Beware! Could Austin, Texas Have A Serial Killer On The Loose?

(Austin, Texas) - TikTok has become a way of life, even though it has been threatened to be banned entirely in Texas and has inspired a highly controversial surveillance bill. A lot of good information and amusement can come from the app, but so can disturbing news. When it comes to the latter, some folks in Austin are worried about the possibility of a potential threat, rumors of which are swirling on TikTok.

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IS THERE AN ACTIVE SERIAL KILLER IN AUSTIN, TEXAS?

A number of TikTokers and Facebookers believe there is a possible serial killer in Austin who needs to be stopped.

The gist of it is that a group growing in popularity on Facebook has attracted people who are convinced that a series of recent drownings at Lady Bird Lake are connected.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that the group was created on February 14, and that membership has skyrocketed since the body of a man named Jonathan Honey, who'd been missing for an entire day, was pulled from the lake on April 1. Members of the group say there's been a pattern of drownings in that area, and that something fishy (no pun intended) is going on.

The San Antonio Current reports that Honey's body was the seventh to be discovered at the lake over the past 10 months. Their story contains a number of tweets from people who are convinced that these deaths are not coincidences, and that someone is preying upon the people of Austin.

WHAT DOES THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT SAY?

All the conspiracy theories and speculation caught the attention of police, who released a statement to social media on April 3:

Police say they're being open minded in their investigation, but that they have found no evidence of foul play in any of these recent cases. They say there's been nothing in any autopsy performed to indicate trauma to the bodies that would lead investigators to believe anyone was murdered.

They also point out that that:

SOME PEOPLE AREN'T BUYING IT

It's obvious from the comment sections and activity in the Facebook group that the police statement isn't enough, and many remain convinced that something nefarious is going on, particularly in the area of Rainey Street.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE, TEXAS

We always suggest if you go out and about in any city or at any park, especially near one of Texas' lakes or other bodies of water, that you make sure that you let people know where you'll be, arrange for a safe ride home, and be around people you’re familiar with. Buddy system, people! Buddy system.