At Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, family, friends, classmates and church members slowly filed in to celebrate the life of 20-year-old Jade Elise McKissic.
The University of Houston student’s body was found in Brays Bayou on Sept. 15, one of 16 bodies discovered in Houston’s waterways this year. McKissic went missing on Sept. 9 and was pronounced dead on Sept. 18. The Houston Police Department stated there was no foul play. The cause of death is still under investigation.
McKissic was remembered for her warmth, faith and ambition. Her death has shaken the city far beyond the walls of Wheeler Avenue.
In September, the UH community gathered at Lynn Eusan Park to remember McKissic. Meditation Monday UH, where she served as the social media chair, conducted the vigil.
Another vigil took place at LA Burgers & Daiquiris, the restaurant where McKissic was last seen alive.
“It’s a moment where we pause to express grief and gladness,” said Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, senior pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. “Our hearts are broken because of a beloved, precious child. She [McKissic] has been taken away from us, but at the same time, we express gladness because she meant so much to so many and she blessed so many lives in just 20 years.”
A life of faith and enthusiasm
McKissic’s memorial service began with scripture readings from Psalms and John, followed by a prayer from Dr. Timothy Sloan, senior pastor of the Luke Church in Humble, where Jade was active in the youth ministry.
“Thank you for such a beautiful and vibrant soul,” Sloan said. “Thank you for a young woman whose dreams ignited us all…whose spirit lifted. Thank you for allowing us to be entrusted with her just for a few years.”
Sloan also dedicated a prayer to McKissic’s parents, family members and classmates who attended the memorial service.
“May they experience your strength in this moment,” Sloan told the congregation. “May they know that you still hold the world in your hands. And no matter how much sorrow we might feel, your word says that we can still run to a rock that is higher than we are.”
Dr. Brandon Williams, pastor of student life at the Luke Church, who also oversaw the youth ministry, said her impact in the community was significant.
“She strived to spread the love of Christ. Her ability to build relationships was second to none,” Williams told the Defender.
Cosby’s eulogy, “In Just 20 Years,” drew from Ecclesiastes 12:1, which reads, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.” He told the congregation that Jade embodied that verse.
“Jade was an example of what a young, Godly womanhood ought to look like…enjoying life and the Lord,” he said. “We want to celebrate that she was an example. That’s why so many students would come over here on the Saturday morning because she was an example to them in their young lives, to be a part of a family of faith where you can grow and mature and become all that God wants her to become.”
Describing McKissic’s smile as one that “brightened up rooms,” Cosby added she was enthusiastic about her academic and spiritual work.
“She worshiped the Lord with everything that was in her,” he said.
McKissic’s legacy
Resolutions poured in from across the community. City Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz sent condolences, while the Luke Church and Greater Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas shared letters of remembrance.
“The senior pastor and members of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church are in deep sympathy with Jade’s family as her precious life and legacy are remembered as a daughter, a granddaughter, a loved one and a friend,” the resolution read. “We esteem Jade’s gentle, caring and creative spirit, her expansive artistry and musicality and the indelible imprint she made in the lives of others.”
To commemorate McKissic’s graduation ceremony, Donnell Young, UH Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, presented her family with an honorary graduation plaque.
“Words cannot capture the sorrow we feel in our hearts and thoughts during this unimaginably difficult time,” Young told the McKissic family. “Please know that your grief is shared with many colleagues, students and friends who care deeply about you. Jade’s memory lives on in the hearts of those who knew her. The community stands with you and honors her spirit and her life.”
Reflections also poured in on her funeral services website.
“When I think of Jade, I think of the gemstone not merely for its name, but for its rarity,” Dion Matthews’ comment read. “She was as rare as they come. Remarkable and nothing short of amazing. Jade was a lot of things ,authentic, funny, creative, brilliant and beautiful. The list could go on. But the one thing she wasn’t, was replaceable. Said with a heavy heart rest easy, Jade. Until we meet again, I’ll hold tight to every laugh, every memory, every piece of you I was lucky enough to know.”
A city searching for answers
The Houston PD are being negligent and I feel like the local news as well. Why haven’t any of the bodies identities with the exception of Jade McKissic been released? This is ridiculous that ANOTHER body of an unidentified woman has been found! pic.twitter.com/DDt57POPS4
— SheLovesThee (@SheLoves_THEE) September 26, 2025
The Houston Police Department and Mayor John Whimire said there are no confirmed links or signs of foul play, though autopsies are ongoing.
Police Chief Noe Diaz and Whitmire have also rejected social-media speculation of a serial killer, emphasizing that drownings and accidents are common in the city’s bayou system.
Still, the string of discoveries, particularly the death of McKissic, has left many residents fearful and heartbroken. On social media, students and church members are demanding safety improvements along Houston’s waterways and greater transparency from law enforcement.
