More Than 20 Bodies Found in Houston Bayous This Year and Residents Demand Answers
Authorities are investigating after multiple bodies have been found in the Houston bayous. Twenty-eight bodies have been found so far in 2025, an increase in bodies found in the bayou from last year. Panic started to spread around the city that there might be a serial killer at work, but authorities are pushing back against that narrative.
Authorities claim there is no serial killer operating in Houston
Bodies continue to be found in the Houston bayous, sparking panic among some residents. To date, 28 bodies have been found in the bayous, according to the Houston Chronicle. It was the discovery of University of Houston student Jade McKissic’s body that shook the local community.
The 20-year-old college student was last seen leaving a bar without her phone. She was caught on camera leaving a gas station on Sept. 11, 2025. She was reported missing, and her body was found near campus on Sept. 15, 2025, in Brays Bayou. Medical examiners reported no signs of trauma or violence, but the cause of death has not been determined.
Rumors of a potential serial killer started to sweep across Houston as more bodies were discovered. The investigations into the deaths are ongoing, so officials are trying to ease fears among residents.
“There is no evidence that there is a serial killer loose on the streets of Houston,” Houston Mayor John Whitmore told reporters at a press conference. “Enough is enough on speculation, out of respect for the families and also the 2.3 million Houstonians in our region.”
Families of some of the victims are calling for answers about their loved ones’ deaths. Some family members are not satisfied with the current investigations into the deaths. Some claim that some of the people found in the bayou never spent time in those parts of the city.
Deaths are not uncommon in the bayous
According to data, deaths in the Houston bayous have been steadily increasing in recent years. Between 2023 and 2025 to date, official data from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences states that 53 bodies have been pulled out of the bayous. There were nine bodies found in 2023, 20 bodies in 2024, and 24 bodies in 2025 (so far).
A further dive into the data shows that there have been more than 180 bodies found in the Houston bayous. About 40 percent of those bodies’ deaths remain undetermined, including 23 of the bodies found in the last three years.
“Unfortunately, drowning in our bayous is not a new phenomenon,” Mayor Whitmore added. “There are 2,500 miles of bayous, and people are exposed to them, sometimes foul play, often not.”
This is supported by Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr. The police chief for the most populated city in Texas confirmed that authorities haven’t found evidence that the deaths are connected. However, the investigations into the deaths are ongoing but residents want answers after so many deaths have been ruled undetermined.
