Mr. Sensenbrenner and The Smiley Face Killers

April 30, 2008

Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, (R) Wisconsin, has asked the Director of the FBI to renew the investigations of the river drowning cases and consider the evidence presented by retired NYPD homicide detectives, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte. With at least a dozen mysterious drownings in Wisconsin, he has more than a passing interest in these developments.

On his website, Mr. Sensenbrenner says, “In light of this news from New York today, I wrote the FBI and requested that it take another longer and closer look at the drowning deaths of the 12 college kids in Wisconsin, and the deaths of others around the country that caught the attention of Detectives Gannon and Duarte.

“As a parent, I can only imagine what it must be like to lose the life of a child prematurely, particularly as a result of foul play. If there is indeed a collaborative effort by individuals in different states, then our law enforcement authorities need to catch them quickly before they take more lives. The gruesome mockery of these alleged deaths, as denoted by the ‘smiley-face’ clue retrieved at the various sites around the country, demonstrates the cold-blooded nature of the killers.

“While it will be of small comfort to the parents of the murdered children, apprehension of the killers will stop their killing spree, and save the lives of tens, maybe hundreds of future college kids – that alone, is certainly worth another look at these cases by the FBI.”

When you consider that Mr. Sensenbrenner sits on the Committee on the Judiciary, his letter carries considerable weight.

Written by Ghost Writer · Filed Under Commentary, Smiley Face River Killers | Leave a Comment 

Accidental Drownings or the Smiley Face Killers?

April 26, 2008

Matt Kruziki was driving east through Iowa when he and his buddy decided they should rest for the night. They stopped in Dubuque and checked into a motel. It was still early, so they went across the river to a strip club, The River Queen Lounge, in East Dubuque, Illinois. He left the bar early in the morning on Christmas Eve, 2005.

He was never seen alive again.

Matt Kruziki
Matt Kruziki

Matt’s body was found floating in the Mississippi River on March 18, 2006. The coroner’s report said there were no signs of foul play. There are three things about this case that are very interesting. One, the coroner’s report said no foul play. Two, Matt’s body was located near Sinsiniwa Street and at that location, a crude smiley face was also found.

What could possibly be interesting about those three, seemingly unimportant, factoids in this case?

Because this is one of many all-too-similar drownings in the upper Midwest, all dismissed (in the opinion of many) way too lightly. In fact, it is one of far more than 40 similar drownings nationwide, stretching from New York to Montana. Most of the drownings, but not all, seem to be along the corridors of I-90 and I-94, two vital links that connect Boston to Seattle (I-90) and Michigan to Washington (I-94.)

The death of Chris Jenkins in the Twin Cities brought suspicions to a head several years ago. His death mirrored so many others. Jenkins was attending a Halloween party at The Lone Tree Bar, wearing a Native American costume, on October 31, 2002. He left the bar about 1 AM on November 1, alone, without a wallet or identification. He was not seen again until his body was found floating in the Mississippi River on February 27, 2003. The Medical Examiner’s report said, “…the cause of death is unknown, apparent drowning and the manner of death undetermined.”

The parents of Chris Jenkins did not accept that determination. They hired a private investigator and dug for more clues. After new evidence came to light, the Minneapolis Police Department began re-investigating the case. (It was later learned that Jenkins was kidnapped, tortured and dumped in the river.)

The further investigation caught the eye of two retired New York Police Department homicide detectives, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte. Now retired, then Sergeant Gannon had been investigating the drowning death of a young, healthy and athletic young man, Patrick McNeill. McNeill had last been seen leaving a bar in New York in 1997. His body was found 11 miles downriver almost two months later. Gannon made a promise to McNeill’s parents that he would never give up on the case.

Joined by Duarte, the detectives  uncovered an alarming number of similar deaths around the country. All of the deaths were blamed on accidental drowning, all except one.

Because after further investigation, the determination of Jenkins’ death was changed from “undetermined” to “homicide.”

The multiple mysterious cases of accidental drowning are (at the time of this writing) the target of an investigation by Kristi Piehl, Investigative Reporter with KSTP-TV, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis. In an interview with Piehl, Duarte said, “I think it is a serial killer, but not one individual. I would just say, a group of individuals, probably located in more than one state.” He is sure that, if not stopped, they will kill again.

The detectives have visited every site of a reported drowning, searching for the location of the body entering the water, not where found. At each location, they have found a disturbing symbol, a smiley face. They have found the smiley face in Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and most recently in Iowa.

In Michigan, with the usual sick graffiti, they found the word, “Sinsiniwa.” It meant nothing, at least, until they arrived in East Dubuque, Illinois. Matt Kruziki went into the river at the foot of Sinsiniwa Avenue.

There is little doubt now that these accidental drownings are anything but accidental. It offers hope to the distraught families of the victims. More importantly, it means they can find closure and the victims can find peace.

# # #

Ms. Piehl’s video reports can be seen on the KSTP website. Her first report aired on Wednesday, April 23 and her follow-up report on April 25. Click on the links to see the reports. In addition, you will find links to a map of some of the drowning locations, a copy of the police reports and several other documents of interest. Other sources for this entry include America’s Most Wanted, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and the Waukesha Freeman.

 UPDATE

Other Mysterious “Accidental Drowning” cases that could be related, here on HFTM:

Joshua Szostak

Tom Smith - “Found” Forum

Tom Smith - Blog Entry

There is a thread here, too: Smiley Face Killers

Written by Ghost Writer · Filed Under Cold Cases, Commentary, Smiley Face River Killers | 9 Comments 

They found me in Maricopa County

April 4, 2008

No one knows who I was, can you figure it out? I haven’t been much help to authorities because I died the day after they found me on the eastbound side of I-10, between mile markers 173 and 174. They found me on January 26, 1999, but I died on the 27th.

I don’t know how I got there. I seem to have jumped from a moving car. Some people said I was a hitchhiker but never told them my name. Maybe I was trying to escape from bad people. Maybe I was with someone who didn’t like me very much and pushed me from the vehicle.

The Maricopa County Sheriff would like to know. I didn’t tell him.

I was a teenager when they found me. I might have been thirteen but some people say I could have passed for eighteen. Or anywhere in between. I looked like a blonde when they found me, the blonde hair looked natural with my pale, white skin and blue eyes, but I had brown roots.

Maricopa County Sheriff Artist Rendering
Artist’s Rendering; Courtesy Maricopa County Sheriff

The only jewelry I had on my person were gold earrings with black stones, a gold earring with a clear stone, and a silver navel ring. Someone thinks I was a prostitute in Phoenix.

You would think someone would be looking for me. I’d be in my twenties now. If the people who loved me knew that I was here, I’m sure the blue heart tatoo on my left chest would tip them off that I am their missing daughter, cousin, niece or aunt.

Do you know who I am? The Sheriff would like to know. I bet my family would like to know, too.

Written by Ghost Writer · Filed Under Cold Cases, Missing Children | 3 Comments