HOUSTON — For years, bodies have surfaced in the waterways that wind through America's fourth-largest city. Some were discovered by joggers. Others by fishermen, maintenance workers or people walking along Houston's sprawling network of bayou trails. Since 2017, more than 200 bodies have been recovered from Houston-area waterways, according to figures compiled in The Chronicle investigation. Most of those deaths have ultimately been attributed to drownings, suicides, overdose

Eight men went out for a night in Austin. They were young or middle-aged, several had been drinking, and many spent their final known hours around one of the city's most popular nightlife districts. One by one, they disappeared. Days later, their bodies were recovered from Lady Bird Lake. Austin police have spent years insisting there is no serial killer stalking the city's popular Rainey Street entertainment district. Their conclusion is now supported by a Texas State Univer