Have you heard the news? There’s a serial killer on the loose in Houston. At least, there is if you were to believe social media theories.
After six bodies were pulled from the city’s bayous in a single week, social media went crazy with speculation that they were the work of a serial killer terrorizing the city. On TikTok, videos saying that the “Bayou Killer” is behind the bodies in the bayou have racked up thousands of views. One, in which a woman claims that at least 12 bodies recovered in Houston waterways are the work of a killer, has nearly a million views and hundreds of comments telling others to stay safe. On X, one post claims there’s been a serial killer in Houston “for at least 3 years now.” The identification of University of Houston student Jade McKissic, 20, as one of the bodies only supercharged the rumors. So far, police have not found any proof of foul play in McKissic’s death.Multiplenewsoutletsin the city (including this one) have run some sort of article debunking the idea that the bodies are connected in some way or the work of a mass murderer, though often the stories are couched in mystery. Criminology experts in Houston say the bodies could be people who slipped into the bayous and drowned. Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who shut down the serial killer rumors this week, echoed that.
“I grew up in Houston,” Whitmire said. “Unfortunately, drowning in our bayous is not a new phenomenon.”…