The discovery of a Black man’s body in a Houston bayou on Jan. 6 — the first recovery of the year — has renewed public scrutiny of a troubling pattern unfolding across the city’s waterways.
As officials work to dispel viral claims of a serial killer, data shows Black men make up more than half of those found dead in local bayous, fueling community demands for answers beyond social media speculation.
The victim, identified by his mother on social media as 32-year-old Keyo Kingsley, was found fully clothed with no immediate signs of trauma, according to investigators who believe he had been in the water only a short time.
Kingsley’s death comes amid a sharp rise in bayou recoveries. Records from the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office show 35 bodies were pulled from Houston’s bayous in 2025, matching the total from 2024 and marking a significant increase from previous years, when annual counts typically ranged from 12 to 20.
The racial disparity
The most disturbing aspect of these recoveries is the racial breakdown. According to the City of Houston Forensics Department, the victims found in the bayous are overwhelmingly Black men—a fact that stands in stark contrast to the city’s overall population.
2025 Bayou Recovery Demographics:
- Black Males: 15
- White Males: 11
- Hispanic Males: 3
- Black Females: 2
- Unknown: 1
This disparity is particularly alarming given that Black or African American residents make up only approximately 22% of Houston’s total population. Despite representing less than a quarter of the city, Black men are leading the body count in the bayous.
Former City Councilwoman Letitia Plummer, a mother of three Black boys, notes that the “body count” isn’t just a number—it’s a demographic crisis.
“African-American men are leading in the deaths,” Plummer said in a recent interview. “In 2025, I feel like there are mostly African-American men out of the 35. That is something that I do believe should be a conversation either from a public health perspective or an urban research perspective.”
Plummer says the city needs to address the environmental factors that make these spaces death traps for some.
“I would like to know personally, as a mom of three boys, why so many Black men are being found in the bayous,” she said.
Rumors vs. reality
The sheer frequency of the discoveries—four bodies in a recent two-week period—has fueled a “true crime” frenzy online. TikTok theorists and Facebook sleuths have been quick to link the cases, creating a climate of fear that city leaders are working overtime to suppress.
“There is nothing, nothing, and I want to be crystal clear, to indicate that there is someone operating here as a serial killer,” said Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare. “There are many reasons for these deaths. None of them are a serial killer.”
Plummer agrees that the forensic evidence doesn’t support the “Boogeyman” narrative, noting that serial killings usually involve signatures or similarities that are absent here. Instead, she attributes the visibility of the bodies to environmental factors.
“During the summertime, the water in the bayou was really low, so it was easy to see the bodies,” Plummer explained. “Finding them back-to-back has been the challenge, but the medical examiners have assured me there is no serial killer.”
However, for the families of the deceased, the “no foul play” determination is often a bitter pill to swallow when 40% of bayou cases since 2017 remain classified as “undetermined.” Without a clear cause of death, rumors fill the vacuum of information.
A lethal landscape
If there is no killer, what is claiming these lives? Officials point to a “multifaceted” crisis involving homelessness, mental health, and the physical danger of Houston’s 2,500-mile bayou system.
The bayous serve a dual purpose: They are beautiful greenways for recreation, but they are primarily massive flood mitigation tools designed to move water rapidly.
“The purpose of the bayou is to collect water, which means water rises very rapidly, and there’s a very deep undercurrent there,” Plummer warned. “Falling in there could be dangerous because sometimes it’s very difficult to get back to the top.”
The lack of infrastructure in certain stretches of the bayous—specifically those running through underserved neighborhoods—exacerbates the risk. Many areas lack adequate lighting, emergency call boxes, or water-level sensors.
The call for a ‘Safety Czar’
Plummer is proposing a radical shift in how the city and county manage these waterways. She is calling for the appointment of a “safety czar,” specifically suggesting an African-American male for the role to better understand how Black communities interact with these spaces.
“I think that if we had a safety czar that could kind of bring all these groups together… we can at least let the public know and keep them abreast of what’s going on so the information isn’t so delayed and incomplete,” she said.
The responsibility is currently divided among the City of Houston, Harris County Flood Control, the Parks Board, and private entities, such as the Kinder Foundation. This bureaucracy, Plummer argues, leads to a lack of accountability.
Waiting for answers
While the city pushes back against the serial killer narrative, the human cost continues to climb. Tim Miller of Texas EquuSearch believes the count could be even higher, suggesting more bodies may be trapped in submerged vehicles that have yet to be discovered.
For now, the wait for justice—or even just an answer—remains long. Autopsies in Harris County can take six to seven months. Until those results come in, families like Keyo Kingsley’s are left in a painful limbo, caught between official denials and the undeniable reality of a rising body count.
“Until we know if it’s drugs or alcohol or whatever that causation is, I believe that as people of color, we need to look a bit deeper into that,” Plummer said.
Bayou Recoveries by the Numbers
The following data from the Harris County Forensics Office illustrates the steady increase in bodies recovered from the bayou system over the last decade.
| Year | # of Bayou Cases |
| 2025 | 35 |
| 2024 | 35 |
| 2023 | 22 |
| 2022 | 20 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2020 | 27 |
| 2019 | 12 |
| 2018 | 18 |
| 2017 | 20 |
Fact Check: Houston’s Bayou Deaths
| Fiction | Fact |
| A serial killer is targeting people near Houston’s waterways. | No evidence of a serial killer. District Attorney Sean Teare and Crime Stoppers Houston state these are isolated incidents with no forensic links. |
| The high number of bodies found in 2025 is unprecedented. | The numbers are consistent with 2024. There were 35 recoveries in 2025, compared to 35 total in 2024. |
| “Undetermined” causes of death prove a cover-up. | “Undetermined” is a medical classification. It means forensic evidence was insufficient to distinguish between an accident, suicide, or homicide—often due to environmental factors in the water. |
| The bayous are inherently safe for recreation at all times. | The bayous are high-risk environments. Water levels can rise rapidly during rain, and steep, concrete-lined banks make it nearly impossible to climb out once someone falls in. |
| The city is ignoring these cases. | Investigations are ongoing. Every recovery undergoes a complete autopsy, and the District Attorney’s office maintains a dedicated cold case squad for unresolved files. |
