Found Deceased TX - Martin Gutierrez, 25, Rainey Street, Austin, 19 Nov 2018

[Third Coast Gal]

'I just feel numb': Family of Austin man found dead a week after disappearance hopes for change

 

[MFH]

I am interested in what the toxicology reports will show. It seems the family is still wanting answers because this is so out of character for Martin. I hope they get the answers they need. So heartbreaking.

 

[rainynights]

'I knew it was him.' Martin Gutierrez' family speaks after his death

Wednesday Gutierrez's brother [MG] talked with KXAN News for the first time since the discovery.

[...]

[MG]: He had been in the water for quite an extensive period of time, he was unidentifiable, is what they had said. The clothing is what helped identify him, and he had his wallet on him, so we kind of had an idea before the scientific evidence came out.

[...]

[MG]: We actually found some surveillance at an apartment complex nearby that showed Martin going towards the water, or what we thought was Martin. It looked very similar, the way he was walking and everything, and so we were almost positive it was, and so we turned it over to the detectives.

KXAN: How do you want your brother remembered?

[MG]: Just as he was. Happy, laughing, humble, kind, loving, he was perfect man. Just, I don't want people to forget how happy he was.

The Gutierrez family plans to hold a memorial service for Martin this Saturday at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Big Springs.

*(video at link)

bbm

 

[zecats]

'I knew it was him.' Martin Gutierrez' family speaks after his death


[...]

[MG]: He had been in the water for quite an extensive period of time, he was unidentifiable, is what they had said. The clothing is what helped identify him, and he had his wallet on him, so we kind of had an idea before the scientific evidence came out.

[...]

[MG]: We actually found some surveillance at an apartment complex nearby that showed Martin going towards the water, or what we thought was Martin. It looked very similar, the way he was walking and everything, and so we were almost positive it was, and so we turned it over to the detectives.

KXAN: How do you want your brother remembered?

[MG]: Just as he was. Happy, laughing, humble, kind, loving, he was perfect man. Just, I don't want people to forget how happy he was.

The Gutierrez family plans to hold a memorial service for Martin this Saturday at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Big Springs.

*(video at link)

bbm

Not robbed then since they DID find his wallet. This leans more toward accident or intentional now imo, than foul play.

 

[Saseegrl]

An article from a local new station this morning detailing some of the cases we have had in ATX, Martin’s being one of them.

History of men reported missing before bodies found in Austin's lakes, rivers
History of men reported missing before bodies found in Austin's lakes, rivers

 

[BluesClues0]

Saseegrl. That's right. This puts an entirely different light on things. I'm from Austin, and I thought it strange, but didn't put the killer angle together. I've been drunk before. Real drunk. Except for maybe tripping, I can't think of any reason I'd have decided to go swimming at 2:00am in the morning, alone, with my clothes on.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Was he at the Boardwalk? Isn’t there a high rail/fence around the water to prevent accidental falls? Or is it a lake with no barriers/etc?

 

[BluesClues0]

Was he at the Boardwalk? Isn’t there a high rail/fence around the water to prevent accidental falls? Or is it a lake with no barriers/etc?

There's no boardwalk and there's no fence. It's not a very daunting lake. More like a pond that is long. Kind of nice actually.

 

[Saseegrl]

There's no boardwalk and there's no fence. It's not a very daunting lake. More like a pond that is long. Kind of nice actually.

There is a boardwalk. The Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Boardwalk opened in June of 2014. It starts around the Austin Statesman building and runs along and extends out into the lake on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake towards I-35. And for the peeps that do not live in Austin, Lady Bird Lake is really not a lake. It is actually the Colorado River. A portion of the river was formed into a cooling reservoir for the Holly Street Power Plant with the building of Longhorn Dam in the 60's. The same thing for Lake Austin (where the guy in October was found), a reservoir further up the river formed by Tom Miller Dam. So, it is not really lake, it is still very much a river. There is no fencing around the river in the Downtown area.
I think that everyone is assuming that Martin went into the water on the north side of the lake - the Downtown side where the entertainment districts are. He was found around the area East of I-35 near 1300 E. Riverside on the South Shore near the Boardwalk. I think that he just floated there, I seriously doubt he crossed over the river on one of the major streets just to fall in on the other side. But, I guess anything is possible since we don't know what happened.
I have always wondered if maybe the guys where urinating into the water off the shore and maybe lost their balance and fell in. The lighting along the shore is bad after the trail closes so it makes it difficult to see. Add in the vegetation and it makes it difficult to tell how deep the water is in certain spots.

 

[Anonymous8791]

My question is, ARE WE going to find out what the toxicology results were? Angela Morris went missing months ago then was found behind a corporate office but was seen on video surveillance walking into the building then out the back door = strange behavior. It was speculated that her behavior was due to heat exhaustion (a known condition she had) but I've never been able to find the results of HER toxicology so we never found out why she walked down the road not too far from her car and passed away. I really hope we are privy to Martin's autopsy results because this incident kept me up at night for a week. I was set out to join the search party and it started pouring out so I wasn't able to go.

Another question is... how was it that they searched and searched all along the water but he wasn't found? I thought they search all around Lady Bird Lake? If he was there the whole time since that night he went missing how did search dogs and humans not see him in the water? I hope this isn't an insensitive question but I was curious if he died in the water - would he sink for a while? Is that why he wasn't found or seen sooner in the water?

EDIT: I forgot to mention this.. If this occurred --> "APD’s homicide unit alerted lake patrol to use sonar and cadaver dogs to look for Gutierrez on Wednesday, two days after he disappeared. They searched all day and couldn’t find him." -- how did they not find him if he WAS in there?

 

[Saseegrl]

I am wondering the same thing. They searched that water several times over the week and he wasn't far from the area he went missing.

 

[CocoChanel]

In an effort to better understand this sad tragedy...

Drowning - Wikipedia

• Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male.
• Use of alcohol increases the risk of drowning. Among adolescents and adults, alcohol use is involved in almost a quarter of emergency department visits for drowning.

http://www.operationtakemehome.org/sar/Fire and Rescue Personnel/Biology of drowning.pdf

Almost without exception, a dead body lying on the bottom of a river or lake will come to the surface again. This is due to gas formed in the body tissues as decay occurs. When enough gas has formed to inflate the tissues and distend the skin, the body becomes lighter than water and rises to the surface. This process is due to the action of bacteria within the body. Consequently, the length of time that elapses before the body rises depends not only upon the amount of fat contained in the tissues but on the temperature of the water. If the water is warm, the formation of gas within the body occurs rapidly and the body may rise to the surface in a day or two. However, if the water is cold, bacterial action takes place very slowly and it may take several weeks before the body appears on the surface. When a body is fully distended it is almost impossible to sink even with counter weights.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

This is not related to Martin per se, but another man was found in the water in Austin recently and police are not yet sure how he got there. IMO it's very possible with all the rain he just fell in and drowned. But the timing ....

Did you see him? Police want tips after man found dead in Shoal Creek

 

[Third Coast Gal]

No connections found in men's deaths near Downtown Austin waters, police say

 

[CocoChanel]

No connections found in men's deaths near Downtown Austin waters, police say

This most recent drowning seems a bit different, in that it was an older middle-aged gentleman, not a younger guy in his 20s, as many other of the water deaths seem too be around the country. The investigation for this one is still to early to rule out foul play I think. The other 2 in Austin do seem to be accidental, but tragedies just the same. May they all rest in eternal peace.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

This is certainly an interesting article today on KXAN that reminded me of Martin:

An Austin woman went out to Rainey Street with her friends on Sunday and within a matter of hours, she said her behavior became abnormal and she was ultimately incapacitated. She was hospitalized afterward and believes that her condition was caused by being drugged while she was out on Rainey Street.
Woman believes she was drugged on Rainey St., cops investigating

 

[Detectivediva]

This is certainly an interesting article today on KXAN that reminded me of Martin:

An Austin woman went out to Rainey Street with her friends on Sunday and within a matter of hours, she said her behavior became abnormal and she was ultimately incapacitated. She was hospitalized afterward and believes that her condition was caused by being drugged while she was out on Rainey Street.
Woman believes she was drugged on Rainey St., cops investigating

I really hope they'll release tox results in Martin's case someday. I know this is unlikely but I still hope so.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Medical examiner: man missing near Rainey St. died of accidental drowning

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Monday, the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office released the autopsy report for the death investigation of Martin Gutierrez, 25.

The autopsy report shows that the ME found the cause of Gutierrez's death was drowning, the manner of his death was an accident.

Gutierrez was reported missing on November 19, 2018 and was last seen on Rainey Street in downtown Austin where he had been out with friends.

Emergency responders found a body floating in Lady Bird Lake, on Monday, November 26.

The next day, the Austin Police Department and family confirmed the body was Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was from Big Spring,Texas and a graduate of Texas Tech University. After graduating, he moved to Austin and lived with his brother and his brother's girlfriend.

The autopsy report

The medical examiner's office found that there was a bruise on the lower part of Gutierrez's head, but no skull fracture or brain injuries. They also found generalized swelling in his brain and chest cavities.

The ME's office reported that they found alcohol in his blood, but no prescription drugs.

Mitchell Gutierrez, Martin's older brother and roommate, explained that a doctor with the ME's office told him Monday that because his brother's body had been underwater for so long, it was breaking down and it is possible that other substances could have been in his system and released from his body, undetected by this autopsy report.

"I do not think this was an accident," Mitchell Gutierrez maintains.

Because it took many days to find Martin's body, Mitchell said he feels there is still a possibility that how long his brother was in the water skewed the autopsy results.

"The worst part was, knowing that he was underwater, drowned, and that he was by himself," Mitchell said.

Mitchell believes someone intentionally hurt his brother, perhaps at one of the several bars he went to that night.

"Before this I wouldn't think anythign about other people and their stories, and now that's all I can think about, is how much that happens on a daily basis," he said.

Police officers he's spoken to about Martin's case have told him that sometimes people behind malicious attacks will brag about what they've done, Mitchell believes someone hurt his brother and hopes that whoever it is slips and starts talking about it.

Mitchell said he and his family are still looking for answers about how his brother died.

"At this point, I have zero hope for anything," he said.

Last week Austin Police told KXAN that there are no indications of foul play in this case and that they had no new information at that time. Martin's family still believes that foul play contributed to his death.

 

[archenemy toenail]

Drugging could be behind trend in unusual ER patients, Seton doctor says

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A physician who works at Dell Seton's ER told KXAN that she and her colleagues have been noticing a trend: more ER patients coming from downtown bars and entertainment districts who display unusual, non-alcohol related symptoms.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Drugging could be behind trend in unusual ER patients, Seton doctor says

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A physician who works at Dell Seton's ER told KXAN that she and her colleagues have been noticing a trend: more ER patients coming from downtown bars and entertainment districts who display unusual, non-alcohol related symptoms.

This is quite alarming!

I hope it is looked into VERY closely...

and specifically with Martin's case!