Smiley Face Killers

In the past 12 years, more than 80 young American men with bright futures and vibrant personalities have either drowned or disappeared under similar circumstances. 

Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter Kristi Piehl first exposed the possible connection between the mysterious drowning deaths in 2008 on Good Morning America.

In 2009, she appeared on GMA, CNN and many radio programs with Bill Szostak, a former fire investigator now trying to solve his son’s death.

Kristi, families of victims and experienced professionals are trying to transform SFK from a series of creepy conspiracies and shady theories to active police investigations.  Forget graffiti - we are focusing on facts.

Click here to read what Kristi, a former District Attorney and respected forensic pathologist are doing now.

check out some other exclusive sfkillers.com content:

What happened to Josh Szostak after he left a bar? His bizarre behavior is caught on tape.

Are college-aged men really at a higher risk for drowning? Click here to read Kristi’s research.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

Darrel Dullum

On February 6, the body of Darrel Dullum was recovered from Prickly Pear Creek in Helena, Montana. Darrel, a 30-year-old father, was last seen leaving a bar in the small town on December 5, 2009.

His hat was recovered five days later near Prickly Pear Creek. Crews and volunteers spent days searching the area, but investigators determined there wasn’t any evidence to suggest Darrel had fallen in the water.

Officials say Darrel’s body was recovered near the location of the hat. According to early reports, Darrel’s wallet and phone were recovered with him. 

I’ll post more when the information is released.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

Since the disappearance of Jonathan Lacina in January, many people have emailed me and written on this site about other mysterious cases in Iowa. The interest in this topic has been so high, I thought you’d like a little more information about the incidents.

Jacob Hobson

Jacob Hobson, 27, was found in College Creek on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames on July 19, 2005.  Officials concluded that Hobson, who was visually impaired, drowned in a few inches of water after he accidentally fell from a creek bridge onto a concrete culvert.  An autopsy showed Hobson died as a result of drowning and blunt force trauma to the head. Police investigators found no sign of foul play and no evidence Jacob’s body was moved. 

Abel Bolanos

Abel Bolanos disappeared after leaving a party on March 31, 2007.  The 19-year-old freshman planned to walk from a party on South Hyland to his dorm, Wallace Hall, on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.  At about 4 am, officials say Abel unsuccessfully tried to enter his dorm building. He was spotted in the area by several witnesses and his debit card and credit cards were found along Hayward Avenue. On April 3, Abel’s body was recovered in the southeast corner of Lake LaVerne on the ISU campus. His death was ruled an “accidental drowning.” Click here to read more.

Paul Shuman-Moore

Paul Shuman-Moore disappeared on September 25, 2006.  When the family and friends of the Grinnell College student discovered a suicide note, they were shocked. They say he was happy, healthy and making plans with his band. His body was discovered 7 months later under a tarp covering a nearby country club pool. There are reports his hands were tied. Police ruled his death a suicide and his family is trying to raise awareness about undiagnosed depression in young people. Click here to see the website created in memory of Paul.

Jon Lacina

Kristi Piehl Connection or Coincidence

Iowa State University is taking an active role in the search for Jonathan Lacina. They are urging students to post flyers and use social networking sites to raise awareness.

(see previous posts for details about Jon’s disappearance)

While investigators have not found evidence of foul play, ISU is encouraging students to stay safe. In a news release, ISU is making the following suggestions to students:

Click to read the ISU news release.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

In one week in January, three young men disappeared in three different states under mysterious circumstances.  While search crews and detectives in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa try to figure out what happened, investigators are comparing notes to see if the cases are connected.

Sylvester McCurry, 18, was last seen leaving a club in Superior, Wisconsin on 1/17.  Eric Peterson, 24, was last seen in Lakeville, Minnesota, on 1/19.  His car was found two days later parked at the “Aquaport” near the  Mississippi River in Bloomington, Minnesota.  His valuables were discovered in his car. Jon Lacina was last seen leaving a friend’s apartment in Ames, Iowa on 1/22. He was supposed to walk 2 1/2 blocks to his apartment at Iowa State University, but never arrived.

According to kcci.com,  “Iowa State is working with Ames police and the state Division of Criminal Investigation on a possible connection with two other missing person cases in the Midwest. Both cases involve young men around the same age as Lacina and who went missing around the same time, one is from Minnesota and the other from Wisconsin. Investigators said it is too early to say whether there may be any connection between the cases, but investigators are looking into them and not ruling out any possibilities.”

The search for Lacina continues in Ames this week. You can help by distributing a missing persons flyer, click here to download a flyer.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

Over the past decade, families in different states have been told the same story - their missing loved one was found in water; he accidentally drowned.  That’s right, the fully-clothed young man, who had no reason to be in or near a lake or river, stumbled into the water or maybe decided to take an icy mid-winter swim. No one saw or heard him get in. Some of his belongings vanished and there is no explanation for how his cell phone or wallet turned up across town. It sounds unbelievable, right? As you know, it’s not.

Finally, some people who may be involved in a similar drowning investigation will hear the circumstances of these cases. They’ll see police documents, autopsy findings and recovery photos. For the first time, actual evidence will be presented to scientists and professionals.

Gerald Nance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is speaking at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meeting in late February. During his speech, he will highlight several drowning cases. Over the past several months, I’ve been gathering data and documents for the NCMEC so the information can be reviewed and compared to other mysterious drowning cases. For most families, it’s less painful for me to do this work. However, the parents of Chris Jenkins took on this emotional, difficult and grueling task themselves.

We are all excited and grateful to the NCMEC for analyzing these drowning cases. When I get more information about the presentation and the NCMEC’s findings, I’ll let you know.

If you don’t know about the amazing work the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children does everyday, click here to visit their website.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

Jonathan Lacina hasn’t been seen since he left a friend’s apartment to make a 2 1/2 block walk back to his Iowa State University dorm on the evening of January 22.  Search crews haven’t turned up any clues about Jon’s whereabouts.

They’ve used ground and aerial teams to look for the 21-year-old college senior.  Crews have searched the campus and remote wooded areas in Ames, Iowa. They’ve also looked in Lake LaVerne, the lake on the grounds of ISU. It’s the same lake where Abel Bolanos was recovered in 2007. His death was attributed to alcohol.

Officials say they don’t suspect foul play in Jon’s disappearance, but they can’t rule anything out. If you have information about Jon, call authorities at 515.294.4428.

Click here to read more about the search.

* Thanks for the emails alerting me to Jon’s case. I’m praying for his safe return.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

Sylvester McCurry

Search teams, bloodhounds and even a $50,000 reward have failed to turn up any sign of Sylvester McCurry. The 18-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota was last seen leaving a club in Superior, Wisconsin on January 17.

Police say they don’t have much to go on, but continue to follow up on leads.  There aren’t any new official police searches planned. Sly’s friends and family aren’t giving up and continue to look for him. There is now an electronic sign in Duluth with his picture and reward details. 

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

Blake McNeilly was last seen in November 2008. While the circumstances of his disappearance are slightly different, his family is struggling to get publicity about his story. Sadly, when young adult men go missing, their photos and information don’t usually make headlines. The best way get information about missing person cases is to get people talking. It’s been said before - someone out there knows something!

Blake McNeilly

Here is a missingpersonforum.com posting from Blake’s aunt:

Blake McNeilly was last seen in Desoto, Texas in a Wal-mart parking lot being picked up by a cab on November 13, 2008. The cab driver stated the he took Blake to Lancaster, Texas and dropped him in the center of town. This claim can not be verified to date.

Please contact me at theory371@yahoo.com with any information.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized

Darrel Dullum

A month after Darrel Dullum disappeared and his family still has more questions than answers.  The 30-year-old East Helena, Montana man was last seen on December 5th, 2009. He was seen on video leaving the Eagles Bar and told friends he would walk home.

Despite extensive searches, Darrel’s hat was recovered in the small town five days after Darrel was last seen. The discovery prompted officials to search Prickly Pear creek. They didn’t find any evidence to suggest that Darrel had fallen into the creek. 

Police aren’t ruling anything out, but haven’t found any evidence to suggest foul play. They continue to investigate and have taken advantage of recent warmer temperatures to bring in dogs to search for Darrel’s scent.

Friends and family say Darrel wouldn’t just disappear. They’ve now offered a reward for anyone who can help police solve this mystery.

Click here to read about Darrel and to see surveillance video.

NOTE: A discussion about Darrel’s disappearance is also underway in the “Comments” section on the Smiley Face Killers post above.

Kristi Piehl Uncategorized