Three bodies were found in Houston-area bayous this week, reviving claims of a serial killer in the city. However, experts say otherwise.
How many bodies were recovered from the Houston bayous?
The new findings add to the number of bodies found in the area in recent months. In September, authorities recovered five bodies in the Houston bayous in less than a week, ABC13 reported.
This is not the first time bodies have been found in the bayous. According to the Houston Chronicle, more than 200 people have been found dead in the area since 2017. That number has increased in the last two years. Thirty-one deaths have been reported since late November. The three most recent cases bring the total to 34, nearing the 35 deaths reported in 2024.
The latest findings have left residents and visitors on edge about the news. Juan Sandoval, who is visiting Houston, believes there is a serial killer on the loose and that others shouldn’t ignore the social media chatter.
Houston residents and visitors speak out
“The math isn’t mathing, I think there’s a serial killer,” Sandoval told ABC13. “I get Nevada’s ‘for you’ page now, and even in Nevada, they’re talking about Buffalo Bayou, so it’s that bad, it’s reaching another state, across state lines.”
His friend, Erick Cortez, who lives in Houston, also said he believes someone in connection with the recent bayou deaths is responsible.
“There must be someone out there, no? Because it’s ridiculous that so many people are dying in the bayou, I think it’s unfortunate that they haven’t found the person,” he said, per ABC13.
What are law enforcement and criminal justice experts saying?
Law enforcement has addressed social media rumors, stating that such claims could harm the communities they represent.
“For us as an agency, rumors stir fear and anxiety in our communities,” Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said in a September news conference, per ABC13.
University of Houston Criminal Justice Professor Krista Gehring also chimed in on the subject, stating that bodies ending up in the bayou do not necessarily mean there’s a serial killer behind it.
“Because a lot of times people think, ‘Oh they’re in the bayou, they are dumping the body to get rid of evidence,’ because that’s what we see in those shows, that the water will wash away the evidence’ people could have just had an accident, people could’ve done this to themselves, people could’ve been intoxicated,” Gehring explained, per ABC13.
Greg Fremin, a retired Houston police captain, shared similar sentiments, emphasizing that big cities like Houston often experience crime but that residents should remain “vigilant” in addressing these issues.
“I tell the citizens of Houston, we have a relatively safe city for the most part, but it’s just like any other big city, there is crime, you have to be vigilant, have situational awareness of what’s going on but this is not anything to be concerned about,” he said, per ABC13.