Austin police are looking for a serial killer, and it's not the 'Rainey Street Ripper'

Austin police suspect a serial killer is on the loose in that city. And no, it's not the purported "Rainey Street Ripper" that's been the source of much online speculation.

Instead, this suspect may have sexually assaulted and killed two Central Texas women over the past five years, according to the Austin Police Department.


Rivera was last seen on June 21 leaving Club Caribe in Southeast Austin before police discovered her body in a nearby abandoned house. Caribe is less than 3 miles from where Aviles' body was found in her car on the side of a road in Bastrop County, police say.

Police initially didn't think the cases were connected. However, earlier this month, they discovered that the same DNA evidence at both crime scenes, leading authorities to speculate that the same person killed both Aviles and Rivera.

Police have released a video of the suspect, who was seen walking alongside Rivera on the night of her death.


APD asked those with information on either case to contact them at (512) 974-TIPS. Those who wan to submit tips anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program can do so by visiting that organization's website or by calling (512) 472-8477.

A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for anyone with information that leads to an arrest.

Despite the the suspicion that a serial killer took the two women's lives, authorities are adamant that they slayings aren't connected  to a string of drownings at Lady Bird Lake in recent years.

Even though police have ruled most of those as accidental drownings, true crime buffs continue to speculate without significant evidence that the lake deaths are the work of a serial killer dubbed the "Rainey Street Ripper."

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