Smiley face murder theory

[1] It alleges that 45 young men found dead in bodies of water across several Midwestern American states from the late 1990s to the 2010s[2] did not accidentally drown, as concluded by law enforcement agencies, but were victims of one or multiple serial killers.

As recently as 2017, Gannon and Duarte were examining evidence going back to the late 1990s that they believe connects the deaths of 45 college-age males whose dead bodies were found in water in 11 states,[5] often after leaving parties or bars where they had been drinking.

[9] The La Crosse, Wisconsin police department, which was in charge of eight of the investigations, concluded that the deaths were accidental drownings of inebriated men and stated that no smiley-face symbols were found in connection with any of the cases.

[12] Criminal profiler Pat Brown calls the serial-killer theory "ludicrous," arguing that the evidence does not fit what is known about serial killers.

Rosario noted that Kristi Piehl, the original reporter on the theory, and some of the parents of the deceased have since expressed skepticism despite initially supporting the idea.