Major update on cause of death for most of the 28 Houston bayou victims sparks fresh serial killer concerns
An update has been provided on the cause of deaths for some of the victims found deceased in Houston bayous this year.
As a result of the tragic incidents, there have been growing fears that a serial killer may be to blame.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire previously shut down these claims, saying last month: "We do not have any evidence that there is a serial killer loose in Houston, Texas."
He added: "Enough is enough of wild speculation."
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The mayor said that drowning in the bayous is 'not a new phenomenon', blaming drugs, alcohol and homelessness for the tragic deaths.
"Unfortunately the homeless, when they pass, often end up in the bayou," Whitmire said.
The Harris County's medical examiner has now ruled six more people found in Houston's bayous this year as having an 'undetermined' cause of death.
According to the medical examiner, this is when 'it is impossible to establish, with reasonable medical certainty, the circumstances of death after thorough investigation'.
Officials said Salome Garza, Jamal Alexander, Rodney Chatman, Seth Hansen, Michael Rice and Michaela Miller, whose deaths were reported between June and September this year, died due to 'undetermined' factors.
15 of those to have lost their lives in the Houston bayous have been listed with an 'undetermined' cause of death on the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences case database.
The other victims with an 'undetermined' cause of death are Juan Garcia Loredo, Kenneth Jones, Culcois Racius, George Grays, Ernest Armstrong, Brent Brown, Raymond Hatten, Latrecia Amos and Jade McKissic.
Speaking about what leads to an 'undetermined' cause of death, Galveston County Chief Medical Examiner Erin Barnhart told 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."
While Houston's mayor has reassured the public there is nothing suspicious about these deaths, Lauren Freeman, who lost her cousin Kenneth Cutting Jr. last year, claimed Whitmire is 'gaslighting' the city of Houston following his recent comments.
Kenneth Cutting Sr., the victim's father, 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."
Cutting Jr. was nowhere to be seen after a night out in Houston in June 2024, with police pulling his body from the bayou just days later.
An autopsy looking into Cutting Jr.'s death found no external injuries, while a toxicology report concluded there were no drugs in his system.
Kenneth Cutting Sr. added to Fox News Digital: "Something happened to my son. My son didn't fall into the bayou and drown."
Meanwhile, Freeman added: "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."
UNILAD has reached out to Whitmire's office for comment.
Callum Jones