Austin police are turning to the public for help in the killing of 40-year-old Francesca Ortiz, hoping fresh eyes and neighborhood cameras can give detectives the break they need. Ortiz was found with fatal injuries behind a building at the Waters at Bluff Springs apartment complex on June 17 and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say they have few solid leads and are urging anyone with information or footage to come forward, with a livestreamed news conference set for 11 a.m. Wednesday to lay out what they know so far.
APD to hold livestreamed briefing
According to KXAN, the Austin Police Department will use the 11 a.m. briefing to share additional findings and make a direct appeal for tips from the community. The press conference is set to be livestreamed, and officials say they plan to present new information that could jog the memories of anyone who was in or around the complex that day.
What investigators have released so far
APD told FOX 7 Austin that dispatchers received a “shoot/stab hotshot” call near the Waters at Bluff Springs at about 1:37 p.m. on June 17. Officers arrived to find Ortiz lying in the grass behind one of the buildings with visible trauma. She was pronounced dead at approximately 1:50 p.m., and an autopsy completed June 18 determined that blunt-force trauma was the cause of death, officials said.
How to get tips and video to detectives
The City of Austin police resource guide lists the Homicide Tip Line at 512-477-3588, and investigators say anonymous tips can also be submitted through Capital Area Crime Stoppers. Detectives are asking neighbors and drivers to hold on to any doorbell, security, or dash-camera footage from the area and to share relevant recordings with homicide investigators, as reported by KXAN.
Local context: a recent cluster of incidents
The case is being investigated as Austin's 29th homicide of 2026, according to Talk 1370 (Audacy). The station noted the citywide total as Ortiz's killing added to a recent cluster of violent incidents in southeast Austin. Elsewhere in the area, a separate investigation snarled commutes along the I-35 frontage road, with a traffic shutdown and heavy police presence reported as investigators worked that scene.
