An update has been shared regarding the causes of death for several individuals found deceased in Houston bayous this year.
The distressing events have fueled concerns that a serial killer might be responsible.
Last month, Houston Mayor John Whitmire dismissed these theories, stating: “We do not have any evidence that there is a serial killer loose in Houston, Texas.”
He further commented: “Enough is enough of wild speculation.”
The mayor pointed out that drowning incidents in the bayous are ‘not a new phenomenon’, attributing the tragic deaths to factors such as drugs, alcohol, and homelessness.
Whitmire explained, “Unfortunately the homeless, when they pass, often end up in the bayou.”
Recently, the Harris County medical examiner concluded that six more individuals found in Houston’s bayous this year have an ‘undetermined’ cause of death.
The deceased individuals—Salome Garza, Jamal Alexander, Rodney Chatman, Seth Hansen, Michael Rice, and Michaela Miller—whose deaths were documented between June and September of this year, passed away due to ‘undetermined’ reasons.
A total of 15 deaths in the Houston bayous have been classified with an ‘undetermined’ cause by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences case database.
The other individuals with ‘undetermined’ causes of death include Juan Garcia Loredo, Kenneth Jones, Culcois Racius, George Grays, Ernest Armstrong, Brent Brown, Raymond Hatten, Latrecia Amos, and Jade McKissic.
Discussing what leads to a ruling of ‘undetermined’ cause of death, Galveston County Chief Medical Examiner Erin Barnhart explained to the Houston Chronicle: “Typically, when someone is found on land… they’re generally found in an environment that tells us something about them and what was going on at the time of their death – for example, if they’re found in their home, if they’re found in their car, if they’re found in an alley, etcetera; whereas we’re missing that when a body is found in water.”
Although Houston’s mayor has sought to reassure the community that nothing suspicious is occurring with these deaths, Lauren Freeman, who lost her cousin Kenneth Cutting Jr. last year, accused Whitmire of ‘gaslighting’ the city through his remarks.
Kenneth Cutting Sr., the father of the deceased, told Fox News Digital: “All them people didn’t commit suicide or fall into the bayou accidentally and drown. It’s ridiculous.”
“There’s been so many of ’em in the last three years,” he added.
Cutting Jr. vanished after a night out in Houston in June 2024, with authorities discovering his body in the bayou a few days later.
An autopsy revealed no external injuries, and a toxicology report showed no drugs in Cutting Jr.’s system.
Kenneth Cutting Sr. told Fox News Digital: “Something happened to my son. My son didn’t fall into the bayou and drown.”
Freeman remarked: “Either there’s a serial killer on the loose, or the scum of society have realized they can start dumping bodies in the bayou in the midst of the heat and they start decomposing so nobody gets caught. You just can’t stab them or shoot them.”
Requests for comments have been made to Whitmire’s office.