HOUSTON – Houston police are investigating after a fourth body in just over two weeks was recovered from Buffalo Bayou on Wednesday morning in Downtown Houston.
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What we know:
Officers with the Houston Police Department and Houston Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at approximately 9:20 a.m. regarding a body found in the water near the McKee Street bridge, along the northern side of James Bute Park.
Sgt. Michael Casso of the HPD Homicide Division said the victim appears to be a male in his early 20s. Due to water exposure and decomposition, authorities have not yet confirmed the victim’s identity or race.
Homicide detectives were at the scene Wednesday morning and are treating the case as a homicide investigation pending final autopsy results from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Wednesday’s discovery marks the second body recovered from Buffalo Bayou in less than 24 hours. On Tuesday, a construction crew located an unidentified male floating in the bayou near North York Street in the Second Ward neighborhood.
Timeline:
In total, four bodies have been pulled from different sections of Buffalo Bayou since Sept. 29:
Sept. 29: Carlos Tzep Ajpop, 20, was recovered near 1001 W. Loop South. An autopsy confirmed he sustained a gunshot wound.
Oct. 2: Oliver Ortiz, 20, was found near 7300 Clinton Drive. An autopsy determined he also sustained a gunshot wound.
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Oct. 13: An unidentified male was discovered by a construction crew near North York Street. Cause of death remains pending.
Oct. 14: An unidentified male in his early 20s was recovered near the McKee Street bridge. Cause of death remains pending.
HPD investigators previously confirmed that the deaths of Ajpop and Ortiz are connected. Both men were last seen together at a location on Town Park on Sept. 27 before going missing. Their vehicles were later located near the 10500 block of Keegan Road.
Are they all connected?
What we don’t know:
Police have not declared a connection between the two confirmed shooting homicides and the bodies recovered Tuesday and Wednesday.
Police noted that Wednesday’s initial call came through Harris County dispatch, and investigators are working to identify the individual who first spotted the body.
What you can do:
Anyone with information regarding any of these cases is asked to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS.
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