The Lone Star State’s bayous, lakes, and rivers are increasingly becoming sites of grim discoveries, as authorities report an alarming number of bodies found throughout the past few years across Texas.
From Houston to Austin to Fort Worth, the tally of bodies recovered in various waterways continues to rise throughout 2025, raising questions about public safety and whether any patterns stand out in the discoveries.
In Houston, police have reported recovering three bodies from local bayous this past week alone, bringing the total for this calendar year to at least 12 bodies in the city, per Fox 26.
White Oak Bayou, Brays Bayou, and Greens Bayou were all sites of these recent discoveries, which police say are due to a range of different causes, from accidental drownings, construction accidents, and homicides. Houston Police have long cautioned residents to remain cautious and aware along the city’s expansive waterway system, especially Buffalo Bayou, which runs through downtown.
Buffalo Bayou reported ten bodies were discovered in 2024.
Austin is also seeing some troubling trends along one of its largest lakes.
Data shows at least 38 bodies have been found in and around Lady Bird Lake since 2022, per Fox 7. The majority of these deaths were ultimately ruled accidental by the Austin Police Department, including drownings or accidents near certain dangerous parts of the lake, with homeless-on-homeless crime and overdoses also cited as contributing.
Austin Police say that there is no evidence of a bigger conspiracy or connected crimes, but the sheer number of fatalities has residents on edge, with some online rumors that have been long-running across the internet about a potential “Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer.”
A report from Texas State University states that “neither direct evidence nor indirect warning signs of a serial murderer” at Lady Bird Lake, adding that the “frequency of drowning incidents in Austin is consistent with historical patterns, average drowning risk in Texas, and population growth.”
In Fort Worth, a body was recently pulled from the Clear Fork Trinity River downtown, which is still under investigation as of press time. Sadly, that is not an uncommon occurrence, as previously detailed in a past report from The Dallas Express.
These incidents may, to some, be more common than expected despite Texas’ waterways having historically been dangerous.