KXAN Investigates

Deaths in Williamson County continue to be investigated by justices of the peace, and both candidates for county judge admit the system needs reform.

This week, on a special, on-location edition of our weekly “Inside the Investigation” program, KXAN Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle and Investigative Reporter Matt Grant discuss updates to their team’s “TxTag Troubles” project and where the investigation could go next. 

Newly released 911 calls from the deadly Kerr County floods capture the chaos of July 4, 2025 and bring back into focus questions about whether more could have been done to save lives and the changes county officials have made since. This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Grace Reader explains what she heard on the 911 call recordings obtained by KXAN, including the very fir...

A  KXAN analysis  found thousands of unclaimed properties worth more than $40 million in Texas are unsearchable by the public, including financial assets ranging from uncashed checks to abandoned stocks. This week on Inside the Investigation, KXAN’s Senior Investigative Producer David Barer explains how the money has ended up in the multi-billion-dollar fund without an owner’s name.

 What started as a routine traffic stop for an Austin Independent School District senior ended in his detention just weeks before graduation, sparking questions about the use of encrypted messaging platforms like Signal by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This week on Inside The Investigation, Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley walks through...

On a “From the Vault” edition of “Inside the Investigation,” KXAN Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle and Investigative Reporter Arezow Doost revisit KXAN's "Medical Debt Lawsuits" investigation into patient billing transparency in Texas.        

The Texas Education Agency on Thursday denied the Austin Independent School District’s request for a two-year pause in accountability ratings for three of its academically struggling middle schools. The decision means that if any of the three campuses earn another F rating, the entire district could be at risk of a state takeover, including a state-appointed superintendent and a board of managers...

An Austin student is back at school after weeks in an immigration detention center -- just in time for his high school graduation. This week on Inside the Investigation – Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley explains the community effort, led by a U.S. Congressman, to secure 18-year-old Luis Fernando Cabrera’s release and what his arrest tells us about how Texas is assisting federal immigration offi...

The solar power industry is rapidly growing in Texas, but a KXAN investigation found records showing there’s also a growing number of Texans who say they were misled into signing long-term contracts with solar companies. This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Arezow Doost explains why the state’s attorney general is now threatening legal action against some companies involve...

This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley explains why, despite hundreds of documented issues with autonomous vehicles, local police have cited driverless cars fewer than a dozen times in three years. Plus Waymo, the company operating the most AVs in town, shares its mission to make roads safer and addresses the viral videos raising safety concerns.

On a “From the Vault” edition of “Inside the Investigation,” KXAN Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle and Senior Investigative Producer David Barer revisit KXAN's "Mental Competency Consequences" investigation into treatment backlogs and deaths in Texas jails.

Amid increased immigration enforcement and widespread deportation, Texas is making it harder for foreign workers to obtain temporary legal status. This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Matt Grant found Texans tax dollars are likely still supporting the system some state leaders criticize.

20 years after the disappearance of Holly Marie Simmons, prosecutors are dropping the charge against the man who was accused of killing her. This week, on "Inside the Investigation," Senior Investigative Producer David Barer takes us inside the case he has followed for over a decade and explains the challenges investigators have faced trying to find her killer.        

A series of fires believed to be started at homeless camps throughout the city of Austin are leaving neighborhoods in fear. This week on Inside the investigation, Investigator Matt Grant explains the conditions elevating concern for wildfires and solutions city officials are considering following his reporting.

On a “From the Vault” edition of “Inside the Investigation,” KXAN Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle and Senior Investigative Producer David Barer revisit KXAN's "Justice for Some" investigation into public integrity and corruption cases outside Texas' capital.

A family is fighting to hold a foreign ride maker accountable for the death of their 14-year-old son. Four years ago this week, Tyre Sampson fell to his death while riding a drop tower at an amusement park in Orlando.  A KXAN investigation found the same foreign company that manufactured the Orlando ride is producing a new drop tower at COTALAND in Austin — despite the manufacturer being found neg...

The largest school district in Central Texas, Austin Independent School District, said it believes increased immigration enforcement is one factor driving a decline in enrollment at several schools serving immigrant and refugee populations.  This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley breaks down the fears rising locally, as immigration enforcement takes center stage...

Texas officials say there are hundreds of childcare providers operating out of their homes without a license, lacking oversight and potentially putting kids a risk. This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Arezow Doost explains why child advocates and licensed providers believe the situation could get worse.

On a “From the Vault” edition of “Inside the Investigation,” KXAN Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle and Senior Investigative Producer David Barer revisit KXAN’s “Dead & Undone” investigation into police reporting custodial deaths to the state, along with updates to the topic still playing out today across Texas.

A KXAN investigation found after the Texas Attorney General's Office agreed to pay an assault victim $5,000 from the state’s crime victims’ compensation fund, the state kept nearly half the money to pay the victim’s unrelated state debts, including unpaid tuition. This week, on “Inside the Investigation,” Investigative Reporter Matt Grant takes you inside the latest update to our “Held Up” series,...

Dozens of Texas educators risk losing their ability to teach over comments they made on social media in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination. This week on Inside the Investigation, KXAN Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley explains how teachers, attorneys, unions – and school districts themselves are calling into question the lawfulness of the state’s investigation.

Rumors of a serial killer still cloud Mitchell Gutierrez's mind years after his little brother, Martin, disappeared from a shoreside entertainment district in downtown Austin. For days, their family joined police searching for the young man, before his body surfaced in Lady Bird Lake. A KXAN analysis of autopsy reports and law enforcement records reveals he was among at least 30 drowning victims –...

On a “From the Vault” edition of “Inside the Investigation,” KXAN Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle and Senior Investigative Producer David Barer revisit KXAN's "Locked in Limbo" investigation into jail mental competency delays, along with updates to the topic still playing out today across Texas.        

Two years have passed since 14-year-old Treysuhr Carter was found lying unconscious on a residential street just blocks from her Northeast Austin home. After police determined Carter’s death was an accident, a KXAN Investigation revealed missteps in the investigation – including failing to gather key evidence at the scene, prompting police to re-open the investigation.  This week on Inside the Inv...

Nearly two years after a car barreled through an Austin emergency room, hitting and injuring a couple and their two young children, and the family is finally getting some closure. This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Matt Grant shares a major update for the family: a settlement with the hospital.