Serial killer syndicate targeting college men?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Shocking disturbing story - should be making more headlines soon. apparently the drownings of several college aged men primarily in the wisconsin and minnesota area have been linked. parents of young men in that area should be extra careful…</p>

<p><a href=“http://kstp.com/article/stories/s421846.shtml?v=1[/url]”>http://kstp.com/article/stories/s421846.shtml?v=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

2

<p>Oh gosh, you’re going to scare everyone!</p>

3

<p>Well it’s something to be aware of that’s all, and shows that a lot of drunk out of thin air disappearences may have a link</p>

<p>[FOXNews.com</a> - Detectives: 40 Drowning Victims May Have Been Murdered by ‘Smiley Face Gang’ - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News](<a href=“http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352960,00.html]FOXNews.com”>Homeland Security | Fox News)</p>

<p>[The</a> (smiley) face of a killer? - Today Show - MSNBC.com](<a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24366804/]The”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24366804/)</p>

4

<p>Wow this is really creepy. It needs to be much more carefully investigated, but they seem to be on to something. Is there a list somewhere of the 40 young men believed to be victims and where they attended school?</p>

5

<p>Have been following this for a while around here. SUch a shame!:(</p>

6

<p>one of my daughters classmates died in this way.
[Drowning</a> in Coincidence || Student, Party, Missing, River, Dead || Vance Holmes](<a href=“http://www.vanceholmes.com/court/trial_missing_2.html]Drowning”>Drowning in Coincidence || Student, Party, Missing, River, Dead || Vance Holmes)</p>

7

<p>I just mentioned this story to my husband and older son and they both immediately wondered outloud about Mario Danelo of USC.</p>

<p>[ESPN</a> - Police investigating death of USC kicker Danelo - College Football](<a href=“LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United, Chelsea mull Braithwaite move - ESPN”>Police investigating death of USC kicker Danelo - ESPN)</p>

8

<p>From the kstp article, the amazing dedication of the two retired police officers who are working on this case at their own expense:</p>

<p>"One of the only things comforting the McNeills is Gannon, a decorated officer with a long history in the New York City Police Department. </p>

<p>“I told them I would never give up on the case,” Gannon told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. When Gannon retired, he devoted his life to keeping his promise to the McNeill family. </p>

<p>“We’ve been doing this on our own, our own finances,” Gannon explained. “We’ve never taken a penny from any of the families. I personally have mortgaged my own home to investigate this.”</p>

9

<p>Of course, now what is the motive behind their murders? If the gang liked killing, why likable young college men?</p>

<p>I find the evidence pretty compelling, but I can’t imagine what the business model of the gang is.</p>

10

<p>I’m skeptical of this story, for a number of reasons. Here are some questions that aren’t answered in the articles:

  1. Were these boys robbed? I suspect they were mostly found with their wallets and other valuables intact. This is why the explanation has to be a serial killer gang, not a gang of robbers. But the presence of wallets and valuables also suggests accidental death or suicide.
  2. In the cities where “smiley faces” were found near the scene of the death, how prevalent is smiley face grafitti in general? If you’ve lived in a city, you know that certain grafitti motifs appear again and again.
  3. What other sorts of accidents befall students who wander around after drinking? How many are hit by cars, or fall down stairs? How many commit suicide through other means?</p>
11

<p>It seems a bit much for accidental or coincidental occurances.</p>

12

<p>Well, maybe, but that’s how it’s being packaged in the reporting, as well as by these detectives that are pursuing it.</p>

13

<p>[Second</a> Autopsy Confirms PSU Student Drowned](<a href=“http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8248404]Second”>http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8248404)
[Search</a> for Missing Student](<a href=“http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?s=7856207]Search”>http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?s=7856207)</p>

<p>Accidental? OMG.</p>

14

<p>Here is a map of the locations and names of students.
[KSTP.com</a> - Interactive Map of deaths that detectives believe may be related](<a href=“http://kstp.com/article/stories/s414698.shtml?cat=63]KSTP.com”>http://kstp.com/article/stories/s414698.shtml?cat=63)</p>

15

<p>These cases/serial killer idea were featured on the local Phila. news program last night. Apparently there is a local connection w/one of the students.</p>

16

<p>Albany NY, too, this week.</p>

17

<p>A male student at Swarthmore narrowly escaped an abductor this week at/near campus. The guy was caught and no new news but it is surprising to me that college males are targeted at all for abduction.</p>

18

<p>well the most important thing to take away from this is to get rid of the old thinking, which states that only women are victims and men are 100% safe from assault or kidnapping. not true at all, it’s definitely far more common for women to become victims, but young men do at an alarming rate too, and few talk about it compared to female victims.</p>

19

<p>The family of Nicholas Garza, the missing Middlebury student, is also looking into this. We’ve talked to our son repeatedly that no one, male or female, is safe from assault or kidnapping.</p>

<p>[Family</a> Of Missing Student Considers ‘Smiley Face Killer’ Connection - News Story - WPTZ Plattsburgh](<a href=“Burlington, VT and Plattsburgh, NY News and Weather - My NBC5”>Burlington, VT and Plattsburgh, NY News and Weather - My NBC5)</p>