On October 8, a dive team in Houston recovered the body of a man from a branch of the White Oak Bayou near Marie Street. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is currently investigating the cause of death.
This was the 16th body found in Houston’s waterways in 2025. In September, officials discovered five bodies in just five days.
According to Houston police, the victims—both male and female—ranged in age from 20 to 60. Among them was Jade McKissic, a 20-year-old student at the University of Houston, whose body was found on September 15 after she was reported missing four days earlier.
The rapid string of discoveries has fueled speculation among residents that a serial killer may be at large. Kevin Gannon, a retired NYPD detective, suggested that the “Smiley Face Killers”—a controversial theory alleging a nationwide group of killers responsible for numerous drowning deaths of young men—could be involved.
However, Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz dismissed the rumors, stating there was “no verified evidence” to support such claims. “Rumors create fear and anxiety in the community. It’s important to rely on verified investigative information,” Diaz said.
Since those statements, officials have recovered at least two additional bodies. During a September 23 press conference, Houston Mayor John Whitmire emphasized that there is no serial killer operating in the city, though he acknowledged the situation was “deeply concerning.”
Whitmire noted that Houston has over 4,000 kilometers of waterways and a significant homeless population, many struggling with substance abuse. He suggested that some of the bodies could belong to deceased homeless individuals whose friends disposed of them in rivers instead of reporting the deaths.
The Houston Police Department and Mayor Whitmire’s office have not yet commented on the latest discovery on October 8.
Still, experts remain cautious. Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD detective and now a criminal justice professor at Pennsylvania State University Lehigh Valley, questioned both the conspiracy theory and the mayor’s conclusion.
“With 16 bodies, you can’t just assume they were all homeless people dumped in the water after dying,” Giacalone said. “We don’t even know if all of them were from Houston.”
He urged local authorities to conduct thorough investigations of each death, including full autopsies and toxicology tests, noting that forensic examiners can determine whether the victims died before entering the water or drowned afterward.