Isaiah Terrell

At a glance

Isaiah Terrell Age 27 · from Dallas, Texas — in Waco visiting family and friends (per KWTX)
Reported missing Sunday morning, October 11, 2026
Last seen Near the Lake Waco golf course, Tree Lake Drive (police post); neighbors told KWTX he was last seen between midnight and 3 a.m. knocking on doors in the area
Found Monday, October 12, 2026, about 3:30 p.m. — in a body of water in the 5600 block of Flat Rock Road, in the China Spring area northwest of Waco
Cause & manner of death Not yet determined — an autopsy has been ordered
Investigation Waco Police Department, Major Crimes Unit — ongoing

What is known — and what is not

A note on his name: the Waco Police Department’s written news release spells his first name ‘Isiah’; the department’s video release and his family’s community posts spell it ‘Isaiah’. This file uses ‘Isaiah’ — the family’s spelling — and will note any official document that settles the spelling.

Known, from the official record: Isaiah Terrell, 27, was reported missing on Sunday morning, October 11, 2026. On Monday, October 12, officers of the Waco Police Department's Major Crimes Unit were searching the 5600 block of Flat Rock Road when they located him deceased in a body of water at about 3:30 p.m. Texas Game Wardens, the McLennan County Sheriff's Office, and many of his friends and family took part in Monday's search. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death, and his next of kin has been notified.

Not yet known: the cause and manner of his death; where he was, and what happened, between the last confirmed sighting and Monday afternoon; and whether anyone else was involved in any way — officials have made no allegation of any kind. Also unresolved in public: whether anyone called 911 during the night — his family has asked, and no dispatch records have been released — and a wording difference in coverage: KWTX described the discovery as at the Lake Waco Golf Club, while the police release places it in the 5600 block of Flat Rock Road, in the same northwest Waco area. A great deal is being said locally that officials have not confirmed. None of it is in this file. When the Waco Police Department, the autopsy, or his family place more on the public record, this file will record it — with its source.

If you have information: the Waco Police Department is the investigating agency. Tips belong with them, not with this website.

The timeline — full text

Official statements

• Waco Police Department · News Release, Oct. 12, 2026The department's only public statement so far. It announces that Terrell, reported missing Sunday morning, was found deceased Monday afternoon in a body of water on Flat Rock Road; that an autopsy has been ordered; that next of kin has been notified; and that the investigation is ongoing. It thanks the Texas Game Wardens, the McLennan County Sheriff's Office, and the friends and family who searched. — Read the release

The family has spoken through public posts and a community flyer rather than a formal press statement. Their accounts are collected in The unverified record, below.

People & agencies in the record

The unverified record — what family & community are saying

TV coverage stops at the police release. The community's record lives in family posts, a missing-person flyer, and the comments under that release. None of the following has been confirmed by officials. Each item is credited to where it was said, and stamped accordingly — this layer is preserved because, in a two-day-old case, it is where the unanswered questions live.

• "He was visiting a friend named Josh." Family members, in public posts, say Terrell was in the area visiting a friend — named in those posts as Josh. Waco police have not named any friend, and officials have made no allegation about anyone. UNVERIFIED — Family members' public posts, Oct. 2026
• "He knocked on doors asking for help — and no one called 911." Family members' public posts say he went door to door during the night asking for help, and that no one called 911. The claim echoes through the comments under the police release ("Man, he was knocking on doors…"; "Please investigate every door he knocked on"). Neighbors separately told KWTX he was seen knocking on doors between midnight and 3 a.m. — that account is in the timeline above, as reported. No 911 or dispatch records have been released. UNVERIFIED — Family members' public posts; comments on the Waco PD release READ ARTICLE
• "We were told to wait 24 hours." A family member's public post says authorities advised waiting 24 hours before searching; that the searches used drones and boats; that he was found very close to where searchers had already looked; and that there is no surveillance footage from the golf club. UNVERIFIED — A family member's public post, Oct. 2026
• The community's demand. Commenters on the department's release post are organizing under #ISAIAHNEEDANSWERS, asking the department to investigate every door he knocked on and to address the communication around the search. — Comments on the Waco PD release READ ARTICLE

The records — what exists, and what has not been released

• Police news release — published October 12, 2026. Status: PUBLIC — linked in Documents
• Autopsy — ordered October 12 to determine cause and manner of death. Results in cases like this typically take weeks. Status: PENDING
• 911 / dispatch records — his family has asked publicly whether anyone called 911 during the night. No dispatch records have been released. Status: NOT RELEASED
• Doorbell & security footage — if neighbors' cameras recorded the night, that footage would be a primary record. None has been released publicly. Status: NONE RELEASED
• Waco PD investigative records — not released; Texas law generally allows agencies to withhold records of an active investigation. Status: NOT RELEASED
• Inquest records — in McLennan County, deaths of this kind are typically the subject of a justice-of-the-peace inquest; no inquest findings have been published. Status: NONE PUBLISHED

Documents & reporting