In a chilling span of just five days, Houston, Texas, has been rattled by the discovery of five bodies in its bayous between September 15 and 20, 2025, as Daily Mail reports. This alarming cluster of deaths in America’s fourth-largest city has locals on edge. Many fear a sinister force may be at work.
The grim tally began with the recovery of Jade “Sage” McKissic, a 20-year-old University of Houston student, from Brays Bayou on September 15. She was last seen alive on September 11 after leaving a bar alone. Her remains surfaced just four days later, deepening community unease.
That same day, another body—a man—was found in Green Bayou, as reported by local authorities. The following day, September 16, a third body emerged in White Oak Bayou. Houston’s waterways, often a scenic backdrop, are now casting a dark shadow over the city.
The discoveries didn’t stop there. On September 18, a fourth body was pulled from Buffalo Bayou near downtown Houston. Two days later, on September 20, yet another was found in the same waterway, bringing the week’s total to five.
Authorities note that 14 bodies have been retrieved from Houston’s waterways in 2025 alone. While police insist there’s no evidence of foul play in most cases, including McKissic’s, where autopsy results showed no trauma, autopsies for others remain pending. Homicide hasn’t been entirely ruled out.
McKissic’s last known movements paint a haunting picture. After leaving her phone at a bar on September 11, she was spotted at a nearby gas station buying a drink, then walking toward Brays Bayou around 1 a.m. Her fate remains a mystery, though murder has been dismissed.
Houston residents aren’t buying the official line so easily. Many draw parallels to Austin, where 19 bodies have surfaced in Lady Bird Lake, fueling “Rainey Street Ripper” theories despite police denials. Here, too, skepticism abounds as locals question the “coincidence” of so many deaths.
Constable Alan Rosen of Harris County Precinct One captured the unease in a recent statement to Fox 26 Houston.
“When you have bodies showing up in bayous, it’s always a concern because we have to determine how they got there, what was the cause of death. Was it foul play? Was it suicide? Was it an accident? What were the circumstances?”
While Rosen raises valid questions, it’s hard not to wonder if authorities are downplaying a pattern to avoid panic. If these deaths are unrelated, as police suggest, shouldn’t there be a stronger push for public safety near these deadly waterways?
Experts like Krista Gehring, a criminology professor at the University of Houston, urge calm. She told a local outlet, “Unless you have stab wounds, gunshots, strangulation marks — clear signs of homicide — it’s not a serial killer.” Her point is fair, but public fear isn’t easily quelled by statistics.
Gehring’s perspective might reassure some, yet when bodies pile up in bayous, rational explanations feel cold to a worried community. Couldn’t city leaders at least address the optics of this tragedy with more urgency, rather than leaning on “accidents happen” rhetoric?
From a conservative lens, this situation highlights a broader concern about urban safety under progressive-leaning local policies. While no one’s pointing fingers at specific officials, shouldn’t there be tougher oversight of public spaces to prevent such frequent, tragic outcomes?
The Houston Police Department maintains each case is unique, pending medical examiner reports. A spokesman told the Houston Chronicle, “Each death is different.” Still, that individuality doesn’t erase the collective dread gripping neighborhoods near these waterways.
As a nation under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we’ve seen calls for law and order resonate deeply. Houston’s bayou deaths, even if unrelated, underscore why safe communities must remain a priority over dismissive reassurances that ignore public sentiment.
Until autopsies provide clarity, Houstonians deserve transparency and proactive steps—perhaps increased patrols or warnings near bayous. Fear shouldn’t rule, but neither should complacency. Let’s honor the fallen, like Jade McKissic, by ensuring their tragedies spur meaningful action.
