Found Deceased PA - Dakota James, 23, Pittsburgh, 25 Jan 2017 #1

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weekleyjl said:
Two weeks ago a college student at WVU (Arthur Bagenda) left a downtown bar and was found the next morning dead on the Rail trail along the Monongahela River. Originally, it was reported that no foul play was suspected but I have since heard that homicide detectives are investigating. He was found in an area the opposite direction of his apartment and the downtown area the college kids frequent. He was alone, after being at a bar and was discovered the next morning near a trail by the river. There are way too many strange coincidences with too many young
men missing or dead following an evening at a bar.
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pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017/01/29/body-of-wvu-student-found-along-rail-trail-in-morgantown/
 
As much as I think DJ accidently fell into the river part of me still thinks foul play was involved. Considering the lack of information released by LE and the video still that was released as far I can, looks as if he is walking in a steady gait and sober enough to use his phone competently. Regarding the possibility of meeting up with an individual on Grindr, I hope LE finds something of use.

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chckchck said:
As much as I think DJ accidently fell into the river part of me still thinks foul play was involved. Considering the lack of information released by LE and the video still that was released as far I can, looks as if he is walking in a steady gait and sober enough to use his phone competently. Regarding the possibility of meeting up with an individual on Grindr, I hope LE finds something of use.

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I agree-- he appears alert and looks like he has a strong, steady stride. I don't think he was planning on hooking up with anyone else that evening. His father says he was very conscientious and never missed a day of work. By this time of night he must have been heading home. Whatever happened between 6th Avenue and a house was either an accident or Foul Play.
 
[video=youtube;ae4i9Qg7PKU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae4i9Qg7PKU[/video]
 
There several possibilities. Anything is game right now.

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Ron Yancoskie is another recent case that is unexplained. He was last seen in front of the Westin across the street from Images before he was found deceased near the railroad tracks In Station Square.

Images and 941 are both east of Katz plaza and are not in Market Square. It doesn't make sense for Dakota to be on the path he is shown in the photo if he is coming from either of these establishments. Cutting through Katz makes sense but if that is the case the most direct line be a diagonal path to Scott Pl. Where he is caught on camera suggests he is coming from the west or opposite direction.

Cuomo- I am local enough. I worked at the PPG building and would often park on the north shore and walked the same path Dakota would have taken. Apologies, I work in the suburbs now and didn't realize 7th street was closed in November. The north side is OK but you have to admit there is an element present that would make me extra cautious if I were walking late and alone on a weeknight.
 
Does anyone know if there are any abandoned buildings or houses on the North Side where someone could be held against their will ? Also, the person who walked the same path that Dakota may have and saw a dark colored coat, was there red trim on the bottom of the coat? Picture of Dakota shows him wearing a dark colored coat with either red trim at the bottom or a red shirt hanging out from underneath his coat. This could be very important.
 
DianaD said:
Does anyone know if there are any abandoned buildings or houses on the North Side where someone could be held against their will ? Also, the person who walked the same path that Dakota may have and saw a dark colored coat, was there red trim on the bottom of the coat? Picture of Dakota shows him wearing a dark colored coat with either red trim at the bottom or a red shirt hanging out from underneath his coat. This could be very important.
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Agreed! There was a recent post on the Missing Dakota James Facebook page that "Police have determined through the surveillance video that Dakota's jacket worn, at time missing, was a greyish-black jacket; not dk green as originally noted "

https://www.facebook.com/missingdakotajames/posts/1117288008381723


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I found out that he was wearing a long red shirt underneath his coat. So the red seen in the picture of him walking and using his phone is not part of his coat. In my mind, it's important to have an accurate description. Because what if at some point he lost his coat. t least we would know he had a red shirt on. I hope police are looking at the North Side for an explanation and not just the river.
 
pittsburgh1 said:
attachment.php


Okay, so I work in downtown Pittsburgh. Yesterday afternoon I walked the exact route I assume he would have taken (minus the Katz Plaza cut through). I saw the river rescue divers from the Roberto Clemente Bridge (6th Street Bridge). Some observations:
- The railings on the bridge come up to almost my shoulder, and I am 5'9". I do not believe there would be any way to fall off of the bridge unless you had climbed it somehow or someone pushed you over.

- There is a barrier between you and cars on the bridge, so he most likely wasn't hit from behind and thrown over the bridge from the impact.

- Neither the Pittsburgh or the North Side of the bridge are anywhere close to the water. You would need to deliberately go down to the edge.

- There are a ton of cameras after you leave the bridge and walk past PNC Park. Bars would still be open at this time - at least two.

- After you pass the bars, things get a little deserted and scary. You have to pass under an overpass as well as a train trestle.

- After you make it to the post office, there is a raised area about ten feet high on the right. You can climb some scary nailed wooden planks to get up there (I did). It looks like a hobo garden but it didn't look recently inhabited and I didn't see anyone up there. However, I did see a dark coat that looked new-ish. There are a bunch of sheltered areas up there. Very creepy. Has this area been searched?
attachment.php


- Five minutes later, you would be in the Parkview apartment area, where I saw more cameras.

What was the state of his apartment? Had he definitively not made it home that night? Is it possible he got home and went out again?

Do we know for sure his car wasn't in the Katz parking garage?
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Bolded my me.

Did the dark coat at all resemble the jacket Dakota is seen wearing in the released video still? If so, has this information been forwarded to law enforcement?


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jns207 said:
Bolded my me.

Did the dark coat at all resemble the jacket Dakota is seen wearing in the released video still? If so, has this information been forwarded to law enforcement?


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Agree. You should call them pittsburgh1.
 
jns207 said:
Bolded my me.

Did the dark coat at all resemble the jacket Dakota is seen wearing in the released video still? If so, has this information been forwarded to law enforcement?


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Yes, pittsburgh1, please take a photo or two of the coat and forward them to the authorities ASAP. If you don't have the time to take photos, at least the info you've shared with us. It would be great if you could post some pics of the coat on here, too!

Contact Info: City of Pittsburgh Police at (412) 323-7201
Case # 17-17022
 
ChuckMaureen said:
http://www.pghlesbian.com/2017/02/m...issing-gay-man-in-pittsburgh-finddakotajames/

The author is attempting to make a point....
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I am not saying he wasn't targeted because he was gay but, the author is making it sound as if there is a pattern of LGBT people being targeted in PA. The 3 other people listed were involved in totally different situations.(Street violence, a Police involved shooting, and one of them murdered a co-worker) If the person reading didn't take the time to read up about the others mentioned they might assume there is a rash of crimes against LGBT persons happening. That they are disappearing off the streets. That's sloppy and misleading.
 
Ron Yancoskie was ruled an accident. He fell approximately 400 feet. I am friends with his wife and attended his funeral. Almost 100% positive there was no foul play involved with Ron.
 
Originally Posted by ChuckMaureen
http://www.pghlesbian.com/2017/02/mo...nddakotajames/

The author is attempting to make a point....
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OnTheBreeze said:
I am not saying he wasn't targeted because he was gay but, the author is making it sound as if there is a pattern of LGBT people being targeted in PA. The 3 other people listed were involved in totally different situations.(Street violence, a Police involved shooting, and one of them murdered a co-worker) If the person reading didn't take the time to read up about the others mentioned they might assume there is a rash of crimes against LGBT persons happening. That they are disappearing off the streets. That's sloppy and misleading.
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That's why I used the word "attempting". The author had no case.
 
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