Oxygen series debuts with Dakota James’ mystery death

The mysterious disappearance and drowning of Duquesne University graduate student Dakota James in 2017 is the focus of the inaugural episode of a new TV series, “Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice.”

The series, which airs at 7 p.m. Saturday on Oxygen, follows an active private investigation spearheaded by retired NYPD Detective Kevin Gannon, one of the originators of the Smiley Face Killer theory. That theory posits that a serial killer or killers may be responsible for the disappearances and drownings of scores of college-aged white men from the Northeast to the Midwest since 1997.

The series kicks off with an investigation of the circumstances of Mr. James’ case by Mr. Gannon and his team of investigators. After a night of drinking with co-workers, Mr. James, 23, disappeared from the Cultural District, Downtown, late on the night of Jan. 25, 2017. His body was recovered nearly six weeks later in the Ohio River in Robinson. He had drowned and his death was ruled an accident by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office, a determination strongly disputed by his parents, Pam and Jeff James of Frederick, Md., as well as Mr. Gannon and his team.

In fact, Mr. James’ parents, Mr. Gannon and forensic pathologist Cyril H. Wecht held a news conference Downtown last month to report that an independent examination of Mr. James’ autopsy photos

indicates he may have been strangled. Dr. Wecht and Mr. Gannon said their review of autopsy photos discovered the appearance of ligature marks that were inconsistent with a drowning death and are not postmortem injuries.

“There is no question about there being markings,” Dr. Wecht said at the news conference.

“We believe Dakota’s death to be a homicide and that he died by the actions of others,” Mr. Gannon added.

Following the news conference, Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs responded in a statement: “The cause and manner of death for Dakota James was made based on the evidence and information available to the Allegheny County Office of Medical Examiner at the time of the autopsy. To date, no other evidence or information has been provided or shown to the office, including any physical evidence that the James family has indicated they have.”

Mr. James’ parents and Mr. Gannon’s team are hopeful the medical examiner’s office will take another look at the case and change the manner of death from accidental.

Also mentioned in the first episode is the eerily similar case of Duquesne graduate Paul Kochu, 22, who went missing from the South Side in the early morning hours of Dec. 16, 2014, after a night of drinking with friends. His body was recovered in March 2015 in the Ohio River in Wheeling, W.Va. He likewise had drowned and his death was ruled as undetermined by the West Virginia Medical Examiner.

Both cases were the focus of “Three Rivers, Two Mysteries,” (https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/ threeriverstwomysteries/) the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s first serialized podcast, by staff writers Michael A. Fuoco and Ashley Murray, and of a companion print and web story.

Mr. Fuoco, host and writer of the five-part podcast, appears in the TV episode about Mr. James.

Pittsburgh police Dakota James is seen in a still from a surveillance camera video walking in Katz Plaza, Downtown, shortly before midnight Jan. 25, 2017. It was the last known sighting of Mr. James, whose body was found in the Ohio River in Robinson on March 6, 2017.

Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette A selfie taken by Dakota James was on a poster at a 2017 press conference the James family had to thank the search teams who looked for their son.