SMILEY FACE KILLERS UPDATE WITH KRISTI PIEHL

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PART 3

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.

Nicholas Garza

2/22/08: Eva Sollberger travels to Middlebury College in Middlebury Vermont to talk to students about the disappearance of freshman Nicholas Garza.

Possible Smiley Face Killers Victim Nicholas Garza's Body Found

Posted at: 05/28/2008 10:26:47 AM
Updated at: 05/28/2008 10:42:46 AM
PIEHL: Body found in Vermont


Kristi Piehl - Investigative Reporter
The body of Nicholas Garza was recovered in Otter Creek on May 27th. Garza is the Middlebury College student who has been missing since February. I've talked with his mother before and she fears her son may be the victim of homicide.

Her friends contacted me about a week after the Smiley Face Investigation was featured on Good Morning America because searchers found graffiti with smiley faces near the water's edge. The Police Department does not think the spray paint is linked to Garza's case and told reporters it had been there for two years.

Garza went missing in February. He left a college dorm and was walking to his own building about 500 yards away, but never made it. His mother was living in New Mexico, but moved to Vermont to be close to her son's investigation. There is a $20,000 reward for information in the case.



Thank you to all the people around the country and in Canada who have emailed me about Garza's investigation. Since this Smiley Face Killer Investigation broke in late April, thousands of you have become amateur detectives. You've spent many hours on the internet searching for clues that could help retired NYPD Detectives, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte. Their investigation is ongoing and they have been in contact with Garza's family. Some of your tips have been of assistance to them.

Now that his body has been recovered, the Medical Examiner's work will begin. I will keep you posted. Our thoughts are with the Garza family. Here is a link to the website they've created http://www.nicholasgarza.org/