Fears a serial killer is on the loose in Texas have soared after the fifth dead body this year was pulled out of a lake in Austin.
Mogga Dogale’s dead body was pulled out of Lady Bird Lake on Tuesday, according to the Austin Police Department (APD).
While his death is not being treated as a homicide, locals are terrified that a serial killer is lurking in their city.
The area of concern is Rainey Street in Austin, leading some to dub that a “Rainey Street Ripper” is roaming the streets at night.
But the APD downplayed fears of a murderous villain back in April when it poured cold water on serial killer claims made by residents.
It said in a statement: “There is no evidence in any of these cases to suspect foul play.
“While each incident has occurred at the lake, the circumstances, exact locations, and demographics surrounding these cases vary.”
But that has not done enough to calm the nerves of a string of locals who are convinced there is a “roofie killer” spiking men’s drinks with drugs like GHB – known as roofies – before murdering them.
Up to eight people have been found drowned in Lady Bird Lake over the last 10 months following nights out on Rainey Street.
Most of these have been men in their 30s, leading some to believe that a suspicious pattern is emerging.
Jason John, 30, was found dead a week after a night out on the Rainey Street strip on February 5.
Cliff Axel, 40, was later found in dead in the lake in March. Jonathon Honey, 33, was discovered dead on April 1.
He was last spotted at a taco truck on Rainey Street on March 31.
John Christopher Hays-Clark, 30, was found dead on April 15.
Before that, Julio Santos, 22 was found in 2015, and Martin Gutierrez, 25, was found in 2018.
Christian Pugh, 21, was found in 2019 – however, he was alive but had reportedly been hit in the head and had bruised hands when he was pulled from the water.
Other than Pugh, police say they have found no signs of trauma on the victims or evidence to suggest they were murdered.
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