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April 28, 2008
College Drunken Drownings (Finally) Investigated as Serial Murders
It's about time:
Finally, a couple of retired NYC detectives are connecting the dots among some 40-plus "drunken drowning" incidents, many of which we have followed since 2003. I have always suspected (as did other crime story followers) that this rash of coincidences (same modus operandi, same victim type, same improbable deaths) that these drownings were murders.
I'll be eagerly following the investigation.
Hat tip to our old friend, Bexxma in Austin, Texas, for alerting me to this news.
Vance Holmes' excellent chronology can be found here: DROWNING IN COINCIDENCE
A Blast From The Past
Here are some excerpts of entries published on this blog in the past about these cases:
APRIL 15, 2004:
I am extremely skeptical of the freakish number of accidental drownings in LaCrosse and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, regardless of their proximity to the Mississippi River. This conclusion defies statistics, logic, and ignores the fact that hundreds of college towns across the country are located near bodies of water and are populated by young men and women who overindulge on the weekends and don’t wind up disappearing and later floating in the river by the dozens.
On the contrary, I suspect a serial killer is responsible for many of these deaths, and he has returned to his home turf of LaCrosse, where he began his bizarre ritual in 1997 with the first three victims. As profiler John Douglas asserts in his books about serial killers, the perpetrator usually begins his career on familiar territory. If we examine the chronology and circumstances of this string of uncommon drownings, we can see a pattern emerge that includes a signature, specific type of victim, and other similarities that cannot be ignored.
APRIL 19, 2004:
...he fits the profile perfectly, and the modus operendi is beyond coincidental, it’s the killer’s signature: age range, athletic type, good student, a non-resident, and leaving a piece (or more) of the victim’s personal property at the scene.
FROM THE "FISK" ARIL 19, 2004:
From the source cited by the authors above, approximately 600 males between ages 15-24 die of drownings each year. How many of those disappeared from a group of friends and walked into a river? Most drownings occur in swimming pools. Of that same age group, 4,191 deaths per year were homicides. Based on those statistics, Jared and the others were almost seven times more likely to be murdered than to drown. I would venture to guess they were 100 times more likely to be murdered than to drown under these bizarre (and now familiar) circumstances.
No, I cannot see him walking to the river to clear his head or get some fresh air. I can accept him walking up and down the sidewalk, arm in arm with a friend, singing a fight song or stumbling down stairs. I can visualize him ducking into an alley to relieve himself or toss his cookies. I see him praying to the porcelain god in the men’s room and then washing his face with cold water. I even see him getting in the backseat of a casual acquaintance’s car for a lift home. However, I do not imagine him wandering down to the river by himself and tumbling in. I have been around a lot of drunken people in my life, and I have suffered more than my share of self-inflicted hangovers, and the closest I have witnessed to this scenario is someone jumping or being pushed into a swimming pool and requiring rescuing because they are too drunk to swim.
No, it is not “more comforting” to believe that Jared was murdered, or to deny our personal responsibilities regarding the dangers of mind altering substances. Most of us are realistic and accept that there are consequences to risky behavior. Certainly, if every young man in La Crosse quit drinking for the rest of the semester, probably nobody else would drown. But that does not explain the seasonal cycle of these incidents, the uncanny similarities of the victims, the geographical pattern, or the “extremely unlikely explanation” offered by La Crosse educators and law enforcement. Obviously, they have a professional stake in this being an accident and their bias is totally subjective and manipulated to quash the underlying panic and cynicism of the students and citizens.
Only an outsider with no vested interest in the outcome of an investigation can render a fair and critical assessment of these events. Until a retired FBI profiler, a seasoned homicide investigator, or an experienced private detective is hired (or volunteers) to research these cases, Jared’s death, and the now statistically probable future unexplainable deaths, will continue to be deemed “an unfortunate mix of a high level of intoxication and a cold, swift river.” From my vantage, it is more an unfortunate mix of denial by high ranking authorities, and a cold, swift dismissal of the real lack of evidence of accidental drowning.
Comments
http://kstp.com/article/stories/s424554.shtml?cat=63v=1
Radio clip on this case (h/t to Websleuths).
People are linking here again. I'm sure there's still a lot of interest in it.
Posted by: loretta | April 28, 2008 03:23 PM
Finally! If these were young women IMO, they would have likely thought serial killer way before now.
Posted by: CountryGal | April 28, 2008 04:15 PM
So glad you wrote about this. It was only a matter of time before someone put it together, but hell, you and Vance did years ago.
Just think how many lives would have been possibly saved had they known earlier. So sad for the families.
Loretta, need to get in touch with you on something and don't have your email. Can you get back to me?
Have missed you all, and glad to see you blogging again!
Peki
Posted by: Peki | April 28, 2008 08:20 PM
It's about time someone w/expertise is putting the pieces of the many puzzling deaths together.
Those hick college town police departments should be colectively sued by the still grieving families for hubris, ineptitude and callous neglect of duty.
Posted by: Astrologer | April 28, 2008 09:51 PM
does anyone have the footage from the lacrosse wi town hall meeting at the central high school...very interested in someone who was on that panel...would love to review that 700 pm meeting from april 22nd, 2004.
Posted by: ali | April 29, 2008 12:43 AM
Yes, I do. I have a videotape of it that a reader in WI sent me.
Posted by: loretta | April 29, 2008 08:32 AM
I hope they catch the killers! All those "accidents" didn't make sense to me, either.
Posted by: vero | April 29, 2008 08:57 AM
Loretta, thank you for this entry. I have no doubt that the attention your blog and that of Vance Holmes has helped push these cases into the limelight.
Bless those two retired cops, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte for digging so deep, since the acting police force was so clueless. I was very impressed when I heard Gannon mortgaged his home in order to conduct the investigation. That's dedication.
I'd love to see the footage from the town hall meeting ali mentioned if possible.
Posted by: Nadine | April 29, 2008 03:30 PM
It really is disturbing to think about how many other cases there must be that go unsolved because of poor or inadequate investigations.
Posted by: Nadine | April 29, 2008 03:58 PM
Off topic, on my usual pollyticks rant, I make the following predictions and speculation for the record:
1. Rev. J. Wright of Obama controversy 15-min and counting fame, was paid off to do his whackadoodle rant yesterday. I don't know who paid him, prolly one of the Repugs, but maybe even one of Hillary's moles. No matter. He's in someone's pocket, now.
I guess I'm grateful it happened now and not in October.
2. McCain will pick a Baby Boomer (and most likely between ages 55-65) to be his Veep. Bank on it.
3. The war with Obama and the Clintons and the Press and the Republicans is NOT about race. IMHO, it's about generation.
The Boomers (Clinton, most of the powers that be, and the main idiots who have brought us to this mess) refuse to hand over the baton to the next generation (those younger than 50, over 35) who represent the first of the X-Gen (or Tweeners, like me) despite the fact that they have made a specatular mess out of it.
With that theory in mind, think about this being Huge Struggle over generational power instead of gender and race. I think it will make a lot more sense.
Note the Press, after seeing Obama looking like the presumptive candidate, has now swung its support to Hillary. Before, when they thought she would win it (back early in the year), they could afford to puff up Obama to make things interesting.
The news that Hillary is going on O'Reilly's show just about did it for me.
I couldn't vote for her if she was the only one running. I probably won't have to even make that decision, Thank You Jesus.
Posted by: loretta | April 29, 2008 05:08 PM
After reading more about the drunken drowning cases, I really think that there are major answers in LaCrosse, WI. I think the "gang" started there, and returns there or has a main base there. It's the hub of everything.
Posted by: loretta | April 29, 2008 07:39 PM
Interesting article on this case from Wisconsin back when nobody was doig anything. In light of the new developments, it's quite peculiar.
Posted by: loretta | April 29, 2008 08:39 PM
We Brits like Obama, too.
Posted by: Mgt | April 30, 2008 11:47 AM
Great link of the FBI article. I'm beginning to think that must stand for Fumbling Bumbling Idiots.
Loretta, I know you're crazy busy, but any chance of getting a RDR condensed transcript of the Lacrosse WI Town Hall meeting?
Posted by: Nadine | April 30, 2008 03:16 PM
http://www.gregpalast.com/robert-kennedy-greg-palast-the-final-investigation/
Wish I had an extra G-note lying around, but I might be able to scrounge up $100. This is a GOOD CAUSE.
Posted by: loretta | May 1, 2008 08:54 AM
It's a generational war, this election. The Baby Bombers versus the genXers and tweeners. Obomber's failure will cause the youngsters to discard their thoughts of politics and leave the mess to the Klintoons, both true Baby Bombers. The country is going down the toilet and won't recover till a huge asteroid destroys China and Europe. Then Amurika will rise again led by skinheads and the Mormons.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 1, 2008 09:56 PM
...right...?
Posted by: vero | May 2, 2008 11:06 PM
Er, Morons, not Mormons.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 3, 2008 06:37 PM
Oh, well. That's OK, then.
Posted by: vero | May 4, 2008 08:51 PM
It's all but official: Obomber has won his nomination
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2008 09:13 PM
Clinton is throwing millions down the drain. At a time like this? Shaking head.
Acceptance, acceptance, acceptance. That's my advice to her.
Posted by: Mgt | May 8, 2008 04:22 AM
thats it, man
Posted by: Jemestax | May 8, 2008 03:08 PM
What is happening to Obama? Ferheavensakes, Clinton threatened Iran! Obviously, she hasn't learned anything.
Posted by: Mgt | May 14, 2008 09:23 AM
BREAKING NEWS:
The House of Representatives just voted 149 to 141 to cut off funding for the war in Iraq.
This was followed by votes to put significant restrictions on President Bush's war policy, including a timeline for withdrawal, and creating a new GI Bill to help returning veterans.1
Make no mistake, your efforts were a key factor in this decision. In the past two weeks, you placed over 2,300 calls to House members in targeted districts, demanding they bring a responsible end to the war and then calling for the exact vote result that happened today.
This is the strongest vote by the House since the war began in opposition to the President's war.
Posted by: loretta | May 15, 2008 07:30 PM
Yay! This war has destroyed the world economy. Mostly it has increased the devide between rich and poor. Now, lets think about who got rich. Rogue humanitarians and Dubya's cronies?
Posted by: Mgt | May 16, 2008 03:56 AM
New theory on TOD for Michelle Young... close to midnight.Since she was still dressed in the clothes she watched the GA TV show in and the alarm clock was not sounding when the body was discovered, so she had not set the alarm and gone to bed, making her murder close to midnight, and impossible for Jason to commit.
Posted by: Captain Joe | May 17, 2008 08:44 PM
75,000 at Obama rally
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/18/record_obama_crowd_the_size_of.html
Posted by: Anonymous | May 18, 2008 07:54 PM
Cap - alarm has nothing to do with TOD. where do you get your info from?
How do you even know if she ever set the alarm ... especially on a day when she would have woken later due to the Dr. Appointment? Cassie would have woken her up in plenty of time to make the Doc Appt.
You seem to want Mr. Young to be innocent so badly you are now imagining crap for his defense!
Posted by: ang in va | May 18, 2008 09:30 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/21/smiley.face.killer/index.html
recent article on smiley face killer
Posted by: vero | May 24, 2008 02:39 PM
I've been reading a lot of stuff about the drownings ever since the day the retired New York officers let the story out, and appeared on TV.
One of the students killed was a friend of my daughter's, so I feel a special affinity and horror for what's happening.
And I keep bein' bugged by one thing over and over... Just how in the world did my daughters friend, Jeremy, and all the others... just dissappear!?!?!?!?!... Into thin air??? Who, very quietly took them, either out of a bar or if they stepped outside, who very quietly ushered them down a street.
As crazy as it sounds, tonight... for the first time, I thought that the killer/s could easily be a woman, or women... quietly taking enhibriated kids away frtom their surroundings.
I'd be interested in knowing what experts who are annalyizing the case think about 'women' as a possibility.
If anyone knows if this possibility is being persued in any way, please let me know.
I'd like to bring it to the mix, as I search, and do whatever I can... like so many people out there.
Thank you.
Posted by: Alan Lawrence | May 31, 2008 04:43 AM