April 18, 2010

01/22/10: Jon Lacina, 21, Ames, IA


Jonathan Lacina, 21, was last seen leaving a gathering at the Stanton Heights apartments at 300 Stanton Ave. in Ames, Iowa at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22. Lacina's father reported him missing on the morning of Jan. 30. A check of his cell phone and bank records indicates he hasn't used either accounts since his disappearance.

Lacina was a senior graphics design student at Iowa State University in Ames. He was living in Buchanan Residence Hall, just two-and-a-half blocks from where he was last seen.

Law enforcement officials said there was no indication that Lacina would want to leave the area or that he would harm himself. There is also no indication of foul play. His parents added that he was not a risk taker.

A large scale and exhaustive search was launched for Lacina without results. His body was recovered nearly three months later in an old dairy farm building belonging to the college.

The Search
A large-scale and exhaustive search effort was launched for Lacina. According to the Des Moines News, "rescue crews searched the grounds in the area between Campustown and Lacina's home at Buchanan Hall on the south side of the campus." The two-block area between Lacina's dormitory, Buchanan Hall, at Lincoln Way and Ash Avenue, and 300 Stanton Avenue was searched extensively.

Department of Public Safety Director Jerry Stewart later told the Iowa State Daily that "there was a primary search area that police focused on after they determined, through interviews with friends and family, what they thought would be logical places for Lacina to go." This search area, according to the paper was "a quasi-rectangle spanning from Ontario Street and 13th Street to University Boulevard and Squaw Creek, as well as the College of Veterinary Medicine building to the south and then west along Mortensen Road, as well as west of State Avenue. Stewart described these areas as including places that Lacina frequented, such as Buchanan Hall, apartments of his friends, his parked car in the Jack Trice Stadium and the College of Design Building. While it couldn’t be excluded that he may have wandered farther, Stewart said that after consulting with Star 1 Search and Rescue they were encouraged to identify a reasonable area and use trained personnel to search it."

The public's help was also enlisted. Iowa State University President Geoffroy asked "all students, faculty and staff be attentive to the extensive activities that are taking place on campus and in surrounding areas of Ames. If you see something unusual or suspicious, or find articles of clothing or personal items, don't disturb them." Fraternity and sorority house members were asked to check their houses. University staff members were asked to check the campus residence halls, apartments, mechanical and maintenance rooms, storage rooms, elevator shafts, steam tunnels, garages and sheds. Stewart told the Des Moines News that other areas, such as "some remote areas, wooded locations, creek beds, snow piles and just areas that are off the beaten path," were also being searched. Two area parks, Brookside and Stuart Park, were also searched by The Department of Parks and Recreation at the request of the police.

ISU police requested helicopter assistance and dive teams searched local waterways, such as Lake LaVerne on the university's campus. And on Feb.1, search and rescue dogs were called to conduct a search on campus for the fourth time. Police hoped to catch a trace of Lacina's scent despite the fresh snowfall.

While the search was underway, investigators began examining "electronic equipment, access log records, phone information, etc." and conducting "interviews of family members, friends and acquaintances," Stewart also told the Des Moines News.

Early on it was reported that the list of those assisting in the search for Jon Lacina included: ISU Police, Ames Police, the Story County Sheriff's Office, Story County Emergency Management, the Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, STAR 1 Search and Rescue and Mercy One Helicopter, and over a hundred volunteers. In fact, so mmany expressed interest in joining the search for Lacina that at one point Stewart told the Des Moines News, "We appreciate the early offers of help, and ask that any potential volunteers stay available -- but we have adequate resources at this time."

Jon Lacina found
On April 14, the body of Jon Lacina was found just south of campus inside the Dairy Pavilion, belonging to Iowa State University in a remote area southwest of the intersection of Mortensen Road and Hayward Avenue. An ISU police officer found the body while searching the brick building at around 8:30 p.m. The site is approximately one mile south of Central Campus, in the opposite direction of his home where he was thought to be headed. A cause of death could not be immediately determined. The Lacina family was informed of the identity the following day.



On April 21, 2010, the Iowa State Daily reported that questions  remained about how Lacina got to such an isolated location and why he hadn't been located sooner. Department of Public Safety Director Jerry Stewart responded that the Dairy Pavillion, along with the surrounding grounds of the old ISU Dairy Farm, had been searched in early February, but the boiler room where Lacina was found was not accessible from inside the building and was not searched. He explained that the room was about 4 feet below ground from the rest of the building. Heavy snow fall occurred around the time Lacina went missing, and snow drifts obscured the only door and windows to the room. Stewart could not say whether officers knew the boiler room, which was used mostly for storage, was there. (Iowa State Daily, 04/20/10).

Findings
On June 30, 2010, the state medical examiner's office announced their findings that Jonathan Lacina died of probable hypothermia with sharp-force injuries. The death was ruled an accident. According to KCCI.com,  "there was no evidence of foul play, weapon-related injuries or blunt force trauma," and the medical examiner's office consulted with several forensic experts in determining the final cause and manner of death. The findings were consistent with the police investigation which indicated that foul play was not involved.

Tom Lacina, Jon's father, told the Des Moines Register, he believed his son's death was a tragic accident. "[Lacina] said his son probably fell down a “dark and likely snow-covered set of steps,” and cut his hands on a glass window in the door. His body or head likely collided with the door, knocking him unconscious in freezing temperatures, he said." (DesMoines Register, 06/30/10).

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jon Lacina, his family, friends, and all those who joined in the search effort.

Remembering Jon Lacina
A red oak tree was planted on the Iowa State University campus on April 18, 2010 to commorate the life of Jon Lacina. More than 125 people attended the ceremony. Lacina, a graphics design major, has been described as an amazing friend, a hard-working student and a talented artist. He was known for his bright, friendly smile and his zest for life, which included a passion for art, music, nature, Legos, video games and great food. Jon's father, Tom Lacina, spoke at the service and described the delight his son brought to the Lacina family and to all who knew him. He also said, "The last two hours or three hours of his life doesn't define 21 years," he said. "So what everybody should take away is, is what they shared with him while he was living life fully." (KCCI.com, 4/18/10). The quiet and sensible artist and musician who had a pleasant wit and an easy smile, is the Jon Lacina people should remember.

A memorial Mass was celebrated at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell on April 23, followed by a public luncheon with the family.

On August 3, Jon's parents, Tom and Alesia Lacina, published the following statement on KCCI8.com to provide some additional answers in their son's death and, more importantly, to turn the focus of the public's attention back onto the remarkable life he led:

August 3 - Open letter from Tom and Alesia Lacina as to the death of Jon Lacina

Since the June 30 State Medical Examiner’s press release and our statement at the same time about our son, Jon, we have received many questions from people seeking a better understanding about Jon’s death and why foul play was not suspected. We have just recently received the actual autopsy report, which is confidential. We have decided voluntarily to provide a few more facts in this open letter in order to give greater peace to Jon’s friends and concerned individuals.

Jon went to a video game gathering the evening of January 22, played games, drank some alcohol, and left about 9:30 p.m. to go to his room about two blocks away. His friends described him as upbeat and not highly intoxicated when leaving. At about 11:00 p.m., Jon made an incomplete cell phone call from the area west of his dorm. The call was to a friend who wasn’t at the video game gathering. There is no way of knowing the significance of that call, although it is believed to have occurred from a different area than the building where his body was found. Jon’s body was found on April 14 in the half-basement boiler room of the unheated dairy pavilion building south of the main campus.

The investigation of the dairy pavilion location and the autopsy of Jon’s body suggest Jon fell down the few, likely snow- covered and dark steps into the door and cut his hands on the glass in the door. Jon’s shoes were often loosely tied and were found on the steps, suggesting a fall forward out of his shoes. The force of the impact opened the unlocked door. He was able to stand up and walk around some in the unlit building, but soon lay down at the location in the boiler room where he drifted into unconsciousness and eventually died. No drugs were present in Jon’s system other than alcohol, which was calculated at the time of death at an average below the legal limit. There was blood loss from the cuts, but the amount is unknown. Jon suffered from occasional migraines. Rarely, they could disorient him and blur his vision.

The distance to the dairy pavilion was an easy mile walk from Jon’s dorm, mostly on sidewalk. The temperature during the day and night of January 22 and all day January 23 never dropped below freezing, although it was on occasion quite foggy and windy. Jon had no coat on, and all his coats appear to be accounted for in his room and back pack. Jon would often wear the minimum amount of clothing needed for the temperature outside. Jon had lived at an ISU dorm very near the dairy pavilion the prior school year and knew the general area very well. Jon liked to go on walks and would do so even at night.

Based on these known facts, there is no way of concluding with certainty why or even when that weekend Jon ended up at the dairy pavilion. He could have become confused and lost because of alcohol or a migraine or both, or he could have just gone on a random walk for pleasure, headed behind the farm building to its hidden, unlit side for any one of a variety of reasons and experienced the accidental fall and resulting complications. Because of the distance and other factors, we tend to believe the latter occurred, or perhaps some combination of both. We’ll never know for certain.

The Office of the State Medical Examiner found Jon’s death to be accidental and to involve hypothermia as a significant factor. There was no evidence of foul play or anyone harming Jon. The findings of the autopsy are consistent with the police investigation. Beyond that, it is not possible to determine which factors—hypothermia, blood loss, alcohol, the impact from the fall down the steps, and a possible migraine—played what role in the events leading up to his death and the death itself.

The possible lessons are simple--buddy-up, drink in moderation if you drink, carry a well-charged cell phone with good batteries, and know your physical limitations. After taking reasonable precautions, however, we maintain living life fully is best. Life is precarious, and living every day fully is not just foolish optimism; it is a recognition all of us share the same end no matter what, and not living fully is at best laziness or fear or at worst a denial and a form of disrespect to those, older and younger, who have worked to enrich our lives. These may seem like strong words. They are the words of grieving parents trying to lean into the pain so as to continue moving forward day to day. We believe they express a truth about what it means to truly live, and certainly how we should live to honor our son, Jon.

We hope this statement provides some additional closure and shows how Jon’s death occurred at the dairy pavilion from various contributing factors without foul play being involved. We intend not to issue any further statements about Jon’s death but rather to focus our energy on nurturing our fond memories of him and living so as to show respect for how Jon enriched our lives.  


Memorial donations can be made to the Jon Lacina Arts Fund at the Grinnell Area Arts Council, P.O. Box 657 in Grinnell, 50112.

Quick Facts:
Name/age: Jonathan Francis Lacina, 21
School: Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa
Major: Graphics Design (senior)
Hometown: Grinnell, IA
Last seen: 01/22/10, 9:30 p.m., 300 Stanton Ave., Ames, IA
Recovered: 04/18/10, 8:30 p.m., ISU Dairy Pavillion, Ames, IA
Physical Description: 5'11", 155 pounds, brown hair, green eyes, last seen wearing a black coat and blue jeans
Investigating Agency: ISU police (515) 294-4428 or Ames Police at (515) 239-5133.

Originally Published: 2/1/10.
Updates: 4/15/10, 4/18/10, 4/26/10, 7/7/10, 8/10/10.

Comments are closed for this post.

153 comments:

lessthankate said...

I don't know much about this situation, but I've been looking around and I think it's worth repeating on this entry, but the two teens missing before Jon Lacina (Sly and Eric) were in locations right along I-35, and they even occur in the sequence moving from North to South. I've seen multiple comments on Facebook about this connection, but I thought it was important enough to repeat on Jon's post. I'm praying for Jon and his family, and as a fellow ISU student, this story really concerns me.

famedancer said...

im friends with sly. and ive been talking to a lot of people about it. and from our point of view it seems like the police arent taking action like they should be. why is this not on national new? these are 3 similar cases and people need to be warned. if this is going down 1-35 people need to be careful and watch out. this is all to sketchy to not have all over the news. and why wasnt there an amber alert on sly? he may be 18 but he is still in high school . something is not right about all of it! im praying for everyone hoping that all three of these boys gets home safely.

tfbenjamin said...

hi everyone, this seems just to weird to me to be a coincident also. these guys go missing on 1/17, 1/19 and 1/22. the police really need to look at this pattern. are they really all missing along 1-35? that makes it unbelievably coincidental.

Lisa said...

Famedancer,

I absolutely agree with you that Sly's case should be making more headlines. He is a high school student and his case deserves more attention. I think there is a tendency on the part of law enforcement to just assume that the person went off on their own.

Unfortunately, Amber Alerts can only be issued under a very specific set of circumstances---the child has to be 17 or younger, there has to be reason to suspect that the child was abucted or at risk for injury or death, and there has to be some descriptive information, like a license plate number. The thought behind this is that if Amber Alerts were done more often, people would start ignoring them.

Lisa said...

I urge everyone to circulate the cases of these young men, post missing posters, hold rallies and prayer vigils, host benefits like spaghetti dinners--whatever you can think of--and invite the local TV stations to cover it. Put it on You Tube and Facebook too. Public pressure needs to be put on law enforcement to keep these cases active.

Monique777 said...

It appears as though they are scaling back on the search for Jon Lacina and will be looking at computer records and talking to friends and family in the next phase of the search.

http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/02/02
/search-for-missing-isu-student-scaled-back

CyPhy said...

It sort of doesn't really matter in what order along I-35 the disappearances occurred. More than likely, a cross pattern will be formed? Who is the detective that has been able to predict this in the past? Gilbertson?

CyPhy said...

Replying to Lisa
"Public pressure needs to be put on law enforcement to keep these cases active."
I agree. If Members of Congress cannot get any action, we are going to have to do this from the grassroots up.

http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/UploadedFiles/sensenbrenner%20letter%20to%20fbi.pdf

CyPhy said...

Sorry guys...let's try this:

http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/
UploadedFiles/
sensenbrenner%20letter%20to%20fbi.pdf

Anonymous said...

Hello, everyone -- I'm splitting this blog into separate parts, and apologise for the length.

I begin by asking : isn't enough enough by now? This is all truly outrageous -- month after month, year after year, state after state, disappearance after disappearance, human life after human life. Some are connecting the dots, but unfortunately many are not -- and after how long? Decades, that's how long. Decades' worth of young men ( and women ) disappearing and / or being found dead under the same circumstances.

Jon, who drew my attention to these cases when I heard of his disappearance in the local news, is the latest possible victim here. And it seems only a matter of time before there's another latest victim.

I must ask : what did the nation do when Ted Bundy ( a man who targeted victims of similar profiles ) was on the loose? There were outcries across the country, on most college campuses, and so forth, telling young women of the danger. Why is so little being done now, after well over a decade, perhaps two or three, of this same situation occurring?

I strongly encourage anyone who hasn't gone through the list of young men posted on this site, and read about these cases, to please do so. It may be that some of these cases may be unrelated, and a few of them even genuine accidents, but the vast majority of them are most definitely very suspicious, and the patterns seen are more than convincing of the work of at least one serial killer. I am extremely disturbed by the blatant sexism which is taking place -- if these were primarily female victims dying or disappearing in such a pattern, the law authorities would most certainly handle things differently. Mind you, I definitely believe this killer or these killers have targeted women as well, perhaps as yet another way of throwing the police off the trail.

Amazing how the police are handling it all -- they believe that just because a victim is found clothed, means that there was no sexual assault. And that just because there is little to no trauma on the body, that the victim was not subjected to any kind of torture. Doesn't it also seem strange so many of the victims' bodies were not found until MONTHS after disappearing? Very few seem to have been found within a week afterwards, in spite of the fact that so many of the bodies are found in places often frequented by people ( beneath bridges, etc. )

I mean, come on? It's 2010 -- serial killers have been becoming more and more prolific ever since the 1950's -- don't you suppose by now there is at least one who has learned how to avoid detection? ( i.e. by making it seem like an accident, nothing to suspect, etc., resulting in few to no inquiries about suspects in a given area, etc. etc. ) And especially one that knows not to stay in one location for too long -- rather, avoiding detection by traveling long distances to acquire victims. And so on, and so on.

And the disappearances are not simply confined to several given states. Looking at missing persons reports in general across the country, you'll see many situations that are eerily similar. One example is from the following site, which lists a mere few profiles of people missing in Kentucky, a state that does not seem to be included in most sites regarding the so-called "Smiley Face Killers".

http://kentuckymissingadults.com/

Notice the case, in particular, of Joshua Jerome Tessmer, who also disappeared around this time last year. And many of the cases in the same general area, as in so many other cases -- a kind of cluster area, seen throughout these states.

Anonymous said...

To return to the issue of sex discrimination, since it seems that's the main issue here, let me remind people of the Freeway Killers, three completely separate-working serial killers ( or sets thereof ) who prowled Southern California throughout the 70's and 80's, abducting and killing potentially HUNDREDS of male victims, primarily younger males. For years, murderers like Randy Kraft eluded the police, despite the fact that he did not even try to hide the fact he was murdering people, as opposed to making the murders seem like accidents. This is the same scenario that has been happening over and over, again -- and it's my belief that the victim's gender is the primary reason why so little is being done.

Take a look, by the way, at missing persons sites online ( easy to find by state with Google ) and notice just how many missing persons there are -- it's far from being limited to females. Here's an example of one Midwestern state :

http://missourimissingadults.com/

I must say, by the way, that the case of Christina Maxine Whittaker does seem eerily similar to the "SFK" cases :

http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200905775S

This is a long blog I realize, but this last chain of disappearances really SHOULD be the last one! This has gone on FAR TOO LONG! Young men are being victimized not only by elusive killers, but by the American justice system itself. When is enough enough? When will these senseless killings stop?

The answer: they won't. Not until WE do something about them -- warn our young men of the danger, all across campuses, in bars, etc. -- Make it a priority to warn men of the danger facing them, in this world that teaches men to feel they are invulnerable, or that, as long as they are not a woman, they are safe to go whither they please, at whatever hours they please, and in whatever condition they please, without being concerned for their safety.

Carelessness is the cause of most of the suffering in this world -- in these cases, there are people who care, but the government and law enforcement seldom seem to share their sympathy. No more blaming the victim -- DO SOMETHING, AMERICA.

I most definitely agree with the grassroots thing, and thank you for the link. Everyone reading this, or anything on this site -- PLEASE, use what power you have to write local newspapers, congressmen, and so forth. Anything you can do.

Rob said...

The MO in the disappearance of Jon Lacina follows that of the Smiley Face Murders, as coined due to the appearance of either a white or yellow spray-painted smiley face at, or near, the scene of the victims' discovery (the murders actually occurred elsewhere). Two retired NYPD Homicide detectives worked the very first case--the death of male Fordham University student. For the fumbling of the ME on this case, a murder--the preliminary opinion of the 2 detectives, the case was ruled a suspected homicide. The two detectives were very persistent in getting the ME's finding changed, due to their efforts and his parents with a big assist by Dr. Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, retired Coroner and Chief Medical Examiner of Allegheny Cty, PA.

There have been at least 3 U of Wisconsin male students deaths at different U of Wisconsin campuses. Sylvester McCurry's death would be at least number 4.

I first heard of the missing ISU student on my car radio, a few days after the search was underway. My immediate impression was that this was a victim of the Smiley Face Murders. Now, something I would point out, courtesy of the two retired NYPD detectives who are actively investigating this. Those two men believe more than one individual is involved. They mention in one case, a van/SUV being seen by a witness who did not know he might have been seeing the tail end of an abduction.

Both detectives add the murder and torture (this point has never been elaborated on and exactly what the torture involves has not been detailed outside of law enforcement). The bodies are found dumped, in or near a body of water with the apparent idea of suggesting accidental death or suicide and an attempt for the water to disguise, diffuse, or eliminate DNA forensic evidence.

Officially, the FBI has investigated and finds no connection between the cases; however, that would be a steaming pile of horse hockey. The disappearances cross state lines; therefore, at the very least, the FBI BAU is continuing to cooperate in an unofficial capacity.

You should attempt to contact the two retired NYPD Homicide detectives. They have extensive records, notes, and information to share and some theories to offer.

Rob said...

Merely an observation, but why would someone with a bulletin board or clearinghouse blog attempt to copyright information that essentially originates in press copyrighted stories?

Seems rather ghoulish, does it not?

Anonymous said...

@ Rob:

You are correct. Only unique creations can be copyrighted.

However, technically the copyscape isn't even needed. Copyright automatically belongs to the author of a piece and there need not be any warning put up for others not to copy it. It's automatically guarenteed by law.

I'm a stickler for copyright because I had a story stolen from me and published in a book by an author who failed to even quote me as the source. I am pissed, so I know how it feels to be robbed by idiots who don't have an ounce of creativity in their body to be able to create their own works isntead of living as parasites by stealing other people's works.

Lisa said...

I don't fault anyone for asking, so here is the reason why I have the copyright information posted.

Since I am publishing my own writing and ideas (based on facts for which I have the source material), my own words are automatically protected under copyright. Boy in the Machine is right, I do not need to post the Copyscape warning.

However, I have run into some very unethical people online. I was informed of one unsavory character, for instance, who copied nearly everything I had written on this site and put it into his own self-published book, which he then profited from. The reporters who provided the original facts were not acknowleged for their work, my writing was not properly cited or quoted, and the families never received a dime.

As a person who devotes my free time to this site and helping these families, I find this to be repugnant. Not only is it a slap in the face to all those who did the work, it is a disservice to the families of these young men.
First, my site relies heavily on published news reports. My site gets updated and corrected frequently as news is corrected or more is known. Those updates would not be in the book, and readers unfamiliar with my site would not know this. Second, knowing the above, I can't help but question the handling of the other information in the book and where it came from. And if the information is inaccurate, then families are left to clean up the trail of misinformation and to change any misperceptions the public might have. Third, the book gives the appearance of containing "inside" information, when it only contains bits and pieces of materials lifted from the internet. In short, readers are getting ripped off and families are being short-changed, and my good name is attached to this thing.

To prevent this from happening in the future, it was recommended to me that I post the very prominent copyright and disclaimer information.

Anonymous said...

@ Lisa,

Sue him, seriously. A similar thing happened to me. I wrote a story about a local ghost legend and an idiot lifeted it, some passages word for word, from my story and put it in his book. So I completely understand.

Of cours I don't have the funds to sue at this time, but hopefully you do and can take the plagiarist to court.

Anonymous said...

For anyone who doesn't know, plagiarism is stealing. Plagiarist steal other people's writtings and then present it as if the plagiarist were the true author.

Unfortunatly, it happens all the time. Even in the professional world, people get busted for plagiarism. Usually getting busted will destroy someone's career and open them up to a lawsuit.

And guess what? Even people you would think would be the last to plagiarize do it. Religious author Neale Donald Walsch, author of the 'Conversations With God' series was hired by belief.net to do regular blogs/articles. Everything was fine until a reader was shocked to learn that Walsch plagiaried her material. almost word-for-word, and then claimed as if the experience she had were his own! When she complained to belief.net they canceled their contract with him.

So everybody out there, if you didn't write, then don't steal it and pretend as if it is your own creation. You can properly quote and reference other people's writtings, but you can't steal it and present it as if it is your own. That's plagiarism and it's illegal. It's theft. Plagiarists are thieves.

Unknown said...

I hope my comment is in the RIGHT spot now.
What is going on in this world of ours? So much evil...I live near Ames and attended ISU when they found the body of Jacob Hobsen in July 2005 and Abel Bolanos in 2007. I had never even heard of the SFK until the recent disappearance of Jon Lacina...I am shocked by how it all makes sense. I have been looking up info on all the different cases and have become more interested in this "theory" I guess I could say. I just feel like there's so much evil in this world, it makes me scared. I can't help following the news about these young men and this website even though it makes me lie awake at night and think bad thoughts. I just hope someone finds the solution soon and this all ends...I can't help but call my boyfriend every couple hours just to make sure he is okay. It's just disgusting...

Rob said...

Anonymous astutely writes, "Amazing how the police are handling it all -- they believe that just because a victim is found clothed, means that there was no sexual assault. And that just because there is little to no trauma on the body, that the victim was not subjected to any kind of torture." This view bears repeating often even it does set Boy in the Machine to stomping his foot and getting red in the face at castigating those folks with a view contrary to his. BIM likes to spout the partyline that most of these deaths are accidental deaths or suicides as opposed to questionable deaths.

I concur with your quoted statement. Because the victims have been found in or near water, they give the appearance of having been dumped after having been killed elsewhere. The unknown subject is attempting to diminish the value of DNA/forensic/trace evidence. Furthermore, long exposure to water will diminish noticeable signs of foul play.

To the best of my knowledge, no one has pointed out a single college-aged, female victim in this time, for this set of circumstances.

In most of these cases collecting is at the core--possessing or controlling the victim until the unknown subject obtains whatever satisfaction--it is not always sexual gratification. The unknown subject could be reliving bullying at the hands of a smart, athletic guy. As an alternative, another kind of humiliation could be at the core. The unknown subject would have a desire for revenge and to inflict humiliation on the victim in the proportion that he was made to suffer. He would play this out until he got the circumstances right.

I think the victimology laid out by Gannon and Duarte is consistent through a big number of these questionable deaths or disappearances. I don't agree that a gang is responsible (the theory of one of the retired detectives), more likely, these are the work of one or two individuals.

It would be interesting to learn whether Gannon or Duarte uncovered evidence that any of the victims had been stalked to learn of their habits and routines.

Anonymous said...

Same Anonymous here, as before.

Let me say first that I've been doing quite a bit of my own detective work in terms of searching the web for missing adults, and I find it more and more disconcerting to discover that there have been A LOT of men going missing all across the country within the past couple decades, not just in the states being covered here. A tremendous number of them seem to match the profiles of suspected "SFK" victims -- college-aged, above-average attractiveness, well-built, etc. Amazing also how many of these men are disappearing on dates which parallel those of many of the victims from this site, and others -- especially dates like the 1st, 11th, 13th, 31st, 2nd, or 22nd of the month.

Thank you, Rob, for the suggestions -- I'm currently attempting to get into contact with Gannon and Duarte to share some of the things I've discovered, as well as other possible theories. I haven't looked at cold cases yet, so who knows what someone might find doing that kind of research.

Rob brings up some interesting theories, in regard to a possible subject profile. However, I will remind everyone of something reported by Chuck Loesch, a private investigator hired by the Jenksins family during the search for their missing son, Chris, a suspected "SFK" victim. This quote is from the Jenkins case listed on this site :

" Loesch found witnesses reported a gang of at least 10 men attacking a man in front of Times Square Pizza (across the street from the bar), in what was thought to be a gang initiation. Although, the time of the incident has not been confirmed--it could have been 10:30 or 11:30 p.m. Two bloodhounds on separate occasions later picked up Chris' scent on the sidewalk in front of the pizza joint and tracked it into the next door parking garage, where blood drops and a red feather, possibly from Chris' Native American costume, had been found. Both bloodhounds stopped at parking stall 89. "

It was later discovered that the cases of Chris Jenkins was linked to that of Joshua Guimond, who disappeared a little more than a week after Chris Jenkins, in the same state. The following quote is from this site, the link of which had been posted among the comments under Joshua Guimond's case :

http://www.wisn.com/news/1973837/detail.html

" Jenkins said a Milwaukee-based bloodhound tracked the scents of two of the missing to the abbey at St. John's University, where Guimond disappeared. Hoover identified Guimond's scent and the scent of Chris Jenkins, who had no known connection to the school. "

Other sites seem to verify this information. As others have stated, since Chris Jenkins' murder in particular seems linked to the "SFK" murders, why is this information disregarded?

Now, here's the kicker. From Joshua Guimond's case on this site, is the following quote :

" On December 31, 2002 authorities were denied access to search the monastery at St. John's University. The monastery, St. John's Abbey, is well known for housing monks and priests who have been put on restrictions after being accused of or admitting to sex abuse. "

In my research I've found that there were at least eleven monks at St. John's who'd been on restriction for sexual misconduct. That would fulfill the witness accounts that "at least 10 men" were seen in possible connection with abducting Chris Jenkins. Now, doesn't that set off any red lights for anyone?

Anonymous said...

So many turn their noses up when someone proffers the suggestion that a cult may be involved in these killings ( Boy in the Machine included, according to his website ). I must ask : why? Cult followers are at an all-time high in this country, and in this nation and others there have been many documented murder cases related to cultists. Names of cities where high numbers of suspected victims have disappeared, such as Eau Claire, "Clear Water" or "Pure Water" in French ; Lacrosse, "Cross" in French ( also the names of one of the victims, as well as "Christiansen" ; "East Lansing" approximating perhaps the Biblical lance which pierced Jesus' side during the crucifixion ; "Ames" stemming from the Latin "Amor" meaning "Love," ; "Dekalb" from French "of" and German "calf" ( calves were often used as sacrifices throughout the Old Testament ) and others. Plus considering the dates of many of the disappearances, such as 22, 11, 31, 13, etc. all of which have great intrinsic value in numerology ( often linked with cults ).

Could it indeed be that there a good number of men ( I'm inclined to believe there are most definitely more than two ), who, under the guise of religion, are doing these things? In Christianity, evil is said to pervert that which is holy, hence, converting sacred symbols to something diabolical. In case no one has noticed, there is clearly a cross on the forehead of the infamous "Smiley Face", as well as in connection to many other things, to those who take the time to research these cases.

On a bridge near the scene where one of the victims, Ken Christiansen, entered or was put into the water, there was found the Smiley Face symbol in graffiti, cryptic symbols, and the message "You Can't See What You're Not Looking For".

Few, it seems, are insinuating that persons of a religious nature MIGHT be behind some of these killings. Why are they being protected? Does a man's professed religion immediately exclude him from involvement in a murder?

In response to Jordan, I do share your sympathy. There are many evil people in the world, but not nearly as many as there are good. I have faith that as more people become aware of this situation, and fewer brush these incidents off as coincidences or accidents, that change will come about. Thousands of murderers have been apprehended, because someone took the time to notice what was going on and to do something about it. If we all do what we can to make people aware of what's really going on, then justice will prevail.

Rob said...

Anonymous--

Thanks for the notice. I do know something about how life in a monastery works.

Unless assigned by the abbot or prior to a work assignment outside the walls of the monastic enclosure, the monk(s) would need the permission of the abbot or prior to leave, especially after the ecclesiastic hour of Compline, now referred to as Night Prayer. St. John's is a Benedictine monastery.

In the Rule of St. Benedict, Grand Silence is observed from the ending of chanting of Compline and the Abbot's blessing. The monks would be expected to rest and/or meditate during Grand Silence which is observed until the hour of Lauds the next morning (Morning Prayer). The timeframe would be 8 or 9 pm to roughly 5 am. Most abbeys or priories in the Midwest use 9 pm for the Hour of Compline.

In nearly all cases, Compline is presided over by the abbot, unless he is away and this function is assumed by the prior. Similarly, the abbot presides at Lauds which is usually followed by Conventual Mass to which all able members of the monastic community are expected to attend as well as members of the public because some abbey churches also function as parishes.

If the same monks were persistently and consistently absent, the monks involved would be compelled to meet with the prior to explain their absences from observance of the Divine Office, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline being the most important as well as Conventual Mass. Priest monks are expected to vest and concelebrate the Conventual Mass. The penalty would be suspension of duties and priveleges and even expulsion from religious life.

I understand how anyone might think that the abbot's refusual to search the monastic enclosure could be misconstrued as obstruction; however, that would be untrue. The abbot is attempting to protect the vocation of his brother monks for solitude and meditation on spiritual matters. If police insisted, I am quite sure the abbot would grant permission. It's easy to beat up on priests and monks these days, but a gang of monks--these guys are mostly older now--would be very hard not to miss.

Some legitimate reasons for a monk's being allowed out of the monastic enclosure, the actual portion of the abbey which is the monks' residence and not open to the public, might be work at a halfway house; in the case of a monk who is also a priest, working as a chaplain at a medical center, hospital, or nursing home (these do not have to be Catholic institutions); work as an instructor or professor at a college or university; or work as an parochial vicar at a parish in the city or town in or near the abbey.

The monastic enclosures

Rob said...

Anonymous--

A follow up question occurs to me, namely, did the bloodhounds track the scent to the Abbey grounds or to the very entrance of the main monastic building? The difference is not one of semantics, but of location. Benedictine abbeys are open (no gates) at the main entrance to follow the one of the prime instructions of St. Benedict from his Rule: "Receive the stranger as the Christ" which is the motto found over the Prior's residence and contains the Guest House. Further, in the case of an adjacent college or university, the monastery is open, but again, students would be prohibited, as are others, from access to the monastic enclosure.

Anonymous said...

Rob, thank you for the information. I was actually curious about the schedule of the monks, but hadn't gotten around to researching it. I hadn't really thought of a single group of monks being the perpetrators here -- I should have clarified that. I do feel it's very possible for a church to be infiltrated by cult members, especially with all of the corruption we hear about going on inside the church nowadways, so left open the possibility that monks might have played some part here, as clues seem to have suggested. But the persons responsible for most of these cases would most likely be someone on the move, having a profession perhaps in trucking, although that would not be consistent with rumours and reports of a van being used. In actuality, it's quite possible there could be SEVERAL groups at work, in different states, which seems likely if the culprit was indeed some kind of cultist group.

All of this is speculation of course, but my point is that so many of the clues point to some heavy religious and / or occult significance behind these disappearances and deaths. I agree that monks alone, unless excommunicated or living outside of the church, would not be responsible. Age of a suspect isn't really of great concern to me, personally -- old or young, if there are a large number of them, they would be quite capable of abducting someone. Even just one person, wielding a weapon such as a gun, is oftentimes successful in coercing someone.

There have been theories, I know, that it is a pair of men along with a woman, used to lure the victim into a van, but I'm not sure what evidence there is to support the theories. Not sure either whether the scent trails lead to the abbey grounds or to the actual doors of the abbey. I've contacted the investigators for confirmation of this, as it was reported not on one but several sites, so I'll be happy to share if anything else is found out. I'll post the information under Josh Guimond's profile on this site since there doesn't seem to be many comments there.

Also, I'm not asking anyone to accept that there is undoubtedly a cult at work ( even though there are many clues to that effect, Pagan and Christian symbols alike being found ) -- I'm just asking people to be open to the theory and stop acting as if it were complete nonsense. Cults are very real, and the fact that we don't tend to take them seriously gives them all the more power to cause harm.

Rob said...

Anonymous--

Seems reasonable to me. Glad to have been able to provide some background information.

I will be sure to read whatever updates you are able to share.

You have been most courteous.

Unknown said...

I don't understand why these 'smiley faces' that are being found all over the place can't be dated with technology, much like rocks can be dated. If they could, I think you'd find that most of these pieces of graffiti are many, many years old. Two things stand out for me: 1) binge drinking is an epidemic in North America amongst teens and young adults and 2) patterns can be found in any string of events. It is much easier than people think for people to accidentally disappear.

To wit, on Boxing Day this year in Vancouver, 2 young men drove off the end of a dead end street into the Fraser River. The only reason they were found is because they actually drove over a curb and a dike, causing much damage and leaving chunks of the car on the road. The car was found on the bottom the river with their bodies inside.

Certainly there may be a serial killer who is killing some of these men, but it's an unreasonable stretch to think that there is a conspiracy at work here. Alcohol makes people do stupid things, and makes people much more prone to accidents of all kinds.

I'm no expert; that's just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Greg says ...

" Certainly there may be a serial killer who is killing some of these men, but it's an unreasonable stretch to think that there is a conspiracy at work here. Alcohol makes people do stupid things, and makes people much more prone to accidents of all kinds. "

If you studied these cases, you would realize that there are far too many clues for these disappearances and deaths to be mere coincidences, but this argument has already been argued to the umpteenth degree. As I've already stated, SOME of these incidents are most likely accidents or even suicides, but the vast majority are far too suspicious.

The only "unreasonable" thing to do here, in truth, is to do what you're doing and just blame the victim and move on -- isn't this already being done by most authorities? If these were women disappearing or turning up dead in such a manner ( and in such great numbers and especially in certain regions or cities etc. ), I am sure that Greg and so many others would be open to the possibility that there is something insidious going on here.

As per the word "conspiracy" -- it seems rather out of place. What I've pointed out is what the clues have pointed to in these cases -- and since there are few ongoing investigations into these "accidental" deaths, it stands to reason that there are not that many clues.

Everyone's entitled to his or her opinion, but wouldn't this world be a much better place if we all stopped judging and disregarding the plight of others, and started CARING? This could just as easily happen to YOUR loved ones. Imagine, if it did, how do you think you would react?

Hawkguy said...

there has since been an update with a reward.

http://www.kcci.com/news/22544376/detail.html

Ladybug Dawn said...

Feel free to completely dismiss this thought, but I'd like to point out over 2 years ago there was a 19yr old boy (would have been the same age as Jon Lacina) who disappeared in Grinnell - Jon's home town. They found him in April 08, and ruled it a suicide despite how utterly insane that sounded to not only the people that knew him but to those of us reading the resorts of how he died (drowned in the country club pool).

Is it possible there's a connection? I just find it odd, I really do.

Anonymous said...

@ Kara,

I stumbled upon another case of a guy that died mysteriously in a pool and it was ruled a suicide. I questioned it and left comments on the Youtube video made by the father. The father contacted me and told me that he removed the comments because it was a suicide and said the police revealed to the family info they didn't release to the public proving it to have been suicide.

So, what I can suggest is for you to dig around. But maybe it's a similar situation where the family know more info that the public does.

Ladybug Dawn said...

Very well could have been, but I also had some second hand information of that case passed to me by a friend who knew someone on the rescue team. Plus the case I was referencing on his memorial website it had a quote from the father's eulogy more or less saying suicide just wasn't possible (now that very well could have been a grieving father in denial too).

Either way I thought I would throw it out there as something to think about.

Anonymous said...

@ Kara,

Dig deeper into the case, get the information, etc..

Maybe Lisa hasn't posted that case here yet and could include it?

There's one case that I think is highly unusual but since it happened in England I didn't think Lisa would include it.

Basically, I tell it here. A Ufologist, that's right, a Ufologist died under very weird circumstances. The man had several UFO websites. So his girfriend supposedly tells him that she wants to break up because he won't marry her. So supposedly he was so shaken up that he left for a walk and somehow managed to drown in the sea. As if marrying her to keep her was competely out of the question, right? Well, anyway the girlfriend is acting very unusual and presents a "note" that suggests suicide. The girlfriend claims he set the note out before leaving and drowning. The note suppsoedly listed all the passwords for his websites, indicating that he had planned to kill himself, leaving her the passwords so she could take of the site or close them, whatever. Well NONE of the passwords were correct. Not a single password worked. So did he really write this note as she claimed? On top of that, why would he kill himself when marrying her would have allowed the relationship to continue? It seems very fishy to me and I think that foul play may have been involved. -So that's a case I recently found and thought was suspicious.

By all mens find the details and forward them to Lisa on the case you are refering to.

Anonymous said...

@ Kara,

I just looked it up. We are talking about the same case, the same person.

I've communicated with the father and assured me that his son committed suicide, that the family has info the public was not given proving it to have been suicide.

Anonymous said...

I know the persson you are talking about Kara. A note was found that was interpreted as a suicide note. It was interpreted that way after the fact. In other words after he was found dead. There is a you tube video on him and at about 3 minutes his friend disputes the interpretation

Anonymous said...

@ Sfkillersinvestigations,

The deceased is Paul Shuman-Moore and I have communicated with his father.

Basically, I left a comment on the YouTube clip his father put up. My comment questioned if Paul could have been murdered and asked if any of the family/friends were familiar with the smiley face killers theory.

His father deleted my comment and then sent me a message explaining that Paul's death was suicide, that the family was given information the public was not given.

At this point in time, I think we should respect the family and not attempt to make his death appear as a murder.

Anonymous said...

So don't contact him again.I never even considered contacting him and ask if he could have been murdered.I also don't assume either way if he was murdered.

Anonymous said...

@ Sfkillersinvestigations

Anybody can leave a comment on YouTube videos. So it's not like I made an effort to contact him directly.

Also, you are implying his death may not be a suicide. I'm just nipping it in the bud by telling others that if his father considers it a suicide then the speculation should end on this case.

Anonymous said...

I implied that the note that was found was thought to be written by him and was interpreted as a suicide note. I also implied there is a youtube video by his friend and he dd not think it was suicide.I only pointed out facts. You have trouble distinguishing between your opinion and facts. You are making something up.

Rob said...

Now, BIM is entitled to his opinion, and if that were as far as he went, instead of browbeating others who do not agree with his view, which is that of the authorities, most of us would read on and not comment.

Yes, I agree that A FEW of these questionable deaths are accidental and suicide; however, there are others that are unresolved. Two of these cases have been reclassified as homicides. I do know that during the past summer, Dr. Wecht's second opinion post mortem of a previously "Closed" death of one of the victims was reclassified as a questionable death.

I will also take this further. Most serious researchers use the date of 1997 as the beginning of the SFKilling phenomenon. Wecht, in his book CAUSE OF DEATH detailed the death of a male college student from the late 1980's. This man was found, in the utility well of a campus building--stairs leading to an access way--while the location of body was not in the open, it was in an area of foot traffic on the campus. Water from recent rains was present, but not in any quantity that could have contributed to the man's death.

The victim was found at the foot of the stairs, fly undone, as though he had paused at the place to relieve himself, stumbled and hit his head on the concrete at the landing for the stairwell. His clothes gave the odor of alcohol.

The ME ruled this death accidental and attributed it to alcohol; however, he performed no toxicology tests and did not open the skull cap.

The parents were not satisfied and contacted Dr. Wecht for his opinion. He was able to open the skull cap and discovered massive swelling and could tell from the nature of the injury that blunt force trauma was evident.

Wecht also asked for the victim's clothes and discovered from the investigating detectives, that despite the rains the area had, when the victim was found the clothes were dry.

Long story short, Wecht ruled the death a homicide and stated that the death scene had been staged.

No graffiti was found at the scene. No assailant has been identified in his case.

I think these deaths have been occuring far earlier than 1997, and this is but one example.

Did Mr. Moore commit suicide? Can't answer that. His parents believe he did and that is where that questionable should stand.

In so far as British and European deaths are concerned, they are interesting but they are not deaths occuring in North America and have interest with no connection with these SFKilling deaths. Really BIM? UFO connection? I don't believe in conspiracies.

The good people here do believe in patterns and similarities.

Unknown said...

I cannot verify this for sure, but I heard that a smily face did appear on the ISU armory after Lacina's disapperance.

Rob said...

Michael--

Did the Smiley Face appear on the outside of the building or inside the building?

Anything about color: white, yellow, red, or orange?

With or without horns?

Michael said...

I'm sorrry, I don't know. Does the color and horns/lack of horns signify anything?

Rob said...

Michael--

Yes. At some sites, red-horned, devil-like smiley faces have been found. At others unhorned white or yellow smiley faces have been reported.

Unknown said...

I'll ask the person who told me and see if he knows anything more.

Unknown said...

the smiley face gang is taunting the police with the smiley faces

JDJD said...

I first learned about all this from a site at Iowa State University... you are asking/talking about a possible smiley in the Lacina case at the school... some students were blogging about it. Don't know how reliable it is but here is the website...
http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum/off-topic/80481-smiley-face-killers-9.html

Rob said...

Anthony writes "the smiley face gang is taunting the police with the smiley faces[.]"

I have hear this reference to taunting law enforcement before. The authorities are trying to find Jon and bring him back to his family and friends. Why taunt law enforcement for doing their jobs?

But then, why would a "gang" want to taunt anyone? That's rather childish.

Anonymous said...

@ JDJD

Great link. I'm reading the thread now and it's really good and recommended. There is one guy who is trying to talk sense into people but not having any luck.

People are simply too invested in the SFK theory to accept any other line of reasoning.

I mean, let's take the "smiley faces" supposedly found, even though Lacina's body has never been recovered. These believers act like the only people who create "smile faces" are "the killers". It's obvious they are merely including every single smiley face they come across as being possibly connected.

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous on Feb. 9,

"So many turn their noses up when someone proffers the suggestion that a cult may be involved in these killings ( Boy in the Machine included, according to his website ). I must ask : why? Cult followers are at an all-time high in this country, and in this nation and others there have been many documented murder cases related to cultists."

The answer is quite simple. The belief in satanists and evil cults corrupting, molesting, and killing attractive and usually white children is pure b.s.

The origins of "Satanic-Panic" are complex, but it can be traced to one particular book titled, "Michelle Remembers". All of the classic accusations of "satanism" and "devil worship" are made in the book, including black masses, child molestation, murder, rape, satanic rituals, conspiracie involving people in high places, the forced bearing of babies in order to sacrifice to the devil, etc....Almost every single thing connected to or associated with the modern belief in "satanic cults" can be found in the book. -And guess what? THE BOOK IS NOT TRUE. The author recieved $250,000.00+ to accuse her parents and practically every single person in her community of being "devil worshippers".

The book was passed from church member to church member. Later horror movies like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby would go on to further fan and mold the belief system that our society is under attack by "satanists".

Certain Christians have a desperate need to believe in a satanic conspiracy. They NEED to believe that it exists because if it doesn't, the God does't exist.

These relgious fanatics realize that the devil and his minions are a form of proof for the existance of God, therefore they desperately need there to be a satanic conspiracy. If there is no Devil and his minions then these people would be forced to face the cold hard facts of there being no God as well. -That's why it's so hard to talk logic into people.

On top of that religion prepares people to accept the most wild and insane things at face value, and without any physical proof.

I haven't even touched on the fact that most murderers are christians, most people in jail are christians, etc..

Nor have I touched on in this reply at least, how these absurd accusation of "satanic cults" have destroyed innocent lives. Do you know there is man on death row who was convicted w/out any physical proof of his guilt? I mean, no blood, no DNA, no semen, no hair, no fingerprints, no murder weapon, etc. But what was presented at trial was accusations of "devil worship". So the jury convicted him based of a satanic conspiracy. His name is Damian Echols. Look his case up. There were 2 other men falsely convicted alongside him.

It's crazy. I simply cannot allow someone to attempt to argue for the possibility for the existance of a satanic serial killing cult. We cannot go back to the dark ages just because certain religious people can't accept that there is no such thing as the satanists they fear.

Too many people have been harmed and had their lives destroyed by paranoid and fanatical religious nuts who believe there are evil satanists behind every corner and hiding in every bush.

The madness has to end somewhere or else history will be doomed to repeat itself with reoccuring witch-hunts and inquisisitions.

It's 2010, not 1692.

Rob said...

BIM--

Not only are you a homophobe, you are a religious bigot.

In response to your remark "I haven't even touched on the fact that most murderers are christians, most people in jail are christians, etc.." that most convicts are Christian (you are referring to murderers presumably) because Christianity is the majority faith of this nation.

I do agree that murders as the result of occult activity are virtually nonexistant; the rest of your rant is worthless BS. There have been many who have wrapped their capacity to murder in God's mantle and another bunch that lay the motivation at Satan's feet. God and his Adversary are but excuses. Whatever need to murder, they do on their own.

The phenomenon of the Smiley Face at the scene of some of these locations where the men's bodies turn up either is a clue or it is not. You are quick to dismiss Gannon and Duarte's work. You cough up suicide and accidental death in nearly all of these deaths.

The law of probabilites would produce at least a handful of young women, college student, alcohol related deaths. So far, none are reported with this MO.

The concentration BIM is on young male college students. Looking for a gang is a waste of time. This is simply one to two persons who have perfected their technique and don't linger long in any place to be found out, but that killer or killers do have a pattern. As for the Smiley Face that puts a bug up your ass, it is not a mark that is necessarily present at every scene. Occasionally, words or phrases are left.

Lacina disappeared in an area of high foot traffic. Someone saw him before he went missing. He either became disoriented and wandered off in a different direction and succumbed to hypothermia, or encountered someone that he did not feel threatened by and went off with them, or he was waylaid in a random attack.

Women, generally, are not attackers. That leaves men, his age and up, looking to rob an easy mark, or for some other purpose.

What's present BIM is a pattern. Take your coincidence which does not fit in the LaCrosse, Wisconsin deaths as am example and shove it. Save your Christian bias which only you raise. There are no diatribes left at the death scenes as screeds denouncing a debauched society or Lucifer rules crap. You are tossing in a red herring.

Serial killers can and do operate over a period of years and a range of territory before getting caught.

Unknown said...

@ rob

well the smiley face gang is not taunting the police for doing their job, but they are taunting them because they know the police can't prove that there is a gang really doing the murders...so they are almost like laughing at the police with the smiley faces saying hahahahahahahaha im gonna keep killing and you can't do nothing about it.. like that....but from what i know if the police would do a better job investagating then maybe we would have more "believeable evidence to get a conviction.

Rob said...

Anthony--

Now, the police do their best investigating any suspicious death. In the case of a serial killer, that pattern is not so often apparent and it may not be until a third or fourth victim that a pattern becomes apparent.

A roving gang will get themselves caught more quickly--more individualistic opportunities for making mistakes.

Anonymous said...

@ Rob

"Not only are you a homophobe, you are a religious bigot."

I'm sick of your ignorant remarks Rob. I'm not a homophobe. I'm not even a religious bigot. I'm an atheist for pete's sake.

"In response to your remark "I haven't even touched on the fact that most murderers are christians, most people in jail are christians, etc.." that most convicts are Christian (you are referring to murderers presumably) because Christianity is the majority faith of this nation."

Duh... That's the reason I made those comments. Yet your ignorant self insists that this is proof of me being a "religous bigot". LOL

"You are quick to dismiss Gannon and Duarte's work."
********
" Looking for a gang is a waste of time. This is simply one to two persons who have perfected their technique and don't linger long in any place to be found out,..."

LOL...You accuse me of dismissing Gannon an Duarte but then go right ahead and ignore their theory that it is a group, a gang, a network of killers. You do realize that *your* theory is not what those detectives are claiming, righ? Surely you must, because this is like the second or third time I've pointed this out to you.

"Save your Christian bias which only you raise."

But the belief in a satanic cult as being responsible is a direct resort of Christian bias. Certain christians MUST believe that satanic cults are out there and planning their demise. Their world view depends on it.

I'm sure you will respond in your usual slanderous remakrs..

"You are a homophobe!"

(Because I clarified you that not all child molester are heterosexual, therfore in YOUR mind you believe this means I am a homophobe.)

"You are a religious bigot!"

(Most idiotic thing ever, to call an atheist a religious bigot.)

Grow up, Rob.

Anonymous said...

@ Anthony & Rob

Kristi Piehl and her little team or people and family she is working with has dropped the belief that the smiley faces and grafitti have any importance to the deaths.

Just thought I would pass this on to you.

From the very beginning, people have given their advice that the grafitti and the smiley faces had no bearing on the cases and it has taken a couple of years for at least Kristi Piehl and her side to accept it.

Gannon & Duarte (I use his name but I'm wondering if Duarte has dropped out of the subject matter because I haven't seen him in any interviews of late.) seem to continue to think the faces and grafitti are significant, however.

I have come to accept that the grafitti is not connected in anyway to these deaths.

Finding pattersn in this grafitti is more properly referred to as, "APOPHENIA", the ability to see pattersn or find connections in random or meaningless things.

Unknown said...

@ rob
well i think there has been more than 3 deaths don't u think????????
@ boy in the machine
really well i think the smiley faces r a clue

Rob said...

Anthony--

I am not sure what you mean with the quote about "more than 3 . . ." I am talking about the number of victimizers and there are certainly more than 3 victims.

There are some points you and others have raised that I do not dismiss out of hand. At least, you make an attempt to connect what information there is.

Dan said...

I read these posts and see that people get way off track of the subject matter.

The subject is Jon Lacina

The families here I think deserve a little more respect and maybe some conscientious thought should be taken when posting idea's more then facts.

Personally I am apalled at some of the posts I have read on this site, that have no respect whatsoever for the families feelings.

I am not speaking for any specific family, just posts that seem to have the same agenda across the board. Maybe there should be a blog site here where people can blog their idea's without being offensive, by which means friends and family members of the missing do not need to read the extra propoganda and opinions not related to the subject at hand.

Rob said...

BIM--

None of us care about your atheism or homophobia.

Anthony is voicing a connection he sees and that makes his remarks as anyone elses on this subject.

One more time BIM: The victims of these questionable deaths and disappearances are young men; one so far falls outside of the usual age range of the victims at 28 years of age. Some of the deaths are certainly accidental and a few are likely suicides.

You have been quite unable to cite a single instance of a college-aged woman who has disappeared under these same circumstances, fitting this victimology and being categorized in the Smiley Face Killings. Next, in case of Mr. Lacina, two other young men disappeared in the same regional proximity. Iowa law enforcement contacted the the authorities in the other two jurisdictions. I sympathize greatly with Lacina's family because theirs is a Hell of not knowing what happened to their loved one.

Occult activity, while an interesting sideline, has never been a viable factor in any US death or missing person's case; yet, it has some worth in consideration as much as anything else.

BIM did not like the ephebophobe label. Wows the easily impressed with the general background of a Wikipedia article while ignoring the University of Texas study. Certain ephebophobes engage in collecting behavior with the idea of controlling, having power, humiliating, dominating, and being able to terrorize a victim.

I submit BIM has selective focus and likes to provoke others with opinions on these disappearances and deaths that are contrary to his own and ignores victimology that does not fit his scenario. I further submit that BIM thrives on confrontation and inflamatory vindictive; offers nothing of substance except that, by commonsense that the FBI BAU is still monitoring these disappearances albeit from a distance.

I support Dan, Anthony, and even BIM in postulating theories in these matters. However, I won't condone browbeating because BIM's latest version of events is not overwhelmingly supported.

Anonymous said...

@ Rob

I've already corrected you several times now. My correcting of your inaccurate statement that all pedophiles are heterosexuals does not make me a homophobe.

You are so full of hot-air that I can't believe you aren't airborn.

As for your future slanderings, I think I did a pretty good job of correcting you. So now it's time to just hit the good old *ignore* button and be done with it.

Anonymous said...

ISU Police: ‘Unknown man’ who offered ride was a woman

http://tinyurl.com/yk5cokb

Anonymous said...

STILL MISSING: One month after ISU student Jon Lacina disappeared, police say they're no closer to finding him

http://tinyurl.com/yh5fpo6

Anonymous said...

6 YouTube Clips on Jon Lacina's disappearance:

Team Coverage: The Search For Jon Lacina

http://tinyurl.com/ygokgjt

Students Hold Out Hope For Lacina

http://tinyurl.com/yf955py

Search Intensifies For Missing ISU Student

http://tinyurl.com/ykbcgcl

Day 11 Updates: Missing Student Case

http://tinyurl.com/ylmerua

Investigators Search Lacina's Computers

http://tinyurl.com/yl92hbw

Search For Missing Student Goes Online

http://tinyurl.com/yg4n2no

Lisa said...

Dan,

Thank you for giving us all the reminder to be more sensitive. Families DO read this blog.

I had actually been working on what you suggested---I will be "going live" with a forum for discussion very soon.

Unknown said...

yea i concur with dan and lisa

Rob said...

Bim--

On the contrary, I was talking about ephebophobes. You are talking about pedophiles and rather inaccurately at that. The majority of pedophiles are HETEROSEXUALS.

The only gasbag here is you. You browbeat anyone with an opinion contrary to your own.

That you are an atheist none of us care a fig.

As for inaccuracies, you are the whiner that someone stole your info for a book.

As I said earlier, since you brought it in, deaths in Europe and Britain are interesting anomalies but not connected to these American deaths.

In so far as you continue to quote out of context and, from a general encyclopedia and not a funded and more thorough study, I will point you out for the pompous gas bag you are.

Too frigging bad that 2 of these death were changed to homicides and a third is being re-investigated.

You have monoply on spin Bim and in that regard you couldn't find your ass without directions from GPS.

Anonymous said...

Investig8: The Disappearance Of Jon Lacina, Part I

http://tinyurl.com/yfc4ysx

Dan said...

BIM,

Thanks for posting those links for the video's. I hadn't seen any of those.

Lisa,
I think the live chat is a great idea

Rob said...

The disappearances of the male college students are tied to drowning deaths. Some attempt to connect these disappearance deaths to studies illustrating that college-aged men have a higher risk of drowning. That argument is not viable because the facts do not support it. There are statistics that point to homicide in some of these deaths.

Two University of Wisconsin professors have written, “The leading cause of death for young men is accidents; males between the ages of 15-24 have a drowning rate 10 times higher than females, according to the National Safety Council; and 40 percent of males in college binge drink.”

The statement “males between the ages of 15-24 have a drowning rate 10 times higher than females” is true; however, the reason for this rate is accounted for because of males' participation in water sports. The Centers for Disease Control found that "water sports are a major contributor to men’s higher injury and death rates. As noted previously, drowning is more common among men than women. Why?Risky swimming, risky boat piloting, and risky diving habits increase the risk of drowning and spinal cord injury among men and boys" Further, "men’s alcohol use while boating also represents a substantial health risk. It contributes to a death rate for boating-related drownings that is 14 times greater for men than for women" (CDC, 1993). The Minnesota Department of Health analyzed drowning rates between 1980-85. The Minnesota Department of Health found that 42% of all the drownings involved boating and 35% involved swimming. Additionally, this report found that only 11% of these incidents happened in the winter and 71% resulted in snowmobiles and motor vehicles breaking through ice.

The other part of the professors' quote that “40% of males in college binge drink” cites no source. Yet, one Harvard study discusses college students of both genders and their alcohol use. That study reports for 1999, 47.3% of men and 42.6% of women binge drink. So, where are the women victims?

The drowning deaths of these young men cannot be explained by statistics alone. The young men who are drowning in cold climates in the winter are not accidentally falling in. Alcohol is but a factor, but not the sole contributing one.

One more time; not all of these deaths are accidental or alcohol related and not all or suicides. Some of them are certainly murders.

Anonymous said...

A short, mini-documentary (circa 23 minutes) on the disappearance of Jon Lacina.

Investig8: The Disappearance Of Jon Lacina, Part I

http://tinyurl.com/yhjz46s

Anonymous said...

Correction regarding the clip I posted.

I was confused because the clip length was 23 minutes but only a few minutes of that is devoted to the disappearance of Jon Lacina. My mistake. Again, this is not a mini-dcumentary, just a 23 minute clip that include a few minutes devoted to John Lacina's disappearance.

slp4 said...

Search of Lake LaVerne comes up empty:

http://www.kcci.com/news/22979695/detail.html

Rob said...

One small bit of family agony that is dispelled--no body in the lake. Some will now have to rework the over drinking, accident, and/or suicide angle.

tfbenjamin said...

Are there any other bodies of water close to the campus where he may have wandered? If so have they been searched also?

slp4 said...

Lake Laverne is right on campus and is the only body of water in the area. I believe he only had to walk through a yard and a parking lot in order to get to his dorm so he really didn't have to get close to the lake, but they searched it since a student had drowned in it a few years before. It was about two blocks from his destination. Ames is a small, safe Iowa town and it is creepy that someone can just go missing from there. I grew up in the area and never heard much crime stories. I really hope they can find him and that his family can either have some closure or have him home again.

Michael said...

There are a couple of rivers near campus - Squaw creek and Skunk River. As far as I know, neither have been searched by dive teams.

GoodyISU1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Annika said...

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/90918464.html

Just saw the same story... :-(

Unknown said...

They found a body in an abandoned dairy farm south of the central ISU campus. http://www.iowastatedaily.com/articles/2010/04/15/news/local_news/doc4bc6b5231cae7073282953.txt

GoodyISU1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lisa said...

Can I ask where you spotted that? I checked it out and when I scrolled down, I saw that someone had asked people to pray for the Lacina family, not because anything had been confirmed, but because they are facing the possibility that it could be him.
Many people responded with prayers and a few mistakenly said they were sorry about the loss. But nothing confirming it yet. Can you point me to where the comment was? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

http://www.iowastatedaily.com/articles/2010/04/15/news/local_news/doc4bc6b5231cae7073282953.txt

-It has been confirmed by his brother that the body found last night is indeed that of Jon Lacina. The coroner results are being awaited to verify it completely. My deepest sympathy goes out to his family. Everyone here at Iowa State is mourning for you.

GoodyISU1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

If you search Mortensen Rd and Hayward Ave in Google Maps and switch the map to Satellite, Jon was found on that farm south of Mortensen, in the oval-shaped building on the bottom right. RIP Jon Lacina, my thoughts and prayers are with the Lacina family.

Unknown said...

Here's the link...hopefully it works. http://tinyurl.com/y46jlcg

Monique777 said...

RIP Jon Lacina-Very sad news

This seems strange that a policeman entered and searched an abandoned and remote building at 8:30 at night while alone. Wondering if there was a complaint in the area that the cop decided to enter the building.

Was foul play reported?

Anonymous said...

@ Monique777

I also would like to know if it was foul play or suicide.

Milliek said...

I think that it was just campus police that found him and not the city cops. It does seem odd to me as well and I am suspect foul play. Since he was found in a building I don't think that he matches the other victims. However, they did find a male in Birdland Marina today in Des Moines. The news said that he had been there for 4 day. Another thing to take note of is a case in Omaha where a young man is hit on the back of the head and later someone found him wrapped up in plastic wrap. Maybe they were going to drop him in the Missouri river. Who knows! I am sorry for the family, but at least they have closure.

Anonymous said...

It was university police on a routine patrol that has included searches of outlying buildings on a regular basis since he went missing. Tonight's news report says they are not ruling out foul play but they have not said anything else. It seems to me that foul play is likely.

Rob said...

First, Has the ME made a determination from the post mortem yet?

Next, one of the recent comments mentioned two suspicious, including the young man found in the Omaha, Nebraska environs. That young man's manner of death, being found is similar to that of the young man whose case Dr. Cyril Wecht was asked to reopen, the case in which the body had been staged to appear that the victim had stumbled in a drunken stupor to his death at the foot of the stairs of a campus utility access well (this death took place in the 90's and at an university on the East coast.

I would surmise that the police received some sort of tip that caused them to search that particular building which has been described as an used ISU owned former dairy barn.

This leads to the big question of whether this building had been searched when Jon Lacina originally went missing and whether this building was in walking distance, considering weather conditions when Jon went missing, and was it in route to his own place?

Rob said...

Interesting info from kris. Something caused the Campus police to search outbuildings connected with ISU.

Does make one wonder whether anyone had been stalking Jon in the days prior to his disappearance.

If he did not make his own place before going missing, someone intercepted him. The question would be was it an acquaintance such as a classmate, roomate, friend, or work associate or a fellow party attendee? Someone who did not seem threatening to Jon, keeping in mind that no one reported any sign of a struggle at the scene of the party.

Monique777 said...

@Rob

Yes,the area had been searched before. It was 0.7 miles away from where he went missing from at 300 Stanton and he was found in the opposite direction of where he lived. It's in this article where they say they had searched the area before:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/
article/20100415/NEWS/100415001/
1001/Body-found-near-ISU-campus-
might-be-missing-student

(tinyurl is down right now)

It is really difficult to understand why they didn't find Jon sooner. They did extensive searches and one would think it would be intuitive to search an abandoned site on the campus carefully after a student went missing-instead they did many searches of Lake LaVerne and a quick once over of the abandoned building where he was found. They do talk about waist deep snow around the building they found him in as an excuse of sorts but ALL of the snow in Iowa was completely melted by March 17th.

http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/climatology/weathersummary.asp

It's just unsetteling that with all the authorities involved with the search, they could not find him in an empty building right on campus.

Rob said...

Monique--

What you raise is worth considering. This empty barn "was searched before." My understanding is the police walked through this building. Was Jon's body found on the floor of the barn, in the open area of it or was he found in one of the stalls along the side?

If found in the open area, the body was placed--staged--a searcher would have to be blind to miss a body in the open area of the barn.

Another question occurs, and not to be macabre, but was Jon found looking like his body had not suffered decomposition?

7/10th of a mile and in a direction opposite of his apartment/dorm? I am fairly certain that someone said that Jon barely touched booze the night he disappeared. So, how are the police saying he ended up in that empty ISU dairy farm barn? No one at the party said was behaving as though he were disoriented/drunk.

At this point it sounds like Jon's body was placed in the barn.

Annika said...

According to the news this morning, Jon's body was found not in the main building, but rather in a remote corner of an annex / boiler room type building, some of which they said was below ground or below grade.

I'm guessing that the campus police gave the main buidling an arbitrary search, but maybe didn't search the annex with a fine-tooth comb. Wonder what alerted them to search again? They mentioned deep snow and impassable roads, but the snow's been gone for some time now.

Anonymous said...

I just read an article where the police are saying they can't rule out foul play at this time but that there is nothing at the scene that would point to foul play. The article then stated that the police will rely on the autopsy to determine the cause of death and go on from there.

From this I think it's safe to assume there is nothing about the body or the scene to indicate foul play (no gunshot, no stabbing, no injuries, etc...)

Personally I think it's starting to look like a case of hyperthermia.

Anonymous said...

Ooops...Sorry. That should be Hypothermia and not Hyperthermia.

Monique777 said...

They said in the video they had never searched inside the building but checked the outside in January.

If Iowa had such deep snow in January wouldn't they have seen tracks leading to the building or some disturbances in the snow and a broken window to gain access?

Hopefully the autopsy and medical tests will answer the question of what happened to Jon. There are many possibilities as suicide, stangulation, hypothermia, accidental over-dose...

If they did see trauma to his body I don't think they are going to falsely alarm the entire community by making a determination of foul play without the autopsy. I would think they'd keep this quiet until they were certain.

Rob said...

Monique writes, "If Iowa had such deep snow in January wouldn't they have seen tracks leading to the building or some disturbances in the snow and a broken window to gain access?" Monique also states, "There are many possibilities as suicide, stangulation, hypothermia, accidental over-dose . . . . If they did see trauma to his body I don't think they are going to falsely alarm the entire community by making a determination of foul play without the autopsy. I would think they'd keep this quiet until they were certain."

Monique your first statement gets to the manner in which the police conducted the initial search. There was a snowstorm across much of Iowa at the time Jon went missing. The police would certainly be expected to know the difference between deer and racoon tracks in the snow and a human footprint or footprints. Now, something occurs to me that should be raised--were ISU campus employees maintaining these outbuildings and, if so, how often? Once a week, twice a week, once a month or some other maintenance schedule? And, no, I am not suggesting that any employee had anything to do with Jon's disappearance or death. I am suggesting that if footprints were seen in the snow outside of this building, did the search teams think they were just those of maintenance employees?

I think the police should answer more questions about the manner of their search and regarding these ISU, former dairy farm outbuildings in particular. During winter months, why wouldn't a search party go inside an outbuilding with the assumption that an disoriented person, the subject of their search, would be attempting to escape exposure to the elements with whatever warmth this building might offer?

Milliek said...

Monique, There was a snowstorm in Iowa on Monday January 25th. Jon's parents didn't report him missing until Jan 30th. Any track would have been covered up by the snow. :(

Milliek said...

Any online blueprints of this building? I am curious of the layout.

This is Veisha week-end which is basically drunken chaos. In the past, they have had to call in tactical units to control the riots.
Good move on the University's part. Let's pray no one else comes up missing. They would be easy prey during this week-end. :(

Rob said...

Ah, fresh snow makes any tracks sharper and easier to detect recent disturbances in the lay of the snow. As for Lacina's parents reporting Jon missing on 30 Jan., the weather was colder and crisper so a natural protection for any tracks which, of course, gets us no farther down the road of how Jon came to be in an ISU, unused, former dairy farm program barn outbuilding, 7/10ths of a mile in the other direction from Jon's rooms in the environs of the ISU campus.

Milliek said...

No this was a major snowstorm. Blizzard like conditions. Then there could have been drifting since this was in the country. I am not sure how much snow, but I would guess a foot.

Milliek said...

The National Weather Service said snowfall ranged from 1 to 4 inches, but winds were blowing up to 35 mph, with gusts near 45 mph.

"At midday Monday, the Iowa State Patrol recommended no travel on a 100-mile stretch of Interstate 35 from the Missouri border to Story City and another 35-mile section north of Ames. Travel also wasn't advised along 80 miles of Interstate 80 in central Iowa from Dexter to Grinnell east of Des Moines and on Interstate 29 in western Iowa near Sloan." AP news story. There was also another major blizzard the following weekend. The snow storms may have hindered the killer. (I am assuming that it is a homicide)
Thank God for Spring!

Anonymous said...

In regards to searching the area of this old dairy area these buildings are usually locked. By January the weather out here was horrible. We had gone through about three blizzards by this point and once again by the time they reported Jon missing tracks would have been gone. There's another fact that hasn't been addressed on here. Jon left the party at 9:30pm and the last contact he tried to make was at 10:57pm to a friend.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/16/jon-lacina-body-found_n_540407.html

It was only a 2 second incomplete call but that's something in my opinion. They haven't ruled out foul play but from what his friends and family say Jon was full of life and a very talented design student at the University. Suicide would be unlikely. But you never know I suppose. Atleast his family friends and all the students who have tried to help find him can have some closure now. It has def. been a tough week here at ISU

Milliek said...

I doubt it was suicide. If it was an accidental death, maybe it was from
the cold. He may not of have had cell coverage if he were in the basement.

Unknown said...

Another question is why would Jon have chosen that building on the dairy farm to seek shelter, if that is what he was doing? There are so many houses and other buildings in that area before you even get to the dairy farm...including a huge dorm facility that he could've easily gotten into with another student's help. All across campus we have little kiosks with "help" buttons where you can actually talk to campus police. There should've been one near that dorm. In my opinion, the body was probably moved there. They had searched that building before, several times, supposedly he was found in an isolated room. What does that mean??

Monique777 said...

@Jordan

In articles they say they searched the outside of the building once. There is some indication the snow storm impeded entry inside.
Jon was found in the broiler room, usually a smaller room and it comes across in articles that one has to take a step down to enter the room.

It also says the building is locked at all times so this is curious how he gained access.

Rob said...

Milliek--

Thanks for proving a point of fact, namely, a snowstorm of 1-4 inches of new snowfall, with occasional windgusts of up to 35 miles per hour. Not the kind of weather most of us want to be caught in, especially, in a car on a highway; however, Jon was on foot and not on the highway when he left the party. He was on the grounds of a urban university. The buildings of the main campus would have shielded him from some of the windgusts. Moreover, the next snowfall is on the following weekend. I am with Monique. His death seems very questionable. Then, Monique adds the detail of the ISU dairy farm outbuildings being kept locked; yet, that info does not address how Jon Lacina turned up dead in what was earlier described as a boiler room annex. Now, the question is how did Jon end up in "a locked outbuilding" in a second thought utility annex, the boiler room? So, once again, were there tracks or not around this building, the scene where his corpse was found? With the statement made that these buildings were locked are we getting an half-assed statement that no one actually searched the premises of these former ISU dairy farm outbuildings and, seemingly that fact of a non-search due to weather conditions? There should still have been human tracks going to the buildings. There would have been some preserved because of the angle of the buildings, that is, not all of the tracks would have blown away.

I am still waiting for an answer as to the maintenance schedule for these buildings--once a week, twice a week, once or twice a month, some other arrangement? Then, the victim is found in the opposite direction of his rooms, the place he lived while pursuing his studies. He would certainly know the way back to his living space. So, we have lots of questions.

So, Jon attempted contact on his cell phone and that call terminates in 2 seconds or so. Curious, very curious. I am with Monique on this. Things are not adding up.

Rob said...

Jordan--

When you say "they searched these buildings" who is "they"? Police and/or maintenance employees? And thanks for detailing the type of area--semi-residential--in quection where Jon was found.

Milliek said...

Good Point Monique regarding the footprints inside the building.

Rob- I can't answer this. Maybe send an email to the university.

"I am still waiting for an answer as to the maintenance schedule for these buildings--once a week, twice a week, once or twice a month, some other arrangement? Then, the victim is found in the opposite direction of his rooms, the place he lived while pursuing his studies. He would certainly know the way back to his living space. So, we have lots of questions."

Definitely lots of questions
I did find this nice campus map if it helps anyone. I still would like to see blueprints of the building.
http://www.fpm.iastate.edu/maps/

Milliek said...

Campus police. I who knows how much experience they have had in law enforcement. They are Iowa Law enforcement certified. That is all that I can say. I do not mean to offend the department but somebody screwed up if he has been there the whole time. Unless it is one of the officers.... I would think that they would have to call in when doing a building check, so there should be a log of who conducted the search of that building.
Another thought that just occured to me is that this barn is suppose to be like 100+ yrs old. What kind of key would it take? Would a skeleton key work?

Kris said...

This building is not kept locked on a regular basis. The boiler room is accessed from the west side of the pavillion, from a door about 1.5 feet below grade, then immediately down a narrow flight of stairs into what amounts to a dirt cellar. ISU used it last to store stuff like chairs and old equipment, but since the farm was shut down, not much is stored in it. The building is still on a maintenance schedule, but not as often as weekly.
With the blizzards we'd had at the time, it's entirely likely that the entry door was covered, and the searchers may not have seen it at all. Unless someone very familiar with that farm was on hand, it would have been very easily missed in February.
As for not finding him until now, I agree that as soon as the snow levels were low enough, searchers should have been sent back out to check all the buildings again. Any abandoned building should've been checked ASAP.
Seems to me that they were assuming that he just took off.
I didn't even know about the other two missing boys. You are all too correct in thinking there hasn't been enough press on this. If they were female, it would've been on the TV and radio news.
An FYI: I happen to know someone who used to work at the old dairy farm, so I asked him about this boiler room. He doesn't believe Jon would've went in there voluntarily, especially since there's an inhabited farm house just yards away where he could've gotten help. An ISU employee still lives on the farm.

Milliek said...

Someone lives in the farm house?! They never noticed anything? What about the weirdo that said he heard clanging coming from the area last Sunday night?
http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum/campus-life/87806-body-found-near-isu-campus-9.html # 124

He sounds like someone trying to get attention.

Milliek said...

http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/PhotoEngine/Photo.aspx?appid=165&keyvalue=0909375000&index=0&size=3

This picture gives you an idea of what the ground looked like before he was taken. Oddly enough this photo was taken by the city assessor on
1-19-10. 3 days before John went missing.

Rob said...

If an ISU employee is making a statement like that about the boiler room of this former ISU dairy farm outbuilding, it would seem more likely that Jon's body was placed--staged--there.

There is a big difference between an actual blizzard and blizzard like conditions. In the former, there is significant new snowfall and driving wind. In the latter, gusting wind creates whiteout conditions and there does not have to be any fresh snowfall. The wind in blizzard-like conditions is picking up existing snow.

So there is a maintenance schedule. I would submit that whoever was suppose to be checking on this building was not. Now, how did Jon get into this building? Break out a window? It's state property so the Campus police are supposed to conduct a perimeter check--a routine, not when they feel like it.

No one noticed anything out of the ordinary? I don't buy this for a moment. When a grid search is conducted, assuming this was done for Jon, so many citizens are placed with an experienced peace officer. They walk the grid with the instructions that anything out of place is called to the officer's attention and is checked out.

Once again, if the doorway was blocked by significant drifting, how in the Hell did Jon get in? Broken window, loose board? This doesn't add up.

DubbalR said...

This whole thing is just bizarre....if it were "blizzard like conditions" and it was too cold....by the time you get past the dorms "the towers" you would be entering a very open area that would be suceptable to wind and snow.....if it were that unbearable he would have turned around and went the other way..towards his home....and was there signs of forced entry into this building....from what i gather John would have had to dig his way so that he can open the door....and what about the employee that lives on the premises...does he routinely check the buildings?....was he part of the search?....id hate to think that an ISU employee (not living on the premises) knew that it was abandoned and never routinely checked and it was locked....and how did the cop get it if it was locked up?.....i think he was placed there....and what was the state of decomp?...could have he been kidnapped and then brought there and killed?....very troubling to me...i dont know him and it saddens me because i wanted to be part of this search and the police turned down any volunteers...i pass by there everyday on the way to work because i live near South Dakota and Mortensen....and i saw the cop pull up there the night he found him on my way home about 830 at night....had to slow down because they usual sit there in the lot and clock speeders....but all i saw was tailights and he didnt turn around to face the road but just kept going further down towards the buildings.....creeps me out to know he was there....frustrates me that the police could use anybody they could to search for him considering its been 3 months since he had been missing....it just doesnt add up....and at 830 at night of all the time during the day that they could have searched there, why then....and from what i saw and the time the cop found him....he would have had to make a B-line to that specific building...before it was announced that a cop had found him they said that a body was found there...my first thought was that i saw a car pull up there the night before and thought that someone was killed then....but the fact that John lives in the opposite direction...barely touched alcohol..would go the opposite direction in the middle of a blizzard....and walk past the dorms and fight the elements just to get to an abandoned boiler room which he may or may not be accessible is very fishy....if anyone knows the area there....is wide open area....the only thing that direction is hwy 30 and corn fields....there would be no business for someone to go out that way in those type of elements and not just turn around and go someplace actually warm....he had to have been planted there....at least it brings closure to the family but it brings tears to my eyes not knowing how or why....i think a majority of people in Ames feel the same way and want some answers....are we lookin at a freak accident....or are we looking at a killer on the loose? may god have mercy on their soul if the latter is the case....

Rob said...

Dubba--

Macabre is right. This sounds more and more like the body was staged--placed there after the fact of his death elsewhere.

Milliek said...

Guys - you are off a bit. The blizzard was Monday night. the 25th He disappeared on 22/23 which was Friday night his parents didn't report him missing until the following Friday.
I know that it was D@mn cold that night(I remember because I was doing something with my family) I I live south of Ames.
We are saying that by the time he was reported missing his footprints would have been lost due to the storms that week.
It definitely sounds suspicious. I would be talking to the person that lives in the house as well as the people that said that the building was clear.

Sarah Elisabeth said...

My father works for the FPM portion of Iowa State as a mechanic. Do you know how many elevators alone he has to keep maintenanced by himself? Over 100. Not including his other duties. He has actually begun shutting elevators and equipment down due to lack of overtime (zero allowed) and staffing help. Guess when OT is allowed at Iowa State? Football games. Iowa State University did not provide the proper staffing to search the entire campus thoroughly. If mechanics, janitors, etc, get in trouble for this, I'm going to be highly upset. They do the best they can under the economy and the demands. With more and more of the staff retiring and not being replaced due to the constraints of the economy, employees like my dad are under increased pressure and stress to due triple or quadruple their jobs in a typical 8 hour day.

My father did his best searching for Jon, even after the search was called off. He continually went out of his way during his job to do an extra search of an engineer room, elevator shaft, mechanical room, etc. Anywhere he was working, he'd keep an eye out for signs, smells, something unusual. I think we should credit and applaud the workers for doing what they could under the circumstances.

What happened to Jon was awful. No person should be allowed to die like that. But we have to keep in mind that there's information NOT being released to the media. They don't know everything, neither do we. I only know what some people connected to the investigation have told me.

I'm praying for comfort for Jon's family as they go through this tragic loss.

Milliek said...

You have a good point. The state employees were forced to take 5-7 unpaid days off to try to balance the State budget. This may have been a factor. We know that they release everything. We want them to catch the killer.

Sarah Elisabeth said...

It's not just those unpaid days. It's unexperienced searchers looking in areas like that, or else being expected to maintenance areas that are not frequented by students. If they're locked up, how often do you expect them to maintenance something very low priority or to even think of it? It probably wouldn't be the first to come to their minds for searching. Maybe not even mid-way through the mental list, or at all. They're not trained to search, and they don't have the staffing capabilities to keep up with everything on campus. They're outsourcing it more and more. I'm just speaking in defense of the staff.

I know one of the scuba divers connected to the investigation, and he was privy to information not released. For his sake, and others, I'm not going to let that become public knowledge.

I also live in Ames. I see students and drunk people on a regular basis living in the party sector, less than 2 miles from where Jon was found. I see people walking around, helping them into cars, etc on campus and outside of it. I really don't think much of it. It could easily be the same scenario for someone else. They might have seen something and thought of it as something else. I could have seen something. But I don't remember where I am that night, and I wouldn't remember it unless it was highly unusual. My point is...it could have been an accident or else foul play. But we may really never know how it happened. It's really sad.

Also...as a note...during the year...on a regular basis, police park less than 200 feet from where Jon was found to catch speeders. It's crazy to think about him being so close, yet so far away from anyone to help him.

Again...my deepest sympathies to the family. I truly hope it isn't foul play. I'm nervous enough living in Ames as a single woman living alone already.

Cyfan said...

DubbalR said...
This whole thing is just bizarre....if it were "blizzard like conditions" and it was too cold....by the time you get past the dorms "the towers" you would be entering a very open area that would be suceptable to wind and snow.....if it were that unbearable he would have turned around and went the other way..towards his home....

Probably not. A person becomes very disoriented even staggering without the benefit of alcohol when their body temp only falls to 95 degrees. It also can happen more quickly to people who are thin, diabetic or on certain medications. When that happens a person loses all sense of direction or the ability to use their think process.

Just Google hypothermia and you will see what I mean. That no doubt could the reason for many of the young men that came up missing and many drowned after drinking with no trauma involved and they wouldn't have to have hypothermia to become disoriented with the amount of alcohol most of the young men had in their system.

The articles say friends should never let friends even walk alone let alone drive when drinking. That would especially be true in cold weather because many who don't have far to go aren't dressed for cold weather. A reason for shedding clothes also is because you can feel very hot even perspire in the later stages of hypothermia.

Milliek said...

Yeah, you can see them on googles map if you look close. I know a kid that goes to school there said that they found his black coat about a block away I believe. No body has said whether or not he had his car. We just assumed that he was walking. If so, could he have shortcut through all those frat houses?

Anabelbella said...

I have to agree with Cyfan. Although I am skeptical about a great deal of these deaths being attributed to simply being drunk in a town with a body of water, I do believe that hypothermia can be to blame in certain cases, especially when someone goes "off the trail" somewhere and walks in directions that make no sense from where a person with a proper sense of orientation would go. If clothes are shed, that is also a good indicator. Hypothermia can come upon someone really suddenly and it doesn't have to be freezing cold for it to happen. We generally think that it only occurs when someone has been staggering around outdoors for days. Anyone read about this case? Karen Kappleman: http://www.wlwt.com/news/22698134/detail.html
and the determination here: http://www.kypost.com/content/wcposhared/story/Cause-Of-Death-Released-On-Teen-Found-In-Snow/6Xe_KYv2JUeJMmH8YTLynQ.cspx

A teen girl found with her pants off in the snow? There isn't a person around who wouldn't think of foul play immediately. This wasn't the case here though. There wasn't a single shred of evidence that anything had happened to her, no trauma anywhere, no signs of a struggle...footprints that showed she arrived where she was on her own.

To me, in Jon's case, hypothermia seems to be the most logical explanation given what we know right now. As much as this case is odd, odd, ODD to say the least...hypothermia explains a great deal.

Monique777 said...

@Sen50010

I was referring to the authorities such as the police when I expressed my surprise they didn't find Jon sooner. I would never have expected maintenace workers to be responsible for finding him although it was nice of them to search, especially with their hours being cut. I don't think anyone would consider the maintenance workers as being slow in their search but rather grateful they did help out.

Why do so many people think Jon died of hypothermia?

Milliek said...

Monique, I think that they suspect hypothermia because of the cold temperatures(35F high/32F low w/ 11 mph winds) and the fact that he somehow became separated from his coat.
Personally I believe that there is a serial killer out there. All will be revealed in time I guess.

cbigsby said...

"I know one of the scuba divers connected to the investigation, and he was privy to information not released. For his sake, and others, I'm not going to let that become public knowledge."

do tell. Now I'm interested.

one other thing i noticed about this building is its close proximity to the highway that runs behind it.

Anonymous said...

Once again. His friends say he wasn't drinking that night. THey have reported this multiple times. Now I'm not naive enough to think that people don't lie...but....that's kind of a main point here.

Anabelbella said...

Drinking doesn't have any bearing on whether or not someone can suffer from hypothermia. He wouldn't have had to been drinking at all for this to occur. I am basing my suspicions on the fact that he possibly became unaware of his surroundings, shed his coat and ended up in a completely opposite area of where he was headed. A 2 second call 2 or more hours from when he left the party means that he could have been exposed to the cold at least that long of an amount of time, more than enough time to suffer from the elements. It seems to make more sense to me than the fact that he was dragged there or staged there after death. It would have been harder to miss that if people were out actively looking for signs of him.

Again, its just my hunch. I'm definitely fallible!

Sarah Elisabeth said...

For the sake of Jon's family, I'd rather not say what knowledge I have. As a friend of mine did say "Stanton is a party place. Doesn't matter what time of night you're coming/going, you've more than likely had a few drinks."

Hypothermia sounds like a likely cause to me.

Also...Monique, I spoke to my father, and he's worried about some coworkers of his that could get blamed for the accident even if they were not responsible in any way. Everyone is always looking for a scape goat.

Anonymous said...

Why do some people find it so hard to believe that a college student may attend a party and NOT drink?

My son who is 21 is not a big drinker. He is usually the desigated driver when they go out or the "babysitter" when they have parties. He does occasionally drink but it is not "his thing". He doesn't like to be drunk and doesn't like the way some of his friends act when they are. Is he perfect and does no wrong - of course not! He just doesn't like to drink. People always look at me and say "yeah right!" like he has me fooled but he is of legal age and has no reason to fool me, I probably consume more alcohol than he does!

So, the fact that Jon's friends say he wasn't drinking may be the truth.

Unknown said...

I would like someone to please provide the link where it states that Jon's coat had been found. I don't remember this info coming to light.

Milliek said...

I have no proof of that. It was told to me by a ISU student. I assumed that it was public knowledge up there.

Unknown said...

I haven't found any articles/news stories of anyone finding any article of clothing that Jon might have shed. I think that kind of rules out the whole 'he shed his coat because of hypothermmia' notion. I am glad that his family might be able to, at the very least, get some closure.

cbigsby said...

"For the sake of Jon's family, I'd rather not say what knowledge I have. As a friend of mine did say "Stanton is a party place. Doesn't matter what time of night you're coming/going, you've more than likely had a few drinks."

Dude just say it already. Was he taking acid or something?

Either way I suspect foul play. I mean who leaves their friends place at 9:30 on a Friday night to go home. I'd start questioning his friends now.

And why can't we find out who that 2 second phone call was to?

tfbenjamin said...

Investigators seemed to have caught a break early on when bank records showed a transaction by Lacina on Jan. 25 at Cyclone Liquor in Ames. But store personnel located a receipt that showed Lacina had bought alcohol there in the early evening of Jan. 22, prior to his last known sighting.
(I knew I had read this info way back. It is on several sites) Such as HELPFINDTHEMISSING.ORG
Maybe Jon did drink something that nite & the others didnt know?

Rob said...

Curtis--

Glad you brought up Jon's timeline for the evening he was last seen alive. When did this party start and was Jon one of the first to arrive? Next, did he arrive alone or with another or others? Then, who did Jon talk to? Did he quarrel or argue with anyone? Also, why did Jon choose to leave this party at 9:30 p.m.?

Regarding the cell phone--the signal from the towers can be triangulated to figure out the approximate area the call originated and, yes, the LUD's would state to whom he placed that 2 second call.

When I raised the question about the maintenance schedule for those former ISU dairy farm outbuildings, it was not for the purpose of assigning blame to them.

Frankly, the search for Jon would have involved a map with the Stanton party location as the center of a circle drawn by a compass, taking into account that Jon was described as being on foot, and the weather conditions--winter, cold--then a grid prepared for a systematic search. Personally, it would appear that law enforcement dropped the ball on this and ISU.

I think the maintenance people did their part in trying to find Jon.

My opinion remains: Jon's body gives the appearance of having been staged. A few posts back, the blogger who wrote about his/her maintenance worker dad stated that the boiler room was not easily accessed and the ordinary person was not going to know it was there. If Jon was disoriented, for the sake of argument, by the affects of hypothermia, would it have even been probable for him to have stumbled on to this boiler room annex? Rubbish.

Joy Foley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cbigsby said...

Heather, What's your point?

Joy Foley said...

I was going to comment that I had read back in December in the Ames Trib that the Dairy Barn was scheduled to be torn down over the winter. I had heard that the demo had been rescheduled several times due to bad weather.
*It would seem very suspect that Jon was found in a building scheduled to be demolished.* BUT...
After I looked up the original article, I saw that it was a different building on the same site that was being torn down.

Unknown said...

Heather- Jon's body was found in the Dairy Pavilion. If you look at this satellite image it is the oval-shaped building on the bottom right.
http://tinyurl.com/y46jlcg
The Ames Tribune reported that the red Dairy Barn, in the upper left corner, was scheduled to be torn down-not the Pavilion.
That would've been an interesting point had he been found in the barn though.

CyPhy said...

I have been out-of-touch and just learned that they found Jon Lacina. It is very sad. The manner in which Jon was found brings to mind Wade Steffey at Purdue.

Milliek said...

"The deconstruction was contracted out to Keith Cooper & Sons and was scheduled to begin on Monday of this week." heather I read the article as well, i was wondering if the company have keys to all of the building?

Lisa said...

Another sad story from ISU:

Police Release Name Of ISU Student Found Dead
Woman Found Dead Near Train Tracks Sunday

POSTED: 6:56 am CDT April 25, 2010
UPDATED: 5:42 pm CDT April 26, 2010

AMES, Iowa -- Police released the name Monday afternoon of an Iowa State University student found dead early Sunday morning.

Police said Raven Gileau, 19, was found dead after being hit by a train. The accident happened near the corner of 13th and Ontario streets in a grassy, wooded area near the Veenker Memorial Golf Course.

Police commander Mike Brennan said Gileau had reportedly been out drinking with friends Saturday night at a Campus Town bar. Friends told police she was ready to go home for the night and left with a male friend who was going to walk her home.

Officers said the two had walked through campus and along Hyland and were heading east on 13th street when Gileau said she couldn't walk the rest of the way. It was cold and raining at the time. Police said the friend decided to go get a car to drive her home. He told Gileau to wait under the overpass, so she was somewhat protected from the rain, but when he came back with a car she was gone.

He and friends started searching the area around 3:30 a.m. and then they called police and reported her missing. Officers helped with the search and around 5:30 a.m. found her dead near the tracks....

Police are still not sure how she ended up on the tracks. Brennan said investigators continue to talk with friends and roommates. The medical examiner is conducting an autopsy Monday, which is also expected to answer some questions police have in this case....Gileau was a sophomore studying architecture at Iowa State, friends said she had dreams of working one day in her father's architecture firm back in Virginia. Ames police said Gileau's age is another element of their investigation that could lead to charges. They're waiting for autopsy results to determine how much she had to drink.

The Union Pacific Railroad is also assisting to see if the cameras on each train may provide police with any answers in the investigation.
Police said they are looking at Union Pacific Railroad schedules to see when trains passed through the area. They said an engineer may not have realized the train hit the woman.

Unknown said...

I agree with CyPhy. This case is similar to Wade Steffey at Purdue. He was found in a campus boiler room. My son was a student there at that time. I wish both of these missing student's outcomes had been different. It is always so traumatic for the families.

Milliek said...

Lisa, I agree with you I that is a fishy story. I certainly hope that those local cops aren't that stupid to buy into it. I have more faith in Ames PD than that.
CyPhy I think that you are right they do sound eerily similar. That story doesn't make any sense either I wonder what kind of investigator they have at Purdue to come up with that sorry excuse.

Brenda said...

I used to live across the street from the Dairy Farm in Towers and next to it in the apartments near the farm. It would be very easy for someone to place his body in that bldg. There are two entrances to the farm and trees along one lane. Here is an aerial view of the farm; http://www.kcci.com/image/23161500/detail.html
The building is in the lower right hand corner. Since this farm is 1 mile in the wrong direction it is very fishy that Jon be found there. There are numerous houses and apartment buildings he could have gone to. The Towers are there as is the hockey arena and a church. I'm surprised that building hasn't fallen down on its own as it is very old and not used. The ISU Police are a very good campus police. They work closely with Ames Police and are one of the very few university police that are allowed to carry side arms. The former head of the department is actually now the Asst Chief of Police at Virginia Tech. He is the reason why ISU has such a good Police Division.

Thane said...

Brenda--

I agree with you. The location of Jon's body when found gives the appearance of being staged/placed there after his death.

Why should he be found in the opposite direction from his rooms? Jon was describe as having had one or two drinks and not drunk when he left, early, from the party on the last night he was seen alive.

Sarah Elisabeth said...

I once thought it was hypothermia...but I recently heard some information from a reliable source...and well, I'm now with everyone who says it was a murder. I think his body was placed there shortly after it happened, possibly disguised as something else. If the murderers mistakenly believed that it was the building to be demolished, and it would be easily covered up. This scares me very much.

Also...I hear that the girl that died recently on the train tracks...suspicion is that she was hit by a car, or something else happened, and she was placed there to hide an accident or something else.

Living in Ames...this is all very disconcerting and worrying. I've never seen a rise in crime like this in my life here...

Milliek said...

Yeah well this weekend a kid fell 10 foot drop into a culvert. I pray that he survives.
ISU doesn't look to be a very safe school.

Cyfan said...

Further test results reported on June 30, 2010 about Jon Lacina indicate he died of hypothermia.

It was very bitter cold all during the period of which he was missing and when a person's body temperature drops they become incoherent and can wander aimlessly. It's just so sad that someone didn't notice his actions and be able to save him as he was found several blocks from where he left the party.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/06/30/isu-student-jon-lacina-died-of-hypothermia-medical-examiner-says/

Unknown said...

I happen to know the ISU student that fell into the culvert. He is a neighbor boy. He has recovered from his head injuries & is fine. Thank goodness!

Anonymous said...

I have been following some of these cases for over 5 yrs now, and honestly I know that the whole Jacob Wetterling, particurally in Josh Guimond's case has been brought up but what about before that, these 2 cases.

Note I'm not talking about a connection to ALL of those still missing, but definitely NOT A CONNECTION to those Found in the Water, I mean like a pedophile whose gone beyond that, or something, I mean is that too far a stretch. I mean I know that part of my reasoning is based on something as ridiculous as initials but if that's some sort of weird sign or something. and I don't know what to make of Justin Gaines and Kyle Fleisher as the whole smiley-face and other similar theories where already out there and maybe those are connected to 5 yrs earlier or maybe they are just someone's twisted mind using solemn death anniversary's or dissapearances to their own twisted advantage or maybe it's bc of a new geographic location-honestly those are just my guesses, but remember atleast on the internet and partly through this site how the news spread so fast, maybe not nationally at first but way faster than anything in 2002 ever did, right? I mean it's obvious to me that Kyle Fleishman's and Justin Gain's disapearances could be connected, but for law enforcement to jump on that when it seemed like-except maybe locally in MN and Penn state? and wherever else those Oct./Nov. dissapearances(?), some maybe accidents? Not sure as I used to be on the whole river killing thing, honestly maybe that's bc I have no idea what living near a river that actually comes near land is like. I mean we have rivers here in Charleston,SC but mainly beaches, and I've been to Charlotte and Atlanta many a times, and maybe it's bc it was semi-local to me at the time those two cases broke and I was already familiar with it. But honestly I'd heard about Jacob Wetterling all my life and John Gosch's dissapearance as well and then the whole Josh Guimond, and honestly being 22 myself right now, though not male thank you, it creeps me out about the Priest situation and the "connections" there, and then this huge scandal just broke here a couple of months ago that has to deal with the citadel and the religious Catholic school here, Por De Gaugh. And it got me thinking of the John Gosch case and how close Iowa and MN are? Sorry for the long as anything blog post guys.
Haven't posted here in a long while either, just stopping by.
-Lee

Anonymous said...

Sorry here's what had me thinking about weird connections. http://forensicwriter.com/2010/06/22/doe-network-featured-cases-eugene-martin-and-john-gosch/