Commonalities & Bios

The cases of the deceased young men all share the following commonalities

Caucasian male between the ages of 18-27
Lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana or Chicago (basically the extended area surrounding Lake Michigan from Minneapolis, MN to Lansing, MI)
All but one were students or had recently graduated
Most were high-achieving
Most were in good physical condition or athletes
Last seen out drinking with friends or at a party
Were under the influence of alcohol
Became separated from friends they started the evening with
All disappeared between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Were reported missing by friends or family
The closed cases were all determined to be accidental drowning or possible suicide.
All but two of those found drowned were found in the Mississippi River, Red Cedar River or Lake Michigan
All disappeared between the months of September and April.

There is no attempt to assert or insist that these cases are related. But the similarity in the cases does seem to raise some questions about why so many seem to be in this region and IF any of them are related.

The above info was provided by Deb Stone.

Commonalities in the most recent cases

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Bios

Luke was out with his friends in downtown La Crosse -- drinking and celebrating the community's "Oktoberfest." The last time anyone saw him was early on Saturday morning, September 30. After that, the 6' 4'' athlete disappeared.

Scot Radel
Missing; 02/02/2006
St Cloud Minn
Located: 03/01/06
Mississippi River
Cause of Death: Drowning

Scot was a St. Cloud State University student

Radel was supposed to meet his roommates at the Press Bar and was asking them for directions, police said.
Radel told his roommates he had left McRudy's Bar and Pub and could see the Paramount sign and a bank from where he was standing at the time of the call.
Roommates said Radel did not show up at the bar,

Jared Dion

Missing: April 9, 2004  

LaCrosse WI  

FOUND: April 15, 2004   Mississippi   River                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Cause of death: Drowning  

Friends of Jared P. Dion, 21, last saw him outside a tavern in downtown La Crosse at about 2:30 a.m.  Dion’s friends prepared to board a bus early Saturday to return to the UW-La Crosse campus.  "His friend got on the bus and when he looked back, Jared was nowhere to be found. "

His body was recovered April 15, 2004 in the Mississippi River.

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Eric Blair Blair and his friends had been drinking before they got separated around 12:30 a.m. Saturday near the Michigan
MISSING: 10/20/01
East Lansing, MI
FOUND: 10/23/01
Red Cedar River

Cause of death: Drowning

Blair and his friends had been drinking before they got separated around 12:30 a.m. Saturday near the Michigan State University campus. The Delta College student from Bay City had been walking with the group on River Street near Water's Edge Drive when the group bumped into some other friends from Central Michigan University. After talking for a while, they noticed that Blair was gone. The group, MSU students, looked for Blair for about an hour before heading back to their dorms to go to bed, she said.

On October 23,2001 police  recovered his body  from the Red Cedar River. Blair drowned, the Bingham County Medical Examiner's Office said.

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Charles Blatz: No Photo,

MISSING: 9/22/97  La Crosse, WI 

FOUND: 10/3/97    Mississippi River

Cause of death: Drowning

Charles Blatz, 28, a student at UW-Platteville came to La Crosse with a
friend for the city's Oktoberfest celebration when he disappeared Oct.2,1997. The friend told police Blatz "appeared to be in good spirits" the last time he saw him.

Blatz's badly mutilated body - his skull was fractured and he was
missing an arm - was found the next day floating in the main channel of the Mississippi.  Blatz had a blood-alcohol content of 0.31.

According to a medical examiner's report, the injuries most likely occurred after the victim was dead since there was no tissue
hemorrhaging to suggest trauma while he was alive. Cause of death drowning

"Chuck was a very strong swimmer, and he was physically fit and he was
intelligent about the water," Barry Blatz said. "We just can't seem him
doing anything stupid. We try to tell ourselves it was an accident, but
the thought of foul play is still there."  Journal-Sentinel newspaper
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Craig Burrows:

MISSING: 9/29/02
Eau Claire, WI
FOUND: 10/6/02
Half Moon Lake

Cause of Death: Drowning

The Eau Claire man was last seen Sept. 29 at a tavern and later was reported missing after he did not report to work  An autopsy found that 23-year-old Craig Burrows accidentally drowned. Investigators believe alcohol played a role in Burrows' death

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Ken Christiansen:

MISSING: 4/13/01
Duluth, MN
FOUND: 4/16/01
Chester Creek

This case I question rather it truly belongs here.

Cause of Death: Hypothermia

Christiansen disappeared about 3 a.m. March 13 while walking with a  friend.  April 16, after having been missing for three days, he was found dead. The cause was hypothermia.

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Jeff Geesey: No Photo

MISSING: 4/13/99 La Crosse, WI

FOUND: 5/24/99 Mississippi River

Cause of Death: Drowning student

h young man in a
Jeff Geesey, a student at UW-La Crosse, he was the fifth young man in a 25-month stretch to turn up dead in a backwater of the same river.
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Ryan Getz:

MISSING: 10/31/97
East Lansing, MI
FOUND: 4/18/98

Cause of death: Drowning

The 21-year-old Lapeer man was last seen at Cedar Village apartments on Dec. 31. He was reported missing after he didn’t show up for his family’s New Year’s Day dinner. His body was discovered about 12:30 p.m. in the river behind the Riverside Apartments, in the 1300 block of East Grand River Avenue, by East Lansing.

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Nathan Herr:

Cause of Death: Drowning

MISSING: 1/10/03 Sheboygan, WI

FOUND: 3/15/03 Lake Michigan

Cause of Death: Drowning

He was last seen 1/10/03  when he and a friend parted ways at Fountain Park while walking home from a tavern.
A search was being run out of the Fountain Park United Methodist Church near the park Herr was last seen.

Nathan's body was found  washed up along the Lake Michigan shore. Sheboygan County coroner says it appears a 21-year-old

The Sheboygan man died from drowning. The coroner says the exact cause of Nathan Herr's death is still undetermined. Toxicology tests are still being done.

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Christopher Jenkins: 

MISSING: 10/31/02 Minneapolis, MN

 FOUND: 2/27/03   Mississippi River

Cause of Death: Drowning  Chris's death certificate reads Cause of Death: Apparent Drowning
Manner of Death: Undetermined.
.

Jenkins vanished on Halloween night, kicked out of the Lone Tree bar in Downtown Minneapolis. His  body  was found floating n on a stretch of the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.

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Nathan Kapfer:
MISSING: 2/22/98
La Crosse, WI
FOUND: 4/4/98
Mississippi River

Cause of Death: Drowning

Friends reported Kapfer missing on Feb. 22, 1998, just hours after he was arrested and released by La Crosse police. He was last seen walking along a downtown street, his pockets stuffed with citations for using false identification to enter a bar, underage drinking and disorderly conduct.
Investigators ruled Kapfer's death a drowning, possibly a suicide. He was the fourth young man to drown in a backwater of the
Mississippi River in less than two years, but police didn't suspect foul play.

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Glen Leadley:
MISSING: 2/8/03 Chicago, IL

 FOUND: 2/23/03   Lake Michigan

Cause of Death: Drowning
Leadley apparently disappeared after meeting friends for drinks at an apartment in the 14-hundred block of North Lake Shore Drive.
His father, Gary Leadley, says his son allegedly told friends he wasn't feeling well and was leaving to catch a cab.
Chicago police  found the body of a missing 23-year-old Lincoln Park man who vanished two weeks ago, after a party on the Gold Coast. A jogger apparently spotted his body along the shore of Lake Michigan. A wallet and other documents appear to confirm Glen Leadley's identity.

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Michael Noll:

Cause of Death: Drowning

Michael Noll: A 22 year old Minnesotan who disappeared Nov. 6 when he left an Eau Claire, Wisconsin, bar just before midnight after celebrating his birthday. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student was last seen "highly intoxicated" by an elderly woman who said he mistakenly walked into her house near the Chippewa River, then left.

The body of Michael Noll was found in a lake on the west side of the city. Police said someone spotted the body of Michael Noll, 22, protruding through thin ice on Half Moon Lake.

Autopsy results confirm a body found in an Eau Claire lake is that of a missing university student. Eau Claire Deputy Chief Gary Foster said Wednesday there are no signs of trauma to the body of Michael Noll, 22, and that the cause of death was drowning.
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Christopher Nordby:
MISSING: 11/7/01 Minneapolis, MN

FOUND: 2/11/02 Mississippi River

Cause of Death: Drowning

Nordby was a former University student last registered in spring 2000. Minneapolis police had been investigating his disappearance since Nov. 7 after Nordby's father, Hennepin County District Judge Jack Nordby, reported his son missing.
His Body  was found in the Mississippi River, near the Washington Avenue Bridge.

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Chad Sharon:

MISSING: 12/12/02 South Bend, IN

FOUND: 2/12/02   St Joseph River

Cause of Death: Drowning

Chad S. Sharon, 18, a freshman from Pelican Lake, Wis., had been missing since Dec. 12.
Friends told university officials that Sharon was last seen about 2 a.m. Dec. 12 at an off-campus party.

Chad's body was recovered from the St. Joseph River near the Angela Street bridge and North Shore Avenue in South Bend.

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Anthony Skifton; No Photo

MISSING: 10/10/97 La Crosse, WI

FOUND: 10/20/97 Mississippi River

Cause of Death: Drowning

Anthony Skifton, 19, was the third person found in the river. His blood-alcohol level was 0.23. Several hours after he was last seen by
friends.

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Brian Welzien: No Photo

MISSING: 1/1/00 Chicago, IL

FOUND: 3/17/00  Lake Michigan

Cause of Death: Drowning

Welzien, a 21-year-old finance student with a 3.8 grade-point average at Northern Illinois University, vanished early Jan. 1 after celebrating New Year's at a bar in Lincoln Park and being dropped off by a friend in front of a Gold Coast hotel.
Welzien's  body was found by someone strolling on a Gary beach some 25 miles from downtown Chicago, where he celebrated New Year's with some friends.

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If you have any information on Morgan White or Dale Sheilds please contact me  Child Seek
 

Although the following remain missing the possibility that he may be found in the same manner as the previous is frightening. If you have any information please contact your Law Enforcement Officials.

Josh Guimond:

Josh Guimond, 20, is a junior political science major from Maple Lake, Minn. He was reported missing after he failed to show up for a mock trial meeting. Guimond was last seen about midnight Saturday as he left a party at Metten Court to walk back to his room at St. Maur House, school officials said.

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Adam Falcon:

Adam Falcon 20, St. Lawrence University soccer player was last seen at the "Tick Tock Inn" very early on the morning of November 13, 2004. He was reported missing after he failed to show up for a Saturday soccer game. Then on November 18th, his body was located in the Grasse River in St Lawrence County. Cause of Death "asphyxiation due to drowning and hypothermia

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Chris Olberding :

Chris Olberding was 18 years old.  He was a freshman at University of Cincinnati . He disappeared  October 2, 2004, After he'd left a party in Green Township. October 6, barge workers spotted a body in the Ohio river near Anderson Ferry. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office would later confirm it was Chris Olberding. The official coroner's cause of death was drowning."

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MISSING: MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS "003 used by permission"
"c.dave janssen 2003 used by permission"
 

MISSING: MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS c. Dave Janssen 2003 email: damfunny@juno.com

LAST UPDATE: 2003-May-18 Chicago, Illinois, USA

This table shows the known cases of missing male college students since 1990. Unless otherwise noted, these circumstances were involved:

1. White male over age of 17 or over.
2. Disappeared after night of drinking alcohol with friends at tavern-bar-party.
3. Disappeared near university campus.
4. Last seen walking-staggering outside of tavern-bar-party.
5. Victim's body, if found, located in water--river, lake, canal, etc.
6. Victim's body, if found, had no signs of strangulation-gunshot-stab or other sign of foul play.

1.  

   photo	status	date missing	name	age	school	city	st	disappearance circumstances	location where body found
   	found deceased	4/09/.2004	Jared Dion	21	UW-La Crosse	LaCrosses	WI	disappeared after leaving a bar with friends	Mississippi River
   	(MISSING)	2003-04-26	MATT, Ryan	21		Biddeford	ME	wandered away from a party at a home at 82 Mile Stretch Road late Saturday night	found deceasedd drown
   	found dead in car	2003-04-05	KLINE, Michael P.	24	n/a	Youngstown	OH	wife said he was driving to bar near his home in youngstown	found 55 miles east in Rockland, PA in his car, remote area next to Allegheny River
   	drowned	2003-03-16	DAVERIO, John Professor	48	Boston University	Boston	MA	left campus office 8:30 pm Sunday. oldest victim; slight build. drinking not involved.	charles river
   	drowned	2002-03-03	McNELIS, Brendan	20	Queensborough Community College	Binghamton	NY	disappeared from the Phi Iota Alpha fraternity party at the American Legion Post in Binghamton, NY where his girlfriend is a student	Susquehanna River
   	drowned	2003-02-28	HOUK, Jeremy	18	Tulane Univ	New Orleans	LA	Last seen leaving frat party betw. midnight-2am, may have passed out on streetcar and gotten off at st. charles & jackson, 1 mile south of superdome	body found in mississippi river at 3rd street, 1 mile south of st.charles & jackson
   	drowned	2003-02-08	LEADLEY, Glen	23	MSU grad imoved to chicago for 1st job	Chicago	IL	left party at 1400 n. lake shore drive at 10:30 pm--may have gotten in cab?	found across the street in lake michigan
   	drowned	2003-01-20	STIENKEOWAY,Jeremy	24	n/a	Lakeville	MN	last seen at grand casino in hinkley, mn. his car found several days later near grantsburg, wisc.	st. croix river, 2-1/4 miles s. of car
   	drowned	2003-01-10	HERR, Nathan	21	n/a landscaper	Sheboygan	WI	drinking at bar near college	Lake Michigan, 2 miles south of area where last seen
   	drowned	2002-12-19	KINTER, David A.	40	n/a	Grand River	OH	last seen in bar in grand river (e. of cleveland)	found 25 miles east of grand river, in lake erie. saybrook township park
   	drowned	2002-12-10	DANTZLER-WOLFE, David	22?	Wharton	Philadelphia	PA	last seen on campus. no sign of drinking? non caucasion.. was wearing hooded sweatshirt	south street bridge, in schuykill river downtown philadelphia
   	drowned	2002-12-02	SHARON, Chad	18	Notre Dame	South Bend	IN	last seen by hosp. security guard outside of hospital approx 4am; disappeared week before finals. chad was straight-A student on full academic scholarship.,	St. Joseph river
   	(MISSING)	2002-11-09	GUIMOND, Josh	20	St. Johns Univ.	Collegeville	MN	left card party on campus-- disappeared while walking to dorm
   	drowned	2002-11-06	NOLL, Michael	22	UW- Eau Claire	Eau Claire	WI	celebrating 22nd birthday--last seen leaving Nasty Habit tavern.	Half Moon Lake
   	drowned	2002-10-31	JENKINS, Chris	21	Univ Minnesota	Minneapolis	MN	last seen leaving Lone Tree Bar and Grill. wearing halloween costume.	Mississippi River
   	drowned	2002-10-28	LEE, Tim	34	Theatre director and editor of Lavender Magazine	Minneapolis	MN	last seen lday after eaving hospital	Mississippi River
   	drowned	2002-09-29	BURROWS, Craig	23	??	Eau Claire	WI	Last seen leaving bar	Half Moon Lake
   	drowned	2002-04-xx	PAPANDREOU, Albert	32?	NIU - Dekalb, IL	Chicago	IL	took greyhound bus to chicago to vist friends on spring break	found in Lake Michigan at 1200 north Lake Shore Drive
   	drowned	2002-03-15	LANGLOIS, Scott	36	n/a	Sheboygan	WI	Last seen leaving bar	Sheboygan River, opposite US Coast Guard station
   	drowned	2002-01-xx	CHANG, Hyun Je	28	former UWGB; just enrolled at UW-madison	Madison	WI	unknown - not know if drinking involved. non caucasion. family in korea, long delay in filing missing person report.	found ONE YEAR LATER, found in Lake Mendota Jan. 24 2003, near Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison by police dive team during routine practice
   	drowned	2001-11-07	NORDBY, Christopher	27	n/a	Minneapolis	MN	last seen in warehouse district in downtown minneapolis	Mississippi River
   	drowned	2001-10-20	BLAIR, Eric James	18	Delta College student; at MSU at time of disappearance	E. Lansing	MI	separated from friends while walking near river edge near water's edge drive	Red Cedar River
   	drowned	2001-04-13	CHRISTIANSEN, Ken	19	UM-Duluth	Duluth	MN	last seen with friend Zach Serre after both left rugby party - headed to Serre's home	in ravine Chester Creek; found 3 days later. may be hypothermia, not drowning
   	(MISSING)	2001-03-11	ROWE, James	31	n/a	Chicago	IL	last seen leaving Different Strokes gay bar 4923 n. clark
   	drowned	2001-03-10	HAYDUK, Justin	18	U. of Pittsburg, but taking break in Morgantown WV	Morgantown	WV	while on spring break from Pitt, ran from police when police stopped van in which he and friend were driving.	found in the Monogahela River in WV
   	drowned	2000-01-01	WELZIEN, Brian	21	NIU Northern Illinois Univ. in Dekalb,IL	Chicago	IL	Last seen outside Omni Ambassador East Hotel 1201 n. state street--new year's eve 1999-2000	Lake Michigan near gary, indiana shore - 77days later and 18 miles from hotel
   	drowned	1999-12-30	TONG, Leon Eli "Zach"	21	n/a	Cary	IL	last seen leaving bowling alley after night of drinking	Fox River
   	drowned	1999-04-13	GEESEY, Jeff	21	UW- LaCrosee	LaCrosse	WI	last seen in bar	Mississippi River
   	drowned	1998-04-25	NOBLE, Keith	18	Ohio University	Athens	OH	last seen at a party at 171 W. Washington St., Athens, about 1:10 a.m. Saturday, April 25	found in the Hocking River about 200 yards south of the White's Mill dam
   	drowned	1998-03-07	HOHEISEL, Trevor	27	former U of Minnesota	Chicago	IL	trevor and friend Brian Erickson travelled to chicago to attend Minnesota Gopher basketball playoff. after game, went to Dick's Last Resort and met friends. fell into chicago river.	Chicago River, several hundred yards from lake michigan.
   	drowned	1998-02-22	KAPFER, Nathan	20	Viterbo	LaCrosse	WI	ticketed by police for underage drinking night of disappearance	Mississippi River
   	drowned	1997-12-31	GETZ, Ryan	21	former MSU, registered at Kettering Univ (Flint)	E.Lansing	MI	celebrating new years eve - may have been in fight. last seen in Cedar Village apartment complex, next to Red Cedar River	Red Cedar River
   	drowned	1997-12-31	ANDREWS, Lawrence R. Jr.	22	?	NYC	NY	with friends from brewster, ny in times square celebrating new years eve; last seen leaving bar on "hospitably cold night" says nytimes	bay ridge pier brooklyn
   	drowned	1997-12-15	MARTIN, Greg	23?	Penn State	North Naples	FL	a senior in park management at PSU, he was serving an internship at a country club. last seen drinking at a local bar.	found 5 days later in pond North Naples FL
   	drowned	1997-10-10	SKIFTON, Anthony	19	?	LaCrosse	WI	?	Mississippi River
   	drowned	1997-09-22	BLATZ, Charles	27	?	LaCrosse	WI	?	Mississippi River
   	drowned	1997-02-16	MCNIELL, Patrick	21	Forham	NYC	NY	last seen leaving bar on upper east side of manhattan	bay ridge pier brooklyn
   	drowned	1994-03-xx	WHITE, Morgan	19	from London, attending MSU	E.Lansing	MI	last seen passed out in parking lot after night of drinking. friends left after unable to wake him	Red Cedar River
   	drowned	1990-11-18	SHIELDS, Dale	?	?	E.Lansing	MI	?	Red Cedar River

    

How

 How could all these strong, healthy young men end up drowning victims? Is it a coincidence? Many of the deceased had been drinking, either at a party or a local bar. They appeared noticeably intoxicated.

Michael Noll was so confused at the time he left the bar where he had been celebrating his birthday he entered the home of a elderly women.

Could these young men have been drugged? Could someone at the party or bar have slipped something into their drinks. It would account for their apparent intoxication and Michael Noll's confusion. 

A commonly used drug is showing up more and more in clubs across the nation. It has been labeled the date rape drug. Read more on this drug and how it could account for these young men being over come by a stranger and drowned.

Rohypnol

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