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Edited by: TJVNews.com
The recent deaths of two young men found in New York City’s Newtown Creek have raised suspicion and sparked theories of foul play. Fox News recently reported that John Castic, a 27-year-old senior analyst at Goldman Sachs, and Karl Clemente, a 27-year-old psychologist, both met similar fates after attending events at the Brooklyn Mirage music venue. Their deaths have left friends and family perplexed, and some believe there might be darker forces at play.
Castic was last seen outside the Brooklyn Mirage after a show by Zeds Dead. Fox News reported that surveillance footage showed him walking normally, but he did not get into a car that approached him. His body was found in the creek four days later. Similarly, Clemente was turned away from the same venue for alleged drunkenness before he was found dead in the same creek weeks earlier.
“I think there’s foul play,” Sara Kostecka, 25, of Chicago, told Fox News. She spearheaded a search effort for Castic, 27, when he disappeared early Saturday.
“None of this makes sense to any of us. We want to know what happened. This was not an accident,” Kostecka told Fox News Digital.
Another pal, William Sullivan, 31, of the East Village, agreed with Kostecha. “There might be some darker forces at play,” he said, as was reported by Fox News.
Despite the police’s initial belief that both deaths were accidental drownings, some experts and friends of the victims find it too early to draw conclusions, as was reported by Fox News. They suspect the possibility of foul play, and some online sleuths have connected the cases to the “Smiley Face Killers” theory. This theory, proposed by retired NYPD Sgt. Kevin Gannon, suggests that a gang of serial killers is responsible for hundreds of drowning deaths across the country over the last 25 years.
Castic, who is from Chicago, was recorded on surveillance video walking normally after he told friends he was ordering an Uber and left the Brooklyn Mirage, Fox News reported.
“He looks calm, cool and collected,” Kostecka told Fox News. She has known Castic for seven years and described him as “charismatic” and “super witty.”
The Smiley Face Killers allegedly target intelligent and successful young men in bars or nightclubs, drug them, and then dump their bodies in bodies of water, often leaving graffiti smiley faces as a signature, according to the Fox News report. Gannon claims that 11 bodies have been found in the Chicago River and six in Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, over the last year, but authorities have classified these deaths as accidental drownings or undetermined, the report added.
Gannon called it extremely suspicious that Clemente was last seen on video surveillance running down Metropolitan Avenue, Fox News reported.
“Why was he running?” asked Gannon. Clemente was found without his phone or wallet on him, in a section of the creek that fronts a lumberyard. “Why would these bodies be found in such secluded locations? It looks like they were taken there.”
Both deaths deserve further investigation and may even be linked to the clandestine killing machine, but it is too early to say for sure, he told Fox News.
“The group hasn’t been active in New York for a while, but they could be back,” Gannon added.
While the theory has not been substantiated by local authorities, it has captured the attention of many online investigators. Fox News reported that further investigation and examination of the autopsy and toxicology reports will be required to determine the cause of death conclusively.
“I can’t help but draw a comparison to what has happened in Chicago with these men found in the water,” said Kostecka, referring to the Smiley Face Killers theory, according to the Fox News report. “There’s something fishy going on here, and it’s not OK.”
Kostecka is not alone in her suspicion, with a deluge of online sleuths suggesting the killings are connected.
Some possibilities, apart from foul play, include the potential influence of contaminated drugs, which have become increasingly dangerous, as was reported by Fox News. Synthetic drugs, like K2 or synthetic marijuana, can induce erratic and dangerous behavior, potentially leading individuals to run or strip their clothing off. The Fox News report also indicated that given the rampant drug use concerns at the Avant Gardner event space, where the Brooklyn Mirage is located, it remains a consideration in the investigation.
Authorities are urging caution and patience in making conclusions until the full investigations are complete. Fox News reported that families of the victims, friends, and online sleuths are seeking answers and justice for their loved ones. As the mystery surrounding these deaths deepens, investigators continue to explore all possibilities to shed light on these tragic incidents.
