[toast]

Heard about this on the radio this morning. Sounds like it is going to get national attention in the next few days.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

WOW!

[bcsco]

Boy! It seems like these two detectives have put together something that’s pretty damned sinister. A murder syndicate? And judging by the map that came up briefly in the video, it appears concentrated in the Northern portion of the country.

This could be big in a number of ways...

[Joe 6-pack]

True serial killer conspiracies (two or more killers acting in concert) are extremely rare, perhaps the best known exception in recent history being Charles Ng and Leonard Lake. Organized criminal conspiracies (i.e. drug gangs) which are more common tend to kill for territorial control, revenge, etc. but the article states that for now, any evidence regarding motive is being held close to the investigators' vests.

Occam's razor suggests that lots of college kids get blitzed every weekend and unknowingly place their lives in high risk situations, but the smiley faces found near each of the bodies in these cases does suggest something far more insidious than a string of accidents.

According to the article, "The investigation started 11 years ago in New York when then-Sgt. Gannon made a promise to the parents of Patrick McNeill...Patrick McNeill was last seen at a New York City bar in 1997. His body was found 50 days later, 11 miles downriver."

In the mid to late 90's internet usage on campuses mushroomed from almost minimal to virtually omnipresent. The similarity of the smiley faces to the ubiquitos emoticon, ":)", coupled with the geographic range of the killings suggests to me that these may be a series of linked killings, perhaps some kind of bizarre "online" gang initiation.

[sinanju]

Yeah, I have been noting the occasional cases across the country of college dudes, apparently drunk and falling into a river, over the past decade.

So these detectives have been finding “calling cards” over the years? That puts a new face on it. As the article states, one person alone cannot possibly be doing this.

So we’re definitely not dealing with a lone Ted Bundy type here. Not to jump to conclusions but I’m betting it’ll turn out we’ve got a merrie band of Gay Caballeros here.

[windcliff]

ping

[apocalypto]

Scary!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Whew! Amazing...

[aculeus]

Great work by two NYPD detectives.

This is sensational and deserves full exposure.

Nancy, Greta get on this one!

[RDTF]

No surprise to some of us here. Does anyone know a keyword that would connect all the articles posted here on FR about missing or murdered male college students?

[happinesswithoutpeace]

The premise of this article has been around in one form or another for years.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Obviously the writer doesn’t think it’s worth mentioning whether these victims are all the same race (e.g. white, as we know at least a couple of them are). My guess is that every single one that’s clearly linked is white. None of the eight names given on the interactive map of cases with strong links jumps out as likely to be black, Asian, or Hispanic. Of the 18 names on the list of “possible Minn. and Wisc. victims”, one looks likely to be Asian (Kenji Ohnri); the other 17 look to be most likely white.

[LibWhacker]

Okay, so how does this killer/killers reliably drown the victim without leaving a mark? If two or three guys hold him under, there are likely going to be lots of marks not consistent with accidental drowning. The only thing I can think of is the killer lures (or forces at gunpoint) the victim into his van. Once inside, the victim discovers he not just inside a van, but in a cage. Cage is driven to the river and dumped in like a crabpot. Afterward it is emptied of its contents, winched back into the van, and off the killer goes. How else?

I’m glad the cops were able to find the spots where the victims were put in the water.

[Polynikes]

Zebra II (using the victims pictures for that theory) or even maybe a larger version of the DC Snipers except using drowning instead of bullets. The scope and organization that is implied would mean many individuals involved. For “cells” to be operating would mean they are driven by some sort of ideology or common bond that would have kept the silence all these years.

[Bender2]

Re: ...including some in Minnesota?

Wall, take care now... I want you around when my Cowboys clean your Vikqueen's plow!

Again!

[Ignatz]

PING!
You were right! There is NO serial killer, there is a GROUP of serial killers!

[Cicero]

The FBI says there are no murders. Can’t say that I believe that.

One interesting paragraph in the news report:

“The detectives requested that 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS hold back some key details of the murders such as motive and the identities of the informants. They hope that information will someday be used to file criminal charges.”

In other words, if this is true, informants may have provided evidence on some members of this gang.

It’s sheer guesswork, but I would also guess that this is a homosexual ring of some kind. Drug dealers want to punish people who don’t pay up in a way that will discourage others from doing the same. So that doesn’t fly. And it’s much too elaborate for gang initiations. What it suggests to me is some sort of sadistic sex perversion.

[iowamark]

City after city, when they'd find the spot where the body went in, they would find something else: The symbol of a smiley face.

My question is: How exactly do they "determine where the body went in the river?"

[Froufrou]

OMG. Just when I thought I knew and understood what evil is, now this. I wonder if this is a hate crime thing? I note that many of the young men were very handsome and some people [neoNazis?] assume that to be homosexual. I hope they can do something but won’t they have to call in the FBI?

[Vicki]

I have been aware of these murders for quite some time now and always felt that they were not accidents. It never made sense that these kids simply wandered into rivers and drowned. Not over forty of them, even if drunk.

I am so glad that the families may finally have some resolution.

[Norski]

There was one up in Fairbanks, AK in Nov of 2006, a volunteer diver found his body under the ice a bit downstream just before the winter river breakup of the Chena River in April of 07. Fairbanks PD information # is 907-459-6500.