Houston residents are uneasy after a record number of bodies were found in local swamps this year. Now, city officials are denying rumors that the deaths are linked to a serial killer. Shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 8, a dive team recovered the body of a man in White Oak Swamp, marking at least the 16th person found this year, KHOU-11 and Fox News reported. No obvious signs of foul play were detected, according to Fox 26 Houston. The cause of death will be determined by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. During a press conference on September 23, Houston Mayor John Whitmire declared, “Enough with the misinformation” and “wild speculation” on social media, as users expressed concern about the growing number of bodies recovered from swamps in such a short period of time. Five of the bodies were discovered in five days last month, Whitmire said, admitting the situation was “alarming.” “We have no evidence that there is a serial killer on the loose in Houston,” the mayor said when addressing the media. “If there was, you would tell me first,” he continued, adding that his law enforcement agency prides itself on “complete transparency.” “So, I stand before you today to say, enough is enough with the wild speculation. It’s very frustrating for me to be home, watching the news or on social media, and seeing people spreading what I know to be false,” Whitmire said. He also emphasized that there are 4,000 miles of waterways or wetlands in Houston, with a portion of the homeless population living near them. He stated that when a homeless person dies of illness, their “friends and acquaintances” “do not take them to a funeral home.” Later in the press conference, Whitmire reiterated that there was no evidence to suggest any of these incidents were related. Captain Salam Zia,Houston Police Department homicide commander said the youngest victim was 20 years old. According to Fox News, the victims have been both men and women between the ages of 20 and 60. Among the deceased was Jade McKissic, a 20-year-old University of Houston student whose body was recovered on September 15 after she went missing on September 11. "It is with profound sadness that we share the recent passing of one of our students," her university informed students in a letter.