"Smiley Face Killer" - Paper Proposes New Wrinkle

The 'Smiley Face Killings' are taking on the look of an old-fashioned mystery.

• Drownings
• Dozens of them
• Victims showing up months later: laid out, not sprawled
• An eldritch symbol connected with the body in at least five cases
• Obviously, these are all accidental deaths

I can imagine a cigar-chomping, beer-bellied, tough-talking big city cop saying that last line. Although he'd probably say something like, "da guy drowned. Coroner says so. Good enough for me. Now beat it."

Problem is, this isn't something from the adventures of Bat Shott, Detective. It's very real.

Retired NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte have evidence, and a theory to go with it.

Local law enforcement, and the FBI, Think that the deaths aren't related, and that most of them are accidental drowning. After all, the argument goes, the guys were drinking before they went in the water.

Apparently nobody's said it, but I can here the objection-quashing "What other explanation is there?" follow-up.

The retired NYPD cops may be right.

Or, those law enforcement agencies, may be right.

There is a middle ground - some could be real serial killings, others could really be accidents.

Now, the word "hoax" is in the mix.

• "Smiley Face Killer Photos: Provides Clues, Link: Is it a Hoax?"
  National Ledger (May 1, 2008)
  • "Is the Smiley Face Killer real or an urban legend? The 'Smiley Face Gang' as dubbed by a group of policemen may be a group of serial killers responsible for the deaths of at least 40 young men ...
  • The deaths (are they murders?) all share common traits. The men are well-liked, athletic college guys who drowned mysteriously, usually disappearing after a night of drinking. Are they accidents are something far more sinister?"
• "FBI: 'No Evidence' to Support 'Smiley Face Gang' Serial Murder Theory; Victims' Families Say There Is"
  FoxNEWS (May 1, 2008)
  • "Gannon and Duarte told reporters that the drownings seem to have been staged, especially since many victims were missing for months before their bodies turned up and some corpses looked like they had been tampered with.
  • "Further, a smiley-face symbol was found painted at some of the drowning locations — in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa.
  • "Jenkins' body was discovered in the Mississippi River about four months after he disappeared in 2003. Police concluded he accidentally fell into the water and died after a night of drinking, but the retired detectives believe his death is suspicious in part because of how his body looked when it was found: encased in ice with his hands folded across his chest."

Previous post on this topic: " 'Smiley Face Killer' - Individuals do Make a Difference" (April 29, 2008)