The “Rainey Street Ripper”: Social Media Apophenia and Linkage Illusions
Published online on March 13, 2026
Abstract
Homicide Studies, Ahead of Print.
The theory that a serial murderer is drowning men from Austin’s Rainey Street District has been advanced by social and mainstream media for 3 years now, repeatedly fueled by speculation set off by the recovery of bodies from nearby Lady Bird Lake. We ...
The theory that a serial murderer is drowning men from Austin’s Rainey Street District has been advanced by social and mainstream media for 3 years now, repeatedly fueled by speculation set off by the recovery of bodies from nearby Lady Bird Lake. We ...