Deaths of Male College Students-General Discussion #4

[fran]

03 - 04 School year:

10/22/03..Joe Grozelle, 21, drowned, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
**11/01/03..Mathew Schiess, 17, drowned, Lena, Il
**12/05/03..David S. Mun, 20, drowned, Boston, Ma
**04/10/04..Jared Dion, 21, drowned, LaCrosse, Wi
04/13/04..Ken Christianson, 19 deceased, Duluth, Mn
**04/17/04..Marlon Blue, 21, drowned, deKalb, Il

**07/18/04..Kevin Martin, 21, drowned, Des Moines, Iowa


Missing without a trace

11/28/03..William E Green, 25, missing, Batesville, Ark
12/30/03..Thomas Daniel Lange, 30, missing, Allen, Mi
01/04/04..Joseph Brandon Benton, 18, missing, (auto loc), Lufkin, Tx
01/17/04..John Nelo Sansone, 35 (youthful appearance), missing, (auto loc) Charlotte, NC
**04/26/04..Ryan Matt, 21, missing, Biddeford, Maine
06/15/04..Walter Lopez, missing, Immokalis, Fl
6/27/04..Craig Allen Frear, 17, missing, (auto loc) Scotia, NY

** = drinking

 

[SheerLuck]

You were talking about the Hudson...were you not? Johua Bender...no autopsy was performed for religious reasons, but he was going to study the last anyone knew...Patrick McNeill..."McNeill had moderate amount of alcohol in his blood but was not overly inebriated"...and he had to walk a ways to make it to the East River. This is the kid that hooked Gannon. As LE, if he thought at the time all wasn't what it appeared to be...I'll accept what his instincts were telling him. He's held on to finding the truth for a long time. I have the utmost respect for him trying to find answers.

Like so many of these cases; McNeil's BAC was kept hidden from the public and so was his toxicology report, so there's no way to know if he had 4 beers and was murdered; or if he had 15 beers and simply fell in the river. And no toxicology release leaves drugs a questionmark. And like all the cases where BAC isn't released; there's always a clear effort to down play the intoxication level with bs phrases from LE, family or friends; like "moderate amount of alcohol". Downplaying BAC prevents legal issues with bars and makes family members feel better, but the downside is that it takes the focus off the real problem; which is alcohol abuse. And when you find the early actual news articles when these kids go missing; you often get details that are not found in more recent articles. With McNeil; I found 2 details not metioned by Gannon: the compelling one is that an eyewitness saw him walking down 90th Street at 1:00 a.m. looking disorientated. Also McNeil had a part time job with the entertanment/club scene in NYC. For many kids; Ecstasy and GHB have been a big part of that scene for many years

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEEDD1531F934A15751C0A961958260

 

[fran]

04 - 05 School year:

**10/02/04..Chris Olberding, 18, drowned, Cincinnati, Ohio
**11/13/04..Adam Falcon, 20, drowned, Canton, NY
**01/12/04..Christopher S. Thien, 19, drowed, Vincennes, In
04/11/05..Christian Metz, 26, drowned, Madison, Wi
04/15/05..Patrick Welsh, 22, drowned, New York City, NY
**04/16/05..Arvin Sharma, 22, drowned, Washington, DC
**05/24/05..Scott Jarvins, 20, drowned (homicide) Terre Haute, In
**06/12/05..Josh Snell, 22, drowned, Eau Claire, Wi,


**07/02/05..Jacob Hobson, 27, drowned, Aames, Iowa

Missing without a trace

(see below)11/08/04..Amos Mortier, 27, missing, Madison, Wi
04/02/05..John Bui Tran, 28 (5'3") missing, Quincy, Ma
04/13/05..Keith Wm. Ryan, missing, Peoria, Il

** = drinking

Amos Mortier's disappearance may be an isolated incident...fran

 

[fran]

05 - 06 School year:

**09/23/05..Patrick Kycia, 19, drowned, Mankato, Mn
**10/07/05..Albert Campbell, 22, drowned, Potsdam, NY
**12/05/05..Mathew Soumakis, 31, drowned, (staying at hotel)(last seen w/unk male), Chicago, Il
**12/24/05..Mathew Kruziki, 24, drowned, E.Dubuque, IL
01/08/06..Cullen Fortney, 21, survived drowning, Madison, Wi
01/28/06..Kenji Ohnri, 20, drowned, Madison, Wi
**02/02/06..Scott Radel, 21, drowned, St. Cloud, Mn
**03/35/06..John Fiocco, 19, deceased (landfill), Ewing, NJ


missing without a trace

09/04/05..Jeremiah Claypool, 28, missing (auto located) Covington, In
01/28/06..Brad Ross, 49, missing (business owner), Prospect, KY
01/31/06..Christopher Dale George, 21, missing, (auto located),, Russell Springs, KY
01/31/06..Michael Ray Osborn, 38 (5'9"), (auto located), Provincal, LA
**04/01/06..Brian Shaffer, 27, missing, Columbus, Ohio
03/27/06..Tommy Clement Pepin, 18, missing (last seen at hotel) Canada
04/12/06..Thomas Blackstone, 20, missing (left to meet someone from internet), Edgefield, SC
04/12/06.. Branson Kayne Perry, 20, Skidmore, Mo
04/26/06..Luis R Aguirre, 34 (5'5") (dropped off at work) missing, Pine Hill, NJ
05/22/06..Robert D Helphrey, 34 (youthfull appearance) (manager Thirsty Marlin (bar)) missing, Palm Harbor, Fl
06/27/06..David Allen Adkins, 26, missing (auto located) Jacksonville, Fl


** = drinking

 

[RR0004]

The McNeill family IIRC sued the bar involved...so there was no reason to hide anything. I also believe the bar was fined for underage drinking. As far as walking down 90st, if you're assuming he was walking towards the river...you have to cross over some pretty desolate territory to get there (there may also be a fence...I'll check the next time I'm there). There are also lanes of highway that merge under the ramp to get onto the FDR Drive nearby. Nope...just doesn't make sense. I'd read he was heading to the subway to go back to school. The nearest subway would be at either 86th or 96th on Lexington Ave. Being that it was late, I would gather he would have walked downtown to catch it (unless there's another subway I don't know about?). The walk from 90st down to the river is just that DOWNHILL! You clearly know that you're not headed in the right direction. JMO

 

[RR0004]

Fran...OMG...what a great job!! It is fairly obvious, and correct me if I'm wrong, the number of drownings have increased for certain areas. YOU DID A PHENOMENAL JOB!!
There are even more I'm sure.
Thank you soooooooo much!

oxoxoxox

 

[RR0004]

FWIW, Fran, and perhaps this is understating the obvious, this is REALLY sad...

 

[fran]

06 - 07 School year:

09/25/06..Paul Shuman-Moore, 19, drowned, Grinnel, Iowa
**09/30/06..Luke Homan, 21, drowned, La Crosse, Wi
11/16/06..Jessiah James, 21, drowned, Clarksville, Tn
12/16/06..Nick Rossini, 21, drowned, White Bear Lake, Mn
01/13/07..Wade Steffey, 19, deceased (high voltage), LaFayette, IN
01/15/07..Joseph Zahornacky, 22, drowned, (car loc) (seen talking to unk (masc looking) female) Lake Lillnonach, Ct
**03/10/07..Mathew Grendell, 20, drowned, Scranton, PA
**04/10/07..Abel Bolanos, 19, drowned, Des Moines, Iowa
**03/??/07..Joshua Kaneakua, 19, drowned, Minneapolis, Mn


07/10/07..Devin Thomas Gaines, 22, drowned, Deep River, CT


Missing without a trace

09/01/06..Clinton Devon Nelson, 21, missing, Haughton, LA
09/02/06..Miguel Oliveres, 24, missing (gf stripper) Portland, Me
09/03/07..Walter Smith, 42 (5'9") missing, (auto loc) (owned restaurant) Edinburgh, In
11/21/06..Jesse Ross, 19, missing, (last seen at hotel) Chicago, Il
01/20/07..Brad Olsen, 26, missing, (car loc, ran out gas), De Kalb, Il
02/22/07..Scott Anthony Arcaro, missing, Lisle, Il
02/23/07..John Spira, 45, missing (owned business, in a band, business mysteriously burned to the ground shortly after went missing) Chicago, Il
04/16/07..Travis Lee Baker, 19, missing, Fayetteville, NC
05/??/07..Timothy Contler, 33, missing (LE loc cell phone), Rochester, NY
05/21/07..Christian Zyere Bacote, 14, missing, (last seen in auto w/PA lic plate) Sportsylvania, VA
05/25/07..Travis Jeremy Wilson, 27, missing, (auto loc) Middesboro, KY
05/31/07..Brian Braumberger, 19, missing (auto loc) Buraby, BC Canada
06/02/07..Benjamin Mathews McCullers, 32, missing, (auto loc) Crescent, Ga
06/15/07..Armando Ray Cloud, 21, missing, Coffee County, GA

07/07/07..Brian Sullivan, 20, missing, Gates, NY

** = drinking

 

[fran]

This is copied from my previous post.

fran

School year 07-08

* 09/30/07 Christopher Melancom, 24, drowned,…. Iraqi Vet--La Crosse, Wi
* 10/12/07 Augustine Floyd, 18, missing, met girl from internet, --Mt. Pleasant, Mi
* 10/19/07 Roman Reed, 19, drowned, ----------------Hendersonville, NC
* 11/01/07 Justin Gaines, 18, ….missing,----------------Duluth, Ga
* 11/09/07 Kyle Fleischman, 24,..missing,----------------Charlotte, NC
* 11/09/07 Matt LaCrosse, 25, drowned-------------------Bangor, Me
* 11/21/07 David Michael Reilly, 30,..missing-------------Kingston, NY
11/21/07 Anthony J. Rivera, 32,…..missing,..bartender,(auto loc)---Fayetteville, NC
* 11/30/07 James Anthony Devine, ……drowned, ---------Manhattan, NY
* 12/08/07 Gabriel Michael Smith, 27, drowned, gang after him, Ludington, Mi
* 12/23/07 Joshua Szostaki, 21, ….drowned,---------------------Albany, NY
* 01/11/08 Ryan VanVolkengold, 17,…drowned,---------Crediton, Ontario, Canada
* 01/19/08 Tommy Booth, 24, …….drowned, (disap inside bar)--- Woodlyn, Pa
* 01/27/08 Timothy Chipley, 34 …..drowned, (homicide),-----Carrollwood, Fl
02/03/08 Kieran McCaffrey, 17,…..drowned,----------Massepequa, NY
02/05/08 Nick Garza, 19, …….drowned,-----------Middlebury, Vt
* 02/10/08 Jeffrey M. Liepitz, 35,…….drowned-------Mosinee, Wi
03/21/08 Richard Foster, 25,…….drowned,----------Claremont, NH
04/02/08 Huaijum Meng, 31,……..drowned,---------Carbondale, Il
* 04/27/08 William Jacobson, 19,……drowned,--------Ithica, NY
04/27/08 Dustin Joel Farkas, 23,……drowned,-------Great Falls, Va
05/03/08 Justin Hoesch, 26,…..drowned(?),----------Atlanta, Iowa
05/03/08 Daniel Reeves, 25,……..missing (car located),----Madison, Wi
05/12/08 Martin Marpicek, 28, drowned,------------Yulan, NY
* 05/14/08 Brandon Swanson, 19,….missing (car located),---Marshall, Mn


The following names are not on the list as I feel these are isolated incidents. Although there MAY be ‘similarities,’ ie drinking, I do not feel they’re connected. However, you can see how this just does NOT happen in other part of the country. Why? Why so many within these states listed above?
09/06/07 Jose Guillermo Coria, Jr., 18,…missing, disappeared frnt yrd, Santa Maria, Ca
* 10/13/07 Earl Owens, 33, ..missing,..(argumnt w/gf) --Sportsylvania, Va
12/10/07 Marcus Fuwing Ma, 18,…..missing,--------------Coaldale, Canada
* 01/25/08 Chandler Williams, 23,…deceased (found in alley),---------San Diego, Ca
* 02/08/08 Michael Barbieri, 23,….deceased (found in snow-bed)-----Breckenridge, Co

* = drinking

 

[fran]

Fran...OMG...what a great job!! It is fairly obvious, and correct me if I'm wrong, the number of drownings have increased for certain areas. YOU DID A PHENOMENAL JOB!!
There are even more I'm sure.
Thank you soooooooo much!

oxoxoxox

You're very welcome. I've actually had this list for quite awhile. Unfortunately, it keeps getting longer.

You are also right, it's very sad and YES, the instance of these cases is not only increasing but spreading to additional states as the years went by.

I have my theory, actually I've had it for a few years and I'm stickin' to it. Actually, with my theory it also accounts for the increase AND additional states.

This is a scary case, IMO.

JMHO
fran

 

[DeltaDawn]

Peculiar P, you bring up an interesting point. I forgot that GHB is also used as a sleep aid. Sleep aids can be addicting and as you said; they'd be taken at the end of the night. GHB reacts particularily bad with other depressants; especially alcohol. Fortunately quaaludes disapearred in the early '80's(bad ludse began causing heart failure so kids got petrified and no black market developed). As for how GHB would react with a stimulant like ecstasy, cocaine or an energy drink; sometimes uppers and downers counteract at first where the person looks fairly stable; but as the stimulant wears off; the depressant sometimes hits very hard

I don't think they would be taking the GHB at the end of the night while still in the club. I f they were taking it to party..it would have been earlier in the evening. If they were taking it as a sleep aid they would take when they got back to their room.
I don't think they are drugging themselves..I think others are drugging them.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I don't think they would be taking the GHB at the end of the night while still in the club. I f they were taking it to party..it would have been earlier in the evening. If they were taking it as a sleep aid they would take when they got back to their room.
I don't think they are drugging themselves..I think others are drugging them.

Your reasoning is VERY sound. I agree 100%.

 

[DeltaDawn]

Thanks SS

 

[DeltaDawn]

You're very welcome. I've actually had this list for quite awhile. Unfortunately, it keeps getting longer.

You are also right, it's very sad and YES, the instance of these cases is not only increasing but spreading to additional states as the years went by.

I have my theory, actually I've had it for a few years and I'm stickin' to it. Actually, with my theory it also accounts for the increase AND additional states.

This is a scary case, IMO.

JMHO
fran

Fran what an excellant timeline. Thank you for the hardwork.

Is it possible you could also post these on the timeline thread so they don't get lost in the general discussion thread?

TY
DD

 

[Moe]

I don't think they would be taking the GHB at the end of the night while still in the club. I f they were taking it to party..it would have been earlier in the evening. If they were taking it as a sleep aid they would take when they got back to their room.
I don't think they are drugging themselves..I think others are drugging them.

Agreed, GHB does not sound like a drug you would take to have to have a good time. I think it has been slipped into drinks.

 

[Moe]

Thank you Fran!

 

[mysteriew]

If you look up GHB, you see that it is made up differently, ie using different chemicals. Thus, unless LE knows what ingredients were used (to test for that specifically), GHB will go undetected. PLUS, it does leave a body, IIRC, within a few short hours.

JMHO
fran

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20040601/2619.html

GHB has a rapid elimination, and the drug is cleared within four to six hours after ingestion, regardless of the dose.

<<snip>>

A 50-mg dose of MDMA can be detected as unchanged drug in the urine up to 72 hours after ingestion. Standard toxicologic tests cannot detect GHB, but the National Forensic Laboratory (National Medical Services, 800-522-6671) will perform urinalysis for detection of GHB for a fee.

That is how long it takes for the body to metabolize the drug and eliminate it. But what happens to the drug when the body stops metabolizing it before it is out of the system like when a person dies?

If for instance a person was slipped GHB in a bar, it would probably not be before 8 pm, cause kids don't usually go to bars until after that. They would be leaving between 1 am-2am. So they would have to be slipped the drug right at 8 pm in order for the drug to be totally out of their system at the time of death.

 

[luthersmama]

Rohypnol is a popular and legal tranquilizer in Europe and Mexico. It is definitely used for pleasure, much like Quaaludes were back in the day.

 

[SheerLuck]

The McNeill family IIRC sued the bar involved...so there was no reason to hide anything. I also believe the bar was fined for underage drinking. As far as walking down 90st, if you're assuming he was walking towards the river...you have to cross over some pretty desolate territory to get there (there may also be a fence...I'll check the next time I'm there). There are also lanes of highway that merge under the ramp to get onto the FDR Drive nearby. Nope...just doesn't make sense. I'd read he was heading to the subway to go back to school. The nearest subway would be at either 86th or 96th on Lexington Ave. Being that it was late, I would gather he would have walked downtown to catch it (unless there's another subway I don't know about?). The walk from 90st down to the river is just that DOWNHILL! You clearly know that you're not headed in the right direction. JMO

Hello RR; like I said; he might have had 4 beers and been murdered, but it's also possible he had 15 beers and died from an accident that night. When a 20 year old kid has 15 beers; you can't map out where they should be walking to; forget logic-- they could decide to go to anywhere. In researching each of these individual cases; I have found details from Google searches of early news articles that are left out of the later news articles. For example Tommy Booth in Pennsylvania had epilepsy and did not have his medication on the night he died, but only early news articles mention this. So was he murdered or did he drink 12 beers and suffer a seizure and drown? If Gannon mentions McNeil was seen looking disorientated; it changes the initial perception people have of this case. I suspect McNeil a high BAC and left the bar wasted because if it was a low BAC; I'm sure Gannon or his mom would have said what the actual BAC was

 

[SheerLuck]

This is copied from my previous post.

fran

School year 07-08

* 09/30/07 Christopher Melancom, 24, drowned,…. Iraqi Vet--La Crosse, Wi
* 10/12/07 Augustine Floyd, 18, missing, met girl from internet, --Mt. Pleasant, Mi
* 10/19/07 Roman Reed, 19, drowned, ----------------Hendersonville, NC
* 11/01/07 Justin Gaines, 18, ….missing,----------------Duluth, Ga
* 11/09/07 Kyle Fleischman, 24,..missing,----------------Charlotte, NC
* 11/09/07 Matt LaCrosse, 25, drowned-------------------Bangor, Me
* 11/21/07 David Michael Reilly, 30,..missing-------------Kingston, NY
11/21/07 Anthony J. Rivera, 32,…..missing,..bartender,(auto loc)---Fayetteville, NC
* 11/30/07 James Anthony Devine, ……drowned, ---------Manhattan, NY
* 12/08/07 Gabriel Michael Smith, 27, drowned, gang after him, Ludington, Mi
* 12/23/07 Joshua Szostaki, 21, ….drowned,---------------------Albany, NY
* 01/11/08 Ryan VanVolkengold, 17,…drowned,---------Crediton, Ontario, Canada
* 01/19/08 Tommy Booth, 24, …….drowned, (disap inside bar)--- Woodlyn, Pa
* 01/27/08 Timothy Chipley, 34 …..drowned, (homicide),-----Carrollwood, Fl
02/03/08 Kieran McCaffrey, 17,…..drowned,----------Massepequa, NY
02/05/08 Nick Garza, 19, …….drowned,-----------Middlebury, Vt
* 02/10/08 Jeffrey M. Liepitz, 35,…….drowned-------Mosinee, Wi
03/21/08 Richard Foster, 25,…….drowned,----------Claremont, NH
04/02/08 Huaijum Meng, 31,……..drowned,---------Carbondale, Il
* 04/27/08 William Jacobson, 19,……drowned,--------Ithica, NY
04/27/08 Dustin Joel Farkas, 23,……drowned,-------Great Falls, Va
05/03/08 Justin Hoesch, 26,…..drowned(?),----------Atlanta, Iowa
05/03/08 Daniel Reeves, 25,……..missing (car located),----Madison, Wi
05/12/08 Martin Marpicek, 28, drowned,------------Yulan, NY
* 05/14/08 Brandon Swanson, 19,….missing (car located),---Marshall, Mn


The following names are not on the list as I feel these are isolated incidents. Although there MAY be ‘similarities,’ ie drinking, I do not feel they’re connected. However, you can see how this just does NOT happen in other part of the country. Why? Why so many within these states listed above?
09/06/07 Jose Guillermo Coria, Jr., 18,…missing, disappeared frnt yrd, Santa Maria, Ca
* 10/13/07 Earl Owens, 33, ..missing,..(argumnt w/gf) --Sportsylvania, Va
12/10/07 Marcus Fuwing Ma, 18,…..missing,--------------Coaldale, Canada
* 01/25/08 Chandler Williams, 23,…deceased (found in alley),---------San Diego, Ca
* 02/08/08 Michael Barbieri, 23,….deceased (found in snow-bed)-----Breckenridge, Co

* = drinking

Fran, great job all the work. You asked why so many die in the above states from drowning. It's because most of these deaths are cold water winter months in the Northern part of America. Don't any of you people remember the movie, The Titanic??? If a person falls in real cold water; the body temperature can quickly drop 10 degrees and a 10 degree drop in body temperature will lead to hyperthemia. If the kid is unable to pull himself out of the cold water; he'll be dead from hyperthermia in about 10 to 15 minutes. In warm weather you can swim to safety even if it takes many hours, but in cold water you have just 10-15 minutes or you die