Johnny Joe Avalos (born December 1, 1986) is an American serial killer who raped and fatally strangled four women and a teenage girl in San Antonio, Texas, between 2012 and 2015.

Prior to the murders, he never married, and he was arrested several times for making terroristic threats, criminal mischief, and possession of a controlled substance.

[2] At night, Avalos often stalked women, mostly sex workers, after finishing his shift as a dishwasher for a restaurant near downtown.

[3] Avalos' modus operandi consisted of him raping, sometimes robbing, and strangling his victims with his hands and plastic bags.

[3] Lopez happened to be one of six women found dead under suspicious circumstances in Bexar County over a six-month period.

Rumors circulated of a serial killer being responsible for the deaths, but the Police Chief said there was no evidence to support that possibility.

He then dumped her naked body under the Vera Cruz Street bridge over Apache Creek on San Antonio's West Side.

[3] On April 15, 2015, the decomposing body of Avalos' final victim, 29-year-old Celia Lopez, was found at the 4400 block of South Presa.