Ok...I could easily dismiss the idea that all these clusters of cases in the past 15 or so years are a result of something sinister IF so many of these cases did not have so many similarities linking them together. And despite what people say, the idea of young, athletic, college aged men being intoxicated and falling into bodies of water and drowning is NOT that common. College kids of have drinking of a LONG time; however, this really did not start happening with such alarming frequency until the late 90's. Additionally, those who point to statistics about this gender and age group being the highest for "accidental" drownings are not taking into account the fact that most of the drowning statistics used to compile this statistic are for recreational drowning mainly during summer months.
Please trust that I understand why some have a hard time buying the idea that there is a group of individuals targeting these young men and murdering them. It's easy to dismiss by using hyperbolic statemenst about "cloaked bohemian figures" stalking men. I get it. I was skeptical at first too. However, the more I started researching the cases and seeing blatant links, the more I believe many (not all) of these drowning are certainly NOT accidents.
Just a few things:
*In MANY of these cases, the guys were not even drunk and/or had no alcohol in their systems
*If they were so drunk that they were impaired enough to careless tumble into these bodies of water, how come NOBODY ever sees them do so?
*There are MANY college campuses and downtown areas that are surrounded by water where this type of thing never happens; if it is so common, why does it seem restricted to certain geographical locations?
*Many of the victims were not in the water as long as they were missing, but LE still dismissed it as "accidental."
*Personal belongings, such as cell phones, wallets, shoes are often found in completely different locations. Several of the victims made mysterious phone calls before vanishing.
*Bodies often show up in bodies of water that were heavily searched the days/weeks prior to the discovery. Keep in mind, some of these bodies of water were ponds/retention ponds and creeks that were only a foot or so deep. Yet someone, even drunk, these young athletic guys fell in and could not get out.
*We know that in a few cases that are the quintessential example of this scenario, after the family pressured LE and/or hired their own medical examiner, the cause of deaths were changed from accidental to homicide or undetermined (Chris Jenkins, Patrick McNeil, Todd Geib to name a few)
Now, these are just some of the similarities that connect many of these cases. I'd say forget about the Smiley Face Killer theory and objectively look at the circumstances. I think it becomes apparent that something is not right....
What we do know is that Joey's case involves many of the circumstances above. I tend to think that the fact the these are often easily dismissed as "accidental" has allowed it to continue for so long.