Who Killed 40 White Males? 08-05-01 Detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte have been tracking the suspicious drowning deaths of young men across the country ever since they investigated the death of college student who drowned in New York City in 1997. In city after city, the detectives found a smiley face painted somewhere at the crime scene. A spray-painted smiley face with a taunting grin could be the disturbing signature of a nationwide network of killers who target promising college students. The chilling symbol has been found at at least 12 sites where young men fitting a distinct profile have been drowned in incidents that were ruled accidents. Found by two retired NYPD cops, the link could be evidence that at least 40 men in 11 states were victims of a syndicate of serial killers. Four area students were among the victims - all found floating in New York City waters more than a decade ago. In every case, the victim has been a 19-to-23-year-old white male with high academic achievement and active in competitive sports, said Gannon. "I believe we're looking at an organized group that has a hierarchy and is involved in murder and other criminal activity," retired NYPD Sgt. Kevin Gannon said Monday, noting that some of the deaths in different cities occurred on the same day. read the rest of the story comments in the forum Source: nydailynews.com