Overview

• Houston police recovered a woman’s body from Buffalo Bayou near Commerce and Milam downtown after a late-Thursday call, and investigators say it does not appear connected to other recent cases.
• The Harris County medical examiner has not issued determinations for any of the six recent recoveries, and autopsy and toxicology work remains underway.
• Police say 15 bodies have been found in local waterways so far in 2025 versus 24 in all of 2024, with five recoveries occurring Sept. 15–20, including University of Houston student Jade McKissic, whose case is not suspected to involve foul play.
• HPD and Mayor John Whitmire have publicly dismissed serial-killer rumors, noting no shared pattern among the victims and no evidence tying the deaths together.
• City leaders reviewed safety options for the 2,500-mile bayou network, voiced doubts about fencing, and cited factors such as alcohol use, mental-health challenges, and homelessness while urging caution near waterways and tips to Crime Stoppers.