AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) is asking for the public’s assistance in locating the relatives of a man found dead in South Austin last year.
Police said on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, officers responded to a call reporting a body in a retention pond near Slaughter Lane and the 8800 block of South Congress Avenue.
Detectives and crime scene investigators determined the death was not a homicide, APD said.
Now, police and the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCME) are asking for the public’s help with identifying any relatives of the man, identified as Jose Lopez and also known by aliases Carlos Jose Lopez, Francisco Olivas, Marcos Rumilio Cheguen Lopez.
Lopez is described as a Hispanic man, possibly from Central or South America, who is approximately 4 feet, 11 inches tall and 117 pounds, with short black hair, a black goatee with stubble and several missing teeth with potential evidence of a surgical metal plate to the jaw.
At the time of his death, Lopez was wearing a large gray Lucky House brand top, size 30x30 American Eagle brand jeans, and size 13 blue and gray Brooks brand shoes.
It’s unknown how old he was when he died. Police believe he may have been born on Feb. 10, 1993; Feb. 10, 1990; Feb. 10, 1989; or Oct. 17, 1991.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office at 512-854-9961 and reference TCME case #23-07159.
