The drowning of Fordham student Patrick McNeill, ruled an accident when it occurred in 1997, is now being reconsidered in connection with 39 other similar incidents that occurred around the country over the last 11 years.
Now retired NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, who were assigned to the original case, said that "smiley face" symbols and other evidence at the crime scenes reveal that these "accidental" drownings are actually the handiwork of serial killers operating in a loosely affiliated gang. The detectives discovered these symbols in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa.
"These people are being placed in the water," Gannon said in an interview with CBS. "It's just preposterous to think these men are all coming out of a bar and walking into the water."
Most of the victims were athletic, white college students in their 20s who were out drinking immediately before disappearing. The death of University of Minnesota student Christopher Jenkins was the only case that was ruled a homicide at the time, the others being called accidents or suicides.
An NYPD spokesman said they were unaware of any new evidence to change the original verdict, according to the CBS article. Paul McCabe from the FBI office in Minneapolis said that they are not currently investigating any of the deaths, but that they would be willing to look at new evidence, according to an ABC story.
Look for an update in the first issue of The Ram next semester if the story develops any further.
2008 Woodie Awards
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