about us
Kristi Piehl, an Emmy award-winning journalist, launched this site in 2009 to keep the victims’ stories alive. She believes the power of the public and the press can save lives and expose evidence. She and Trish DeAngelis, a former NY District Attorney, hope to convince law enforcement and medical examiners that these victims deserve a full and comprehensive investigation. Hector Berrellez agrees. He’s a former Federal Agent who has seen the case files. He’s convinced the victims are being killed and law enforcement should investigate.
Kristi Piehl has won many local, regional and national awards as a television reporter including two Emmys. She most recently was an Investigative Reporter at KSTP in Minneapolis. Since 1997, she’s reported for KEYC in Mankato, MN, KELO in Sioux Falls, SD, and WKEF and WDTN in Dayton, OH. She broke the story of the Smiley Face Killers on Good Morning America in 2008. In the last two years, she’s discussed the story on many local and national radio and television programs.
As a District Attorney in New York, Trish DeAngelis earned a reputation of being tough on criminals and fighting for justice. She’s served as an analyst and contributor on legal matters for several national television shows.
Hector Berrellez was a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Supervisor and Special Agent for 30 years. Berrellez is credited with overseeing the investigation that solved the kidnap, torture and murder case of undercover DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena by drug traffickers in Guadalajara, Mexico. Berrellez was awarded the prestigious DEA Administrator’s Award for his work on this case.
I was out with a group of friends in Stillwater, MN on Saturday, Sept. 5th. When I was outside smoking, I noticed the police SUV and boat go flying by. Shortly thereafter, several squads, some unmarked, and the Fire Dept. Rescue squad went out. I was just looking at KSTP.com to see what the big deal was, and found this (probably unrelated to the police vehicles I saw due to the time of day this report was, but seems weird nonetheless). Especially after seeing they found a wallet and keys on a nearby bridge a while ago.
“Investigators are trying to figure out if a body found in the St. Croix River could be a missing 21-year-old man.
Washington County Deputies recovered the body near the Arcola High Bridge in Stillwater Township, Saturday afternoon. The name of the person has not yet been released. Last week, deputies found a man’s wallet and keys on the railway bridge, but there’s no word if the two are connected.
The sheriff’s department says the death does not appear to be criminal.”
Hopefully authorities get to the bottom of the SF killers. And hopefully, this incident is unrelated. Scary.
Good Morning,
I am the owner of Management Resources Ltd of NY.
We are a Licensed Private Investigative Firm in NY and NJ.
We were recently featured on CBS News regarding a Missing Person case we are working on.
This case will 17 years old. We have been working on it pro-bono for the last year.
You can the CBS News Exclusive Report on the link below.
http://wcbstv.com/seenat11/vernon.jones.cold.2.1384619.html#addComments
There was some graffiti found at the scene.
I can send you copies of it to take a look at.
We would welcome any suggestions or comments you may have.
Thank you for your time.
Bob Rahn
@Bob Rahn
Hi Bob,
I was just wondering if there was an update on this case.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_14250519?nclick_check=1 Have you guys seen this case?? Eric Michael Peterson went missing right around the same time as Jonathan Lacina and Sylvester McCurry. He is 24 and went missing. His truck was found by the minnesota river with all his belongings inside. Better yet, today there was a media article on Jonathan Lacina that mentioned the three disappearances were being investigated to rule out any possible connection….
http://www.kcci.com/news/22411734/detail.html
Listening to Coast to Coast last night when an individual called in about some conservative looking invidiuals watching from the side. What came to my mind was the young men who are considered missionairies from the Mormon Church. They are sent out to communities all over the country for a period of time and all are dressed in suits with a tie and ususaly travel in pairs and this just seemed like something to look into, especially since religious symbols are missing. Would not want this published since it is simply a hunch and am not looking to place blame on the Mormon Chuch
I listened to you again on Coast To Coast…but didn’t hear the entire program so, I don’t know if this was covered. In any of the cases, was there analysis to confirm that the water in the lungs of these men was the same as the water where they were found?
Something to keep alert about. Sylvester McCurry, 18 years old from Duluth, MN. has been missing since January 17 after disappearing from the back door of the Stargate Nightclub in Superior, WI.
La Crosse student missing after night of drinking
The search evokes painful memories for a city that has struggled with alcohol-related drownings. Eight drunken college-age men drowned in area rivers between 1997 and 2006. The FBI found no evidence of foul play.
LA CROSSE, Wis. — A La Crosse college student is missing, and authorities are considering whether to search the Mississippi River after footprints were found on the ice.
Twenty-one-year-old Craig J. Meyers of Western Technical College was last seen Sunday at 2 a.m. Police say Meyers spent Saturday night at a wedding reception and drinking at two bars.
Police Capt. Rob Abraham says a set of footprints leads out onto the river. He says authorities will have to discuss whether to conduct a river search, since the effort would be dangerous.
The La Crosse Tribune notes the search evokes painful memories for a city that has struggled with alcohol-related drownings. Eight drunken college-age men drowned in area rivers between 1997 and 2006. The FBI found no evidence of foul play.
Kristi did not know if yo had heard of this one.
Ann Fre
La Crosse student missing after night of drinking
The search evokes painful memories for a city that has struggled with alcohol-related drownings. Eight drunken college-age men drowned in area rivers between 1997 and 2006. The FBI found no evidence of foul play.
LA CROSSE, Wis. — A La Crosse college student is missing, and authorities are considering whether to search the Mississippi River after footprints were found on the ice.
Twenty-one-year-old Craig J. Meyers of Western Technical College was last seen Sunday at 2 a.m. Police say Meyers spent Saturday night at a wedding reception and drinking at two bars.
Police Capt. Rob Abraham says a set of footprints leads out onto the river. He says authorities will have to discuss whether to conduct a river search, since the effort would be dangerous.
The La Crosse Tribune notes the search evokes painful memories for a city that has struggled with alcohol-related drownings. Eight drunken college-age men drowned in area rivers between 1997 and 2006. The FBI found no evidence of foul play.
Kristi did not know if yo had heard of this one.
Ann Fre
Hi,
jus wanted to say i think your doin a great job, keep it up!!
Listened to you on coast to Coast last night and it brought back a sad situation/memory. How far back do these drownings go… When I lived in Milwaukee, say 1984-85. I my girlfriends roomates brother went missing and then he was found in the river drowned. It was all very strange as he was a really sharp kid.
Hi,
Kristi, I heard you on coast to coast,I thought you said you don`t
use Psychics,But have you thought of useing someone with the gift of precognitive Dreams.The reason Why I ask.I have this gift and have written predictions based on them.Iam sure if you ask certain people
in the know,Will tell you I am the real thing.
I had this dream a while back and it never made any sense to me.But
If I tell you what I seen It might help you to profile this monster.
I believe the person you are looking for is a John W Gayce Type and age
The person I meet Was sitting or at this huge house party out side
He came off to me as someone wanting to buy realestate ,and started to
ask me questions about the cost of the homes,And he said he lived out
west and Michigan.The next thing he did was comeoff as a father figure
and said he works for the law for the airlines and was whereing this brown coat with a embalem on it.I found myself where he was driving me
to his lake home to go fishing,As we were on the lake he said lets go get
a beer So we than walked through a line of homes and than came to this
2 story house where he took me to a basement that looked like a mechanics
or metal workers house I used to party like that when I was a kid ,he said.And When I started to walk into this basement I had this strange
feeling That something is wrong.So I turned around and started to run
down this main street in town,And he came after me in a utility work
truck and picked me up and than he said he would take me back home.
As we were driving down this road along side this lake a police car pulled us over,and I got out of the truck and talked to the police man alone, And he told me this man does not work for the law enforcement.
So I than took off and and got away.I than fould myself at this hotel
where I had made contact with a pilot and he said I got your message.
For weeks I have thought about this and what could it mean.When I heard
your name Krisiti pielh.It sounded like pilot.And I had this name stuck
in my head about the guy who won the american Idiol Chris Adams.
So your name rang a bell to me,I Thought one more ave to give you to look at.
I think the reason he gets these kids is by his authority looking
appearence.He has someone else working with him.When I went to that
basement I felt much Death and other person Involved,The town police
know this man and family.I hope and pray you find these monsters
God bless Rick Hansen
During one of my usual bouts of insomnia, i tuned into coast to coast. this was the first i had ever heard of the sfk theory. over the years i have heard of the various young men who had fallen victim to accidental drownings, but in my own mind have never made a connection. Since first hearing kristi i have done quite a bit of reading related to this. The shear number of similar “accidents” should alone be enough to prompt a federal investigation. The fact that most of these men drowned in the winter is also a bit odd to say the least. Have any of these young men ever mentioned to any one that they were going to go where they were found? kristi and everyone who is involved with this are doing a great job. there has to be some kind of a connection in at least some of these drownings. I wish the best for all the families and friends of these young men.
My cousin Richard Palya was abducted from Uniontown this past weekend. While searching news stories I came across your site because someone posted that they think he may be part of this. If so then I wanna get involved and help out.
@ Aaron – I’m so sorry. I’m not familiar with Richard’s case. Let me know if I can help – send me an email at kristi@sfkillers.com
I used to live just outside of LaCrosse, Wi and I drove a limo part-time. During the rash of student drownings in Lacrosse I spent many nights in downtown at bar closing time. After watching male college students come flying out of the bars at closing time, most quite drunk, I noticed something in their behavior that led me to think about all the suspicious drownings in the area. These drunk males would come out of the bars, scramble into the cars of strangers, and try to hitch a ride back to campus. This happened to me while driving a limo, and while driving my own car.
I thought about this behavior and how it might relate to all the drownings in the area. One of the possibilities I came to was a theory that these males could have been the victim of a WOMAN serial killer who was very familiar with this behavior. Once inside the car, this woman might flirt a bit with them and then offer them a ‘couple swigs’ from a harmless looking bottle of liquor. In that bottle of liquor would be a drug that would amplify the effects of the alcohol in the bottle….and the alcohol already in their system. She would then lead them to believe she wanted a ‘little action’ and drive to a secluded spot along the river. Once at the river she would lead them to the shoreline, give them a slight push, and because of the effects from the drug/alcohol mixture they would be unable to get themselves out of the water.
The idea of a female serial killer doing this has been scoffed at by law enforcement because there have been so few of them throughout history. But, because all these drowning victims have been males within a specific age bracket, it becomes more plausible. Who is a drunk college male more likely to ‘trust’ if they are offered a ride back to campus? Male or female? To follow this idea a bit further, a traveling pharmacutical rep would have access to many different drugs and be able to cover a large territory through their business travels. Who are pharmacutical companies more likely tohire as reps? Attractive females.
I have never doubted that these drowning victims were actually the victims of a serial killer. They have all been male, all within a certain age bracket, and many have disappeared under the same type of circumstances. My theory is plausible. But because none of the local authorities want their cities to be known as ‘a serial killer city’ nothing is being done to investigate all the possibilities. Its a diservice to all the victims families, and to those who might be future victims.
if anyone wants to contact me, you may do so at: midwestgolfman@msn.com
thanks,
m
I am from Lansing Ia 35 miles downstream from LaCrosse Wi where we agree that this IS without a doubt a serial killer….Your theory is very very plausible ……The flatfoot Cops are to arrogant to admit SOMEONE IS OUTSMARTING THEM……..I think you are in the right direction…BIG TIME…….There will be more of this and the Cops will stick to DENIAL as more and more young men are DECLARED DROWNING BY ACCIDENT VICTIMS…..IT PISSES ME OFF TOO……They would rather chase down evil pot smokers as a priority…..oh YES NOW WE ALL FEEL SAFER…..
If this particular serial killer follows the pattern that many do, she will become a bit more bold in her actions as time goes on. I think she will also become a bit more careless. Although, I don’t think she is ready to ‘push the envelope’ just yet. I’m sure she is aware of the cameras that have been installed along the riverbank in the downtown Lacrosse park, and I’m sure she is aware of the student groups that patrol the area as well. If I had to guess where her next ’stop’ might be I would guess it would be an area in the southern midwest. People in Minneapolis, St Cloud, and Lacrosse are very aware of these drownings and I believe many college aged males have their ‘radar’ up.
The only way all the families of these victims are going to have peace is for this person to be caught. And the only way that will happen is if this woman gets sloppy and careless. It is a terrible shame that law enforcement is only concerned with crime that brings in revenue. Smoke a little weed….BAMM…jail time and fine. DUI….BAMM….jail time and BIG fine. Speeding….BAMM….expensive ticket. Drowning victims only cost money to investigate, and if they do find evidence of foul play say goodbye to the tourism dollars. I know for a fact that the city of Lacrosse was worried sick that all these ‘drownings’ were going to cause it to lose tourism dollars. OMG… It could have ruined Octoberfest!
Only some solid evidence is going to bring the FBI into the investigation, and they’re the only LE agency that will investigate it thoughly without bias….if there is evidence. The local LE has been told by city hall to leave the issue alone.
I like what you guys are doing. This stuff needs to be talked about. I urge you to please, PLEASE investigate the Cornell University deaths. The lack of information seems suspicious. Also, I would point your attention to a 2009 death of a young man who was found naked in the gorge. I tried to find archives of it and it seems to have disappeared. Please we all need answers. Help us!