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

[Hulahoops]

Hopefully the autopsy tells a lot. Bugs or maggots will have broken apart some of the body and would get to the head last. So, if there's damage to the head could raise a flag to it maybe not being accidental.

 

[bellesnwhistles]

His family thought this couldn't be an accident and understandably so. It's extremely out of character and DJ was athletic and healthy. That being said, I do not believe it is that unusual for him to have ended up in the river and I do believe they will come out and say it was a terrible accident. You have to understand that when you are inebriated or disoriented you do thinks that don't make sense. I know he didn't seem incredibly wasted on video but let me tell you I have friends who will fool you and appear to walk and talk fine but be completely plastered and you only realize when they do something that makes no sense. either way, this is a sensitive time for his family whether it was an accident or not and I commend the strength that they have had through out. I don't know DJ personally but do know some his family and they are amazing people. The way they all pulled together show how much they loved him and how special he was.

 

[Factbased]

I don't mean to be insensitive, but your logic is flawed. His brother saying what he thinks DJ would have done doesn't make it true. He wasn't there, doesn't know what condition he was in, etc. His brother is simply looking at the best case scenario. It's a heartbreaking situation.

I'm not just referring to what his brother said. Even taking that out of the post, the theory of just falling into the water just makes no sense either. So many are so quick to brush off these incidents as accidental or suicide. There are so many other cities that have riverwalks and bridges with easy access to water and this many "accidents" don't happen.

The theory of accidental drowning due to his urge to urinate seems just as flawed as the theory that foul play occurred. So until I see hard evidence otherwise, I'm sticking to my "flawed" theory, which is based on information given by direct family and more importantly, close friends who would have known him best.

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[Factbased]

Agree. Just some thoughts -- news agencies are repeatedly pointing out that he's gay, but fail to discuss what it means for the case. As a gay man, I think I can provide a little more insight into the impacts it might have on the case. If he was out with a friend, whether he was inebriated or not, but was later seen alone attached to his phone at night, it makes me think he was looking to meet up with someone on Grindr. The hook-up culture disguises the utter creepiness of the men on apps like that. If you're insinuating that he was removed, it could just be someone picked him up from an off-camera location for a Grindr hook-up. His texting on the footage can easily be talking on Grindr or with his hook-up on a different app like Kik. I've been around the gay-app block so many times. It's upsetting that they keep discussing his sexuality in the head/taglines yet fail to mention the danger of using apps like those.

Agree...by "removed" I am not implying he got in a car against his will. He could have gone willingly. A so-called friend, hook-up etc. I was stopping short of calling out Grindr.
I agree with all your points. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

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[SomeoneElse333]

Cadaver dogs hit on a scent just at the base of the Sixth Street Bridge on the city side, which would bolster speculation of DJ going to the river's edge to relieve himself. Once you reach the bottom of the stairway from the Sixth Street Bridge, there is short fencing that prevents you from directly turning left toward the river, but if you really 'had to go' DJ might have attempted to climb / jump over that short fence to get to the edge; that's a recipe for disaster while even mildly drunk / tipsy.

This is what I think happens in these cases where young males go missing and are later recovered in the water.

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[SomeoneElse333]

Your theory makes sense and it's quite possible that it could just have been a horrible accident. The worst part is that he was about a 10 Min walk home from that point. But I guess when you're buzzed you aren't thinking completely clear and for males urinating outside is easily done.

And I think there are too many unprotected entry points along the river walk. It's unbelievable how easy it would be to misjudge the edge and go or slip in.

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[SomeoneElse333]

I still can't imagine that a fall from the river's edge would result in death. Even if I was a bit inebriated, you can guarantee I'd be pulling myself out of that water as fast as I went in! Even if I had to paddle along the edge for a grip somewhere--Especially at 23. I'm in my 40s, and I KNOW I'd be up and outta that river STAT! His mom says he was an athletic guy who swam, ran, and biked. A mere "fall" into the river just seems unlikely to cause a death. Even if drunk. And by the picture at Katz Plaza, he appears to be walking at a strong and steady gait.

Some of the banks are nearly vertical. It would just not be possible to get out. Plus, the water was likely pretty cold, making it hard to recover.

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[pghzis]

By looking at the picture in Katz Plaza, DJ looked stable. His gait was strong and he was coordinated. Doesn't appear to be inebriated. If inebriated I may feel differently. But he is even texting.

There is absolutely no way that you can infer that he is stable and coordinated from a still picture.

I think we need to know exactly why he got kicked out of the bar and seeing the videos of him walking.

If inebriated all of these seeming illogical scenarios (going down to the river to pee) would start to make a lot more sense.

Sadly, I binge drank through my 20's and can tell you there were plenty of times when I woke up in my bed and didn't have the slightest clue on how I got there. I would have receipts in my pocket from places I didn't remember going to, texts I didn't remember sending, food that I didn't remember ordering. And I'm sure there were times when I didn't even appear to be that drunk.

It's very easy to do illogical things when you cross that line. I have my masters, had a good job, and my parents know nothing of that part of my past. If the same would have happend to me they would have had the same reaction. Again, I'm not saying this to be insensitive, I can just understand how it could happen.

 

[kelsie]

RIP Dakota. What a loved young man he seemed to be.

 

[weekleyjl]

There are so many similarities to other cases. There are many other cities with unrestricted river access. Never have I heard of so many young men going missing under similar circumstances in the same city only to be recovered in the river. If LE refuses to look at the possibility they have someone preying on their young men I fear this scenario will continue to repeat itself until they remove their heads from the sand.

 

[bluesneakers]

"The body of Dakota James, a Duquesne University graduate student who had been missing for nearly 40 days and was the subject of numerous searches, was found Monday morning in Robinson Township.


James' body was spotted by chance on the Ohio River near Robinson Township and Neville Island"

Link

http://www.wtae.com/article/sources-body-found-in-ohio-river-in-robinson-township/9095746

 

[FactBlaster]

I'm not convinced they are all gay, if there is a serial killer he has a particular reason for each male he targets. Maybe its age, maybe it's because they frequent the same areas. There's got to be something that ties them together.

 

[TibbarSpins]

This is just my twisted idea, it is in NO way true. I'm sharing it because sometimes we have to think outside the box to find the answers.

I think someone hooked up with him, most likely via Grinder, and slipped him (or he willingly indulged) something like GHB. GHB dosage is a slippery slope. One moment you can feel complete euphoria with the threshold into unconsciousness and death just an unknown amount away. Mixing GHB with alcohol can easily lead to respiratory distress.
Why would someone do that you may ask? What's the motive in that? My answer is I do not know for certain. I guess that depends on whether it was intentional or accidental.
Maybe his hookup, in my theory, didn't realize mixing ghb and alcohol could be lethal and was shocked when his date was suddenly dead. Instead of calling for help, due to being embarrassed of the situation, decided to take care of it himself and dump the body in the river. Maybe it was more sinister than that and was a thrill kill or sexually arousing.
If anyone here wants to go down a rabbit hole I suggest you google 'chemsex'. It's definitely a thing and it is prevalent on Grindr and within the gay community. The subject isn't for the faint of heart, it's very explicit and .
Please know that I am NOT suggesting Dakota willingly participated in this or that this story is even remotely true regarding his case. I am merely suggesting, if you are willing to look into the subject, you may discover a new way of seeing this case other than another drunk kid stumbled to the rivers edge to pee and fell in.
Another thing to note, GHB is not detectable on a toxo screen and is a naturally occurring amino acid. You could easily render someone unconscious with ghb and murder them by tossing them into a river while still breathing, making it appear they drown.
I live here in Pittsburgh and these cases of young men drowning has frightened and intrigued me. I don't buy that they were all accidental and suspect something sinister is at play. I believe the truth can be found. It just may take some crazy, twisted thinking to find it.

 

[Blsdjs]

I'm not convinced they are all gay, if there is a serial killer he has a particular reason for each male he targets. Maybe its age, maybe it's because they frequent the same areas. There's got to be something that ties them together.

Maybe the sexual preference doesn't matter. Maybe it's just that they are early-mid twenties, male, college students, etc. It's possible that the "victims" are not even vetted and sexual preference isn't even known.

All speculation and moo of course.

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[HastingsChi]

I've been reading up on the joey labute case after seeing this. In this case there was also a jumbled "pocket text" received by a family member just like Dakotas dad received. Too many similarities to ignore. Columbus Ohio is a close drive from Pittsburgh also. The FBI needs to start taking all these similarities seriously. Particularly if Dakota ends up with a low level of water in his lungs.

Please forgive my ignorance but it was my understanding that the father would not share what was written in the text message. Am I wrong? Has the message been revealed?

 

[Allisoncross]

To be honest, the steps from the bridge down to the river aren't the best. They are steep, narrow stair treads (can't think of the word), and wonky in parts. It's not easy going down them during the day when sober. I couldn't even imagine at night when slightly drunk. Honestly, it wouldn't seem so far fetched if he was walking down them on the inside part, lost his balance either going around the turn or after starting down the second part, stumbled over to the left side and fell over. If that were to happen, there'd even be a chance of hitting his head on concrete before entering the water.

That would show up in the autopsy also. Hopefully they release those details soon.


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[MK41144]

Totally disagree. After speaking to his brother at one of the searches the likelihood of DJ going down to the rivers edge to relieve himself is slim to none. Brother says DJ would have gone in the alley or on the bridge itself. I am now convinced something sinister happened. He didn't put himself in the river. I think he was put in a car, killed and dumped in the river.



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Brother said... Based on what? How would you know where someone would stop to piss? He's drunk, it's almost midnight, it's dark. His brother is missing, he's distraught, and doesn't want to believe the worst could have happened. Impossible to know these things.

 

[Factbased]

Like I stated before, erase the brothers comment from the post. It still doesn't make sense that he would go down to the rivers. No sense, drunk or not.

Let's all wait for the authorities to do their jobs. If the police do their jobs appropriately and not brush this case off the real truth will be revealed.
Now if due diligence is done the determination of accidental or foul play will come out.

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[Factbased]

That said, I do not believe the authorities will put much effort in answers. This will be treated like all the other folks found in the river. Sad

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[MK41144]

Well, the initial stories said there was no evidence of foul play, so short of something chemical being found, it will be ruled accidental.