KXAN Catalyst

KXAN

Catalyst is an investigative podcast from KXAN News. Each season, KXAN’s investigative team will expose societal problems facing the state of Texas and shortfalls in the systems that impact everyone living here. These journalists will bring you thought-provoking stories that might ultimately lead to positive change. Watch the docuseries and explore the interactive elements at MayberryMissing.com.

  • 30 minutes 57 seconds
    S8 E4: Victimology of the Rainey Street Ripper

    As social media speculation swirls, Austin police partner with an expert in serial killers and their hunting grounds to dispel rumors of a predator near Lady Bird Lake.

    1 March 2026, 5:40 am
  • 17 minutes 2 seconds
    S8 E3: Folks Having Their Drink Spiked

    After losing loved ones in Lady Bird Lake, families push Austin leaders for years to implement new safety initiatives surrounding alcohol and the downtown waterway.

    22 February 2026, 5:40 am
  • 12 minutes 45 seconds
    S8 E2: Saw My Brother’s Body Floating

    Mitchell Gutierrez speaks out about his brother’s Lady Bird Lake drowning, his family’s fight for answers and why he believes a serial killer is behind the deaths.

    15 February 2026, 5:40 am
  • 15 minutes
    S8 E1: Just Wander Toward the Water

    Following dozens of drownings in Austin’s downtown lake, KXAN explores solutions in other U.S. cities, including volunteer student patrols in a northern college town.

    8 February 2026, 5:40 am
  • 2 minutes 35 seconds
    S8 Trailer

    Hear the serial drownings trailer now.

    1 February 2026, 6:03 am
  • 8 minutes 49 seconds
    S7 Update: More Medical Examiners to the State

    Following KXAN’s reporting on Texas’ death investigations, lawmakers look at ways to modernize the state’s system amid legislative challenges and cost concerns.

    14 July 2025, 5:40 am
  • 12 minutes 31 seconds
    S7 Bonus: Patchwork of Death Investigations (Analysis)
    KXAN’s Josh Hinkle, David Barer, Arezow Doost, Eric Henrikson and Dalton Huey discuss challenges they faced while investigating Texas’ death inquest system.
    9 December 2024, 5:42 am
  • 19 minutes 48 seconds
    S7 E3: Wanted an Autopsy on that Child
    While Texas’ justice of the peace system has evolved since its start in 1824, counties are slowly replacing the death inquest part of their role with medical examiners.
    2 December 2024, 5:47 am
  • 14 minutes 1 second
    S7 E2: Murdered Down by Backbone Creek
    As Texas’ population grows, so do critics’ concerns over elected officials investigating death. As Daynon Lewis’ case unfolds, state lawmakers look to the future.
    25 November 2024, 5:47 am
  • 18 minutes 54 seconds
    S7 E1: Found Hanging by a Jump Rope
    A teenager’s mysterious death in 1965 resurfaces in the Texas Hill Country, prompting a new review of her case and the inquest system still used across the state.
    18 November 2024, 5:47 am
  • 2 minutes 54 seconds
    S7 Trailer
    Hear the death inquests trailer now.
    11 November 2024, 5:47 am
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