As Texas heads into fall, a troubling surge in drownings and water-related deaths has hit the state.
From Houston’s bayous to Austin’s Lady Bird Lake, public concern is rising even as officials insist that most incidents are accidental. Water-related deaths have surged this year, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), with researchers attributing the increase to factors ranging from flash floods to a spike in boating accidents.
Boating accidents have jumped 75% over the past summer alone, with alcohol being the contributing factor in the majority of those crashes. TPWD has reported 21 boating-related fatalities as of June, contributing to a total of 59 water-related deaths at Texas parks, including 38 open-water drownings.
This year’s count does not yet include fatalities from the July Central Texas floods, which killed more than 130 people and caused widespread devastation along the Guadalupe River, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
73 Texas children have drowned this year as of early October, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Most of the deaths occurred in swimming pools and bathtubs. In open waters, 5 children drowned in ponds, 3 in rivers, 1 at Galveston Beach, 3 in creeks, and 4 in lakes.
Houston’s Bayous: Rising Recoveries and Rising Fear
Houston’s 2,500 miles of bayous have always been considered dangerous, but 2025 has brought a disturbing rise in recovered bodies and a surge of online speculation.
As of October 1, 22 bodies had been pulled from Harris County waterways this year, nearing last year’s total of 26, according to the Houston Chronicle. Another recovery came on October 8 when divers found a man in White Oak Bayou near I-10 and Taylor Street. Authorities stated that no foul play was suspected, although investigations are ongoing.
In late September, six bodies were recovered in just 11 days from Brays, Greens, White Oak, and Buffalo Bayous. University of Houston student Jade McKissick, 21, was identified as one of the victims.
One female under age 30 with an “888” tattoo on her wrist remains unidentified. Houston police continue to seek tips at 713-308-3600.
Mayor John Whitmire addressed growing fears earlier this month, calling serial-killer rumors “politicized misinformation.”
“We have 2,500 miles of bayous,” Whitmire said. “It’s happened since Houston was created.”
He said most deaths stem from risky behavior, accidents, or homelessness.
“Just to give you an example of people living under a bridge, they lose their life to cancer or diabetes, what do you think the encampment does? They don’t call a funeral home, the person often times [ends] up in the bayou,” Whitmire said, per KHOU 11. “It’s sad, it shows why we need to do everything we can to get folks in shelters.”
For perspective, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has reported rising waterway recoveries:
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24 in 2025 (through mid-October)
Of the 2025 cases so far:
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23 deaths were undetermined due to insufficient evidence
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15 were ruled accidental, including 13 drownings
Two homicide arrests have been made, and one case is still under investigation.
Tragedy on the Brazos River
In Central Texas, two young brothers, Banx McAmis, 4, and Bowyn Miller, 7, drowned on October 7 while playing near Hamm Creek Park in Johnson County. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled both deaths accidental.
A GoFundMe organized by their family describes the boys as “the light of everyone’s life.” Bowyn loved karate and video games, and Banx loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Lady Bird Lake: Facts vs. Fear
Austin’s Lady Bird Lake continues to draw national attention after years of online rumors about a serial killer. However, a September 2025 Texas State University study reviewing 189 drowning cases at Lady Bird Lake between 2004 and 2025 found no evidence of foul play. Most deaths were accidental and involved alcohol, with 78% of victims male and between the ages of 22 and 44.
Since 2022, at least 38 bodies have been noted in their study.
Dallas and Beyond
The Dallas-Fort Worth area has faced some similar tragedies. In late May, a body was found in the Trinity River near Regal Row, while Fort Worth’s Clear Fork Trinity and Eagle Mountain Lake also saw recoveries in April and June of this year, respectively.
In May, 18-year-old Ava Moore was kayaking on Grapevine Lake when she was struck and killed by a woman on a jet ski, who then fled the scene. Two days later, police arrested 21-year-old Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzales in connection with the incident, and she is currently awaiting trial on second-degree manslaughter charges.
With boating accidents up statewide, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is urging people to wear life jackets and avoid alcohol on the water as part of a new safety initiative called “Operation Dry Water.”
For more information on water safety, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance offers resources, including its “Five Layers of Protection” guide.
