HOUSTON — With rumors swirling about bodies being found in Houston bayous , KHOU 11 Investigates decided to take a closer look at the numbers.

The team went through the last three years' worth of data and analyzed the cause and manner of death for each body found in bayous within Houston city limits.

The data originated from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the medical examiner's office.

The numbers show annual increases in each of the last three years:

2023: 9 bodies found

2024: 20 bodies found

2025 (so far): 24 bodies found

The manner of death in 23 cases is still undetermined, meaning it's not possible to establish the circumstances of death with reasonable medical certainty.

The medical examiner's office ruled 15 cases an accident, 13 of which were due to dro

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