Body found in Lady Bird Lake identified: APD
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police identified the man found dead in Lady Bird Lake on Tuesday, June 27 as Mogga Dogale. This is the fifth body found in Lady Bird Lake in just six months.
Police say this case is not being investigated as a homicide, and that the cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office.
Police said it’s too early to say if foul play is involved in this death.
The five bodies pulled from the lake this year are:
- February 13: Jason John, age 30
- March 5: Clifton Axtell, age 40
- April 1: Jonathan Honey, age 33
- April 15: John Christopher Hays-Clark, age 30
- June 27: Mogga Dogale, age unknown
"If there was any immediate public safety concerns, we would release that information, right," Austin police Sgt. Lee Knouse said.
Sgt. Knouse with APD said the incidents cannot be tied together.
"All these death investigations occur independently," Knouse said.
Around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, officials said a man's body was found near the 1000 block of W. Cesar Chavez in the area of Lamar Beach Metro Park.
"We’re west of Lamar, and we’re East of Austin High School just for kind of reference," Knouse said.
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When officials arrived, they found a body in the water. The victim is a male. Police said they didn't have any information on a name, race, age, or if the person is homeless.
"Too early for me to say anything about the manner of death, homicide, suspiciousness, anything like that," Knouse said.
APD is encouraging people to stay safe while out on the water.
"Water can be inherently dangerous, so we always want to be cognizant when we are along waterways of that fact, so if we’re going to be on a boat, keep a personal floatation device on or readily accessible," Knouse said.
The cause of death is unknown at this time. The medical examiner will release that information, but it could take months.