The Smiley Face Murders

Are a series of accidental drownings actually the work of a cabal of killers? This week, Amy and Chris bring you the cases collectively known as the Smiley Face Murders, but there is not universal consensus that all these men dying in similar fashions is the work of killers. Chris and Amy walk you through the evidence that point to a gang of killers potentially targeting college-aged men throughout the country.Virtually every suspicious death goes like this: a young white male is found drowned after leaving a party. He is found with everything in his pockets except his phone. And nearby there is an eerily graffitied smiley face. New York detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, along with criminal justice professor Dr. Lee Gilbertson have devised this theory to explain nearly 50 similar deaths. But various police organizations reject the theory and believe them largely to be drunken accidents.So are all roughly 45 of these cases just a series of tragic coincidences or is there a serial killer or killers walking free among us?Right now, get 15% OFF sitewide with code HOLIDAY at BUYRAYCON.com/recaps Don’t fall for subscription scams. Start cancelling today at Truebill.com/TRUE Send your true crime suggestions to hello@truecrimerecaps!Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/TrueCrimeRecapsPodcastIf you want to support the show, and get all the episodes ad-free go to https://truecrimerecaps.supercast.tech/If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be helpful! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://bit.ly/TrueCrimeRecapsPodcastFollow TCR on YouTube here!Follow TCR on Instagram here!Follow TCR on Facebook here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesGet all the crime in half the time! Watch True Crime Recaps on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or Snapchat! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. New episodes weekly! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices