Authorities on Monday dismissed rumors suggesting that a serial killer is responsible for a recent spate of bodies discovered in Texas bayous.

According to KTRK, three bodies were retrieved from bayous in the Houston area over the past week. In September, a total of five bodies were found in local bayous in a single week, raising alarm about potential serial killings.

The victims, including Jade McKissic, a 20-year-old University of Houston student, were among those found in Houston’s waterways during September. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has listed the deaths of McKissic, Rodney Chatman, Seth Hansen, and Michael Rice as undetermined.

In response to the growing fears last September, officials refuted the theory that these deaths were linked to a serial killer, stating there was no evidence to suggest foul play in any of the incidents.

The Houston Chronicle highlighted that a recent discovery at Buffalo Bayou Park brings the total number of bodies found this year to 34, compared to 35 bodies recovered from similar locations last year.

Officials once again addressed the serial killer theories this week, firmly stating there is no evidence to support the idea of a single person being responsible for these deaths.

“There is nothing, nothing, and I want to be crystal clear, to indicate that there is someone operating here as a serial killer,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told KPRC. “There are many reasons for these deaths. None of them are a serial killer.”

Teare went on to attribute many of these deaths to the city’s issues with substance abuse, mental health, and homelessness. He said it is not a “regular occurrence” that are people found dead in the bayou due to criminal action.

“It’s kind of a little known fact, but when you get into the bayous, it is very difficult to get out,” he told KPRC. “When you combine that with someone that is high on some substance, someone that is intoxicated somehow, it makes it even more difficult.”

[Feature Photo: Houston police]