Anything is possible. And it seems too much of a coincidence that a "smiley face" shows up at the scene of each of these murders.

Well it has to be more than just a coincidence that so many young boys disappeared and were found in a lake or river with a smiley face near that area. That would be like one in a million chance or something. How can the FBI so easily dismiss it when so many people have died under these strange circumstances? Makes no sense to me!

Hopefully by keeping on showing this someone will remember something or come forward with some more information to help all of these parents who have lost their sons.

The FBI probably sees no connection between 911 and Osama Bin Laden. Of course there's probably more than a coincidence that links the manner of death, all male victims, with the presence of smiley face markings near the crime scene. In absence of any other leads, what is the harm in investigating this link by the FBI? This sounds like a very interesting story, and the publicity 360 generates very well may help these families and investigators get the information they are desperately seeking.

"But what was strange was that college-age women didn’t disappear ..."

What's even "stranger" is that they're all white, from what I gather. The writer doesn't seem to want to touch that part of it.

Imagine if dozens of young black men mysteriously disappeared?

Would their race be mentioned? You betcha.

It could be 2 killers; and maybe the same 1 or 2 have committed all of the murders – they seem to be spread out time-wise. Sure have been going on a long time.

I, too, think the FBI shouldn't be too quick to dismiss the work and theories of the retired policemen. If the FBI is so sure, then they need to explain WHY and then the cops won't have to worry about it anymore. Sometimes I think the FBI, CIA, etc. just don't want anyone "getting in their way" and think they don't need any help at all.

The smiley faces (or smirks) should not be dismissed as random graffiti. Smiley faces are not generally used by adults as graffiti, especially in the kinds of odd places the detectives found them in. Guys who hang around rivers and drink and party are generally not nerdy types who would paint smiley faces on rocks!

Too much about this case has been dismissed by authorities. I'm not sure why they deny the evidence. Even the FBI refuses to consider the new evidence. Det. Gannon is a extremely competent and trained detective and he should be given the respect he is due.

I feel for the families of the victims, I lost my brother when he was 7.
By reading what has been stated so far its seems like it is different groups of females. The police departments really need to keep in communication with one another, unfortunately that is where alot of things (important things) end up falling through the cracks.

San Francisco, Ca

Smiley Face? Those pics do not look like any smiley face. Sure it is not an emoticon?

Catch the sick bastard, and hang 'em high, from a tight noose.

What bothers me is that when a male goes missing or found dead, they are assume to be partying and fell. However, when a female goes missing or is found dead we assume foul play was involved. I lost a son. Noone believes moms. I am very interested to see this story.

This Case in my opinion should be taken into high consideration. There is too many young college/university men dying. And there must a connection between all of them. The similey face is the killers signature or mark. It is possible that it isnt just one killer it may be several as in a group. It just seems impossible that it would be just one.!! I've lost many ppl who were close to me (family) ... Such question ..why Men!!!???

I hope that they do find this smiley Face killer.. I send all my condolences to the families who lost their children is this.

Having been in law enforcement for many years, the only thing I find surprising about the FBI's lack of interest is that it surprises anyone. Street cops and detectives identify and solve the crimes. The FBI provides "support". For the most part, these aren't folks who have spent any time on the streets. They are overeducated administrators, thinking of theories and psychology. They don't solve crimes. These retired police officers have the skills, education, experience, and, most importantly, sense to know when something is wrong. I hope they are able to solve these crimes and get the credit they deserve for their perserverence.

As someone who lives in La Crosse, I can say I'm still not honestly convinced that a serial killer is responsible for the deaths here. The article didn't state that smiley faces were found near ALL of the locations - only some, and there has never been a single mentioning of finding any near here, nor have I ever seen one while walking in the park near the river. While at first it may seem odd that it's mostly one demographic, when you consider this area (college town, mostly white, has one of the largest bars per capita rate in the nation, including the most bars on one street [conveniently located only three blocks from the Mississippi]) and the sociological aspect of males versus females in bar settings (females tend to stick together more, etc.), it doesn't seem that odd. They have been investigating the heck out of the deaths here and still there's nothing that conclusively says that there is any link. I'll just say that I've never been concerned drinking downtown. With that said, I'm sure there is a killer involved with some of these deaths.

I was in LaCrosse when one of the young men was found in the Mississippi. It was during Oktoberfest which is a massive drunk-fest. Some people would say something about a serial killer but, most just blew it off as someone got drunk, wondered off, and fell into the river. People would say "Yes there is a serial killer. It's called alcohol."

I remember that night very vividly. A lot of panicked people were looking for him. People were handing out flyers. It was very sad to read about the body being found. I just don't understand how the police and the feds think that someone would wonder off away from a group of people and fall into the river. At least not nine times in a decade.

I agree with Eugenia. I think it's women doing this. Even though serial killers are generally not women.

Appleton, WI

And as far as "assuming" partying - (only speaking on behalf of the La Crosse deaths) - it was confirmed in every case I believe. Their friends would report them missing after a night of binge drinking (I believe most had BACs above 2.0) where they had been down at the bars (again, conveniently located a few blocks from the river).

Female college students that have perhaps been the victim of date rape after being drugged seems like the most probable explanation. All of these guys seemed to be pretty big guys that could fend off an attack. The only thing that would make them vulnerable would be the promise of attention from a pretty girl. They all look pretty similar and could be lumped in to the" frat boy" catalog. This label carries with it a negative connotation due to the wide spread reports over the years of drug induced date rape. The simple fact that they were not stabbed, struck or in other ways harmed physically implies that it was done by physically weaker person. I believe it is a gross error in judgment to dismiss these cases.

Berkeley CA

This isn't news. This certainly shouldn't be national news. This story is two ex-cops using their retirements to take advantage of greiving parents and work up material a novel is my read on this story. CNN should once again be ashamed for its fearmongering and exploitation of tragedy. The story ties together "40" "bizarre drowning deaths" without any linking facts. This is just bad scandal sheet reporting.

This is a classic example of observational bias. I feel for the families, I would be devastated if I lost my son. But smiley faces are, contrary to an earlier post, among the most common forms of graffiti. It would not be very difficult to find a smiley face near a body of water (on a bridge or overpass for example). And how could the detectives possibly say that the smiley faces, as common as they are, were drawn near the point of entry? Remember that it is difficult to figure out where the body actually entered the water (the bodies were located in some cases months after the deaths). The effects of cold and alcohol seem more than enough to explain these sad accidents. But the well-meaning detectives are fitting their evidence to their theory, not the other way around. This story is only going to grow because of the ludicrously uncritical reporting going on. If it gets large enough, people will be falsely accused but no one will ever be found guilty because there was no serial crime here.

At the end of the day, everyone will feel as stupid as they did after playing up the unfounded stories of satanic cults eating babies and murdering hundreds. That was the 90's, do we really need a replay?

Its so sad that the parents just cant admit to themselves that their kid got drunk and stupid. If you live near a river drowning is just one of the hazards. Easy enough to avoid. The smiley faces connecting them is really a stretch. The faces have been used as graffiti for 30+ years. One of the easiest and most common things people will draw. The FBI even investigated this matter in Lacross WI and ruled they where just drunk and the serial killer idea was just hype. So the FBI has good reason for their lack of interest. They already investigated and found it just wasnt so. Of course there will be drownings, its nature weeding out the stupid and unlucky. Add booze and your all the more likely to get stupid, and do things you wouldnt normaly. Its sad they are dead, but thats life. Its even sadder that the parents of the drowned just cant face the facts. They need some one to blaim and will reach for anything to help them get by.

I was at the party with one of the guys the night he disappeared in 2002. My friends and I were all interviewed by the local police and the FBI. Even though I had never met him before that night my stomach dropped when I saw him on the list of victims of a possible serial killer. Five and a half years ago his death was attributed to being drunk and accidentally falling in the river although that never really seemed to make sense. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and I hope that either way they find the answers they haven't had since that night.

Is there any way that I can get in touch/give a lead to the detectives? Please let me know because this same scenario occurred on my college campus 2 years ago. Please get in touch with me or put up something in the blog so that I can send a case to these detectives. Thank you.

Saint John's University in Collegeville MN, had similar mysterious (presumed) death of young man who disappeared after party several years ago. Has that one been connected to the other deaths of young men by drowning in in Minnesota?

man!.... this is super creepy! ... i fit the profile of the guys that are winding up dead ... i live in new york and remeber that one kid going missing around new years ... there was fliers everywhere in the city looking for him ... man! it stuck with me .... my heart goes out to the families ....

Randi: You were a terrific reporter and TV presence in the Twin Cities Market; you were clearly destined for bigger things, and you have done great work for CNN. But you are flogging a very dubious story in the "smiley face" killings. There must be great pressure on all CNN reporters to compete with Fox for lurid crime stories, but people like Kevin Gannon and his speculating bretheren appear to be interested only in becoming the next Mark Furman, with media exposure and a book deal, and very little real interest in doing the work to get closure for the relatives of these (probably unconnected) murder victims. Please show us some evidence; don't let the victims' loved ones depend upon newshounds' theories for their comfort.

Does anyone know if this list of 40 young men has been made public? Just before my freshman year at SUNY Geneseo (upstate NY) in 1991 a young guy went missing. I think I heard that he was later found in a nearby river, though I can't find one story on-line about it.

Thank goodness someone is investigating this, and also, thank the reporter. I'm in Madison WI, and just as a private citizen, I noticed this disturbing pattern...our colleges have also had heavy drinking, but the drownings of college drunks would happen more like one every two years. And I live in Madison, with a campus situated between two lakes. Also, the drunk-student drownings for my first 25 years here tended to cluster in summer, not winter...I will try to find out how to thank these investigators myself, but if I can't, I really thank you and them for pursuing this.

oops i meant "colleges have always had heavy drinking" not also

This story really creeps me out. Good luck to the cops in catching these guys (or guy).

There definitely is something going on...it doesn't make sense that this many young, white, athletic, good looking males all died under such similar circumstances. They're purposely being targeted so it's not only females that need to be careful bar hopping – men do too.

Having lived across the street from a river (the Charles in Boston) and seen countless drunk kids wandering home after long nights of partying, I have yet to remember one "accidentally" falling into the river while intoxicated. As much as the police would like to think, it really requires a concerted effort to end up in a river, and for that to happen ALL these people is totally improbable!w

It's scary to think that something like this could be happening in my lifetime. I think about serial killers of the past and I just feel so removed from it.

Everyone keeps saying "serial killer"....am I the only one who thinks this feels like a terrorist attack against our young men? Killing them before they can join the fight against terror.

I certainly hope those two retired detectives are considering THAT possiblity.

If you look back just a few years ago, I thought there was a serial killer who prayed on youngmen in the NYC Metro area. There were at least 3 to 4 cases where youngmen disappear from Upper Eastside or Westside bars/nite-clubs only to be found in either the East River or the Hudson Rivers. They were labeled accidents but I am sure they are open cases. Since the retired police officers are from NYC they should look back and see if there are any clues either that were documented by the crime scene officers or on the bodies that may spark a link. I always found it mysterious that nothing was emntioned locally for a while but I told a friend there maybe a link there. Pretty weird but that is the world we live in.

With so many people gone missing over such a long period of time, can't they find any witnesses to the abductions? Was there a smiley found for every one of these people? If there was, that would be more convincing. There are many sick people out there as we all know.

I forgot to mention, they were all young white males, generally with dark hair. Gives ya goose-bumps.

A friend of mine, a young black man, was found drowned last October in Kingsport, TN. To my knowledge, no explanation has been found for his death.

I'm guessing they correlate online somewhere and have some kind of pact to carry this stuff out. Because it is so widespread, you would think that it's coordinated online somewhere. I hope they figure this out quick though!

Places that don't get watched a lot tend to develop graffiti. And if people were watching, they would have watched a drunk college guy go in the water. Smiley faces are a very common form of graffiti, and there seems to be no similarity in the style in which the smiley faces were drawn that would indicate a common artist. And why in the winter? Umm, because in the northern Midwest the water is so cold that you may have a few minutes after you fall in the water to get out. Anybody who falls in the river in the summer can usually swim to shore.

My son's hockey teammate Nick Garza is a first year college student who has disappeared from Middlebury College in Vermont without a trace. He had a bright future and was well thought of back here in Albuquerque. They are currently dragging the river next to the college looking for him. He has been missing since the beginning of February. These disappearances sound chillingly like his situation. Are there any instances of this happening in Vermont or in the near vicinity?

Please let this investigator know that just last month a young freshman male student at Ithaca College was found dead under exactly the same circumstances and they also called it an accidental drowning due to alcohol. You said that the latest death was in Albany in December, Ithaca is also upstate NY and it took place in April.

I was always doubful of the accidental drowning theory and am terrified by this. A few years ago we ha a series of "drowned" young men in NY and I was always afraid of a serial killer. Now I am convinced!

I am very suspicious of the investigator that you interviewed.

Being familiar with the college towns near the river, it is such a stretch that these 2 detectives are saying "serial killers". People get drunk and fall in the river, it is as simple as that. Maybe a different logo or marking would make sense, but a smiley face, come on..

Following the story on cnn about the smiley face murders, I also remembered a boy named Kyle from SUNY Geneseo who went missing from in 1991. (see post from Tricia). He was later discovered dead in a river near the school. He went missing following a night out partying. He was a freshman. As Tricia did, I decided to see if I could find any info on him on the web. Absolutely nothing. Does anyone know if his death was investigated as maybe an early smiley face murder. The detective on CNN spoke about a possible organized/gang affiliation to these deaths. How about fraternity initiations? Geneseo has a very large greek/fraternity population.

Jared Dion was my student at University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. On Easter lSunday, the day after he went missing and 4 days before his body was found in the Mississippi River, I specifically told where he would be found, that someone killed him and that he would have his hat missing, but that his hat would be found by and in the possession of someone not his killer. On the following Wednesday, his body was found where I predicted and his hat was brought to the police by the finder I mentioned. I believe his killer was immediately behind his left shoulder as he was leaving the bar that early morning at closing time. He was about the same height, possible a little bit taller, than Jared with dark hair. I do not know if there was/is video of that on bar cameras. One of the most renowned state judges discussed this at length with me and was also convinced Jared did not drown by accident. However, the local university, police, district attorney and FBI continue to insist he did. Also, well before I ever heard of Chris Jenkins or any circumstances regarding his death, I foretold a young college man would be found dead under the bridge in the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities with his Halloween costume on and his death would be ruled an accident or suicide, and also it would be several months between Halloween and the time his body would be found. Furthermore I said he was taken when he left the bar he was at, his costume would be dry and his body would be found under the bridge which had already been checked before to no avail. This seems to be the situation with Chris Jenkins, whom I do not know. Maybe somebody should try to see if a well respected psychic would be able to discover any further details on these tragic deaths of so many young men, at least 6 in La Crosse, WI, alone.

When I was in East Dubuque, I was approached by an attractive woman who had two "guy friends" in tow. We partied for a little and then she asked me to meet her at her apartment but I was leery of this as she told me one of the guys, an older gentleman was her "sugar daddy" and he may get jealous and have the other guy- a real hulk that went by the nickname chainsaw – mess me up. Heck no! Exit stage left! But all I could remember was Matthew Kruziki who disappeared. I kept thinking that maybe this is how it happened to him.

My good friend from high school was Jared Dion, one of the boys who "got drunk and walked into the river in LaCrosse" in 2004. Nobody believed it then. Nobody believes it now.

This is a public relations nightmare for any university. It doesn't surprise me that the LaCrosse police department and the University have been ruling these "accidents" time and time again.

This is clearly something that needs to be examined much, much further before it happens again. Because it will.

This is the unfortunate reality of 'finding what you are looking for' or as the person above mentioned observational bias. The Smiley faces are not at the 'murder scene' but rather are found somewhere upstream. Many of them are quite far away, some are clearly painted months after the men went missing, etc. Just for fun, go looking in your city for a smily face painted somewhere – guess what, you will find one.

We have had 2 people go missing from my college in Canada over the past 20 years who ended up in the river. Accidents and suicides are much more common when drinking and a body of water is a logical site for both events. I do feel sorry for the families, but more importantly, I feel shame for CNN – I thought Lou Dobbs was criminal in his reporting, but I used to think more highly about Anderson...

I heard about this story a few weeks ago and it has stuck with me since. There is no doubt in my mind that these deaths are not accidental. Gannon said it best in the interview. "Nine from one small town all walk a few blocks in the same direction and fall into a riven? That doesn't make sense to me."

I hope the FBI starts taking it seriously.

Thank you Randi and CNN. This is a print and save article for our kids. My two sons are in this age group, and it's really eye opening to hear their stories of the things that are going on in the bars and clubs. Kids out for a good time are the targets of all kinds of crimes. This is, however, is the creepiest thing I've ever heard of.
It's time for the cops to wake up and deal.

One other thing. I grew up in La Crosse, WI, and was young when there were more bars in La Crosse within one mile of each other than anywhere else in the world, supposedly a Guiness Book of World Records entry. These bars were also within 2-3 blocks of the Mississippi River. The Oktoberfest beer fest has been a local endeavor since the mid 1960's and a more recent annual Riverfest has also been held on the banks of the Mississippi River. Still no deaths during these fests from drunk drownings off the fest grounds or nearby bridge until last fall. No similar drownings happened during my high school and college era or until the recent group of deaths here. So if this is just what happens to drunkards, then why not old drunk men or drunk women, only young drunk men?

This story reminds me of a young cadet drowned in lake Ontario four years ago. Sorry, I lost his name unfortunately..... but as a healthy and sportive cadet of the Royal Militairy College in Kingsto,n Ontario, he had suddenly disappeared and found later dead in the water. Even his girlfriend, a student as well at that time, has never understood 'what happenend'.

There has been several investigations, but the cause has never been determined. This while the father has always believed that he was murdered.

It is such a sad story.

I don't think you can ignore the smiley face connection – even if it shows up at just 2 or 3 of the sites. A serial killer may not be connected to ALL of the cases in question, but even if the smiley face just shows up at a few locations, for those handful of cases, the chances that it is coincidence is very low. Also, the smiley face has an "X" (or a cross?) on its head. Is it a far stretch to think this could symbolize a killing? It was mentioned that the smiley face was absent from certain sites. Could it be that there is a smiley face at some of those sites that has yet to be discovered? The article mentioned that discovering the proposed site of the body dumping involved a lot of guess work to determine how far down river the body has floated. There could still be a lot of ground that needs to be covered in searching for yet-to-be-discovered clues...

I suppose this is an obvious point about the "smiley face killer" case, but it seems to me that the easiest way to lure a drunk college-age male out of a bar – or soon after leaving a bar – would involve using an attractive woman (or women) as bait. Once in a vehicle – a van in particular – much stronger people could overpower, or drug, the man.

I just can't see these guys, even while drunk, going off with other men. If the lure is a woman though – or, more likely, two or more women – a young drunk guy would be easy to trick into entering a vehicle. They could claim to be going off to a party, for example.

Those investigating the case should go over all security tapes from the bars that these men visited before disappearing, and make a file of all the faces of the women who appear on these tapes – then look for faces that show up on more than one of the tapes taken in the bars these victims frequented before disappearing.

It would be beyond coincidence for the same woman (or women) to be seen on the security tapes of more than one of these bars. If the same face appears on more than one tape, well.........

There is your first suspect.

I don't think it's likely that the police are just trying to be the next "Mark Fuhrman" if they _mortgaged_ their house to keep trying to investigate this. Speaks to a level of personal involvement. It may not be true, but I think they are trying for the right reasons.

I think the point about drowning deaths being clustered in summer rather than winter is important – and true from what i've seen as well. However, it sounds like a majority of these cases involve GHB, which doesn't seem to get used on guys all that much...

I like looking at graffiti and have spent some time looking around locally and few some websites and books, I'm not seeing smiley faces being all that common a theme these days. 30-40 years ago, sure, but not so much in the decade we're talking about with these crimes. 22/40 isn't ultimately conclusive, but it might have developed later. Though...because this is spread out through 11 states, if it's seen in most of those states as opposed to just around one cluster, it's more convincing.

Trish – 1991 isn't in the range of time they're discussing, iirc. I think the earliest person they're looking at, as far as I've seen publicized was 1997?

wow, im in lawrence, kansas, the univesity of kansas, and it has been years ago but a boy died while trying to swim the river.. he had left a bar and was never found. only his shoes were found on the shore. my question is how many of these took place along a rail line? seems to me that a transient killer or pack of killers, rail jumpers, could be responsible. in lawrence the river in question runs very close to one of the busiest rail lines in the midwest. i observe numerous camps of these transient rail travelers in the woods along the river and rails. crazy stuff.

I think the Detectives need to focus on what all these young men had in common. Besides being in college and going to a bar to drink with their friends. There has to be somethings that they have in common that would lead to the killer(s). I think Candace DeLong the former FBI profiler would be a great person to ask for help. Profiling is all about behavior. Were there cameras in the bar for the last young man. Did any of his friends or the bartender recall seeing anyone who stood out or was by themselves. Maybe someone saw the killer mess with his drink. Maybe all these young men were targeted for a specific reason. I think it is a serial killer. Maybe its a college employee or bar employee someone who has had alot of jobs on college campuses. They get access to clubs parties they can pick their prey. I think detectives need to focus away from the crime scene. Unless they want to take samples of the paint to find its source. Focus on the things that are important. They each were chosen for a reason find out what and why and they find the killer or killers. I hope they catch the bastards. Like the BTK they will solve this.

Graffiti is an art form that is taken pretty darn seriously. The artists have a tag, and it is meant to identify their work. There is no consistency in the ages of the faces whether they are tags or taunts. Nothing to tie them to anything. There have been a gazillion smiley faces in places where no bodies were ever found and it has been going on since forever. The bodies have been found in places where there is alot of room for graffiti. Places where debri washes up and along banks and locks. Places where people do graffiti hoping not to be caught. Like the inside rails of train bridges or whatever they're called. The Feds are trying to make graffiti a felony and the smileys are there to poke at the entire idea. The theory is pretty ridiculous and borne of hysteria. I am totally convinced and frankly it ticks me off to see the false hope it's giving these families. You have two retired NY cops who are still pretty young and need to be needed. You have a college professor who evidently needs it too. They are stirring a pot and I believe it's for attention. If they know their business, they should know that even publicizing a theory like that is going to produce alot more smiley faces. It's the stupidist, most cruel, ridiculous circus and abuse of pain I've seen from law enforcement. You are not doing anybody any favor guys. If you believe this stuff, keep it quiet. Don't got grabbing the media to make a show out of it. Good grief. There are plenty of other reasons why this might have happened to these kids.

I don't think it sounds like something women could do. I'm definately no expert but if it were more than one woman the secret would have slipped out over the last few years because women are talkers, men are the ones that can remain silent. I also think that he or they probably seem sort of arrogant but inside feel low on the totem pole inside. Strange that it only appears in the winter....I will probably catch heck for this, but summer only employment can lead too much time on your hands in the winter and fewer people are out and about to witness a crime. Construction is seasonal job that comes to mind right away but then again so is landscaping. Construction workers go where the work is and that could mean moving around the Country. If these are NOT accidental deaths, I hope they find those responsible.

Test the face Paint to tell if its the same Brand. Then you'll know if its the same group or individual. Plus you might learn the state of origin?
So far the faces shown in the media have been white paint.

The devil red paint is a new batch of paint or a copycat.?

Just some ideas...

Duarte said “The type of person that would be the opposite, not smart, someone not good in school, maybe doesn't have a job, and not popular,” but it seems unlikely. Try and image young popular, athletic and good college boys hanging out with them. And no one has noticed who they are at least 40 times already? I believe most, if not all, members of Evil Smiley Face Gang are smart, good looking, either rich or have jobs, but I think they aren’t as popular is probably true. So either they are doing this just for fun or repealing their rivalries as they hate being competitive against other talents. If all 40 victims are white, then it’s possible that all ESFG members are black, Asian, middle-eastern, or other ethnic. I could be wrong, but this is just my opinion for now.

I realize that this maybe a long shot at best, but there was and or still is a non-traditional gang in the Salt Lake City, UT area known as the "Happy Campers," these youths and young adults were led by an older male individual, who promised college educations to his followers/gang members. The Happy Campers were known to be well versed in gang symbolism and taggging. The leader of the group preached that the less advantaged should rise against the more affluent and economically stable. Members were recruited from runaway shelters, youth programs, etc. and taught that they were the only truly deserving of such things as a higher education and that the upper and upper-middle class were nothing more than "rich scum" who did not appreciate their blessings, etc. The reason this group comes to mind, is the Red Paint used in the Devil Horned Smiley face found at a crime scene and also the tongue and the X on the forehead of the tagging – there is a resemblence to this gangs logo (less the horns). Like I said, it's a very long, long reach, but could members (past or present) of the Happy Campers be involved? I am sure that the Salt Lake Metro Gand Task Force can provide the retired detectives working this case with the intelligence files on this group, it's leader(s) and members. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased.

What if the killers are female?

I remember seeing a story about this on my local news a couple of months ago- was there also something about a very odd street name that one of the men disappeared on being spray painted at the site that another body was put in the water?

TO "RACH"

1-800-577-TIPS CRIME STOPPERS

crime tips that you can make anonymously.

god i hope something comes out of this. How can so many college-aged white males who fit a similar profile, enter a bar with a group of friends, disappear, then be found with no sign of injury in a near-by river? It's relatively easy to drug the man, lure him out into a van or other transportation...how ppl don't see the link–or at least can't identify homicide baffles me! someone would surely notice a man stumbling by himself...but if at the side of a woman or "buddy" perhaps, then its forgettable. To rule these cases as accidental drownings sounds like the case never truly got the examination it deserved. it was the tip of the iceberg...as there is a whole lot going on that has yet to be discovered.

Smiley face killers? So they like the movie Fight Club?

I think Bess is correct about emoticons. They're giving a list of the emoticons they've combined together to come up with their own emoticon.

EVIL HAPPY SMILEY FACE MAN!

Which is why it's red and has horns. The EVIL emoticon is a red devil.

Please have this accident checked out among your others. A graduate from Chambersburg, Pa. left for college and same thing happened to him a few years ago. I worked with the father many years
ago. I didn't know his son but maybe you can help solve this for them.
Please don't publish this information for sake of the family.
Michael Haduk is the fathers name from Chambersburg, Pa. but
is now retired. I only know what I read in the paper and don't remember specifics. Not sure if you already have this case included in your list. Thank you, D. Stotler

There looks to be a lot of anger in the writing with the heavy dots at the end of each line on each letter. Also, it does look like someone who is the opposite of the educated guy with the dyslexia thing going on the e's.
Keep going with this, because the public can help catch whoever is doing this.
It will be interesting to find out what the other symbols and information that they are withholding from the public are later.
To those who think that is graffiti, I don't think so.

I have been keeping up with this for some time now. I believe that this is some sort of gang initiation. Also, look at the "smiley face" that was drawn...what is in the middle of his forehead? It looks like some kind of Charles Manson cross.

This Red Devil Smiley face looks like the tongue is sticking out and may indicate homosexual link. There is also a cross on the forehead which could be a subconcious tag of a brain injury in the perpetrator.
We have a good looking med student who dissappeared a few years ago. He had been drinking at an OSU bar and walked out the door alone and that was the last time anyone saw him.
By the vast arrary of locations this could be a frequent flyer. A traveler who may be a sales rep to colleges for supplies or textbooks. Young or appearing young.. to fit into the college bar scene. Clean cut scolar looking man who no one would suspect like a Bundy but with vengence to guys preceived better than him.

Has anyone though about how far the water is from where these young drunk men disappeared. Is possible that the only way they could have gotten to the water was by vehicle. Maybe some one should look into how they go to the water. If they had stumbled into the water would there have been some kind of evidence (disturbed ground) I know if I so drunk I can drown that I am not walking straight and would be dragging my feet or falling down and disturbing the ground around where I fell in.

I'm from Eau Claire, WI, another college town that has had at least 2 (if not more, I can't remember) college age men drown after a night of partying. I really can't say that I'm convinced there is more to it than men getting incredibly drunk, getting lost, and falling into the river. The river in EC is just blocks away from the downtown Water Street. While it's tragic that this is happening to men, right now I just don't see any proof that this is the actual work of a serial killer.

Trish, I had the same thought ... as soon as I read this story, my jaw dropped. The whole set-up sounded exactly like what happened to my cousin in 1991 in the midwest ... very popular kid on campus, disappeared into thin air right in the middle of a party ... showed up 6 weeks later in a river one state over. This article gave me chills.

My first thought when I read this article is that there has already been a "Smiley Face Killer." His name is Keith Hunter Jesperson. He is currently serving a life sentence in Oregon. Although he used "smiley faces," he is known as the "Happy Face Killer." Regardless, this "theme" has already been used. Jesperson did not leave his mark at crime scenes though. He put smiley faces on letters taunting the police. I'm sure that he is currently sitting in his cell wondering when and if someone would think to mention his name in regard to these news stories.

There is not enough information given in the original CNN article or in Cooper's blog to convince me that there is any real threat of a traveling band of serial killers hunting down college-aged males. To even suggest this without providing sufficient support and evidence is ridiculous.

The original article states, "Who would commit this type of crime?
"The type of person that would be the opposite, not smart, someone not good in school, maybe doesn't have a job, not popular," Duarte said."

It is obvious that the FBI is not assisting Duarte on these cases. If they were, he would know that IF there were a serial killer who had successfully killed 40 men without detection, dumped their bodies without being seen, left smiley faces at the crime scenes, and escaped without having left a single trace of evidence behind.....that the individual would not be a dumb, unemployed, unlikeable individual. The "killer" that Duarte has described is a disorganized killer. If this imaginary killer did exist, we would be dealing with an organized serial killer. He would be intelligent, charming, socially adept, probably employed, someone that would be able to convince these young men to come out and "party" with him, someone that likely drives a nice clean car. His appearance will be clean and well dressed. We're not talking about someone that looks and acts like a "loon." A "loon" would not be able to pull off such an intricate plan.

Finally, if there were such a killer, the smiley face would be his "signature." He would leave that mark at every crime scene (not just here and there). Leaving the mark is asking for the attention (or credit) that he feels he deserves for the murder and for getting away with it.

The details provided in these stories are not consistent. The analysis of the details is clearly not based on training and education in the field of behavioral analysis and demonstrates a lack of knowledge in the area of serial murder. To someone familiar with the topic, it just sounds like someone has been reading one too many Robert Ressler books.

They are looking into this as a possibility for a young man who disapeared in Albany NY the night before Thanksgiving day, to be found in the Hudson River a few weeks ago. There were other strange details involved in this case as well.

With all the multiple observations being mentionedin this blog there is one that has been overlooked. Having grown up in the La Crosse area and having lived in Minneapolis for the past twenty I know that both cities have a large population of gay men. Is it possible that killer(s) is gay preying on young men or that the young men themselves are gay or closeted. The graffitti or emoticon of the smiley faces may also serve another purpose here , that being a gay cruising ground for sex. That would explain why the youths would be found in this area as well a the killer(s).

This is a good story and I commend the reporter for bringing forth this story to the public.......Finally! During the mid-1990's, there was a student that was found drowned in three feet of water right on the Michigan State campus. They suspected that he was drinking and lost his footing but his family refuted this. I wonder if anyone has connected this to the string of deaths.

I don't understand that boy after boy who appeared dead in the water after a night of dirinking wouldn't raise a red flag with the police. It seems that so many deaths (I think the orig. article said as many as 12) ending in drunk drowning would seem a bit strange. Am I to understand that without these retired cops the police would STILL be in denial about this being the work of a serial killer? Man, I hope to God not.

Fellas, never thought I'd have to say this...but you better start traveling in packs and never leave a drink unattened. Could be the killer is spiking their drinks when they get up for a bathroom break. Maybe an autopsy would have told us this a long time ago. They may have alcohol in their system, but has anyone checked for anything else?

I would suspect somebody getting even for having family killed by a young drunk driver who was a good-looking male college student.

I drank every night in college...I hung out by lakes and rivers...You don't just walk away from all of your friends without anyone noticing, stumble through the woods, and fall into a river and drown. These were healthy young men. It certainly doesn't happen 40 times.
In every town you have at least a few people who have been influenced by our ultraviolent entertainment. It looks like someone likes horror movies, and has a problem with popular all american jock types.
Now I'm going to go back to shooting cops and dealing drugs in GTAIV for a few hours.

I became aware of the Smiley Face Serial Killer recently when a young man, Josh Szostak disappeared in Albany NY. He also was out drinking with friends, disappeared and ended up being found in the river. I read that Josh’s father was a police officer and had either reached out to the two retired NYC Detectives or they contacted him. I remember thinking that his Dad understandably , was grasping for an explanation other than “accidental drowning” to his son’s tragic death. What parent wants to admit that his son “got drunk and fell into the river.” Now I feel that I was mistaken. Maybe there is something to this and EVERYONE needs to be aware of it.

When I saw this story yesterday on CNN.com I instantly forwarded it to my wife who attended UW-Lacrosse at the time one of the gentleman drowned. While she didn't know him personally, she did remember the stories she heard from the other students and faculty.
I, myself have attended Ocktoberfest more times than I can count. And I can attest that LaCrosse turns into a "party town" with all the bars that are located close to the river. While it isn't out of the ordinary to be "over-served," it isn't usually customary to jump into rough river waters in the middle of fall/early winter, no matter how drunk you are.

I applaud those who are sticking with this story as 9 people have died "questionably" in LaCrosse, all by the same means. For those who wrote in and questioned whether or not this should be further investigated obviously don't have kids, and don't have a general compasion for the parents who are suffering an unspeakable loss.
What can it hurt to have two retired cops looking into mysterious deaths that can possibly be linked from different states? At least those who have suffered a family loss can have some closure one way or the other down the road.

Are you kidding me....9 "accidental" deaths from one college??? HELLO, wake up of course its a serial killer or killer's.

This is a morbid story and if there's a connection between all of them it's very scary. I feel for the families. I fear for my own son who will be leaving for college this summer. In an earlier post, someone alluded that the killer could be a girl, and I wouldn't doubt that. It hasn't been stated if the guys were gay. With all these comments and speculations, it really makes me wonder. Again, I feel for what the families must have gone through or are going through. We live in such a sick and twisted society now.

This April a popular, good looking, athletic freshman male from Ithaca college disappeared for two nights and turned up dead in a pond on campus. It was ruled an accidental drowning. I find this a disturbing coincidence.

How long did it take to figure out the link with John Wayne Gacy? Years...
A lot of these deaths could very well be linked...

Brian Shaefer, a very promising me Medical student at Ohio State University disappeard from a campus bar a few years ago never to be seen again, it makes me wonder if he wasn't another victim of this killer.

This whole story became public the same week (last week in April) an Ithaca College male drowned under similar circumstances. I would think that this case would have made more national headlines since it is the most recent case. But I have not seen any mention of it, and local authorities dismissed this theory so quickly.

I'm not sure how wide the focus area is for this investigation, however, here in the Scranton area following the 2007 St. Patrick's day parade a Philadelphia area student was home for the parade, out drinking with friends, separated from the group, and was ultimately found drowned in a creek on the edge of our downtown district. Eerily similar circumstances to the situations being reported here. I would hope there isn't a connection, but wow, if there is...

I went to Michigan State and we had 2 river deaths in 4 years. I always used to ask myself, 'what was he doing near the river?' I don't buy the story of getting drunk and then stumbling into a river. Getting drunk and passing out in an alley or a front lawn, maybe, but going for a swim? The river at our campus wasn't ever accessible for swimming – it was dirty and brown and gross, and no one ever ventured in.

Needless to say, I absolutely believe in this serial killer theory. I think these men were drugged at the bar, kidnapped, perhaps tortured and then dumped.

As a young journalist and college student in a small Iowa town where a young man mysteriously "drowned" over a year ago, I am especially haunted by this emerging case. I shot photos of the dive team searching for his body in our university pond. When they found his body, our community just simply thought something wasn't right. The hours leading up to his death (as covered by our local news outlets) just didn't seem to add up.

Now, as I read about these "Smiley Face Killers," I wonder about two other local "drownings" that have dominated the headlines in the past few years. One, another young man in my town, showed up in a creek in 2005 with blunt force trauma to his head. Another was found a few hours east of here in a country club pool, his body covered by the pool's tarp.

As a member of the collegiate population, I usually feel safe in my town. Students generally try to watch out for one another, always lending a hand or a kind word. But in light of the recent "Smiley Face" speculations, I find myself glancing over my shoulders when I walk around in the dark. And I really worry about my boyfriend and male friends cruising the bars late at night.

I guess I'm just glad our town isn't on a major river or lake.

I was a Freshman when Chris Jenkins died at the Uof Minnesota Twin Cities. It was a very strange disappearance. After seeing this "Smiley Face" killer story break in Minneapolis, it makes perfect sense. Many other deaths along I94 fit the same pattern, so I truely feel that its an underground group that plans these attacks. Maybe these deaths are part of the hazing process, i dont know. But alot of these deaths are connected....its too eerie to be toherwise.