Rumours of a serial killer in Houston, Texas, have resurfaced after three more bodies were pulled from local bayous last week, bringing the total number of bodies recovered from the waterways in 2025 to 34. This is just short of the 35 bodies recovered in 2024, according to local media.
Despite the growing number of deaths, local officials insist there is no evidence that the deaths are connected. In September, Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz and Mayor John Whitmire held a joint press conference urging the public to stop speculating and spreading rumours. 'For us as an agency, rumours stir fear and anxiety in our communities,' Diaz said.
Mayor Whitmire addressed misinformation on social media, noting that drownings in bayous are not a new phenomenon. 'I grew up in Houston. Unfortunately, drowning in our bayous is not a new phenomenon… We have 2,500 miles of waterways in Houston,' he said.
An analysis by the Houston Chronicle of medical examiner records from 2017 to November 2025 found 201 deaths in Harris County bayous, with 40 percent attributed to drowning under a wide range of circumstances. Retired Houston Police Captain Greg Fremin advised against jumping to conclusions, stating, 'We have a relatively safe city for the most part… this is not anything to be concerned about.'
However, some residents remain unconvinced. Erick Cortez told ABC13, 'There must be someone out there. Because it's ridiculous that so many people are dying in the bayou.' His friend Juan Sandoval added, 'The math isn't mathing, I think there's a serial killer.'
