Austin police are searching for a person suspected of killing a man on Saturday at a Southeast Austin homeless encampment and then lighting his body on fire to cover up the crime.
The victim has not been identified but was a homeless white or Hispanic male who possibly went by the nickname “JT,” according to a Monday news release from the Austin Police Department. The killing is being investigated as Austin’s first homicide of 2025.
The news release said police officers responded to reports of a fire at a “transient camp” at about 3:50 a.m. Saturday in the green belt area near 1704 Nelms Drive. At the scene, officers and Austin firefighters discovered the body of a “clearly deceased man” in the same area as a tent that had been “consumed” by fire.
An autopsy the next day revealed wounds on the victim’s body from “sharp force injuries,” the release said, adding that “The fire is believed to have been an attempt to cover up the murder.”
Police are asking the public for help identifying both the suspect and the victim. Anyone with information can call 512-974-TIPS.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police searching for suspect who killed, burned homeless man