area and provide a report to Council regarding the status of this directive by June 13, 2023, and shall include in the recommendations the feasibility and costs of relocating HALO cameras and acquiring new HALO cameras,” the statement added.
‘This seems to be bigger’
Noting these proposals, Raymond said, “If they are adopting resolutions to pacify, that's not enough. If they're going to adopt a resolution and take ten years to do it, that's not enough. So far, all we've received are empty promises. We should be able to have fun and not have to worry about our loved ones being found in the river and being told, 'oh, they just drink too much.’”
“This seems to be bigger. There's a lot more attention. I hope it won't fizzle out again. I hope it doesn't,” she added.