Houston Waterway Deaths: Patterns in a Year of Recoveries
Over the past year and a half, Houston authorities have recovered at least two dozen bodies from the city’s bayous and surrounding waterways. The deaths span multiple neighborhoods and drainage systems, raising public concern but yielding few confirmed answers.
Confirmed Recoveries
Public records from the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (IFS) document the following incidents:
May 1, 2025 – Unidentified remains found at 2850 Fry Road (IFS case ML25-1729).
August 23, 2025 – Unidentified remains found at 612 McIntosh Street (ML25-3324).
September 1, 2025 – Unidentified remains recovered at 12843 Bissonnet Street (ML25-3447).
September 15, 2025 – Body of Jade McKissic recovered from Brays Bayou near Spur 5. No visible trauma; autopsy pending.
September 20, 2025 – Unidentified body recovered from Buffalo Bayou near Hirsch Road.
October 1, 2025 – Female body recovered from Buffalo Bayou bearing an “888” tattoo on the wrist. Unidentified.
October 8, 2025 – Unidentified male found in White Oak Bayou near Interstate 10. Investigation active.
October 8, 2025 – Additional body located at 100 Marie Street (HPD case NR 251008-2). Autopsy pending.
Officials have publicly reported at least twenty-four such recoveries in 2025. Most involve individuals still awaiting identification or full autopsy results.
Geographic and Temporal Patterns
All known recoveries occurred in or near Houston’s extensive bayou network — notably Buffalo, Brays, and White Oak Bayous. These waterways interconnect through the city’s flood-control channels, which can carry debris and human remains considerable distances.
The majority of recoveries have taken place between May and October, months marked by heat and heavy rain. Flooding and high water levels often expose remains or transport them from other areas, a factor investigators must account for before determining where each death occurred.
Conditions and Causes
In several cases, police noted no visible signs of trauma. Causes of death are listed as pending autopsy or toxicology in IFS records. Officials have not publicly classified any of the 2025 waterway recoveries as homicides.
Without consistent trauma patterns, demographic similarities, or confirmed common locations of entry, investigators treat each case separately. Toxicology and environmental analysis will determine whether drowning, intoxication, or medical conditions played a role.
Official Position
The Houston Police Department has stated that it has no evidence of a serial offender, yet. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences continues identification work and laboratory testing on multiple open “ML” case numbers tied to the recovered remains.
What the Data Show
A review of publicly available information indicates:
Concentration of recoveries along Houston’s central waterways.
Seasonal clustering in warmer, wetter months.
Absence of confirmed interpersonal or forensic links between cases.
Several individuals remain unidentified months after discovery.
Summary
As of October 2025, there is no verified connection among the cases beyond geography and timing. Investigations remain active, and results from pending autopsies may clarify individual causes of death. For now, officials attribute the apparent clustering to environmental and seasonal factors within Houston’s bayou system rather than to a coordinated pattern of homicide.
