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Houston police discover 16 bodies in bayous this year as mayor dismisses serial killer speculation

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Houston police discover 16 bodies in bayous this year as mayor dismisses serial killer speculation

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Texas police have found at least 16 bodies in the bayous around Houston so far this year, according to authorities and local reports, sparking concerns of a serial killer which city leaders are working to dispel.

Houston’s mayor has said police have no evidence of a serial killer, but experts are calling for an extensive investigation into the deaths.

“Something is afoot,” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and criminal justice professor, at Penn State-Lehigh Valley. “A coincidence? Unlikely. A careful inspection of each case is warranted, including the 48 hours prior to the discovery of their disappearance.”

The spate of apparent drownings is reminiscent of another concerning number of deaths in the waters of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas.

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SERIAL KILLER FEARS GRIP AUSTIN AFTER DOZENS OF BODIES PULLED FROM LAKE

Houston fire and police personnel recover a body from White Oak Bayou near the Heights in Houston, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Five of the bodies were discovered in a five-day span last month, according to Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz. 

“There is no evidence, and I repeat no evidence, to suggest that any of these incidents are connected,” Diaz told reporters.

Capt. Salam Zia, commander of the Houston Police Department’s homicide division, said the youngest victim was 20. Authorities later revealed the bodies belonged to both males and females, and ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s.

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“Rumors stir fear and anxiety in our communities,” the chief said. “It’s important to rely on verified information and investigations.”

However, authorities have discovered at least two more bodies since authorities made those remarks, according to Chron, Houston’s local news site.

NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS GRIP COASTAL TOWN AFTER PADDLEBOARDER’S ‘TERRIFYING’ MURDER

HPD Police Chief Noe Diaz listens as Mayor John Whitmire comments on a recent number of bodies found in Houston bayous during a news conference in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Houston Mayor John Whitmire slammed misinformation and “wild speculation” online and from political candidates surrounding the cases at a news briefing on Sept. 23.

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“We do not have any evidence that there is a serial killer loose in Houston, Texas,” he said. “Let me say that again, there is no evidence that there is a serial killer loose in the streets of Houston.”

The Sims Bayou Greenway near the Houston Botanic Garden and the Glenbrook Park is shown in Houston, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

TEEN’S BODY FOUND UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES AT DETROIT AREA CEMETERY PROMPTS INVESTIGATION

He called the number of deaths “alarming” and asked for patience as city police investigate.

“I grew up in Houston,” he told reporters. “Unfortunately, drowning in our bayous is not a new phenomenon.”

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There are 2,500 miles of waterways around the city, he said, as well as a homeless population living outdoors.

The Bayou running through Piney Point Village on Friday, April 18, 2025 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

MISSING NEW ORLEANS BOY, 12, DIED AFTER ALLIGATOR ATTACK, DROWNING: AUTHORITIES

Whitmire suggested that when homeless people die, their friends often throw them in the water.

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“Unfortunately the homeless, when they pass, often end up in the bayou,” he said.

He also pointed to alcohol use and mental health problems as potential factors in the deaths.

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‘ShamWow’ guy files to run for Congress in Texas as Republican candidate

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‘ShamWow’ guy files to run for Congress in Texas as Republican candidate

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You’ll be saying “WOW.”

Famous infomercial pitchman Offer Vince Shlomi – better known as the “ShamWow guy” who advertised the super-absorbent towel on late-night TV – has filed to run for Congress in Texas as a Republican, according to state election records.

The filing, received Friday, was submitted under the name Offer Vince “ShamWow” Shlomi.

Shlomi told Fox News Digital in an interview Sunday that his decision to run for office was ultimately motivated by a desire to “destroy wokeism” and as a tribute to the late Charlie Kirk, whom he called the original “woke buster.” He added that the “political infighting in the country” eventually inspired him to seek office and “make America happy.”

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WORLD SERIES CHAMPION MARK TEIXEIRA ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN IN TEXAS

Offer Vince Shlomi promotes the “ShamWow” as a super-absorbent cleaning towel. (Vince Offer)

The 61-year-old Israeli-American entrepreneur is aiming to unseat Congressman John Carter, R-Texas, the 84-year-old incumbent who is seeking re-election in the district. Carter’s turf includes the northern Austin suburbs, Temple and Fort Hood.

Shlomi is now one of at least five candidates aiming to compete in the primary for Texas’ 31st Congressional District – a reliably red stronghold.

TEXAS REP CHIP ROY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REPLACE KEN PAXTON

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Vince Offer and wife Melody Claire Mandate attend the Hollywood Domino & Bovet 1822’s 8th Annual Pre-Oscar Hollywood Domino Gala & Tournament at Sunset Tower Hotel on Feb. 19, 2015, in West Hollywood, California. (David Livingston)

Shlomi, president and CEO of the TV marketing company Square One Entertainment, skyrocketed to pop-culture fame in the 2000s with his high-energy pitch videos that helped make the super-absorbent “ShamWow” towel a household name.

His rise to fame, however, was accompanied by several high-profile controversies – including allegations of harassment and physical altercations – before he eventually stepped out of the spotlight in recent years and reportedly worked to clean up his image.

EXCLUSIVE: DAN CRENSHAW GOP CHALLENGER CLAIMS ‘DAYS IN CONGRESS ARE NUMBERED,’ AS RACE HEATS UP

Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, leaves a House Republican Conference meeting with President Donald Trump on the budget reconciliation bill in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

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In 2009, Shlomi was arrested in Miami Beach after an alleged violent altercation with a sex worker – an incident that became tabloid fodder after police photos of his face injuries surfaced. 

Earlier in his career, he faced legal battles tied to his 1999 underground comedy film “The Underground Comedy Movie.”

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In recent years, however, Shlomi has kept a lower profile as he shifted back into marketing and entrepreneurship.

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America’s smallest cattle herd in 70 years means rebuilding will take years and beef prices could stay high

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America’s smallest cattle herd in 70 years means rebuilding will take years and beef prices could stay high

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America’s ranchers are facing their smallest cattle herd in 70 years.

Years of punishing drought, rising costs and an aging ranching workforce have thinned herds across the country. Ranchers and agricultural economists alike say rebuilding will take years and beef prices aren’t likely to ease anytime soon.

“The biggest thing has been drought,” said Eric Belasco, head of the agricultural economics department at Montana State University.

BEEF PRICES ARE CLOSE TO RECORD HIGHS — BUT AMERICANS AREN’T CUTTING BACK

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He said years of dry weather have wiped out grasslands across the West and Plains, leaving ranchers without enough feed or water to sustain their herds. Many have been forced to sell cattle early, even the cows needed to produce the next generation of calves, making it hard to rebuild. 

“It’s not going to be a quick fix, you’re not going to solve it overnight,” Belasco told Fox News Digital. 

Ranchers have sold off many of their cattle in order to cope with rising prices. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images)

Belasco said the aftereffects of years of drought are still being felt and until ranchers can rebuild their herds, consumers will keep paying the price.

“The primary reason you see prices so high is because we haven’t seen any kind of inventory rebuilding,” he said. “Until you see that rebuild, you probably won’t see prices coming back down again.”

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That slow rebuilding is a challenge for the cattle industry, according to Derrell Peel, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University.

“The fact of the matter is there’s really nothing anybody can do to change this very quickly,” Peel said. “We’re in a tight supply situation that took several years to develop, and it’ll take several years to get out of it.”

Peel, who specializes in livestock marketing, said there’s no quick way to ease pressure on beef prices, since it takes roughly two years to bring animals to market and several years to rebuild herds.

TRUMP’S BEEF IMPORT PLAN IGNORES KEY ISSUE SQUEEZING AMERICAN CATTLE RANCHERS

Even as ranchers wait for herds to recover, parched conditions are working against them, turning pastures to dust and feed into a luxury. 

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Research from the Kansas City Federal Reserve found that with each step up in drought severity, cattle-producing regions see about a 12% drop in hay production, a 5% rise in hay prices, a 1% reduction in herd size and a 4% decrease in farm income.

To cope, many ranchers are shrinking their herds. A 2022 Farm Bureau survey found that about two in three ranchers have sold animals off, leaving them with roughly one-third fewer cattle than before.

Ranchers and agricultural economists alike say rebuilding the cattle inventory will take years. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Few people see the challenges of ranching more clearly than Cole Bolton, owner of K&C Cattle Company, whose pastures stretch along the soft edge of the Texas Hill Country.

“I think it’s going to take a while to fix this crisis that we’re in with the cattle shortage. My message to consumers is simple, folks, be patient. We’ve got to build back our herds,” Bolton told Fox News Digital.

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Bolton said the region, known for its red dirt and family-run ranches, has gone nearly three months without rain. While showers were finally arriving, he noted that the cattle industry has weathered one setback after another, from market turmoil to extreme conditions, over the past five years.

The growing strain highlights how persistent drought is reshaping the ranching industry and tightening the nation’s livestock supply.

That pressure is being felt not just on ranches but also at the grocery store.

According to USDA data, the average retail price of beef rose from about $8.51 a pound in August 2024 to $9.85 a pound a year later, a gain of roughly 16%. 

The “5-market steer price” represents what ranchers earn for live cattle before they’re processed into meat. The “farm-to-retail” spread reflects everything that happens after that – the costs and profits tied to slaughtering, processing, packaging, shipping and selling beef in stores.

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Much of that work — and the profits it generates — are concentrated among the industry’s “big four” meatpackers: Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill and National Beef.

Together, these data points show that while ranchers are earning slightly more for their cattle than they were a few years ago, the biggest price increases are happening well after the animals leave the pasture.

Despite the markups between the ranch and the grocery store, demand hasn’t wavered. Americans are still buying beef more than ever.

Americans are still buying beef even as prices climb to nearly $10 a pound. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

Beef remains the dominant player in the fresh-meat aisle, with $44.3 billion in sales over the past year, a 12% increase that outpaced chicken, pork and turkey, according to Beef Research, a contractor to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

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Glynn Tonsor, a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, told Fox News Digital that strong consumer demand will continue to drive beef prices higher.

“There’s nothing that forces me or you or anybody else when we go into the grocery store to pay more for beef. People are choosing to,” he said. “The consumer desire for beef is strong and, regardless of the supply-side situation, that has the effect of pulling prices up.”

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Top GOP senator urges Olympic officials to swiftly enact ‘decisive policy’ banning men from women’s sports

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Top GOP senator urges Olympic officials to swiftly enact ‘decisive policy’ banning men from women’s sports

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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to cement its ban on biological males competing in women’s sports in a letter on Monday.

The IOC is set to enact a new policy that will prohibit transgender female athletes from competing against biological women, according to multiple reports. The policy is reportedly set to cover those with differences of sex development (DSD).

Sen. John Cornyn. R-Texas, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Nov. 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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“Reports indicate the working group is moving towards a complete ban on biological males competing in female events, but that decision is not yet confirmed,” Cornyn wrote in a letter to IOC president Kirsty Coventry. “I urge the IOC to move swiftly toward a clear and decisive policy that protects fair and safe competition for women and prohibits biological males from competing in female categories.”

Cornyn underscored the need for resolution to ensure the integrity of women’s sports with the 2026 Winter Olympics approaching and the 2028 Summer Olympics around the corner.

“With the Winter Games rapidly approaching in February and preparation well underway for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, timely action is essential,” Cornyn added. “As the IOC continues its deliberations, this issue has become a global policy concern and a question of athletic integrity.

Kirsty Coventry laughs during a press conference after she was elected as the new IOC president at the International Olympic Committee 144th session in Costa Navarino, western Greece, Thursday, March 20, 2025.  (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

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“In the United States, President Trump honored his unwavering commitment to women and girls with the issuance of Executive Order 1420: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports. His action reaffirmed the longstanding belief that women’s sports must be preserved for biological females.

“I applaud your commitment to addressing this issue and respectfully urge the International Olympic Committee to finalize the ban on biological males competing in female sports, without delay. Thank you for your attention and dedication to protecting women’s athletics.”

The new policy is reportedly expected to be announced in February just ahead of the Winter Olympics.

Coventry called for “protecting” the women’s category in June and there was “overwhelming support” from IOC members to do the same.

“We understand that there’ll be differences depending on the sport … but it was very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category, first and foremost to ensure fairness,” Coventry said at the time.

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A general view of the Olympic rings in front of the Olympia delle Tofane ski run during Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games – 1 Year To Go event on February 06, 2025 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)

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“But we need to do that with a scientific approach and the inclusion of the international federations who have already done a lot of work in this area.”

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