Martin Gutierrez

Martin Gutierrez was a happy, sociable young man with a bright future, remembered for his warmth, dorky jokes, and love of movie quotes. A 2017 graduate of Texas Tech's Rawls College of Business, the 25-year-old worked as a financial analyst. His family described him as a "social butterfly" who "talked to everybody, everybody loved him." Close friends recalled how you could feel his warmth when he walked into a room. He was deeply loved by his family, including his brother, Mitchell Gutierrez, who considered Martin his best friend.

On the night of November 18, 2018, Martin was out with friends on Rainey Street, a popular nightlife district in downtown Austin, Texas. He was last seen alive around 1 a.m. on November 19 in the 90 block of the street. Surveillance footage from bars he visited, including Alibi, captured behavior that his brother later described as uncharacteristically erratic. Mitchell noted Martin was flailing his arms and not socializing with friends, which was completely out of character for him. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a black Patagonia jacket, a light green shirt, dark blue jeans, and gray Vans shoes.

When Martin didn't return, his family and friends launched an exhaustive search. They blanketed the Holly neighborhood in East Austin with missing person flyers and organized search parties, determined to keep his name in the public eye. The community rallied to support their efforts, and the family offered a reward, which started at $5,000, for any information that would help find him. His brother expressed gratitude for the immense community support during the agonizing week-long search.

On November 26, 2018, the search came to a tragic end when a body was discovered in Lady Bird Lake, near Riverside Drive, about a mile from where Martin was last seen. The following day, the Austin Police Department confirmed the body was that of Martin Gutierrez. His identification and bank cards were reportedly found with him. His family announced they would be taking him back to his hometown of Big Spring, Texas, for burial, with a memorial planned for Austin, a city he loved.

The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and ruled the cause of death as drowning, with the manner of death determined to be accidental. The toxicology report found alcohol in his system but no illicit or prescription drugs. The report also noted a bruise on the back of his head. While authorities stated there was no evidence of foul play, Martin's family publicly questioned the official findings. His sister-in-law, Whitney, a healthcare provider, expressed concern about the bruise, stating that a contusion requires active blood flow, meaning he would have had to be alive when the injury occurred.

The family's doubts were compounded by his strange behavior on the surveillance video and the unanswered question of how a proficient swimmer with no history of seizures ended up in the lake. "I just have this gut feeling there's no evidence there's no answers no concrete anything that we have," his brother Mitchell said. Following the discovery, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission launched a standard investigation into the Alibi Bar, where Martin was last seen, noting it was standard procedure and not an indication of any violations.

In the years since, Martin's death, along with others in Lady Bird Lake, has prompted calls from families for increased safety measures around the Rainey Street area and the adjacent trail. In response, the city installed additional lighting and fencing along the waterway.

Hundreds gathered for a memorial service on the boardwalk of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, near where his body was found. They shared stories and released hundreds of balloons with messages for Martin. "We just want him to see every message that was written on those balloons," Mitchell said. "And I believe that when he saw them go up there he will catch them and read each and every one of them and know how much we love him." As of May 2023, the case remains closed, officially ruled an accidental death, though his family continues to hold onto his memory and seek more definitive answers.