Two men were found on consecutive days this week, while detectives separately investigate the linked shootings of two 20-year-olds.
HOUSTON — Four men have been recovered from different sections of Buffalo Bayou in just over two weeks, including two bodies found on consecutive days this week, as Houston police investigate the deaths and await autopsy findings in the two most recent cases.
The latest discovery came Wednesday morning, Oct. 14, when officers responded to 512 McKee St. near James Bute Park after receiving a report of a deceased person in the water. Houston police said the man was 23 years old and had no obvious signs of trauma. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. His identity and cause of death remained pending verification and an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
That discovery followed another recovery less than 24 hours earlier. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, an unidentified man was found in Buffalo Bayou near a construction site along North York Street in Houston’s Second Ward. Local news reports said a construction crew spotted the body. Authorities had not announced the man’s identity or cause of death as of Thursday, and investigators were awaiting forensic findings.
Houston police have not announced evidence connecting the two bodies found this week to each other or to two earlier deaths involving Carlos Tzep Ajpop, 20, and Oliver Ortiz, 20. Police have said Ajpop and Ortiz suffered gunshot wounds and that investigators believe their deaths are likely connected. Authorities have not said that all four recent Buffalo Bayou deaths resulted from the same event or circumstances.
Ajpop was found in Buffalo Bayou near 1001 West Loop South at about 6:05 p.m. Sept. 29, according to the Houston Police Department. Officers initially reported no obvious signs of trauma, but investigators later said an autopsy determined that he had sustained a gunshot wound. Ortiz was recovered from the bayou near 7300 Clinton Drive at about 9:45 a.m. Oct. 2. Police said their investigation also found that Ortiz had suffered a gunshot wound.
Detectives later determined that Ajpop and Ortiz had last been seen together Sept. 27 at 8701 Town Park in southwest Houston. Police said the men left the location in their own vehicles but were believed to have been traveling together. Investigators said the two may have participated in local car meet-ups. Both vehicles were later located near the 10500 block of Keegan Road.
Houston police said investigators believe Ajpop and Ortiz may have died at the same time and that the cases are likely connected. Police have asked for information from anyone who may have seen the men or their vehicles at locations involved in the investigation. Authorities had not publicly identified a suspect or announced an arrest in connection with the two shootings as of Thursday.
The two additional recoveries on Tuesday and Wednesday brought the number of bodies found in Buffalo Bayou since Sept. 29 to four. The concentration of cases has drawn renewed attention to deaths in Houston’s waterways, but investigators have not announced a common link among all four. Police have previously cautioned against assuming that separate bayou deaths are connected without supporting evidence.
In Wednesday’s case, the Houston Police Department said homicide detectives were investigating while waiting for the medical examiner to determine the cause of death. The department’s written statement said the 23-year-old man’s body showed no obvious signs of trauma. The absence of visible injuries does not establish how a person died, and police said the autopsy would determine the cause.
Questions also remain about the unidentified man recovered Tuesday near North York Street. Authorities have not publicly released a cause or manner of death, and no official information has established that his death was the result of violence. Police have likewise announced no evidence tying that case to Wednesday’s discovery.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences plays a central role in determining identity and cause and manner of death in such cases. Those findings can change the direction of an investigation, as happened after Ajpop was initially found without obvious signs of trauma and investigators later learned he had suffered a gunshot wound.
As of Thursday, homicide detectives continued investigating the recent Buffalo Bayou deaths. Police were awaiting forensic findings in the two cases from this week while separately seeking information about the fatal shootings of Ajpop and Ortiz. No connection between the two groups of cases had been announced.
Author note: Last updated October 15, 2026.