SMILEY FACE KILLERS UPDATE WITH KRISTI PIEHL

PART 1





PART 2





PART 3

PIEHL: 'Smiley Face Killers' - Your Questions

Almost everyday, someone emails me a question about the Smiley Face Killer story or a missing persons case. If one person has a question and sends it to me, then there must be more people thinking the same thing.

Here are the answers to a few questions that I've recently received.

1. "I thought I heard an arrest was about to be made. Any word on that?"

The FBI has said agents are not investigating these drownings and blame the cases on alcohol. While some of the drowning cases are classified by the local police departments as "open", my information is that one or two could considered "active."

The father of one of the victims is involved in an investigation in Albany, New York with retired NYPD detectives, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte. Bill Szostak has told me, that through his work, he believes he knows what happened to his son and has nearly enough information that he could get a conviction in court. Since Szostak isn't licensed in law enforcement, no official action could happen without the involvement of the Albany Police Department. Szostak tells me that his son's case was closed just hours after Josh's body was pulled from the water.

Of the cases that Gannon and Duarte believe are connected, only Chris Jenkins' is classified as homicide. Right now, the homicide investigation in Minneapolis is open. Police have identified suspects and turned data over to the Hennepin County Prosecutor. Last July, attorneys determined there was not enough evidence to put together a criminal case.

2. "What about Brandon Swanson?"

Brandon Swanson disappeared near Marshall in May. Dedicated search crews are spending some weekends looking for him. Swanson's car was recovered, but there hasn't been any sign of him.

There is no reason to believe that Swanson's case is related to any others. However, many people have asked me about it because Swanson fits the general description of other men who have disappeared or been found drowned.

3. My son heard that the body of a missing boy was recovered "on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul... why is there nothing in the news?"

The missing St. Paul boy that this person is referring to is Joey Kaiser. He was last seen leaving his home on his bike in May. His bike was found in the Mississippi River, but there hasn't been any sign of him.

A body was recovered in the Mississippi this week near the area where Kaiser went missing. St. Paul Police tell us that it will take DNA tests to determine identity. There are dozens of people missing in St. Paul and officers are NOT currently connecting the recovered body to Kaiser's case.

Officially, Kaiser has not been classified as "endangered." His family told the media that Kaiser was angry and was dealing with some mental health issues when he biked away from his home in May.

PIEHL: Smiley Face: A new controversy

Albany, NY is the location of the latest Smiley Face controversy. Again, it's the police against the parents. As I reported in an earlier blog, Bill Szostak believes that he knows what happened to his son Josh.

Albany Police closed the case hours after Josh's body was found drowned. Bill has been working with retired NY Detective, Kevin Gannon. As you first read here, they believe that there is enough evidence to tie Josh's drowning to the Smiley Face Killers and dozens of other drownings across the country. Bill won't reveal all the evidence, but a smiley face was found spray painted on a tree near the river.

In past and current newspaper articles and radio interviews, the local investigators have accused Bill of painting the graffiti himself. The Medical Examiner ruled Josh's death accidental with no signs of foul play. The Police say they are confident in that ruling and their own work.

They've also said that if there is new information or evidence, they would like to see it. To date, the Albany investigators say they've never been given anything new in the case from Bill or Kevin Gannon. Bottom line: the official investigation into Josh Szostak's death is closed while the unofficial one is wide open, active and (I'm told) gaining ground.

Albany Police: Smiley Face Killers, Still No Evidence in Szostak Case

Albany Police: Still No Evidence in Szostak Case

By 810 WGY News

Monday, August 4, 2008

IF YOU'VE GOT THE EVIDENCE...LET'S SEE IT. THAT...FROM ALBANY'S PUBLIC SAFETY SPOKESMAN, JIM MILLER...WHO'S TELLING 810 WGY'S AL RONEY THAT NO ONE HAS APPROACHED THEM WITH ANYTHING IN THE CASE OF JOSHUA SZOSTAK, WHOSE BODY SURFACED IN THE HUDSON RIVER THIS PAST SPRING, SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER HE VANISHED. A RETIRED NEW YORK POLICE DETECTIVE, KEVIN GANNON, SAYS HE NOW BELIEVES SZOSTAK WAS DRUGGED, ABDUCTED , AND MURDERED--POSSIBLY BY THE "SMILEY FACE KILLER"....BUT JIM MILLER SAYS LACKING ANY EVIDENCE....THE CASE IS CLOSED. THE SO-CALLED "SMILEY FACE KILLER" THEORY HAS EMERGED AS GANNON AND COLLEAGUES HAVE TRIED TO LINK THE DEATHS OF ABOUT 40 COLLEGE-AGE MEN IN 11 STATES OVER THE PAST DECADE.

Ex-cop: Szostak murder victim Retired policeman says he believes drowning was work of "Smiley Face" killer

Ex-cop: Szostak murder victim Retired policeman says he believes drowning was work of "Smiley Face" killer

By JIMMY VIELKIND, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Sunday, August 3, 2008

ALBANY -- A retired detective says Joshua Szostak, whose body was found in the Hudson River four months after he was last seen leaving a downtown bar, was abducted and murdered by the "Smiley Face" killer. Kevin Gannon, a retired New York Police Department detective who has tracked the case through his company, Nationwide Investigations, said his assertion is based on markings found in the Albany area as well as the circumstances surrounding Szostak's Dec. 23 disappearance. "We have a cumulative amount of evidence to substantiate that Josh was probably drugged, abducted and murdered," Gannon said by phone last week. "I can't tell you exactly what it is, because it would warn the Smiley Face if he knew anything about us." The Smiley Face theory emerged as Gannon and his colleagues have tried to link the deaths of some 40 students who went missing and later were found drowned in 11 states over the past decade. In each case, a smiley face was found spray-painted nearby. Gannon's investigation has been reported in newspapers and on radio and television. All the victims are white men between the ages of 19 and 23 who were high academic achievers and many played competitive sports. Gannon said Szostak, a 21-year-old SUNY Plattsburgh student, fit that profile. Detectives in Albany, and elsewhere in the country, have rejected the theory. Szostak's death was ruled an accidental drowning shortly after his body was discovered in April by a Catskill fisherman, based on autopsy findings. A spray-painted smiley face was found on a tree near the Port of Albany, but police spokesman Detective James Miller said it was not linked to Szostak and was likely a "cruel hoax." Bill Szostak, Josh's father, always suspected foul play. In addition to contacting Gannon, Bill Szostak had an independent autopsy of his son performed by noted pathologist Michael Baden. It concluded Josh drowned and had a blood alcohol content of 0.126. Gannon said Baden's report did not specify how long Josh Szostak had been in the water, leading him to believe he did not drown accidentally. "So much evidence has been found that I don't understand why the case was closed (by Albany police) within two hours of finding my son's body," Bill Szostak said recently. He said he has formed a nonprofit organization, the Smiley Face Victims Investigation Fund, and will hold a fundraiser Sept. 5 at the Verdoy Fire Department to raise money for Gannon's efforts. Detective Miller stood by Albany's investigation. "We worked on it in excess of multiple days from the course of his initial disappearance, and there had never been any credible evidence from retired detectives working on the investigation that gave us any indication that anything happened beyond a tragic accident," he said. "This should not have gotten to this point. This was strictly a tragic accident, and no one should be using it to further their own agenda." Jimmy Vielkind can be reached at 454-5043 or by e-mail at jvielkind@timesunion.com

Families circulate 'Smiley Face Killers' petition around country

From Investigative Reporter Kristi Piehl


Two months after a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation into the mysterious river deaths of as many as 40 young male college students around the country, the families of possible victims have begun circulating a nationwide petition urging the FBI to take a closer look into the case.

"We request that Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI, order his agency to conduct a full and thorough investigation into the deaths of these young men," the petition states. "We believe that insufficient resources have been applied to these cases thus far to bring them to conclusion."

Since our investigation first aired in April, two congressmen have called on the FBI to take a broader look at the cases.

Dubbed the 'Smiley-Faced Killers' case, two retired New York City detectives believe that the deaths of dozens of young men around the country may be connected.

The detectives believe that the killers leave smiley-face graffiti behind at the scene of their crimes.

The case that brought the story together for the detectives was when the 2002 death of Chris Jenkins in Minneapolis in was ruled a homicide in 2005. Jenkins' father Steve is one of the family members helping to distribute the petition.

Read the petition

Families ask that signed petitions be sent to:
Steve Jenkins
8124 Foxberry Bay
Savage MN 55378

Follow our investigation from the beginning.

Smiley Face Killers News Video Coverage #3

From Anderson Cooper 360 Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Preview

Are Smiley Face Killers Related to Joshua Szostak Death? FIND OUT

By DAVID FILKINS and CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writers
Click byline for more stories by writer.
Last updated: 9:03 p.m., Thursday, May 22, 2008

ALBANY - An autopsy report on the body of Joshua Szostak, who was found in the Hudson River on April 22, shows he had a blood alcohol content of 0.126 percent.

The report was provided Thursday to the Times Union by Szostak's father, William, who sent the report to call attention to some of its caveats about the intoxication.

It mentions the BAC translates into an absorption of five to six drinks for an adult of 155 pounds. Szostak said his son weighed 225 pounds, and noted the report said alcohol levels may be raised slightly by decomposition. The report says decomposition was slowed because of the cold river.

Joshua Szostak, 21, of Latham, had been missing for almost four months when his body was found.

Szostak said he still believes his son was the victim of foul play, a possibility being pursued by two retired New York City detectives.

"He was murdered," William Szostak said. "I not only believe, I know. This should be handled as a homicide."

Joshua Szostak went missing Dec. 23 after celebrating a friend's birthday at an Albany bar. His body was discovered by a fisherman near the Coxsackie boat launch a month ago.

The autopsy said Szostak died of accidental drowning. A second autopsy, requested by the family, concluded the same thing.

Albany County pathologist Dr. Jeffrey Hubbard performed the initial autopsy and ordered the toxicology tests. Hubbard's office declined comment and referred questions to the doctor, but he was unavailable. Albany police have concluded a graffiti image spray-painted on a tree at the Port of Albany isn't linked to Szostak's death and is not an indicator the man was slain.

A theory is circulating that Szostak could have fallen prey to a roving crew of killers who are said to be targeting male college students around the country and leaving smiley-face graffiti at the scene.

Detective James Miller, spokesman for the Albany Police Department, said interviews with two independent witnesses have ruled out the possibility that the local graffiti was drawn by anyone connected with Szostak's death.

"We don't believe it's related to his drowning death at all," Miller said. "More than likely, it was just a cruel hoax on someone's part."

Szostak questions the reliability of one or both of the witnesses. He said he continues to collect evidence and collaborate on the case with the two New York City detectives who developed the "smiley-face killer" theory.