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

[Jmd9981]

Neville island is about 8 or 9 miles downstream

 

[buckeye1999]

Neville island is about 8 or 9 miles upstream.

It never dawned on me that this direction was "upstream", but it is heading towards OH and WV. (WV is where both Paul Kochu and Andre Gray were found)

 

[Richrd]

1)) http://www.wpxi.com/news/vigil-held-downtown-for-missing-north-side-man-/494703384

2)) Area Map:

https://listsofjohn.com/mapf?lat=40.4696&lon=-79.9959&z=12&t=t&d=y

A)) Zoom In & Re-Center
Using Upper-Right Pull-Down,
Alternate CalTopo >>> Map >>> Satellite

B)) Zooming in the CalTopo Map, note that the Allegheny River empties into the Ohio River.

C)) Following the Current Flow Arrows, and the Mile Markers, note that Neville Island begins about 5.5 Miles (8.8 Kilometers) Down-River from the 7th Street (Andy Warhol) Bridge.

D)) The Ohio River is flowing North-West, past Neville Island, on its way thru Ohio & West Virginia.


3)) May InMyHumbleOpinion's Link also be Helpful:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cul...5a5f71b8cd!2m2!1d-80.1121493!2d40.5069633!3e2

 

[BA1973]

I was thinking about the aunt's statement I read that he "never made it to the 6th street bridge." It sounds so ominous, not sure if it was intended that way. I went for a walk at lunch and walked through Scott Place to Katz. I didn't notice any cameras, but there was a sign in the alley that said it was monitored by cameras. So if the camera was working they would have had to see him there.
And Scott Place is like a block away from 6th Street. I was looking at the photo again and thinking of some of the comments on here, and he does appear to be on the way to somewhere else other than home. Possibly telling someone he was on his way, etc. He was with coworkers after work at Station Square, the met a friend downtown, sent her on her way and was probably making one more stop before home. If he never made it to 6th street, I am not sure where he could have gone exactly. I still don't undertstand how he would end up in the water. Unless maybe he was meeting someone down there? There is really nowhere to go along the river from the side of Katz Park. All the bars and stuff are on the other side.
I did see they have the police out searching at Neville Island for him today.

 

[Jmd9981]

Oops meant downstream, but geographically north...going to edit my post

 

[BA1973]

This is just a quote from a friend at the vigil last night, but doesn't like someone drunk falling in a river: (not sure what info she would be privy to)

Ms. Prasnikar said the disappearance has affected her beyond the loss of a friend. It has made her more conscious of her surroundings.
“This is the first time I’ve felt uncomfortable walking to my car,” she said. “Now I’m more aware of security. I look for cameras.”

 

[ChuckMaureen]

http://www.wpxi.com/news/crews-sear...ng-north-side-man-a-day-after-vigil/494703384

A search team used boats to scan the water for any signs of Dakota James, the search for whom has moved beyond the city of Pittsburgh.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017...for-missing-duquesne-university-grad-student/

bbm

They are using drones, boats and other means to search the water around Neville Island, near the RMU Sports Complex.
His family says they will not give up hope that he will be found safe.

Recent searches have been centered on the river and its banks. Family still hopes DJ will be "found safe". Someone reported DJ's aunt commented on SM that LE "confirmed" DJ 'never made it to the Sixth Street Bridge'. That doesn't mean DJ did not make it to the Heritage Trail access stairway. It also doesn't mean DJ intended to go to the Heritage Trail / river / meet-up/ do himself harm. That DJ's father reported he appeared "smiling", "texting" and "walking" [implication is appeared as typical DJ] through Katz Plaza does not seem to imply a despondent or depressed DJ.

Given his last-seen-on-video location (reported as Katz Plaza) and direction of travel, DJ had to have walked past the Theater Square Parking Garage entrance / exit. The garage is a 24/7 facility with on-site security. There is a booth at the entrance but I am not sure if the booth is manned 24/7 or at all these days. I also am not sure if in-garage camera(s) capture views that include the outside roadway.
https://www.alcoparking.com/downtown/theater-square-garage

The attached image is a 3D view of DJ's assumed-path. The Sixth Street Bridge is located northeast of this view (not shown). The "shortcut" through Katz Plaza is not much of a "shortcut" but I suppose it feels as if it is, especially if you want to walk the least distance after a hard-partying evening.

As can be seen in the image, DJ could have walked an additional 60'-90' to get to the road that leads toward the Theater Square Parking Garage entrance on Scott Place. Instead, DJ chose to walk through Katz Plaza and walk the 60' stretch behind the Century Building on Scott Place. If DJ was going to a meet-up in the parking garage he most likely would have entered the garage through the pedestrian entrance on Penn Avenue, and not walk in through the vehicle portal. I assume, then, that DJ walked past the garage vehicle entrance / exit.

I also assume DJ walked through the pass-thru from Scott Place to Barkers Place. I base this assumption on DJ already having taken a "shortcut"... and the pass-thru from Scott Place to Barkers Place also would be considered a "shortcut" if the Sixth Street Bridge (or that general direction) is along the intended path.

Note there are dumpsters in that area. I am not sure of the trash pick-up schedule. If it was next-morning or a next-day pick-up I suspect no one would be the wiser of dumpster content (no decomp smell) but it also would depend on the theater / show schedule, when it would be more likely for dumpster activity (cleaning up the venues).

I do not suspect foul play in that area, given the time of DJ's last-seen moment and the location. It is not entirely devoid of people (note the other person/people shown in the Katz Plaza surveillance video screen capture). But if a vehicle was exiting the garage the same moment DJ was walking past, something could occur but what are the odds, whether random or planned? If it was a random / accident we might assume the occupant(s) would not want to leave a victim laying in the roadway for the next person to find: they might be concerned of being associated with that time / location as based on ticket / video info? If it was a planned situation, well, that would be some planning, right?

It seems that whatever happened to DJ most likely occurred after Scott Place / Barkers Place and before the Sixth Street Bridge proper. That leaves an abduction and transport via vehicle on Fort Duquesne Blvd to whichever direction scenario or, DJ ended up in the river.

Think: Occam's Razor.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

http://www.wpxi.com/news/vigil-held-downtown-for-missing-north-side-man-/494703384

Area Map:

https://listsofjohn.com/mapf?lat=40.4696&lon=-79.9959&z=12&t=t&d=y

Zoom In & Re-Center
Using Upper-Right Pull-Down,
Alternate CalTopo >>> Map >>> Satellite (with Labels)

Dakota's case somewhat reminds me of that of Joey LaBute, who went missing from Columbus, OH on March 5th of last year. Sadly, his body was recovered from the Scioto River four weeks later, and it was determined by the coroner that Joey was already dead before he hit the water.

Joey was openly gay, and though never confirmed by LE, we had a few members of the local gay community on WS stating that he used Grindr, with a couple of them saying that they had even "met" Joey previously via the app.

In Joey's case, LE released a couple of still images of him at the bar where he was last seen, which also showed a man talking to Joey, as part of their effort to identify him. At the time, there was speculation that the man was not local, as no one seemed to recognize him (LE has not said whether they were ever able to identify him), and because there was a large bodybuilding convention ("Arnold Sports Festival") taking place in Columbus the weekend Joey went missing.

We do not know if Dakota was using Grindr at the time of his disappearance, but we have seen his user profile photo and it has also been reported "(i)nvestigators also obtained a search warrant and are looking at at least one of Dakota James' social media apps."

Still hoping that Dakota didn't meet the same fate as Joey ... .

"Columbus Police Homicide pleas for help in solving Joey LaBute death investigation": http://abc6onyourside.com/news/loca...lp-in-solving-joey-labute-death-investigation
"Undetermined cause of death for Joey Labute, was likely dead when put in water": http://myfox28columbus.com/news/loc...joey-labute-was-likely-dead-when-put-in-water
Joey's WS thread: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?304101-OH-Joey-LaBute-26-Columbus-4-March-2016-2

 

[Jmd9981]

And sister tweeted @grindr several times pleading for them to release info while calling the app dangerous.

https://mobile.twitter.com/angelameadows67/status/832275374126092289

 

[SomeoneElse333]

On many of the comments streams in social media and on news stories, I see people referring to a pattern that suggests that there may be something sinister happening in Pittsburgh. Some people have called it a serial killer or the Three Rivers killer. Some threads invoke a smiley face killer.

Other people say it seems like someone goes missing every few months and that there's a cover-up.

Is there a pattern? And given a city this size--with as many colleges, rivers, and bars--what is the norm in terms of accidental drowning or missing people cases?

 

[ChuckMaureen]

The SMK theory has been floating for quite some time. Certain LE believe there's no 'there', there. If there is a 'there', there, then those involved must be magicians because no evidence has surfaced other than maybe certain coincidences (if any are identified and categorized) and speculation (there is no shortage of that).

http://thoughtcatalog.com/jim-goad/...ory-that-connects-40-college-students-deaths/

In 2008, the FBI issued a press release claiming that “we have not developed any evidence to support links between these tragic deaths or any evidence substantiating the theory that these deaths are the work of a serial killer or killers. The vast majority of these instances appear to be alcohol-related drownings.”In 2010, the Center for Homicide Research released a document called “Drowning the Smiley Face Murder Theory” that outlines 18 reasons they feel it’s false. Among these points are “None of the smiley faces exactly match one another,” “There is no evidence of victim trauma,” and “These drownings don’t fit a serial killer motive.”

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Three cameras located along Barkers Place:

 

[ChuckMaureen]

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/11153639-74/cameras-employee-camera

bbm

[FONT=open_sansregular]Friday[/FONT][FONT=open_sansregular], [/FONT][FONT=open_sansregular]Sept. 16, 2016, 10:27 p.m.
[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]Pittsburgh owns 165 cameras.

[/FONT][FONT=open_sansregular]When a camera quits functioning, the city reports it to Hitachi Data Systems, which has an annual contract totaling about $190,000 to maintain them.
[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]As of Friday, 36 cameras — about 22 percent — were not working, according to Kevin Acklin, Peduto's chief of staff. He said it appears that the cameras stopped functioning after the employee resigned.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]
Hitachi is repairing 17 that were damaged through occurrences such as traffic accidents and tree limbs hitting them. Six of the 17 must be replaced.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]
Hitachi is evaluating the remaining 19, Acklin said. The California-based company declined a request for comment.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]“We're going to hold them accountable,” Acklin said.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]
City camera movement and zooming capability can be controlled remotely through computers and transmitters located Downtown and in Oakland. Multiple agencies can view and control camera movement.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]
That's what likely happened Tuesday when a teenager shot another teen Downtown and police were unable to capture video because a camera was out of position, Peduto said.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]
Acklin said the camera on the Sixth Street Bridge was pointing toward the river and not toward where the shooting happened on Sixth Street near the Wood Street T station.[/FONT]
[FONT=open_sansregular]
Hundreds of cameras owned by multiple government agencies and private businesses keep watch from utility poles and buildings throughout the city. Police and prosecutors depend on them to track down criminal suspects.[/FONT]

[FONT=open_sansregular]

I wonder if the Sixth Street Camera(s) was eventually corrected and redirected toward the roadway? If not, heads should roll... that was five months ago.

Re: "Hundreds of cameras owned by multiple government agencies and businesses"... given that information it might be safe to assume LE knows more than what has been released to the public but they claim not to know what happened to DJ.[/FONT]

 

[ChuckMaureen]

This is an older article but relevant as to surveillance cameras and "privacy" and disclosure rules:

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/su...ce-camera-privacy-policy/stories/201507270020

Surveillance Society: Pittsburgh seeking to implement surveillance camera privacy policy

July 27, 2015 12:00 AM

The U.S. Coast Guard has warned the city not to reveal camera locations, effectively barring civilian involvement in surveillance decisions.

“In terms of the cameras that are funded by the federal government, we are restricted from notifying people of their locations,” Mr. Acklin said. “Given the federal restrictions, which are in direct conflict with what our local ordinance is, we need to have a conversation with council” about whether to fund future camera purchases with money from Washington, D.C., and sideline the privacy protections, or use local dollars and implement the rules.

It’s unclear, though, whether the restrictions placed on the city really come from Washington, or rather from a local interpretation of a federal directive. Privacy advocates, meanwhile, argue that excluding civilians from surveillance decisions makes it impossible to ensure that civil liberties are respected.

“Any time you’re implementing video surveillance of the public, the public needs to be involved in that process,” said Jeramie D. Scott, national security counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, based in Washington, D.C

What a cluster.

 

[bellesnwhistles]

Haven't been on here in a while due to life being crazy but praying this search turns up some good news.

 

[TMAN2014]

You know, I feel like I am rereading the Kochu case all over again. How long have we had the trends of young men disappearing and found later in water? Did this happen often 20 or 30 years ago too? It is always a similar story line too, drinking and walking home alone near water. Other than a few years ago in a local case (Thomas Booth), I never heard of this trend before.

I hope for the best and the answers are found.

 

[BA1973]

I moved to Pittsburgh from Philly and remember this case:
http://www.vocativ.com/underworld/crime/death-grindr-swipe-right-murder/

 

[SomeoneElse333]

I moved to Pittsburgh from Philly and remember this case:
http://www.vocativ.com/underworld/crime/death-grindr-swipe-right-murder/

How awful. :+(

Do we know for sure DJ was using that app the night he went missing? What is hard is that the public has been so pulled into this case, yet we have very little info...either officially or otherwise, via the family.

 

[Richrd]

5)) http://www.onenewspage.com/video/20...r-missing-student-Dakota-James-moves-west.htm

6)) http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017...for-missing-duquesne-university-grad-student/

7)) http://www.wpxi.com/news/crews-sear...ng-north-side-man-a-day-after-vigil/494703384

8)) Area Map:

https://listsofjohn.com/mapf?lat=40.4696&lon=-79.9959&z=12&t=t&d=y[/b]

A)) Zoom In & Re-Center
Using Upper-Right Pull-Down,
Alternate CalTopo >>> Map >>> Satellite

B)) Zooming in the CalTopo Map, note that the Allegheny River empties into the Ohio River.

C)) Following the Current Flow Arrows, and the Mile Markers, note that Neville Island begins about 5.5 Miles (8.8 Kilometers) Down-River from the 7th Street (Andy Warhol) Bridge.

D)) The Ohio River is flowing North-West, past Neville Island, on its way thru Ohio & West Virginia.


9)) May InMyHumbleOpinion's Link also be Helpful:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cul...5a5f71b8cd!2m2!1d-80.1121493!2d40.5069633!3e2

10)) Occam's Razor:

The Simplest Explanation is Frequently the Correct One.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/occams-razor.htm

 

[ChuckMaureen]

A video report on today's river search:

http://www.onenewspage.com/video/20...r-missing-student-Dakota-James-moves-west.htm