Mayor accused of ‘gaslighting’ entire city over serial killer fears after 16th body is pulled from the same bayous
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has previously dismissed suggestions of a serial killer
Authorities reaffirm death of teacher stabbed 20 times …
However, Lauren Freeman, who lost her cousin Kenneth Cutting Jr. earlier this year, claimed the mayor is ‘gaslighting’ the city of Houston following his recent comments.
The mayor has been accused of ‘gaslighting’ an entire city (Bob Levey/Getty Images for Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce)
Kenneth Cutting Sr., the victim’s father, added to 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.”
UNILAD has reached out to Whitmire’s office for comment.
Cutting was nowhere to be seen after a night out in Houston back in June, with police pulling his body from the bayou just days later.
An autopsy looking into Cutting’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.”
16 bayou deaths have been reported in the Harris County area so far this year (Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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.”
Anthony Curry’s body was one of those to be discovered this year, with his death ruled as accidental drowning, with an examination finding PCP and ethanol in his system.
Curry’s family are also looking for answers, with his sister, Alexis Curry, telling Click 2 Houston: “That ain’t my brother. He’ll go somewhere and chill off before he just go jump in some water.”
Alexis described her brother as her ‘superhero’, and said she had no idea how his body could have ended up in the bayou.
“I really want to know what happened,” she added.Featured Image Credit: Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Topics: Houston, Texas, US News, Weird
Updated 13:32 16 Oct 2025 GMT+1Published 11:58 16 Oct 2025 GMT+1
Family of man found dead in same bayous as 15 other bodies speaks out as authorities update on serial killer fears
Alexis Curry, whose brother Anthony was found in a bayou, is still looking for answers
The family of a 35-year-old man found dead in a bayou in Houston have spoken out as a string of similar incidents sparked concerns of a potential serial killer.
Anthony Curry’s body was discovered in a bayou in the Meyerland area on May 17, at 7:42am local time, marking just one of a number of people who have been found in Houston bayous in recent months.
According to Click2Houston, as many as 23 bodies have been found in marsh waters in the Harris County area so far this year, with the Houston police having confirmed 16 bayou deaths within their jurisdiction in the same period.
The latest body was found on October 8, when a dive team recovered a male’s body from the White Oak Bayou at Marie Street.
Causes of death for some of the people who have been pulled from the water have now been published, but some are still pending.
Anthony Curry’s body is one of more than a dozen found in Houston bayous (KHOU 11)
The sheer number of similar cases has prompted speculation and rumors that there may be one person responsible for the deaths, however Houston mayor John Whitmire has shut down such theories.
“We do not have any evidence that there is a serial killer loose in Houston, Texas,” he said.
Curry’s death has been ruled accidental drowning, with an examination finding PCP and ethanol in his system.
In the wake of the discovery of Curry’s body, his sister, Alexis Curry, is now looking for answers.
“That ain’t my brother,” she told Click 2 Houston. “He’ll go somewhere and chill off before he just go jump in some water.”
Alexis Curry is now looking for answers (KHOU11)
Alexis described her brother as her ‘superhero’, and said she had no idea how his body could have ended up in the bayou.
“I really want to know what happened,” she added.
According to Alexis, Curry was a barber and also spent time working in construction. He lived with his girlfriend about five minutes away from the area where his body was found, and had a six-year-old son.
“He is my big brother, and he would’ve done anything for anybody,” Alexis said. “For him to be found like that, it hurts. It hurts.”
Alexis claimed she last heard from Houston investigators in July, and the family are still waiting to hear about a clear timeline of events. She last heard from her brother just a few days before his body was discovered, reportedly wearing only his shorts.
UNILAD has reached out to the Houston Police Department for comment.Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers
Emily Brown
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Updated 11:06 7 Jun 2025 GMT+1Published 21:02 6 Jun 2025 GMT+1
Everything we know about 19 bodies pulled from one lake as fears of potential US serial killer grow
Residents believe there could be a serial killer at large dubbed the ‘Rainey Street Ripper’, but police are adamant that isn’t the case
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Americans are bracing themselves as fears grow that a potential serial killer could be on the loose after as many as 19 bodies have been pulled from one lake in just three years.
If the deaths of all 19 were related, it could mean the US has a serial killer at large.
However, authorities do not believe it to be the case, despite there having been more than a dozen corpses discovered in just one water system and one man having ‘survived’ an alleged attack.
Where the bodies were located
The bodies were discovered in Texas, or to be precise, all 19 were pulled out of Lady Bird Lake, in Austin.
currence for residents in the area to hear that a body has been found washed up on the side of the river-like reservoir that flows through the heart of the city.
All 38 bodies were recovered from Lady Bird Lake, in Austin, Texas (Getty stock)
To note some geography of Lady Bird Lake, it is part of the Colorado River and just so happens to be located beside the vibrant nightlife of Downtown Austin, and more specifically the popular drinking strip – Rainey Street, which now lends its name to the alleged serial killer locals have dubbed the ‘Rainey Street Ripper’.
What the police have said
However, police have insisted a killer is not lurking around Austin, confirming only one case to be a homicide, though at least six of the bodies recovered from the lake have unknown causes of death.
In the case of the latest body, whose identity hasn’t been revealed, the authorities say the teen was kayaking with his family on the lake when he entered the water and failed to come to the surface, as per Fox 7 Austin.
Corporal Jose Mendez of the Austin Police Department told the outlet: “Another paddleboarder was here out on Lady Bird Lake and notified us that it appeared that an individual was deceased and floating on Lady Bird Lake.”
The force has consistently pushed back on claims that a serial killer is at large, having previously taken to social media to address rumors.
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Back in 2023, Austin Police Department posted on Facebook: “The Austin Police Department is aware of speculations regarding the recent drownings in Lady Bird Lake. Although these cases are still under investigation and evidence is being analyzed, at this time, there is no evidence in any of these cases to support allegations of foul play.
“While each incident has occurred at the lake, the circumstances, exact locations, and demographics surrounding these cases vary. Our investigators approach every case with an open mind and objectively examine all available evidence.
“We work closely with the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, which conducts a parallel investigation into all deaths. The Medical Examiner performs autopsies in each of these types of death investigations. The results of these autopsies have not revealed any trauma to the bodies nor indication of foul play.”
It continued: “One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake, which has numerous access points. Many of the access points can be challenging to see at night.
A body was reported to police on June 3 (Fox News)
“The parks in which most of these drownings have occurred are park areas that close at 10pm and occur after the park closes. We advise the public to follow the rules on park closures.”
Demographic of bodies pulled from lake
According to Fox News 7, 60 percent of the bodies that have been recovered have been aged between 39 and 49, while there has also been two teenagers recovered.
Who is Jeff Jones?
Jeff Jones believes that he survived an attack of the so-called ‘Rainey Street Ripper’, having been found beneath a bridge and later a toxicology test confirmed that there were traces of benzodiazepine in his system, which the date-rape drug Rohypnol falls under.
The incident took place in June 2023, while the 39-year-old was enjoying a bachelor party with around a dozen of his friends, who he’d flown over with from Boston, Massachusetts.
Jeff Jones was found at the bottom of a bridge in Austin with a traces of a date-rape drug in his system (Facebook)
“Whoever they may be just missed the target and I hit the ground, and luckily because of that I didn’t drown,” Jones told the Mail Online last year.
“I just got lucky… Not many people can say they potentially survived a serial killer, so that’s a story I can tell, I guess.”
His body was found at the bottom of West Sixth Street Bridge, which is carried over Shoal Creek that in turn flows into the Colorado River.
Jones fell into a coma before complications meant he had to be induced again while he underwent surgeries, including metal rods being fitted to his back, but has since made a full recovery.
UNILAD has contacted Austin Police Department for further comment.Featured Image Credit: Getty stock
Updated 10:35 18 Jun 2025 GMT+1Published 10:13 18 Jun 2025 GMT+1
Heartbreaking update on human remains discovered near Taylor Swift’s home after serial killer fears sparked
The human remains were discovered near Taylor Swift’s holiday home last month
There’s been an update issued by officials about the human remains discovered near Taylor Swift’s home on Rhode Island.
Fears of a serial killer being on the loose remain a concern amongst residents ever since a dozen dead bodies have been found in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, over the past few months.
Shocking events unfolded near celebrity superstar Swift’s holiday home last month after officials said that suspected human remains were found in the Watch Hill, Rhode Island, area, the affluent spot where the ‘Shake It Off’ singer resides.
The Westerly Police Department said in a statement: “Investigators are awaiting official confirmation of the identity of the remains.
“No foul play is suspected at this time.”
The remains were taken to the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office for further analysis, and now, a further update has been provided by police.
The human remains were found near Swift’s holiday home (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
South Kingston Police Department has since identified the latest remains as belonging to Eric Wein, 31, of Massachusetts.
Wein was reported missing on April 18 of this year, eight days after his car had been spotted illegally parked in South Kingston, WPRI reports.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Wein’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” police said in a statement.
Local authorities added that they do not believe any foul play is involved amid fears of a serial killer running loose.
12 human remains have been found across New England across recent months, with the deceased mostly being women.
A Facebook group previously dubbed ‘New England Serial Killer’ started the speculation, and had more than 65,000 members before its name had to be changed due to rules and regulations in place on the popular social media site.
Eric Wein has been identified by authorities (Facebook)
Other groups have since cropped up since, with one warning about ‘sinister shadows lurking in the Southern New England tri-state area’, adding that the community is ‘gripped by fear and uncertainty’.
Despite those conspiracy theories, the police have long said they have no fears about a serial killer in New England.
Officials have constantly ruled out foul play, claiming there is ‘no connection’ among the cases and ‘no known threat to the public’.
Speaking after Wein’s remains were found last month, Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella told Fox News Digital: “As far as I’m concerned, as far as right now, this has nothing to do with any serial killer [or] any New England murderer.”Featured Image Credit: Boston Globe/Getty
Topics: Taylor Swift, US News, Life
Callum Jones
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Published 15:27 7 Dec 2024 GMT
Lawyer accused of burning his son’s body after mistaking him for an intruder and fatally shooting him
Michael Howard allegedly shot and burned the body of his 20-year-old son.
An attorney who allegedly shot his son and then burnt his body in a wood pile says it was a ‘horrible accident’ after he mistook his son for an ‘intruder’.
Michael Howard, 68, from Houson, was arrested on Monday (December 2) and charged with one count of murder and another of tampering with evidence, Sabine County investigator JP MacDonough said at a press conference on Thursday (December 5).
Howard’s deceased son, Mark Howard, was 20 years old and had Down syndrome, MacDonough said, although he was ‘high functioning’ and had a job.
Howard allegedly told police he had ‘mistaken’ his son Mark ‘for an intruder at his property’ and shot him, MacDonough said.
Michael Howard (Sabine County Sheriff’s Office)
When police arrived at Howard’s property, he showed officers around and provided them with the shotgun he allegedly used before leading them to the wood pile roughly two miles away where he allegedly burned his son’s body.
Shocking simulation reveals how two inmates in overed from the burn site the burned fragments of a lower jaw with some teeth still remaining, KBTX reports. The remains were sent to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Howard alleged ‘the whole thing was a horrible accident’, MacDonough told reporters.
“It is a bizarre crime,” MacDonough said. “Mr. Howard committed this act and then in the furtherance of that, burned the body and then cleaned the crime scene, which as an investigator I would take as indicative of nefarious purposes.”
Howard’s wife, the victim’s mother, and his two other children, were absent from the home when the shooting happened.
There have been phone calls made from the Howard home, one as recently as Friday, November 29, because of a stolen trailer.
Meanwhile, Texas District Attorney Paul Robbins told reporters his office is currently looking into possible further charges, including the desecration and mishandling of a corpse and other charges related to tampering with the crime scene.
UNILAD has contacted the office of Michael Howard for comment.Featured Image Credit: Sabine County Sheriff’s Office / Getty Stock Images
