Concerns are mounting in Houston due to the discovery of a 16th body in a bayou, leading to accusations that the city’s mayor is ‘gaslighting’ the community amid fears of a possible serial killer.
This year alone, 16 individuals have been found dead in the Harris County area’s bayous, causing people to speculate about the presence of a serial killer.
Mayor John Whitmire of Houston has dismissed these theories, stating earlier this month: “We do not have any evidence that there is a serial killer loose in Houston, Texas.”
The mayor attributed the drownings to ‘not a new phenomenon’, pointing to issues such as drugs, alcohol, and homelessness as factors in the deaths.
“Unfortunately the homeless, when they pass, often end up in the bayou,” he mentioned in a recent press briefing.
Lauren Freeman, whose cousin Kenneth Cutting Jr. died earlier this year, accused the mayor of ‘gaslighting’ Houston with his statements.
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.”
Houston city officials have been contacted for further comment on the matter.
Cutting Jr. went missing after a night out in Houston in June, and his body was retrieved from the bayou several days later.
An autopsy revealed no external injuries, and a toxicology report indicated that there were no drugs in his system.
Kenneth Cutting Sr. expressed to Fox News Digital: “Something happened to my son. My son didn’t fall into the bayou and drown.”
Freeman also commented: “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.”
Among the bodies found this year was Anthony Curry, whose death was classified as an accidental drowning, with tests revealing PCP and ethanol in his system.
Curry’s family is seeking answers, with his sister, Alexis Curry, stating to Click 2 Houston: “That ain’t my brother. He’ll go somewhere and chill off before he just go jump in some water.”
Alexis described her brother as her ‘superhero’, expressing disbelief over how his body ended up in the bayou.
“I really want to know what happened,” she said.