Fact or Fiction?: Investigating the "Smiley Face Killers"
For nearly 30 years, investigators and true crime enthusiasts have looked into a series of suspicious drownings that bear many similarities, and are often accompanied by a "smiley face" nearby
Background
Since the late 1990s, there have been numerous reports of young, mostly college-age males either disappearing or getting separated from their friends, usually after a night of drinking, and later being found dead in a nearby body of water.
However, in many of these incidents, the victim seems to have only been in the water a short time, even though they had been missing for weeks or even months. Yet, more often than not, these deaths are attributed to accidental drowning, leading to clashes between the victims’ families and the police.
Another common feature in many of the cases is the presence of a “smiley face.” Whether it’s a sticker or graffiti, the fact that it has been so prevalent in these cases has led some to speculate that it could be a calling card of an individual or group of killers.
“Victim Zero”
Patrick McNeill was a 21-year-old student from New York who went missing on February 16th, 1997, after leaving a bar named ‘The Dapper Dog’ in upper Manhattan. There are conflicting reports about his behavior after leaving the bar, with several witnesses seeing him staggering and falling over on multiple occasions after he told his friends he was heading towards the subway.
His behavior was so concerning that several people stopped to try to help him, but he declined their help. One witness claimed to have seen a vehicle trailing Patrick as he stumbled down the street. The witness in question was, in fact, so creeped out by the vehicle's behavior that they managed to write down part of the license plate.
The vehicle in question was never investigated or located by law enforcement.
Patrick was last seen turning left down a side street, followed by the vehicle. Patrick was not seen again until his body was found two months later, near the entrance to New York Harbor, twelve miles away from where he was last seen alive.
He was found wearing only his jeans and socks, floating face up in the water, which is uncommon in accidental drowning victims.
Private investigator Kevin Gannon investigated this case and after looking through the evidence and photos, including the skin slippage apparent on Patricks body, it was determined that there was no way he had been in the water for the full two months he was missing, and more likely he was only in the water for around four days.
He was also found to have rope burns on his neck and marks consistent with hanging or strangulation. “Patrick's death was not an accidental drowning. He was stalked, abducted, and held for a period of time, murdered, and disposed of” - Kevin Gannon responding to Patrick McNeil’s death
Chris Jenkins
In 2002, Chris Jenkins, a university student, went to a bar in Minneapolis to celebrate Halloween with a group of friends. Chris was dressed in a Native American costume as they entered the Lone Tree Bar.
At some point during the evening, Chris was asked to leave the bar due to being too intoxicated and was reported as being visibly irritated by this. However, he left the bar, leaving behind his jacket, wallet, and mobile phone in order to take a ‘cooling off walk’. A bouncer at the bar reported seeing Chris exiting the bar and turning left - this was the last time Chris was seen alive.
Four months later, Chris’s body was found in the Hennepin River; his arms and legs were crossed, his Native American costume still intact, and clutched between his fingers was a chunk of hair. Despite his autopsy indicating signs of a struggle, authorities initially closed the case, attributing it to an apparent accidental drowning.