Deaths of Male College Students-General Discussion #4

[fran]

I would like LE to look the parents and friends of the following listed young men directly in they eye and tell them "It's all just a coincidence."

2007-2008 School Year

* 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

Also, every year along the Sacramento River, 1000’s of college students rent house boats and spend Memorial Day weekend in one big party. There have only been two or three drowning of drunk college students during the past few years. I don’t get it.

Fact is, these may not all be related,...............but,............how many of them are?

JMHO
fran

 

[daisygirl]

Hi everyone. I have never posted here before, but I come here and check out the posts everyday. I am from WI, and lived in St. Paul for awhile, and have been following all of the "drownings". I totally agree with Fran. How can the LE just ignore the fact that so many of these cases are similar? Especially when some of these guys are drowning in 3 feet of water!

 

[DeltaDawn]

Has anyone heard from SS since May 24th?

No..a thread has started in the Jury Room..people praying and hoping she is okay.

 

[DeltaDawn]

Hi everyone. I have never posted here before, but I come here and check out the posts everyday. I am from WI, and lived in St. Paul for awhile, and have been following all of the "drownings". I totally agree with Fran. How can the LE just ignore the fact that so many of these cases are similar? Especially when some of these guys are drowning in 3 feet of water!

Welcome Daisygirl to WS. Glad to have you helping on this case. It just keeps growing as we keep researching.

Fran ..great timeline for this past school year..see how some dates coincide on a couple of these, but are in different states? There has got to be communication and someone giving the orders and picking the targets.

 

[RR0004]

looneymama, you're freaking me out!! Wasn't there someone else who was tying everything together in a simialr way? Can't remember where it was posted, but there was a correlation to sports...and places...etc.

 

[RR0004]

Blink's missing too...any sighting of her as well?

 

[fran]

Welcome Daisygirl to WS. Glad to have you helping on this case. It just keeps growing as we keep researching.

Fran ..great timeline for this past school year..see how some dates coincide on a couple of these, but are in different states? There has got to be communication and someone giving the orders and picking the targets.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that on the first three dates that are duplicated, one is in the East and the other is in the South, each time.

fran

 

[SheerLuck]

It just keeps growing as we keep researching. quote]

Not sure there's much more to research. Gannon said the smiley faces are "1/13th" of the "taggings" and he's brought in tagging experts. As far as I know, tagging graffiti always refers to gang graffiti. Previously he referred to other graffiti as "symbols", but now he says he's brought in tagging experts for "tagging graffiti". So unless Gannon is playing games and throwing out a red herring; which I don't think he'd do at this point; then what he's got to be saying is that these are street gang killings and I would think Mexican. I'm guessing he said the smileys are "1/13th" of the taggings; as a hint that the killings are either MS-13 or Sur 13. Just weird how he arrived at "1/13th". If this is MS 13, Sur 13 or another street gang; then the motive would be the only mystery left

 

[ArizonaGiGi]

More likely if a kid was hot and it was 2:00 a.m.; they'd go home and take a shower instead of entering a river in 10 degree weather. I guess you say ecstacy because you think these kids were just having fun and partying and using ecstacy? Most of the clothes found semed to be away from where the bodies entered the water; this could be a diversion tactic to lead LE to hunt in the wrong spot; so GHBwould leave the system before the body was found

Yup. I agree. The clothing found was minimal and inconsequential imo.
If they by chance were on ecstasy and ghb I surmised that they might have been out of it enough to remove clothing and jump in rivers, but after researching the clothing left on riverbanks etc., that question is invalid and struck from my list.

Vermont03 - Were ANY of the 104 female or were all males??
Pls forgive if you have already answered my ?
I was unable to log on for 3 days.

 

[ArizonaGiGi]

Blink's missing too...any sighting of her as well?[/quote

I don't know which part of the country Blink and SS are located but I am in Az and could not access the site for 3 days. Maybe they can't get on?

 

[Peculiar Petunia]

It just keeps growing as we keep researching. quote]

Not sure there's much more to research. Gannon said the smiley faces are "1/13th" of the "taggings" and he's brought in tagging experts. As far as I know, tagging graffiti always refers to gang graffiti. Previously he referred to other graffiti as "symbols", but now he says he's brought in tagging experts for "tagging graffiti". So unless Gannon is playing games and throwing out a red herring; which I don't think he'd do at this point; then what he's got to be saying is that these are street gang killings and I would think Mexican. I'm guessing he said the smileys are "1/13th" of the taggings; as a hint that the killings are either MS-13 or Sur 13. Just weird how he arrived at "1/13th". If this is MS 13, Sur 13 or another street gang; then the motive would be the only mystery left

Agree. 1/13 is a very weird fraction, unless there's another meaning.

But wouldn't a Mexican-American be rather noteworthy in Wisconsin? Outside of Milwaukee/Waukesha, there's not much of a population. Is there a large Latino population in any of the areas where there have been killings, besides the Welzien murder in Chicago?

 

[Pixie72]

Hi All~ Been busy this week and wasn't able to post. I've just been reading over the posts from the last week.

This may be something that was posted on this string a while back and maybe I missed it but even if it has been I think it is worth bringing up. I have read on some other sites that have discussion threads abouth the college kids drowning about a company called Trane. There is a theory circulating that the killer works for this company. I find this very interesting as my gut still tells me this is one person acting alone. Someone who travels for a living would very well be able to pull off the type of pattern seen with these dissappearances. This company, Trane (specializing in HVAC), has a large facility in LaCrosse. They also have locations, sales offices, or clients all near where these drownings have occurred. Their headquarters is in New Jersey I believe. They recently got a contract with the school in Vermont that Nick Garza attended. If you go to this company's website you will see that they also offer alot of training, they list schedules for classes. Many of which are in LaCrosse, oddly the dates these classes start are in the fall.

I would be curious if there is any employee of this company that could be matched up with being in any of the places where these kids dissapeared from.

I also have to comment on the discussion of people here in the Midwest deciding to take a dip in the lake, river, etc. I would think this type of behavior, though it doesn't make alot of sense, would be more likely to occur if they were with a group of friends. You know someone saying "I dare ya to go jump in the river". I do not see any of these young men consciously making the decision to go down by the lake/river for a swim in the middle of the night. Even if they just had to take a piss, do that many men "fall in" when relieving themselves? I don't think so. Also my fiance has been to LaCrosse, it would not be easy to get down to the Mississippi from where the bars are located, I think it's pretty rocky. Now if any of them did "fall" in don't you think they would have bumps, bruises, etc. from a fall. I think someone earlier pointed this out, I just want to reiterate how silly it sounds that they just "fell" in by accident.

Anyway that's my thoughts for today.............

 

[SheerLuck]

I would like LE to look the parents and friends of the following listed young men directly in they eye and tell them "It's all just a coincidence."

2007-2008 School Year

* 09/30/07 Christopher Melancom, 24, drowned,…. Iraqi Vet--La Crosse, Wi
Fact is, these may not all be related,...............but,............how many of them are?

JMHO
fran

LE and the FBI are stretched out enough, so why go back and reopen 90 cases that have practically no evidence to go on; when Gannon has now told us these drownings are gang related? Maybe none of you listened to Gannon yesterday on WGY??? The recent cases and in particular the Szostak case which absolutely reeks of murder with different evidence from all the other cases; like a stolen car; should be reopened because he might not be connected to these others. But the focus on gangs; really needs to be on the present; not the past(IMO). For those who did not hear WGY; Gannon said he shared 1,000's of photos of gang taggings and gang graffitti with Professor Gilbertson because the professor is an expert in the taggings of gangs nationwide; while him and Duarte have just some familiararity with the Bronx street gang taggings. He said different states had different taggings and thats where his idea of separate pods came from. I guess there's the possibility that Gannon is throwing the public a red herring, but more likely he's realizing that LE and the FBI simply see no reason to go back many years and try to solve perfect crimes; unless there are pictures of the same people in different bars when different abductions happened; but without pictures of people it's near impossible to make any arrests outside of maybe the Jenkins case. But even that one would be tough; based on a statement from a guy in jail. What isn't solved is motive; or at least Gannon was honest and upfront and he said he won't discuss motive; at least not yet. So maybe there's a bit left here; although its probably just racism and gang initiation. As for families; it's possible that Gannon has privately told some or all of the families of his conclusions; I wouldn't know. Unless Gannon was bullshi****** yesterday; then this case might be done unless some big business money rolls in to help Gannon or LE hire a task force. Looking back; it was obvious that these were racial crimes, but I thought these were satanist losers; not street gangs. It's been nice sharing ideas with everyone. Best of luck

!

 

[SheerLuck]

Agree. 1/13 is a very weird fraction, unless there's another meaning.

But wouldn't a Mexican-American be rather noteworthy in Wisconsin? Outside of Milwaukee/Waukesha, there's not much of a population. Is there a large Latino population in any of the areas where there have been killings, besides the Welzien murder in Chicago?

Hi Delta Dawn; there doesn't need to be any Latino population in a community for a Mexican street gang to move and take over. Some street gangs like to just control 1 city but some are nationwide like the 2 main black gangs; the Blood and the Crypts. MS-13 has stated their goal is to be the number gang in America and Sur 13 is also big; as are some of the other Mexican/Central American gangs. To be number 1 it means slowly going nationwide and getting your foot in the door and gaining a stronghold in every state eventually; even in "white" states like Wisconsin or West Virginia. What sucks is that young members who join these gangs usually are extremely misguided and will do anything to be a part of any gang who they think cares for them. You talked about hierarchy here and seem to have read up on it to understand why these kids would even kill if told to

 

[vermontn03]

Hi Delta Dawn; there doesn't need to be any Latino population in a community for a Mexican street gang to move and take over. Some street gangs like to just control 1 city but some are nationwide like the 2 main black gangs; the Blood and the Crypts. MS-13 has stated their goal is to be the number gang in America and Sur 13 is also big; as are some of the other Mexican/Central American gangs. To be number 1 it means slowly going nationwide and getting your foot in the door and gaining a stronghold in every state eventually; even in "white" states like Wisconsin or West Virginia. What sucks is that young members who join these gangs usually are extremely misguided and will do anything to be a part of any gang who they think cares for them. You talked about hierarchy here and seem to have read up on it to understand why these kids would even kill if told to

Bloods and Crypts in Vermont.

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Members of Killer Bronx Committee or KBC, a drug gang based in New York City, moved their drug operation to Winooski five years ago.

The group set up in a Winooski woman's apartment, selling crack cocaine.

"We were actually dumbfounded by it. They literally disappeared off the corner," said retired New York City police Detective George Duguid.

Duguid, a member of the NYPD's Bronx Gang Squad, had been investigating the gang for more than two years.

Duguid followed the drug gang to Vermont.

http://www.wptz.com/news/15417626/detail.html

 

[vermontn03]

Didn't see any posts from her; hopefully she's okay because she seems to have the time to really search the web in detail. Here's link for interviews from this morning of Gannon. I didn't have a chance to listen yet, but WGY's Albany's Al Roney is a great interviewer; much better than CNN and GMA, who threw Gannon a bunch of softballs; without addressing some of the questionable parts of their case. Hopefully he asked a few of the tough questions; especially the "scientific" method used by Gannon to determine where the bodies go in is questionable. Here's link; just scroll down page half way or so and look to your left for parts 1 and 2.

http://www.wgy.com/pages/onair/onair_roney.html

I have heard this and they are coming here to vermont this week to look more and the Nicholas Garza Case, as they had said this case is suspicious and they do not like it.

 

[vermontn03]

ST. ALBANS, Vt. -- Some neighbors in St. Albans said they're sick of crime in their city.

At a crime forum Wednesday, more than 150 residents gathered with police to talk about what's driving crime.

Police said the number of assaults and robberies are up 124 percent in the past seven years.

They said much of the problem is gang violence and confirmed that members of several national gangs including the Bloods, the Latin Kings and the Los Solidos are in the area.

St. Albans Police Chief Gary Taylor also believes there is a home-grown gang known as the Franklin County White Boys.

http://www.wptz.com/news/16420486/detail.html

I live in the next town up from st. Albans. dark_shadows is from St. albans. I have a police scanner and in the last two weeks there has been at least 10 assaults. 1-2 happen everyday.

My Fiancee works with a man who is a soldier and is heading back to iraq and has meet up with these gangs, It seems like that they just pick anyone. No they didn't hurt him. The first assault that I heard on the scanner was a young woman who was standing infront of the sameratin house and was attacked. The Sameratin house is a place for homeless people to live.

On memorial day there was a huge fight in St. Albans, where 20-30 men were fighting they called in at least 3-4 different police departments to help break it up.

 

[SheerLuck]

Bloods and Crypts in Vermont.

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Members of Killer Bronx Committee or KBC, a drug gang based in New York City, moved their drug operation to Winooski five years ago.

The group set up in a Winooski woman's apartment, selling crack cocaine.

"We were actually dumbfounded by it. They literally disappeared off the corner," said retired New York City police Detective George Duguid.

Duguid, a member of the NYPD's Bronx Gang Squad, had been investigating the gang for more than two years.

Duguid followed the drug gang to Vermont.

http://www.wptz.com/news/15417626/detail.html

Hi; good post as you point out the Bloods and Crypts are powerful in NYC which is Gannons backyard; The Bronx. So he's got to know some of their taggings, but as a retired detective for 10 years he might no know of these Mexican/Central American gangs. Maybe I shouldn't assume "1/13th" means Mexican but it jumps out because so many including their 2 biggest have the number 13 in their name. Gannons been to Vermont and is really working hard on Booth, Szostak and Garza. Nothing much said about the Ithaca case from April 27th which was within 3 hours or so of these 3 as well--that one is very odd also

 

[RR0004]

I have heard this and they are coming here to vermont this week to look more and the Nicholas Garza Case, as they had said this case is suspicious and they do not like it.

Boy, wouldn't I like to be there as well. I have the utmost respect for these detectives...I remember the McNeill drowning very well.

 

[vermontn03]

I have heard this and they are coming here to vermont this week to look more and the Nicholas Garza Case, as they had said this case is suspicious and they do not like it.

Boy, wouldn't I like to be there as well. I have the utmost respect for these detectives...I remember the McNeill drowning very well.

So would I.