40 deaths linked in 'Smiley Face' murders

Interesting how they brought up the fact that if these were women these cases would've gotten a lot more attention. It's important to know that sexism goes both ways which, although we are all aware of, we sometimes overlook.

Indeed, MornRail.
I am a bit creeped out. How many drownings in the last decade or so have been listed as "accidents," that could in fact be more of these?
Reeks of a cult.
Or maybe an internet thrill-seeking group.

really freaking creepy, whoever is behind is leaving not too much evidence so they probably wont be caught for some time, gives me chills to think about,

40 murders is a lot if it really is one person or a linked group of people who have committed them. I'm surprised only now it's been brought into the limelight. I hope now they can get the funding they need to continue the investigations. If these are related then the perpetrators really need to be caught.

I think they're just a coincidence.

I think Ashe did it.

Just kidding.

40 drunk college kids accidentally fell and drowned...
conveniently and coincidentally next to smiley face graffiti... weeeeeeird.

o.o
I will never see a smiley face the same way again.

This definitely has to be cult related or gang related. No way are any of these deaths just coincidences. Hopefully more information will be exposed but it seems like this has been going on for quite sometime and we're barely finding out about it.

Very seriously though, the fact that the victims are "usually high achieving" needs to be taken note of. I'd look very closely at who they were, their beliefs and positions on issues and what threat, or to whom they may have been a threat - should they have lived.

I always draw smiley faces when I write people or leave notes for my husband or friends. I may have to rethink that.

But this is VERY creepy. Some people are absolutely disgusting.

I question how much sexism plays into the fact that these murders didn't get more attention. It could be a factor, but I'd think the fact that the murders were spread out over time and geography would have made making a connection much more difficult.

Very true sgwhites; but I personally think sexism did play *some* part in how the investigations were handled - mostly because the current investigators think so as well.

:) !

Someone call Dexter he will solve it!!!

Well there could be 1 drowning death where someone left a smiley face, and then 39 from someone or some group of people unrelated to this "smiley death" original and have it set up to look like the smiley face people did it by simply leaving a smiley face behind.
reminds me of the "wet bandits" from home alone where they left the water running after they burglarized a home
. Leave a trail, get caught.. and take the heat for each and every death. dumb idiots i hope they burn in hell.

is that a recovered piece in the pic ? that's a crucifix hanging over the forehead , from a skull cap - and drowning , or disposing of a body in water , is a kind of baptism - i think the killer is a psychotic born again type , probably no more than 10 years older than the victims , not college educated , and with a history of unemployment ( is a CSI fan )

Does this mean that we're going to get a thinly veiled smiley face murderer on Law & Order next week?

we need more killers on the loose to keep people on their toes.

Wow... What a horrific sence of humor. I could almost laugh, but then I'd feel bad.

Okay, not sure if these detectives have looked at this possibility, but there are several markers that (imho) point to one of the many Mansonite groups out in the world.
Before you say 'get off that dead horse!' look at these key points:
1. If that's their only smiley face pic, the forehead has an X, which is classic Manson symbology.
2. drownings - look back to someone that many of the groups mourn the death of - Brian Jones, who drowned. Temple ov Psychic Youth is a good one to look at for references there. Take a listen to Godstar by them and it'll explain that pretty well, I think.
3. The fact that these are intelligent (at least college educated) men also leans to me in the direction of one of these groups; Manson always eyed the educated with contempt nad warned anyone that would listen that the educated man was the enemy.
Contemporary Manson followers aren't the garden variety wackos that many would have them be. Being an armchair forensic psychologist here, I would suggest to the detectives that they look into either a radical Mansonite group or a set of people with a real grudge against the Temple or similar group.

Chilling. Truly chilling.

Very interesting information, pressrecord/ alicynx.

I had no idea there were still Mansonites around...

OMG! It's the laughing man case! Protect your cyber brains!

I'm from Wisconsin, and when the student drowned at La Crosse University here back in 2004, lots of people thought that it must have been a murder. There have been several drownings on that campus in the past few years, even though it's not a problem at other Wisconsin schools with more bars and more rivers. So while there may be a connection, forensic science of rivers is by no means an exact science. And smiley face graffiti isn't exactly uncommon. The most compelling part, though, is the discovery of "Sinsiniwa" at one of the crime scenes. We'll have to see how the story develops...