Emergency services in Houston have pulled a 16th body out of the city’s marshy bayous, agitating rumors of an active serial slayer.
According to authorities, the corpses are of people from various demographics, some of whom are yet to be identified.
Rampant speculation on social media has forced a public reaction from the city’s mayor, John Whitmire, who suggested the bodies are those of homeless people who are dumped in the water when they pass away.
Highlights
- Sixteen bodies have been recovered from Houston bayous since the start of 2025.
- Mayor John Whitmire denies serial killer, blames homeless people.
- Forensic report says ‘no obvious signs of foul play.’
Some of the bodies pulled out of Houston’s bayous remain unidentified
Image credits: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers
According to local television station Khou 11, on September 15, the bodies of Jade McKissick, 21, and Rodney Riccardo Chatman, 43, were pulled out of Brays Bayou near the University of Houston and Greens Bayou, respectively.
The next day, 24-year-old Seth Joseph Hansen was discovered in a bayou in the northwest of the city.
The next day, 24-year-old Seth Joseph Hansen was discovered in a bayou in the northwest of the city.
Two days later, on September 18, Arnulfo Alvarado, 63, was pulled out of the 52-mile-long Buffalo Bayou between Fort Bend County and the Gulf of Mexico.
The bodies of 66-year-old Michael Andrea Rice and an under-30 unidentified black woman with a “888” tattoo on her wrist were discovered in the same waterway on September 20 and 26, respectively.
The mayor claimed that if there were a serial slayer on the loose, he would be totally transparent about it
Image credits: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspaper
These recoveries account for seven of the 16 bodies since the start of 2025, and have fueled speculation that they were the work of a single entity.
Houston Mayor Whitmire has since attempted to dispel the growing speculation by addressing the media on September 23.
“We do not have any evidence that there is a serial [slayer] loose in Houston, Texas,” he told reporters.
“If there was, you would hear it from me first,” he said, professing an inclination for total transparency.
There have been times when police denied the existence of a serial slayer and were wrong
Image credits: houstonpolice
“So, I’m before you today to let you know that enough is enough of wild speculation,” Whitmire continued.
Said “wild speculation” can be seen in netizen observations like: “Portland denied we had a serial [slayer]. ‘Til they caught him. Then they said, ‘Yah, we had a serial [slayer].’”
“Houston?… what ethnicity are the bodies being pulled out? Could it be a Coyote dumping spot?” asked another.
“If they aren’t the same [modus operandi] he could just be new and be just evolving and learning what he likes .. how he likes to [...], etc.. tell you one thing tho[ugh] he’s not good at getting rid of the body,” speculated one, apparently conversant with the ways of serial slayers.
The mayor suggested that the bodies were those of homeless people
Image credits: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers
But all of the public’s input is exasperating the mayor.
“It’s very frustrating to me to be at home, watch the news, or social media, and see people spread what I know to be false,” he said at the press conference.
Supporting his assertions are reports by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, which claimed there are “no obvious signs of foul play.”
Despite slamming netizens, Whitmire himself is speculating. He suggested that the city’s 2,500 miles of waterways may just be the final resting place of homeless people whose friends cannot afford burial services.
Even a professional doubts Texas officials’ explanations
Image credits: Houston Police Dept
He went on to say that there was no evidence that the bodies were connected.
Former NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone, who now teaches criminal justice at Penn State Lehigh Valley, is not convinced.
Speaking to Fox on October 9, he claimed, “Something is afoot.”
“A coincidence? Unlikely. A careful inspection of each case is warranted, including the 48 hours prior to the discovery of their disappearance,” the veteran advised.
Since 2022, 38 bodies have been recovered from a lake in Austin
Image credits: Scott Ehardt/Wikimedia
Texas appears to have an unhealthy history of bodies being found in its inland waterways.
“We had over the last 20 years. It’s not a new thing for Houston,” one person wrote as a nod to the latter.
According to data seen by Fox’s Austin outlet, 38 bodies have been pulled from said Lady Bird Lake since 2022.
Another professional says the police’s denials are premature
Image credits: KHOU 11 News Houston
Like with the Houston discoveries, Austin officials are known to brush aside serial slayer chatter.
But they have been called out by a professional in the field.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, was quoted as saying: “The denials by law enforcement and other authorities that these cases are [slayings] or the work of a serial [slayer] are premature,” she said to Fox in July 2025.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, was quoted as saying: “The denials by law enforcement and other authorities that these cases are [slayings] or the work of a serial [slayer] are premature,” she said to Fox in July 2025.
“They don’t want the public to panic about a possible serial [slayer], so they are making light of all the [slayings].”
Netizens are questioning the Texas mayor's denials
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