Fears of serial killer as eight bodies and bullet-riddled car pulled from lake

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Fresh concerns have been raised that a serial killer could be on the prowl in Austin, Texas, after a bullet-riddled car was dragged from Lady Bird Lake.

The bodies of at least four men have been discovered in the lake since February, with several others found over the past few years. Still, Austin police insist that there is no evidence of foul play.

In a statement issued on April 3, the authorities noted the "speculation regarding the recent drownings”.

READ MORE: Serial killer fears as four bodies found in same lake in just nine weeks

However, they said: ”Although these cases are still under investigation and evidence is being analysed, at this time, there is no evidence in any of these cases to support allegations of foul play."

Police had responded to reports of a shooting near the lake’s Festival Beach boat ramp around 2am on Monday, and a search turned up a car in the water.

While no bodies were found in the car, several have been found in Lady Bird Lake recently.

The most recent body found, that of 30-year-old John Christopher Hays-Clark, was recovered from the lake on April 18.

Three other bodies have been recovered from the same lake since February. Jonathan Honey, who was aged 33, was found on April 1, while Clifton Axtell, 40, and Jason John, 30, were found on March 5 and February 15 respectively.

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Most of the men had last been seen alive on Rainey Street, a nightlife centre with several popular bars just under two miles from the lake.

"One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year,” police said, “is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake,"

Autopsies of the victims "have not revealed any trauma to the bodies or indication of foul play.”

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Austin Police Department spokesman Chief Joseph Chacon told Fox 7: "I realise that there is a rampant rumor about a potential serial killer here in Austin. We've found no evidence of that."

He added: "It's a horrible circumstance that we have these, and we look at each one to determine the circumstances in which they occurred.

"Some of them are accidental, unfortunately, some of them are also suicides."

Nevertheless, a Facebook group named Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer/ Rainey St Killer now has over 85,000 members all sharing theories about the mystery.

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