The Smiley Face Murders — Drowned College Students

Beginning in 1997, two retired NYPD detectives identified a pattern of young male college students disappearing after a night out and being found drowned in rivers across multiple US states, with smiley face graffiti found near the water's edge in several cases. The investigators believe the students — over 45 identified cases — may be victims of a loosely organized criminal network. Law enforcement agencies have generally rejected the serial killer theory, attributing most deaths to accidental drowning while intoxicated. The debate between accidental and criminal causation remains unresolved, and no suspect has ever been charged.