From Investigative Reporter Kristi Piehl www.kstp.com
Chris Jenkins. Matt Kruziki. Patrick McNeal. Those names and faces have become attached to the Smiley Face story. I've received dozens of emails from parents who say their children could be part of the list, but their loved ones died long before anyone suspected the drownings were connected.
One mother, who I've been emailing, is allowing me to share the first email she sent me and photos she's sent me since. She is now trying to get investigators to take another look at her son's case and is talking with another mother who's son drowned earlier this year.
While the FBI and many local law enforcement agencies are discounting the Smiley Face Killer possibility, the parents of the men who have drowned should not be discounted. They are passionate, diligent and will do almost anything to find the truth.
"Hi,
I have been living in pure hell for over 10 years, since my son disappeared from a bar in PA, and his body was found 2 days later in the water. I just found out about these young men yesterday, and about the men investigating the possible links. Is there any way you can put me in touch with these men. I don't know the time frame they have on the young men found, but my son went missing on April 4, 1998, and was found on April 6, 1998.
Please I beg of you help me find out more information on this investigation. I am living a nightmare!
Thank you,
Danny's Mom"
Sadly, I have an entire folder of emails much like this one.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
PIEHL: Smiley Face Update: One mother's story
Monday, July 7, 2008
Does man's vanishing act have 'Smiley' connection?
Father looks for son last seen in Peoria, wonders about tie to national serial killing theory
By Leslie Fark
of the Journal Star
Posted Jul 05, 2008 @ 10:04 PM
PEORIA —
Roger Ryan never dreamed the last case he would be trying to solve would be one involving his own son.
"My personal feeling is - he's deceased," said the retired Decatur police detective, who suspects foul play by the hand of a serial killer or an organized group of killers. "It's been so long. He had no reason to leave."
Keith Ryan, 22, a Springfield resident, traveled to Peoria with friends the evening of April 12, 2005. Drinking and enjoying each other's company, the group stopped at several Downtown Peoria bars.
It was hours later, early the next morning, about 3:20 a.m. at Adams Apple, that the younger Ryan told his friends he was going outside to get some fresh air. Little did they know that would be the last time they would see their friend.
The missing-persons case has stumped Peoria police, who've viewed hours of surveillance footage collected from Main Street and neighboring side street businesses.
In some, there was no Keith Ryan. Others, however, show the handsome, 6-foot-tall, 210-pound bartender, clad in blue jeans, a short-sleeved black shirt and black dress shoes, walking alone next to the strip of bars.
One camera - probably the best piece of evidence police have - captures Keith Ryan walking northeast in the direction of Interstate 74, which at the time, was
under construction.
"We don't know if he continued walking or stopped or what," Peoria police spokeswoman Ann Ruggles said. "He took a turn around a building and was out of sight."
What's also puzzled detectives is the fact Keith Ryan's body has never turned up.
But the elder Ryan thinks there's more to his son's disappearance, which is eerily similar to more than 40 other missing-persons cases involving young men in the Great Lakes region.
Linking those cases is a crime theory hatched by two retired New York detectives who believe those cases are part of a calculated, cross-country plot by the "Smiley Face" killer.
Part of a team called Nationwide Investigations, detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte have investigated cases dating back to the 1990s that span 25 cities in 11 states.
All 40 involve young, athletic college-aged men who vanished while out drinking with friends and whose bodies were found in a lake or river. They said the men's deaths could be the work of a serial killer or network of killers who target, then drown their victims.
"I sent (Gannon) an e-mail the day I saw an article about the 'Smiley' case murders," Roger Ryan said. "He's interested in it and is going to try and connect" his son's case with the others.
The detectives have discovered a spray-painted smiley face near where the victim is believed to have entered the water in about a dozen of the cases. The sizes of the faces and color of paint used varies, but they're convinced it's a calling card claiming responsibility for the homicide.
The graffiti has been found in Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Two Illinois deaths also are believed to be connected to the "Smiley Face" killer, according to KSTP-TV, a St. Paul, Minn.-based television station, who interviewed Gannon as part of its own investigation into the death of a 21-year-old University of Minnesota student. The Journal Star could not reach Gannon for comment.
Several police departments across the country and the FBI already have discounted the retired detectives' smiley-face theory, saying a "majority of these instances appear to be alcohol-related drownings," according to the Philadelphia Daily News in a story about another young man's drowning death.
Keith Ryan was an experienced swimmer from the time he was a child, his father said.
Still, Roger Ryan can't shake the possibility his son's disappearance is linked to the killings.
He and his brother drove to Peoria and searched the banks of the Illinois River here and in East Peoria. They were looking not only for any traces of the younger Ryan, but also for the smiley-face insignia. They didn't find one.
"The scenario of Keith's disappearance fits the same MO (mode of operation) as the rest of the 'Smiley Face' victims," said Roger Ryan, adding his most recent contact with Gannon was last week. "Since neither one of us are involved in law enforcement anymore, getting access to the police reports has been difficult. I understand that. . . . I'm in the process of trying to get copies and evidence to give to Gannon."
Peoria detectives also entertained the theory of the "Smiley Face" killer during their investigation.
"They just didn't seem to think it had anything to do with his disappearance," Ruggles said.
Days after the younger Ryan was reported missing, police alerted the media, hoping to attract attention to the case. The newspaper articles and broadcasts generated only a few calls and produced no solid leads.
"You wonder. I wonder what happened," Ruggles said. "You can't get it out of your head. You can only hope that one day he will turn up or we receive information that he's somewhere alive or we get some proof or evidence that he's not."
The case remains open, but Ruggles said it has sat dormant for years.
"We've had no leads, no sightings, no calls. Without that, there's not much we can do," she said.
Roger Ryan's more than 25 years on the force taught him anyone can be a victim.
"Young kids when they go out and drink feel like they're invincible, and they're not," he said. "They're very vulnerable. They obviously don't realize that and can be victimized very easily. They need to be aware there are people out there that will do them harm."
Despite his tough-cop persona, it's apparent the now more than three-year disappearance of his son has taken a toll on the elder Ryan. He's determined to solve his son's case, even if it means talking to the media, something many cops despise doing.
"Now it can only help," he said. "If anyone has any information, we would love to hear from them."
Leslie Fark can be reached at 686-3188 or lfark@pjstar.com.
PIEHL: Smiley Face Update: New Case?
A 2005 disappearance is getting new attention because of the Smiley Face Killer theory. It's a story of another college-aged man walking out of a bar and vanishing. Unlike many of these missing person cases that I've been reporting on and blogging about, this man's body has never been recovered.
Keith Ryan a 22-year-old from Springfield, Illinois was last seen on April 12, 2005. After a night of drinking in Peoria, Ryan told his friends that he needed some fresh air. He never returned. According to reports, surveillance cameras captured him walking alone on city streets.
His father, a retired Decatur Police Department Detective, has always suspected foul play. He is now considering that his son's disappearance is connected to 40 others across the country.
Ryan heard about the Smiley Face Killer Theory that we first reported in a 5 Eyewitness News Investigation in April. Since then, he's searched along the river for signs of a smiley face.
According to a new article in a Peoria newspaper, retired New York Detective, Kevin Gannon is now working with Ryan. The two are trying to gather police reports to piece together new evidence. In the article, Roger Ryan says, "I sent (Gannon) an e-mail the day I saw an article about the 'Smiley' case murders. He's interested in it and is going to try and connect" his son's case with the others.
Peoria detectives also heard about the Smiley Face Killer theory and considered it in the Ryan case. The newspaper reports that the Peoria detectives determined that there is no evidence to suggest a connection.
Friday, July 4, 2008
PIEHL: Smiley Face (Killers) Investigation UPDATE
From Investigative Reporter, Kristi Piehl
It's been two months since we aired the Smiley Face Killer investigation and questions from people around the world keep coming. I've received news clippings, pictures and letters from people all over the country and emails from interested folks in Canada and Europe.
The Canadian emails are actually quite frequent. There are many people there who have wondered about a string of drownings that have a lot in common with the U.S. cases. Because of the attention our investigation got in the States, many amateur sleuths are hard at work in Canada.
The FBI still, to my understanding, is not launching a new investigation into the drownings of 40 college male students. The parents of the drowning victims have teamed up and are circulating a petition. This has only been distributed by the families for the last week and one father has already collected over 8,000 signatures! Steve Jenkins in the Twin Cities has received several petitions signed by strangers sent to his house. The families plan to spend the summer collecting the signatures hoping a groundswell of support could sway the FBI.
A couple cases of interest:
TOMMY BOOTH:
He's the young man who was found drowned in a creek behind a bar in Ridley Township, PA earlier this year. The Detectives working the case in PA feel his death may not be an accident. The Medical Examiner has done new tests to see if foul play was involved. His mother is anxiously waiting for results.
BRANDON SWANSON:
There is no reason to include him in this case except that so many of you have emailed me about his case. Since his body hasn't been recovered and the Police aren't sure what happened to him, his disappearance is still a mystery. Swanson went missing in western MN earlier this summer. Extensive searches have been done and there has been no sign of him. The searching is now focusing on a nearby creek.
