New Docuseries on Oxygen: Smiley Faced Killers: The Hunt for Justice

[TedMac]

Retired detective Kevin Gannon insists the drowning deaths of dozens of college-aged men across America since the late '90s are the work of a serial killer gang, not mere accidents.

The theory of the 20-year veteran of the New York City Police department and his longtime partner, Anthony Duarte, is at the center of an Oxygen docuseries titled “Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice.”

 

[yabbyyou]

Oxygen ought to hunt for justice from whatever exec greenlighted this farce. This "theory" has been thoroughly dispatched.

https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/daily-beast-peddles-batshit-debunked-theory-about-a-se-1831870814

 

[outlawcountry911]

this is getting bad
first ed edwards now
Smiley Faced Killers:

stop giving shows to crazy ideas

 

[pittsburghgirl]

I'm not fond of the term "smiley faced killers," but here in Pittsburgh, we have a couple of real mysteries in which young men were found dead in one of the rivers. And it's really not all that easy to fall into a river accidentally here, even if there are three of them.

 

[AlwaysShocked]

I can see where there could be a murder but I have a hard time with the whole 20 years of a "club" with "cells" in various cities with members "rotating out" as they get older and then new, younger members taking their place.

 

[VoiceForMissing2502]

I actually watched this Series for the first time earlier. I was expecting a complete shambles but I was a bit surprised that much of what the Detectives and those working with them could be very plausible and have happened. I also noticed in the Season 1 Episode 3 Victim that there definitely seems to be some type of impairment that doesn't seem to be just having too many beers at a Hockey Game. I notice that there were more than a few potential witnesses there in front or back of the Arena where he walked out on the surveillence camera footage. You can see someone walking up to the door areas in a white sweatshirt or hoodie but it cuts away and you do not see if they go in the doors or not. In a frame or two forward for Surveillance there is someone out toward the parking lot area in a white shirt or sweatshirt with 1-3 other people standing around or moving back and forth. They are standing looking toward where WH is staggering around and had become disoriented. I am not saying they are involved but all those that were there in or around the Arena when he exited outside should be questioned. You can't tell me that there are not very expensive Surveillance Cameras outside and inside of this Arena area. Also the Park that seems to be adjacent or very close to the Arena and downtown areas there are ALWAYS surveillance cameras. There is another person standing and leaning on the building and this body type looks almost female. It looks like there is 1-2 people standing just inside the doors of the Arena but cannot tell if male or female. I am sure they could see all those who have entered and exited during the time that WH exited the Arena and then began staggering around. No one should get that drunk if they only drank two beers. With the GHB theory and the toxicology reports showing levels of this in their system for most ALL of the possible victims. I do not believe that all of these crimes are not connected. There is the possibility of Copy Cat crimes which all of us understand. No one just disappears with no trace and there was a trace his cell phone that was ultimately destroyed by someone breaking it and then supposedly ran over. Apparently the person or persons did not understand how Computer Forensics work with being able to get much of the information off the cell phones even if they are not able to be turned on etc. These are young men that all seem to have much going for them and ALL of them are just going to walk toward these River areas and ALL slip and drown? Not buying it and if anyone believes this there is an Eiffel Tower in Arizona to bid on. The information from each victim that I have seen over last two days definitely is starting to show patterns of similarities. Obviously the person or persons have some information on how LE searches work and it almost seems as if someone is watching for these and/or somehow has this information. I actually had it pop in mind what if the person or persons have Police Scanners that would definitely be a way that they'd be able to stay one step ahead of LE and know where or where not to dispose of the victims right? I am not familiar with any of the areas that any of these young men were found or layouts but the patterns in the toxicology reports, area searches, cell phone information, etc. the patterns are emerging and some things no matter how dismissive for some people may actually hold the key to certain patterns in things. It almost be worth looking into how many other States have victims between age demographics have died of Accidental Drowning. I am sure that there are many more that have simply been dismissed as that and the cases were filed away and not forgotten but closed. Praying for all these families that still have no more information or closure than they've had since their loved one's have gone missing and been found deceased. The loss of a child is a nightmare that never ends especially in situations that may or may not actually be Murders.

 

[VoiceForMissing2502]

I also forgot to mention that most have the same type of Blunt Force Head Trauma with very similar pattern structure. There is definitely way way more to all of these young men dying under extremely similar circumstances. Does anyone think that these may also be type of copycat crimes? We all know that they do happen but I am just not sure about this possibility.

 

[cherrymeg]

Possible Victims: Pennsylvania

Tommy Booth's death never seemed right.
Case Studies in Drowning Forensics

 

[pittsburghgirl]

I don't feel a bit out of line saying that Will Hurley was murdered. The question is: how did GHB get into his system? Figure that out and the rest falls into place.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Possible Victims: Pennsylvania

Tommy Booth's death never seemed right.
Case Studies in Drowning Forensics

This is interesting, especially the part where if a body goes into the water dead, it will float, but if someone goes in alive, they will sink, then float.

 

[TMAN2014]

Possible Victims: Pennsylvania

Tommy Booth's death never seemed right.
Case Studies in Drowning Forensics

Looking forward to the Booth story, which is local for me. I don't even think we have a topic in the forum for his case.

 

[cherrymeg]

Looking forward to the Booth story, which is local for me. I don't even think we have a topic in the forum for his case.

It was local for me too. Did you go to Bootleggers?

 

[TMAN2014]

Only once or twice a long time ago, a little before this ordeal. I worked a mile up the road, and live not too far away to this day. I think that bar is gone now. The bar was in a shopping center, with the Widener field somewhere towards the back of the shopping center. I have been by that field in the back. When I heard this story, I had no idea how he could have ended in back of the shopping center, unless I don't know the layout. I thought you had to go to the road (Bullens Lane) to get back there. I even went 2 high school 2 blocks away there.

 

[cherrymeg]

Yeah it's gone. I went to Widener and lived not far so I would walk there. But even before I went there different times. I posted the pictures I took behind Bootleggers after they found Tommy. I thought Tommy was killed by a bouncer or someone inside the bar and stored in a freezer and then dumped in the ridley creek. That might be far fetched.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Saw the Tommy Booth episode and found it interesting as a case that departs a bit from the college/grad school/athlete profile usually associated with male drowning victims. The fact that he was afraid of or worried about something (and possible involvement with people trafficking in drugs or guns) makes him a different kind of victim than just a randomly targeted young man.

But a pattern is emerging. In these cases, the condition of the bodies doesn't align with the time that the victim has been missing. That fact alone suggests something is very wrong with these cases.

 

[TMAN2014]

Thanks for reminding me to watch this. I forgot. It is weird watching this of tv. This is basically a few miles from me.

 

[TMAN2014]

I am half way through the show. I don't doubt this guy could have been rolled inside the bar or out back, but I don't agree it has anything to do with the smiley face thing.

 

[Wagtales10]

this is so dumb. Why not make a doc about the boogyman and claim its factual. ffs

 

[blotzer]

Yeah it's gone. I went to Widener and lived not far so I would walk there. But even before I went there different times. I posted the pictures I took behind Bootleggers after they found Tommy. I thought Tommy was killed by a bouncer or someone inside the bar and stored in a freezer and then dumped in the ridley creek. That might be far fetched.

Wow I just watched this episode on Oxygen and I couldn't believe it. I still live in the area and it hits too close to home. I used to go to that bar back in the 90's when it was called Brownies. The episode tries to tie it to the Smiley face Killers but the smiley face they found on the wall looks like it was already there. It matched the black paint of the graffiti that was all over that wall. It's a strange case. Your theory actually makes the most sense. The fact that they searched that creek the day before he was found suggests the body was kept elsewhere (a freezer maybe?) and then dumped there a few weeks later.

 

[FlamingoLady]

I watched all of the episodes. The 1 question I have for ALL of them= Were the victims found wearing the same clothes they went missing in?
Because some of these guys were missing for days/weeks and then found in water without the usual amount of decomp. which begs the question=Where were they for all those days/weeks prior to being found? And if they were found in the exact same clothing....well....what the heck was going? The issue with the toxicology reports on the majority of these guys is also concerning.