Houston police are investigating the deaths as autopsies remain pending in two cases and detectives pursue a possible link between two shooting victims.
HOUSTON, TX — Four men have been recovered from Buffalo Bayou in just over two weeks, including two men found on consecutive days this week and two 20-year-old shooting victims whose deaths Houston police believe are likely connected.
The latest body was found Wednesday morning near the McKee Street bridge and James Bute Park, east of downtown. Police said officers responded around 9:30 a.m. to 512 McKee St. after receiving a report of a deceased man in the water. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene. Police said he was 23 years old and had no obvious signs of trauma. His identity and cause of death remained pending verification and an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The discovery came one day after another man’s body was found farther east in Buffalo Bayou near a construction site at 625 N. York St. Officers were called to the area shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday. Fire Department paramedics pronounced the unidentified man dead at the scene. Police said his identity and cause of death also remained pending, and an autopsy will determine how he died.
Houston police have not announced evidence linking the two bodies found Tuesday and Wednesday to the two earlier deaths. Investigators also have not said that the four deaths resulted from a single event or the same cause. The cases are being investigated separately while authorities await forensic findings in the two most recent deaths.
The earlier cases involve Carlos Tzep Ajpop, 20, and Oliver Ortiz, 20. Ajpop was found in Buffalo Bayou near 1001 West Loop South at about 6:05 p.m. Sept. 29. Ortiz was recovered from the bayou near 7300 Clinton Drive at about 9:45 a.m. Oct. 2. Houston police later said both men had sustained gunshot wounds.
Detectives said Ajpop and Ortiz were last seen together Sept. 27 at 8701 Town Park in southwest Houston. Police said the men left in separate vehicles but were believed to have been traveling together. Investigators said they may have participated in local car meet-ups. Both vehicles were later found near the 10500 block of Keegan Road.
Police said investigators believe the deaths of Ajpop and Ortiz are likely connected and may have occurred at the same time. Authorities have asked anyone who saw the men or their vehicles at the locations involved in the investigation to provide information. Police have not publicly identified a suspect or announced an arrest in those deaths.
The two additional recoveries this week have renewed attention on deaths in Houston’s network of bayous, but investigators have cautioned against assuming separate cases are connected without evidence. Bodies recovered from waterways can involve homicides, accidents, suicides and other circumstances, and determining a cause of death can require autopsy and toxicology findings. In the Tuesday and Wednesday cases, officials had not announced causes of death as of Thursday.
Homicide detectives continue to investigate all four recent Buffalo Bayou cases. Police are awaiting forensic findings for the two unidentified men recovered this week while separately seeking information in the fatal shootings of Ajpop and Ortiz. No connection between the two groups of cases has been announced.
Author note: Last updated October 15, 2026.