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Serial killer rumors in Texas after 3 bodies found in Houston's Buffalo Bayou; experts weigh in
Rumors are rife that a serial killer is on the loose after three bodies were discovered in Houston's Buffalo Bayou this week.
Rumors are rife that a serial killer is on the loose after three bodies were discovered in Houston's Buffalo Bayou this week. Claims about a serial killer operating in the city have spread on social media even as authorities dismissed them, claiming there is no evidence to support such a theory, according to ABC 13.
The recent bodies being found follow a similar pattern from the past, as five bodies were pulled from Houston bayous within a single week in September. Serial killer rumors had surfaced back then too.
The numbers do not appear unusual as officials recovered as many as 35 bodies from local waterways last year, and roughly 34 so far this year, according to the Houston Chronicle. However, the frequency has unnerved some residents and visitors.
Juan Sandoval, who was visiting Houston when the news surfaced, said that the online chatter was unsettling. “The math isn’t mathing. I think there’s a serial killer,” he told ABC 13, adding that conversations about Buffalo Bayou are circulating far away, even in Nevada.
Houston resident Erick Cortez said, “There must be someone out there…it’s ridiculous that so many people are dying in the bayou.”
What are authorities and experts saying?
Authorities have pushed back against these claims. Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said during a press briefing, “Rumors stir fear and anxiety in our communities.”
Criminal justice experts also believe the location alone is not an indicator of foul play. Dr. Krista Gehring of the University of Houston said that popular crime shows have prompted people to believe that bodies are dumped in water to erase evidence, but the truth is, these deaths may involve accidents, intoxication, or self-harm.
Meanwhile, retired Houston Police Captain Greg Fremin said that Houston is “relatively safe for the most part, but suggested that residents should still remain aware of their surroundings, as people in any large city would.
Texas saw another serial killer rumor surfacing in recent years after at least 19 bodies were pulled from Lady Bird Lake in just three years in Austin, Texas. Residents have been hearing about male bodies being discovered in the lake between 2022 and June 2025, but some bodies have been found even before that. The rumors were reignited on June 3 after the body of a 17-year-old boy was found in the lake.
