What happened to Jason John? Body of missing Austin man found in Lady Bird lake

Jason John. (Screenshot from U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett
Jason John. (Screenshot from U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett's Facebook post, Photo via Getty Images)

The Austin Police Department found the body of Jason John in Lady Bird Lake, who had gone missing for several days.

On Monday, February 13, 2023, authorities revealed that they found the 30-year-old's body in the evening at around 6:40 pm near 30, East Avenue in Austin, Texas.

A spokesperson for Austin Travis County EMS shared that doctors were called to the scene on Monday evening, where they pulled a body out of the lake. His family said that the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that it was Jason's body.

According to Fox 7 Austin, Jason's brother, Rinju John, said that they had heard about the activity near the lake. He added that they knew that they had to rush to the spot when the found out that there was police tape.

Rinju noted that although the family is in shock about the incident, they are still processing it and have some closure. He added that officials informed him that they didn't find any visible scars or injuries on Jason's body when they found him.


Jason John's family believes lighting along with cameras might have saved his life

Jason John went missing on February 5, 2023, after a night out with friends. He was last seen leaving Rainey Street. According to his brother, surveillance videos only recorded 10 minutes of Jason walking home. However, the other eight minutes weren't captured owing to the lack of cameras by the trail.

Rinju added that he and his mother firmly believe that having better lighting and cameras along the trail would have saved Jason's life. Their mother said that she plans on doing something about it.

He said that their mother isn't done with Austin and plans to move to Texas and make sure that the trail is lit up. She also wants cameras in the area, according to Rinju.

Rinju said that installing lights along the trail would be the perfect way to honor his brother, Jason John's life.

He said that going forward, anyone walking the trail would be safe and they would know that it was Jason John who made it happen. Rinju also said:

"It's never easy. We're just going to continue to remember him."

Remembering his brother, Rinju said that Jason was a jokester who liked making everyone around him happy.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued to Fox7, Mayor Kirk Watson said that everyone had hoped to find Jason safe, and noted that he his heartbroken for Jason's family and friends. The Mayor also said that he and council member Qadri agree with the family's concerns about lighting and safety on the trail. He noted that they are in touch with The Trail Conservancy to deal with the issues.

Authorities added that Jason John's cause of death is currently under investigation.

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Edited by Madhur Dave