Found Deceased OH - Joey LaBute, 26, Columbus, 4 March 2016 #1

[rprokic]

If there wasn't that much decomposition I would think the clothes he was wearing and his body features/face may be enough for his family to identify him. Dental records are usually required when there is too much decomposition to identify the body.


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[Mayor Perk]

Yeah, if the body was not terribly decomposed, I'm having a hard time understanding why dental records are necessary for a positive ID. Given the body was fully clothed, they already know if it's Joey or not since they know what Joey was wearing that night. Perhaps they are delaying for dental confirmation just to be overly cautious?

 

[CARIIS]

good point! Also, in Columbus, we have not heard of any other young men in their 20s missing in the past month.

I am not there- but when they said that (multiple case - so they are just "out and about" strolling rivers, and bing they find a body, I cry BS

The only good thing about that is that may also translate into that they might have some clue as to who killed whoever was found

 

[krig101]

If there wasn't that much decomposition I would think the clothes he was wearing and his body features/face may be enough for his family to identify him. Dental records are usually required when there is too much decomposition to identify the body.


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If this is Joey and he had fallen victim to human trafficking wondering if his clothing may have been changed.

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[JadeSLeuth]

If this is Joey and he had fallen victim to human trafficking wondering if his clothing may have been changed.

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Good point, krig101. I feel pretty strongly though that Joey's family has a good idea if this is him or not. If they don't, the anguish must be almost unbearable. I can't imagine their pain in both knowing and not knowing scenarios.

 

[krig101]

Good point, krig101. I feel pretty strongly though that Joey's family has a good idea if this is him or not. If they don't, the anguish must be almost unbearable. I can't imagine their pain in both knowing and not knowing scenarios.

My heart goes out to his family. I could not imagine.....

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[Cbusguy]

Another comment I'd add is that instead of Joey hooking up with someone, maybe he turned someone down. Believe me, I live in Columbus and there's a whole list of guys who would seek revenge when getting turned down. We do have some crazy ones here!

 

[CARIIS]

So if this is Joey's body they found in the river I really want to know when people are going to wake up and realize that something very strange and sinister is going on and has been for over a decade now. I will never, ever buy that all of the over 200 young men who have met their fates in very similar manners who all have several things in common, "accidentally" fell into these bodies of water and drowned. There are so many clues that point otherwise, but some reason we just keep accepting these as accidents.

Me either, its like for some reason in these cases LE just seems to forget notions about modus operandi!!

Where did they go??

In a lot of these:

age
color of hair/short-brown
decent looking/clean cut
educated
out with friends
alcohol involved
water
none seem to be able to "swim" (sarcastic)
similiar body builds generally
late hours
no runaway histories
few found with hard drugs in system
were not indigent
typically no serious criminal history
have to have money on them
most "walking"
lots in inclement weather (perp can wear things to hide self?)
lots of bouncers (know victim is intoxicated?)

No, there is no connections. I think trucker

for some reason in most of these cases cell phones never seem to "help" in these cases, yet there sure help LE in all sorts of other situations??

 

[ksleuth]

I wonder if we'll ever get over the damned "human trafficking" angle... For gods sake... It just makes it difficult to read. Every time someone comes up missing we want to go and blame human trafficking. How many of those cases have turned out to be Human Trafficking? "0" that I know of... It's about as speculatory, general, and uneducated a guess as saying he was killed because he was under 6 foot. I have a bad feeling this is Joey. I also have another feeling that NONE OF US know what happened... yet. Maybe I'm confused as to how this works on here and should just veil into the shadows again and shut up? lol.

 

[Tssiemer]

When bodies are in the water and then removed, the air causes decomp immediately. That autopsy should have been performed yesterday.


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[JadeSLeuth]

How deep is this river in the relevant area? Does it run fast?
A victim ends up in a river by being put there (with the exception of suicides, and I do not feel this is the case here, not one bit). If they are deceased when placed in the water - there will be no water in the lungs. If they are alive when put it, there will be, right? If they are incapacitated in some way (injured, under influence of something, etc) the COD may still likely come back as drowning; so in that case, really it'd be the MOD we are waiting on.
Sorry for rambling, just trying to organize my thoughts and such.
I wonder if security camera evidence from one of the area businesses led them to the river, and if so, where that business is located in relation to the Union and the river site.
I keep coming back to "I'm driving" and I get lost. I wish we knew more about that phone convo.

ETA another way to land in the river is by accident of course, but I can't create a scenario whereby Joey was strolling along the river, fell in, and was unable to get out. I can't make sense of that possibility.

 

[rprokic]

I wonder if we'll ever get over the damned "human trafficking" angle... For gods sake... It just makes it difficult to read. Every time someone comes up missing we want to go and blame human trafficking. How many of those cases have turned out to be Human Trafficking? "0" that I know of... It's about as speculatory, general, and uneducated a guess as saying he was killed because he was under 6 foot. I have a bad feeling this is Joey. I also have another feeling that NONE OF US know what happened... yet. Maybe I'm confused as to how this works on here and should just veil into the shadows again and shut up? lol.

Human trafficking usually means a body is not found right away. This one is either suicide, accidental drowning or something more sinister such as the typical smiley face killer theory which is what I believe is happening.

 

[CARIIS]

I understand the Smiley Killer theory, but hasn't it been straight men who are the victims? Articles online say they think the killer is a woman or group of women. Let me tell you, as a gay guy, I'm not following a woman anywhere!

That is funny -- ME either!!

 

[CARIIS]

Exactly!!!! I seriously lived two blocks from that area- Frankfurt and S. Front....
I know that alot of sketchy stuff happens around that area (audobon- entrance to bike path)- there is also a little community of homeless that gather by and old building right on the corner of Whittier- I know that many of these people have been found in that river.
Also, wasn't there a guy that overturned his kayak and was missing for a period of time, recently? I remember when they found his body, it was miles downstream the Scioto- from what I remember of that case, it did not get nearly as much coverage as this. I remember that the first news update I had received when the kayaker's body was found, positively identified that person.
This case has been "hush hush" from the get go- naturally, they wouldn't give the identity yesterday when the body was found. However, the way they are handling the case and the way things have been articulated in interviews, make it appear as though everyone's gut feeling is true.

Sorry to say, but heck in our culture sex sells. I mean this as it relates to this, only that , there has been a "sexual" angle to it from the beggining..just saying

and the human traficing angle..................

 

[rprokic]

That is funny -- ME either!!

Let me tell you that it is not clear what the motives or techniques are of the smiley face killer cult. If it was clearly know they would have been caught after 20 years and perhaps Joey wouldn't have died (assuming it is his body recovered). What is clear is that tall, good looking, athletic, smart men are targeted. Their sexual orientation may not be a factor. After all, if they desire that special subset of society and are going to abduct, torture and sodomize the man it probably doesn't matter what the victim prefers! Think about it.

 

[CARIIS]

I think they have phone pings! Either Joey's or a possible suspects.

I also don't think this will be written off as an accidental death, that detective got kind of flustered when asked about stab wounds or bullet holes and then said he wasn't going to comment further. I think they do have evidence of foul play.

That was the ost disturbing part about the interview. I think this was brutal .... there is no reason not to be able to say "no" if knives guns (handcuffs?) were used, IMO he gave it away which is bad

 

[rprokic]

Another comment is even the victims parents will say they think he wasn't gay because her son had girlfriends. She never suspected he was gay. But that doesn't mean he wasn't bi or recently became gay and is still in the closet so to speak. News reports of he victims don't usually discuss the person's sexual orientation. So only the police/detectives that uncover the evidence may know how the person was targeted and whether it appeared that the person was perhaps gay. I just say I don't believe only gays are targeted or only straight men. I think it's what they look like what matters.


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[OccamsRazor]

People, his car was found in the same spot he typically parks it a few blocks from the Union. Yet, he told his mom he was "driving." Obviously, he was in a car not his own and had to have been with someone. Whomever was in that car with him is murder suspect number 1. I have said from the beginning that, unfortunately, he would not be found alive. Hopefully, they have tried to gain access to his accounts on every social media he has - including Grindr and Scruff. Someone earlier said he was active on either or both of those sites at midnight on the night he disappeared. This is clearly a murder. Could have been a passion killing. Could have been drug-related. Could have been a robbery. Not buying this nebulous smiley face killer theory -- it is too dramatic and covers too wide of an area.

 

[cwosigns]

If it was a very violent crime, the victim's face may not be identifiable. The clothes seem like it would be enough for the family to ID the victim. His prints wouldn't be used for identification. Unless he's had a government or public school job (or a prior record), his prints wouldn't be in the system.

I am disappointed that we're not hearing anything until tomorrow.

 

[krig101]

Several?!

http://nbc4i.com/2016/03/30/police-continue-to-investigate-after-body-found-in-scioto-river/

I've been wondering when all is said and done if there are other victims.

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