AISD bus driver discovers dead body with kids onboard

A school bus driver discovered a body in the roadway while taking children to school Wednesday morning in East Austin.

The driver stopped upon noticing the body. Unfortunately, some of the children saw the body as well. They were met by counselors as soon as they arrived at school.

Austin police say the driver called 9-1-1 at 7:30 Wednesday morning. Officers responded and found a Hispanic man in his 20s lying in the 14-hundred block of Meander drive with what they called obvious trauma to his body.

Meander Drive is located off Webberville and Springdale Road in East Austin. Homicide detectives spent hours collecting evidence to try and piece together what happened.

"Homicide is investigating this as a suspicious death. This is very early on in the investigation so we encourage everyone who has any information about this incident to please call the homicide tipline at 512-477-3358 you can also download APD's app and submit a tip that way on your Iphone or android,” said Officer Destiny Winston.

According to AISD, 13 children were on the bus. Some children were from Simms Elementary, others from Norman Elementary. The letter found below was sent home to those involved. The principals called their families. The counselors who met the children at their schools will continue to be made available as needed.

Nov. 9, 2016

Dear Norman Elementary School Community,

The safety and well-being of all Norman Elementary School students is our top priority. With that in mind, I am writing to let you know about an incident that occurred this morning and has affected our students.

As they were being transported by bus to campus this morning, some of our students saw a dead body in the roadway. The scene may have been disturbing to our students.

The bus was delayed as the monitor and driver talked to Austin police who arrived at the scene. Children were met at school by counselors, who will continue to be available to them as necessary.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at 512-414-2347. As always, thank you for your support of Norman Elementary School.

Sincerely,

Principal Cynthia Gonzales
Norman Elementary School