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.