Fears Serial Killer May Be on the Loose After 8th Body Found in Lake in Austin

The United States is the serial killer capital of the world. According to statistics compiled by the University of Michigan, there have been a whopping 3,613 serial killers as of 2020. The second runner-up? England, with just 176 known serial killers as of 2020. Another interesting fact? The number of serial killers peaked in the United States in 1986 and was at its highest between 1970 and 1990. Due to advances in technology, it has become increasingly hard for people to get away with murder-after-murder and serial killers seem to be few and far between these days. However, residents in one Texas city fear that there is a serial killer on the loose after eight bodies have been found in or by the same lake in less than a year. 

A Body Was Found Floating in an Austin Lake

On Saturday the body of John Christopher Hays-Clark, 30, was found floating in Austin's Lady Bird Lake, according to Austin Police Officer Michael Bullock. Three others have been found in the lake this year alone. 

Police Claim They Have "Not Discovered Anything Suspicious"

"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," Bullock said during a press conference.

It Is the Fourth Body in Just a Few Months

The first body found in the lake was in February. Jason John, 20, was rescued one week after he was last seen on Rainey Street, one mile from the lake. According to authorities, the street is home to several popular bars and restaurants. 

One of Them Hasn't Been Identified

One month later another man around the same age was found dead in the lake. He has yet to be identified. In April, Jonathan Honey, 33, was also found dead in the lake one day after being reported missing. 

All Men Were in Their Early 30s

All men are in their early thirties. According to police the first three died from a "combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake." None of them showed signs of trauma. Hays-Clark's death is still under investigation. 

A Total of Eight Bodies Have Been Found in a Year

According to Chron, four other bodies have been found in or near the lake in the last year. Last week, during a city council meeting, members of the community expressed concerns, per Fox News. "There are too many people that have gone missing," Christopher Pugh, whose 21-year-old son was found by the lake in 2019, said. "There are too many people that have been injured. There are too many people that can walk off, and we still have absolutely no answers as to what has happened to any of those folks."

Police Are Trying to Keep Residents Calm

"We definitely understand people that have concerns," Bullock responded in reaction to the serial killer concern."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. If we did have any concerns, that is not something we would try to be hiding from the public," he added.