When 20-year-old University of Houston student Jade McKissic was found dead in Brays Bayou last week, the discovery sent shockwaves across the campus community — and stirred new fears after Houston police recovered five bodies from local bayous in a six-day span.
McKissic, a junior majoring in strategic communications and advertising, was last seen Sept. 11 after a night out with friends. Investigators say she left her phone at a bar and later stopped at a nearby gas station for a Slush. From there, she was seen walking toward Brays Bayou.
Four days later, on Sept. 15, police discovered her body in the bayou about 2.5 miles away.
Investigators said they do not suspect foul play, and an autopsy showed no signs of trauma or foul play. Still, the circumstances of her death have left many in Houston demanding answers.
“Jade was a light in everyone’s life and she will be missed,” said her friend, Kyrin Hustin.
The University of Houston described McKissic as “a campus resident and student employee, and a friend to many in our community.” She was also an editorial team member of UH’s Her Campus chapter, which called her “an exceptional writer with a bright future” in a tribute posted online. Fellow students gathered on Monday for a vigil in her honor.
A string of discoveries
McKissic’s case is one of five bodies recovered from Houston’s bayous in less than a week:
- Sept. 15: Later the same day as McKissic’s discovery, police found a body in Greens Bayou near the East Freeway.
- Sept. 16: A body was recovered from White Oak Bayou just north of downtown.
- Sept. 18: Officers responded to Buffalo Bayou after reports of a man entering the water. The cause of death remains under investigation.
- Sept. 20: Another body was discovered in Buffalo Bayou, spotted by someone paddling near N. York Street east of downtown.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has sought to calm public fears.
“I understand the public is concerned about each of the tragic deaths. The Houston Police Department is investigating and I have confidence in their work,” Whitmire said in a statement to The Defender. “The five cases are not related, the circumstances in each case are different. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death for each deceased individual. HPD will release additional information as it becomes available.”
These deaths are on top of eight other bodies being discovered in Houston bayous this year, and has the community on high alert, even though the Harris County medical examiner has not released causes of death in any of the cases. Contrary to reports, authorities have also not released the race and/or gender of the other twelve victims.
“We do not have any evidence that there is a serial killer loose in Houston, Texas. Let me say again that there is no evidence that there is a serial killer loose on the streets of Houston. If there was, you would hear it from me first. This is being held to make certain that everyone knows we operate in my administration and HPD in total transparency. What we know and can release to you, you will know as soon as anyone,” said Whitmire.
During a recent press conference, the Mayor said he is working to get the homeless population into shelters, adding that when the homeless members of our community pass they sometimes end up in bayous, since many of them live near Houston’s bayous. The mayor also added that alcohol and mental health play an issue. Sometimes foul play but often not.
Skepticism and mistrust
Despite the rampant rumors of a serial killer being on the loose in Houston, police dispute that claim, once again citing no foul play in McKissic’s murder. But not everyone is reassured.
Community strategist Tomaro Bell, who lives near the bayou, said she is skeptical.
“I live off McGregor and the bayou. And I see big snapping turtles. I see big alligators. We got an eagle family over here. Yet there were no marks on this baby? Nothing?” Bell said.
She added that rumors of where McKissic was last seen did not line up with what nearby businesses reported and questioned why the case has not drawn wider national attention.
“Had she had blonde hair, blue eyes, that would’ve been on CNN or ABC. But because she wasn’t like that, she was one of us, they don’t wanna say anything.”
Tomara Bell
“Had she had blonde hair, blue eyes, that would’ve been on CNN or ABC,” Bell said. “But because she wasn’t like that, she was one of us, they don’t wanna say anything … If we don’t speak up, if we don’t say anything, they sure aren’t gonna say anything.”
Bell, a UH alumna, also raised concerns about student safety around campus.
“I went to U of H, I lived in the dorms. We don’t go on Spur 5 … They found that baby’s body at the bayou behind the medical school. We don’t go over there. Especially if you’re an out-of-town student, you don’t go over there,” she said.
Calls for safety
On campus, student advocates are pressing for more action.
“Obviously, you hear a student — just like you — who died minutes away from campus … and people are going to be outraged,” said Mina Vuong, president of Deeds Not Words, a UH advocacy group.
The group criticized university leaders for not publicly addressing McKissic’s disappearance earlier and urged stronger support for student safety. UH officials noted the death occurred off-campus but said counseling and support services are available for students.
Larger safety questions fall to the city and county agencies that oversee Houston’s bayous and trails.
For now, classmates, friends and family are left to mourn McKissic’s loss — and wait for clarity about how a promising young life came to an abrupt end.
