WHAT IS HAPPENING IN HOUSTON?! The Tragic and Mysterious Loss of Jade McKissic & Many More.

Houston is on edge. Six bodies in two weeks have been pulled from the bayous that snake through the city. What started with the disappearance of a young black woman has spiraled into a chilling question on everyone’s mind: What is going on in Houston?

20-year-old Jade “Sage” McKissic, a University of Houston student went missing, and soon after, her body was recovered from Brays Bayou. Her friends described her as vibrant and full of life, with dreams ahead of her. When her autopsy revealed no obvious signs of trauma, the confusion only grew.

Then, almost overnight, more bodies surfaced. Different bayous. Different parts of the city. Both men and women. In less than a week, five lives were gone. A sixth followed days later.

The numbers themselves are startling: 14 bodies have already been pulled from Houston’s bayous in 2025. That’s lower than last year’s 24, but the timing, and the amount, has set off alarms.

The fact that these waterways cut straight through Houston’s neighborhoods makes the fear personal. People jog near them, kids ride their bikes alongside them, unhoused people seek shelter near their bridges. Suddenly, what was background scenery has become a symbol of danger.

Mayor John Whitmire insists: “There is no serial killer loose in Houston.” Police Chief J. Noe Diaz echoes the same. Investigators say there’s no evidence linking these deaths. No clear cause of death in some cases. No signs of foul play in others.

However, when bodies keep turning up, how do you convince a city that everything is fine?

For many Houstonians, the official statements aren’t enough. The timing feels too strange. The victims too varied. Social media is flooded with theories, hashtags, and neighborhood alerts. Some point to Houston’s dark history. The Candy Man murders of the 1970s, or the Texas Killing Fieldsoutside the city, as proof that the unimaginable has happened there before.

With TikTok, Instagram, and X amplifying every rumor, every live video, and every breaking news headline, the idea of a “Bayou Serial Killer” has taken root in the public imagination.

Maybe it’s coincidence. Maybe it’s accidents, drownings, or natural causes. MAYBE. Either way, Houstonians don’t feel safe, and until answers come, causes of death are confirmed, names are released, and we know why—the question will linger like the humidity:

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN HOUSTON?

Let me know what you think in the comments!