Police ID Missing Austin Man Later Found Dead At Lake Bird Lake

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Austin Police Department identified the man whose lifeless body was found floating at an area lake as the same person who went missing last week after visiting the Rainey Street Historic District.

"APD Homicide detectives are able to confirm the deceased person located in the 1300 block of East Riverside Drive yesterday morning {Monday, Nov. 26} is missing person Martin Gutierrez," police wrote in an email sent to Patch. Police added that family members had been notified of the positive identification, saying they now await toxicology results from the Travis County medical examiner to augment their investigation into the death. "No other information is available at this time," police wrote in conclusion.

Police previously reported the discovery of a body floating at Lady Bird Lake yesterday, not far from where Martinez, 25, went missing last Monday. Before police officially identified the body just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, family members took to social media that morning confirming the man found dead at the lake was the loved one they had so desperately sought in the area where he was last seen.

"I lost my best friend," the brother of Martin Gutierrez, 25, wrote on Facebook Tuesday morning. "A void that will never be filled again."

According to a date of birth provided by Austin police, Gutierrez would have turned 26 on Jan. 16. The young man vanished during the early morning hours last Monday, Nov. 19, after celebrating with friends along Rainey Street. A massive search by land and air ensued, with family members scouring the landscape surrounding Rainey Street in the hopes of finding their lost family member.

"Martin was the brother I could go to for everything and now he’s gone," the brother wrote on Facebook. "I am lost with no idea what direction to go from here. My family, friends, and community have come together in a way I never believed was possible in an effort to help me find him. I appreciate every text, call, message, posting, etc either sending prayers or providing assistance or advice to find him. Just keep our family in your thoughts and prayers; it helps more than you know. This world will always and forever be significantly less happy without Martin Gutierrez."

Other family members have taken to social media grieving their loss. Having retraced his steps on the night he vanished, family members told news outlets Gutierrez had gone to Lustre Pearl before heading to Alibi, another bar next door. In media interviews, family members also said Gutierrez appeared to be acting strangely as seen on surveillance camera footage.

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On Monday, Nov. 26, officials said the body of a man was found floating at Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir of the Colorado River downstream from the area where Gutierrez was last seen in close proximity. But at the time, police declined to reveal even the gender of the body as they cited the ongoing nature of their investigation.

Originally from the Midland-Odessa region, Gutierrez is survived by his parents and seven siblings. He was a recent graduate of Texas Tech University before moving to Austin earlier this year, according to reports.

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>>> Photo of Martin Gutierrez provided by Austin Police Department