KXAN Catalyst

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hear the serial drownings trailer now.

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

KXAN’s Josh Hinkle, David Barer, Arezow Doost, Eric Henrikson and Dalton Huey discuss challenges they faced while investigating Texas’ death inquest system.

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.

As Texas’ population grows, so do critics’ concerns over elected officials investigating death. As Daynon Lewis’ case unfolds, state lawmakers look to the future.

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.

Hear the death inquests trailer now.

KXAN newsroom leaders and Francisco Vara-Orta of Investigative Reporters & Editors discuss overcoming blind spots and personal bias when covering controversial topics.

KXAN journalists share the inner challenges they face when reporting on issues intersecting with their identities and the communities to which they belong.

Catalyst Host Josh Hinkle shares how the murder of a gay college student shaped his early reporting and how he now approaches LGBTQ+ coverage.

KXAN explores proposed laws impacting LGBTQ+ Texans. Our journalists share how they make fair, objective coverage decisions and how their experiences shape the reporting, including the murder of a gay college student. This season is part of our “OutLaw” investigation.

Families of a Texas missing persons law’s namesake react to the discovery that police might not have complied with potentially thousands of cases.

One woman’s search for her missing brother leads to the streets of Austin, as a legislator considers strengthening a new state law.

Jeanne Pinder of ClearHealthCosts speaks with KXAN’s Josh Hinkle and David Barer about medical debt challenges across Texas and the U.S.

New police transparency bills are up against the clock, as Texas journalists testify about challenges with late and incomplete custodial death reports.

A father’s two-year search for his missing Marine son leads a state lawmaker to file legislation, requiring police to report to NamUs.

Eva Ruth Moravec of the Texas Justice Initiative speaks with KXAN’s Josh Hinkle and David Barer on custodial deaths.

Texas police agencies file hundreds of custodial death reports late or incomplete, including the case of Herman Titus.

Herman Titus’ mother takes her fight for police transparency before Texas lawmakers, as opponents voice their open records concerns.

Video surfaces of the moments after Herman Titus collapsed in jail. WARNING: This episode depicts death, and listeners may find it disturbing.

We uncover recordings and documents detailing Herman Titus’ severe pain and jailers releasing him from lockdown just days before his death.