Found Deceased OH - Joey LaBute, 26, Columbus, 4 March 2016 #2

[VTX88]

This is a map of where the news shows his body was recovered. At the top of the map is Audubon Park and the bottom is Berliner Park. If you'll notice, right along the river bank is a service road and just a few feet upriver from where his body was found is a boat ramp. There are also businesses there with access to the river. My guess is that he was placed in the river where he was found and perhaps there were logs thrown onto his body to weigh him down. The reason I'm thinking that, is because he was still fully clothed. If he had been floating down river for weeks, I would expect his clothes to be torn off. Another reason I think this is because: Homicide Sgt. Dave Sicilian said "the death was being treated as suspicious, given the location where the body was found". And here is that news clip:

http://myfox28columbus.com/news/local/autopsy-planned-today-for-body-found-in-scioto-river

 

[VTX88]

I'm also thinking that the person who placed him in the water had told someone what happened. And that person anonymously reported the body was along the banks in that specific area. That would make sense why the police were actually there searching for a body involved in a missing person case. Because they were told to look for that particular body. Maybe the anonymous caller was in fear of his life if he told, and he made a deal with police that he'd only tell them where the body was if they agreed to make it public that they were randomly searching that particular area. Now that they have the body, maybe the police will be able to pressure that anonymous caller to "wire-up" and get the perpetrator to confess.

 

[MerryB]

This is a map of where the news shows his body was recovered. At the top of the map is Audubon Park and the bottom is Berliner Park. If you'll notice, right along the river bank is a service road and just a few feet upriver from where his body was found is a boat ramp. There are also businesses there with access to the river. My guess is that he was placed in the river where he was found and perhaps there were logs thrown onto his body to weigh him down. The reason I'm thinking that, is because he was still fully clothed. If he had been floating down river for weeks, I would expect his clothes to be torn off. Another reason I think this is because: Homicide Sgt. Dave Sicilian said "the death was being treated as suspicious, given the location where the body was found". And here is that news clip:

http://myfox28columbus.com/news/local/autopsy-planned-today-for-body-found-in-scioto-river

Agreed. I believe the body was dumped here for the reasons you mentioned. Perhaps the person who was familiar with Berliner Park/the service road/river bank area was not Joey, but the person who put him there.

 

[MerryB]

I'm also thinking that the person who placed him in the water had told someone what happened. And that person anonymously reported the body was along the banks in that specific area. That would make sense why the police were actually there searching for a body involved in a missing person case. Because they were told to look for that particular body. Maybe the anonymous caller was in fear of his life if he told, and he made a deal with police that he'd only tell them where the body was if they agreed to make it public that they were randomly searching that particular area. Now that they have the body, maybe the police will be able to pressure that anonymous caller to "wire-up" and get the perpetrator to confess.

Or perhaps cell phone data/pings led them to the area. Hopefully they know more than we do.

 

[VTX88]

Agreed. I believe the body was dumped here for the reasons you mentioned. Perhaps the person who was familiar with Berliner Park/the service road/river bank area was not Joey, but the person who put him there.

That's exactly my thought. And being that they found the body partly submerged, it may have had branches piled on top to weigh it and and hold it in place. That would make sense why the responders to the scene stated right away that they believe it to be a suspicious death. They couldn't see any obvious signs of death or injury, but it'd be awful suspicious to have branches and logs piled on top.

 

[Margo/Mom]

I'm also thinking that the person who placed him in the water had told someone what happened. And that person anonymously reported the body was along the banks in that specific area. That would make sense why the police were actually there searching for a body involved in a missing person case. Because they were told to look for that particular body. Maybe the anonymous caller was in fear of his life if he told, and he made a deal with police that he'd only tell them where the body was if they agreed to make it public that they were randomly searching that particular area. Now that they have the body, maybe the police will be able to pressure that anonymous caller to "wire-up" and get the perpetrator to confess.

Or maybe there tip was somewhat more vague--someone saw people dumping something there, maybe a body. That fits with the police allusion to "several" missing person cases.

Would be interesting to know what other missing person cases are live/recent, that they might possibly have connected. Someone posted something yesterday about a missing young man--but no details about when the guy was last seen or anything.

Some of these cases (like the Chillicothe young women disappearing) do begin to cluster logically. But not all garner the same level of publicity. Labute (similar to Shaffer 10 years ago) has been a headline grabber, owing I suspect to family and community activism.

While Smiley Face theories strike me as a bridge way too far (c'mon folks--dumping a body in a river is just common-sense logical, not evidence of some cultish practice), I do think there may be possibilities (or not) in examining similarities with other local disappearances to detect any possible patterns.

 

[Margo/Mom]

That's exactly my thought. And being that they found the body partly submerged, it may have had branches piled on top to weigh it and and hold it in place. That would make sense why the responders to the scene stated right away that they believe it to be a suspicious death. They couldn't see any obvious signs of death or injury, but it'd be awful suspicious to have branches and logs piled on top.

I would imagine that any body dragged out of the river--unless obviously connected to falling out of a boat or jumping off of a bridge would be assumed to be suspicious until shown to be otherwise.

 

[Margo/Mom]

Or perhaps cell phone data/pings led them to the area. Hopefully they know more than we do.

That would make some sense. I recall from the Zimmerman case that there were levels of data available from phones, and some were not pursued until months later and required a higher level of expertise than was readily available (you can tell I'm not an expert). Which leads me to think that perhaps this location information was not immediately available, but when it was CPD just sort of casually initiated a search of the area and water. If someone weighted the body in order to hide it better, this may have been their undoing. Otherwise the body might have made it to Cincinnati by now.

 

[osu]

That's exactly my thought. And being that they found the body partly submerged, it may have had branches piled on top to weigh it and and hold it in place. That would make sense why the responders to the scene stated right away that they believe it to be a suspicious death. They couldn't see any obvious signs of death or injury, but it'd be awful suspicious to have branches and logs piled on top.

I agree. IIRC, in the first reports of a body being found in the Scioto, didn't they say that it was found approx 6 feet from shore and it was caught up in some debris? I'll go back and look for that article.

 

[osu]

-snip

No leads or tips led them to that particular location on the River, near Audubon Metro Park. Sgt. Dave Sicilian tells us the Special Victims Bureau was searching local bodies of water for multiple missing person cases.
He says the body wasn’t too decomposed and is in relatively good condition. The young man’s body was found fully clothed, caught in debris about 6-10 feet from the banks of the river.

http://nbc4i.com/2016/03/30/police-still-working-to-identify-body-found-in-scioto-river/

 

[Leader6518]

No apparent injuries coupled with the fact he was deceased before entering the water sounds to me like drugs were involved. Since he was at a bar, it is reasonable to assume he was probably intoxicated. Combining alcohol with another substance can easily result in a lethal concoction. I bet he stepped out of the bar to meet someone for a drug, thinking he'd partake and be back quickly, but he overdosed. Whomever sold him the drug probably put him into the river. Will be interesting to see if anything can be gleaned from the toxicology report.

I respect your views and would like to add that drugs are not necessarily the most obvious choice. He may have been slipped something, yes. There are other possibilities. He could have stepped outside for fresh air and been robbed someway.

Based on what we have been told by family, they were planning this get-together. He was enjoying it and had gone to the bar for possibly more water. I believe the cousin said he thought he was going to the bar for more water. Joey may have just said he would be back, having seen someone he knows and goes over to them. Maybe they were drunk and he was trying to help and something happened to him in trying to help the acquaintence.

I just hate that in almost every missing person's case the first theory is that they were involved in drugs or some other illegal action. Bad things do happen to good people!
JMO

ETA: I understand that if a person is missing and has a history of risky behavior it has to be considered. That does not seem to be the case with Joey. He was a college graduate and had a good job and seemed to live a responsible life.

 

[Valiant]

It generally makes little sense for a "normal" crime to result in the removal of the body. A robber wants to get something and get out of there. Moving the body creates extra risk. Same with a "hate crime". If a crime was committed, the body is hidden (most times) when it can be linked back to the perp. Yea, there are exceptions but I don't think (if there was a crime) it was a stranger crime.

 

[Leader6518]

I've been thinking about that jumbled text message to Matt. Could it have been a acronym for something? Today, texts have so many acronyms. Could it be that whoever is responsible for Joey's disappearance be responsible for the jumbled text?

I know, my imagination is going and it more than likely is just a jumble for something else, but I try to find the reasoning behind it if it is not just an accidental message. This is just so sad. My heart breaks for his family. Their lives will never be the same.

 

[RybieMagoo]

I've been thinking about that jumbled text message to Matt. Could it have been a acronym for something? Today, texts have so many acronyms. Could it be that whoever is responsible for Joey's disappearance be responsible for the jumbled text?

I know, my imagination is going and it more than likely is just a jumble for something else, but I try to find the reasoning behind it if it is not just an accidental message. This is just so sad. My heart breaks for his family. Their lives will never be the same.

It's a good thought, but that seems like it would be a very, very long acronym. No one that I know would use an acronym that long. But who knows? Maybe it was just some kind of "inside" thing?

 

[RybieMagoo]

http://www.bravo-ohio.org/media/media-release

Here is the media release from the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Org (BRAVO)

No new information here, but there is helpful information for anyone who may be affected by hate violence, or any violence, and phone numbers if anyone knows anything about this case.

 

[CookieM]

No offense to anyone's ideas, but I am not so sure the jumbled text means anything at all. I have actually been out and about (just shopping, so I wasn't drunk or anything -- drunk on bargains, maybe lol) and received a text from a friend questioning some bizarre text they received from me. Something like: msdnfinea ????? What does that mean?
And only then did I realize I texted them some nonsense while putting my phone in my back pocket again. It certainly wasn't code or anything. So I wonder if that's what happened here. It just seems far fetched to me that he's text a message for help. You'd think he'd call 911 and the operator would at least be trying to figure out where the call was coming from. A text to a friend/family member would be useless because the friend would have no idea where he was. I know that in a crazy situation we may not do rational things, but I don;t think the text is a message, and definitely not code.

Like I said, that's just my opinion and I'm not trying to minimize anyone's brainstorming efforts.

 

[TroyinTX]

No offense to anyone's ideas, but I am not so sure the jumbled text means anything at all. I have actually been out and about (just shopping, so I wasn't drunk or anything -- drunk on bargains, maybe lol) and received a text from a friend questioning some bizarre text they received from me. Something like: msdnfinea ????? What does that mean?
And only then did I realize I texted them some nonsense while putting my phone in my back pocket again. It certainly wasn't code or anything. So I wonder if that's what happened here. It just seems far fetched to me that he's text a message for help. You'd think he'd call 911 and the operator would at least be trying to figure out where the call was coming from. A text to a friend/family member would be useless because the friend would have no idea where he was. I know that in a crazy situation we may not do rational things, but I don;t think the text is a message, and definitely not code.

Like I said, that's just my opinion and I'm not trying to minimize anyone's brainstorming efforts.

Normally, I would certainly agree, but the fact that the odd text, which autocorrect just happens to change to two different works that were meaningful to the area, was send the night he vanished and very likely died makes it more suspect in my opinion.

 

[RybieMagoo]

No offense to anyone's ideas, but I am not so sure the jumbled text means anything at all. I have actually been out and about (just shopping, so I wasn't drunk or anything -- drunk on bargains, maybe lol) and received a text from a friend questioning some bizarre text they received from me. Something like: msdnfinea ????? What does that mean?
And only then did I realize I texted them some nonsense while putting my phone in my back pocket again. It certainly wasn't code or anything. So I wonder if that's what happened here. It just seems far fetched to me that he's text a message for help. You'd think he'd call 911 and the operator would at least be trying to figure out where the call was coming from. A text to a friend/family member would be useless because the friend would have no idea where he was. I know that in a crazy situation we may not do rational things, but I don;t think the text is a message, and definitely not code.

Like I said, that's just my opinion and I'm not trying to minimize anyone's brainstorming efforts.

I do agree that some people may be looking too much into the gibberish text, but the text is still relevant because it was sent/received that exact night that he disappeared, after the "I'm Driving" phone call. It may not be anything that would help us trying to figure anything out and speculate, but it's probably quite relevant to LE.

 

[Tssiemer]

I just put the jibberish text in my husbands phone and it came up with Unharm first. Which is weird. So idk.


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[Mayor Perk]

I think the jumbled text means something but I'm not necessarily talking about the content of the message itself.

Within 10-20 minutes of Joey disappearing into the crowd at the bar, his cousins started texting him asking where he is. Those texts would presumably move to the top of Joey's unread text messages.

I feel like a "butt text" would more likely go to someone at the top of that list. I realize he was texting Matt earlier that evening (in a tense discussion btw) but I think whoever sent that text consciously sent it to Matt.

Maybe I'm wrong. But a tense discussion earlier that night where Joey accuses the other person of lying, the last known correspondence from Joey is sent to the same person, then Joey goes missing. That's a huge red flag.