Questions raised against Austin City Council members as Lady Bird Lake body count rises
AUSTIN, TEXAS: The city of Austin in Texas has been news lately for all the wrong reasons. In less than a year, a total of eight bodies were found in or near the city’s famous Lady Bird Lake near Rainey Street. The first person, whose remains were recovered from the waterbody was Jason John in February.
After the shocking discovery, the families of Jason and Martin Gutierrez, who was found dead in 2018, issued a plea to the city authorities. Elsie John, Jason's mom, said as per the Austin American-Statesman, “Our family is going through such unimaginable sorrow and despair over the past few weeks. We do not want another family to face the heartbreaking pain that we have experienced searching for our son. ... Make all the necessary actions to protect the life of the people of Austin near, and at Lady Bird Lake.”
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‘We are trying to help fast-track this process’
Zo Qadri, a new council member whose district encompasses the lake, reportedly stated, “I don't want to go into year two, three, or four and continue to have families that have lost loved ones reach out to our office. One death is one death too many.” However, nothing much has apparently changed since then.
The daily newspaper reported that only temporary lighting has been put along the Rainey Street Trailhead as well as “a split rail fence between the trail and the shoreline”. But Heidi Anderson, CEO of the Trail Conservancy, claimed, “The (Rainey Street) Trailhead project is coming forth and does have lighting and enhancement to this public parks space. What it may not have is enough additional safety precautions based on what has been happening recently in the area.”
Anderson also noted, “We care for the trail from a recreational and environmental standpoint, and we are in no way in charge of public policy and safety measures. But we are here to support them, and that is why we are trying to help fast-track this process and come up with ways to get (safety) recommendations outlined.”
‘We urge everyone who visits to take care’
Besides, a statement by the city released earlier this month, said, “While the Rainey Street Trailhead Project, in partnership with The Trail Conservancy, has been in the works since 2019 with the goals of expanding recreational options and improving amenities, the sharpened focus on safety is a result of two recent, tragic drowning deaths that occurred this year.”
Not just that, Interim City Manager Jesús Garza also acknowledged the necessity of proper lighting and other facilities as he stated, “We understand that Rainey Street is a destination for many visitors and Austinites alike, but we urge everyone who visits to take care of themselves and each other. As a City, we recognize we need to do more to keep people safe in this area.”
“We are moving quickly to do so and are reaching out to businesses on Rainey Street and other state agencies to partner with us in this crucially important effort. We also ask visitors to Rainey Street to drink responsibly and stay safe by staying together,” Garza added.
‘Something should’ve been done years ago’
However, all the talk around safety did not stop the deaths as in mid-April, another dead body was retrieved from the lake. It was of 30-year-old John Christopher Hays-Clark. The rise in number has also reignited the speculations of a serial killer or a group targetting men. Though police have denied this theory, victims’ families do not think the same and want the officials to do more.
During the February public safety meeting, Mitchell Gutierrez, Martin’s brother said, “Multiple people have gone missing with no changes. Something should’ve been done years ago, even before Martin.” More recently, Reegan Aparicio, who has a son with Clark, mentioned, “I do want to find out what’s going on at that lake because obviously, something’s going on. For the cops to say they don’t know, I feel like they do know because it’s been too many people for so many years.” Clark’s cousin Jazmine Parker added, “It gives you so many weird possibilities and scenarios like what could have happened, how’d he get in there, did somebody push him, did he jump, you just start thinking so many things.”