For families of the dead, the pain is sharpened by the feeling that their loved ones are being reduced to case counts and general theories. When authorities suggest explanations tied to homelessness, addiction, or illness, some families hear not answers but dismissal. They are not denying that these struggles exist; many know them intimately. What they are asking for is dignity and clarity. They want thorough investigations, clear timelines, transparent autopsy results, and visible efforts to prevent future deaths. They want to know whether cameras along waterways are working, whether patrols are consistent, whether calls for help were missed or ignored. Above all, they want acknowledgment that each life lost mattered on its own terms, not only as part of a broader social problem. In the absence of detailed information, speculation fills the void, spreading through neighborhoods, online forums, and late night conversations. People trade theories not because they crave drama, but because silence feels like abandonment. When answers are slow or incomplete, the imagination rushes in to provide something, anything, that makes the chaos feel comprehensible.
Experts in criminal behavior and public safety have tried to temper the most alarming fears, explaining that the idea of a single predator responsible for all these deaths does not align with known patterns. Drowning, they note, is an unreliable method for someone seeking control or certainty, and investigations have not revealed consistent signs of violence or coordination. Victims differ widely in background, location, and circumstance, making the notion of a hidden mastermind less likely. Yet this rational analysis, while important, does not fully ease the discomfort. If anything, it redirects it. If there is no singular villain, then the cause may be something far more unsettling because it is familiar and pervasive. It suggests a city where vulnerable people routinely find themselves near dangerous waterways without adequate support, where crises unfold quietly until they end in tragedy, and where the infrastructure meant to protect and monitor fails often enough to feel systemic. This kind of explanation does not offer the closure that comes with identifying and stopping a perpetrator. Instead, it asks the public to confront uncomfortable truths about how society treats those who are struggling. Continue reading…
