A man missing for nearly a week was pulled from the Chicago River on Sunday, becoming the 16th person to be found in the Windy City’s waterways in the past year and a half.
The disturbing pattern of people appearing in both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan has led a former FBI agent to believe a serial killer may be on the loose.
Noah Enos, a 26-year-old, was spotted in the river on June 17, five days after he was last seen at a music venue called The Salt Shed. The Chicago River was about a block from where he’d disappeared.
Authorities have not released a cause of death and his family hopes to “find justice for Noah” as they believe he was murdered.
Nicole Wijs, Enos’ girlfriend, said at a vigil for him on Friday: “I know Noah wasn’t the first to go missing and be found in the river and I really hope he won’t be the last.”
Noah Enos, a 26-year-old, was spotted in the river on June 17, five days after he was last seen at a music venue called The Salt Shed. The Chicago River was about a block from where he’d disappeared
At least three of the 16 people found drowned since early 2022 have been reported as accidents, but only one has been ruled a suicide, while 13 others are either unsolved or pending.
Chicago police have yet to comment on whether they think the 16 bodies found are linked, but former FBI agent Tracy Wilder told the New York Post she believes it could be a serial killer.
“There are too many coincidences,” said Walder, who also previously worked for the CIA.
“In a case like this, there are so many similar patterns across the board.” [so] “It’s not just a coincidence anymore,” she added, citing how far the bodies have been recovered from where they were reported missing and the instances of “accidental” drownings.
In Wilder’s opinion, dumping a body in the river is a perfect crime because “forensic evidence will largely not exist.”
Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD officer and professor of criminal justice at John Jay College, told the Post he wasn’t so sure.
“Social media seems to fuel a lot of these conspiracy theories, but investigators have to tune out all of that and just do what they’re supposed to do,” he said.
However, he added, “I come from a school where you treat any death like a murder until proven otherwise because you don’t get a second chance.”
Authorities have not released a cause of death and his family hopes to “find justice for Noah” as they believe he was murdered
Nicole Wijs (pictured right), Enos’ girlfriend, said at a vigil, “I know Noah wasn’t the first to go missing and be found in the river and I certainly don’t hope he’s the last.” on Friday
The disturbing pattern of people appearing in both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan has led a former FBI agent to believe a serial killer may be on the loose
At least 16 people have been found in the Windy City’s waterways in the past year and a half
In late 2022, Q98.5 reported that the Chicago Police Department and the FBI were working together to get to the bottom of the matter.
Chicago led the country with the highest homicide rate of any city for the 11th straight year in 2022, according to a report released earlier this year.
Chicago had a total of 697 homicides in 2022, more than Philadelphia (516), New York City (438), Houston (435), and Los Angeles (382).
The last time Chicago had fewer than 400 homicides was in 1965.
Crime remains a major problem for the Windy City, with a shocking 35 percent increase in crime from last year’s already high numbers.
Chicago police have yet to say whether they think the 16 bodies found are linked, but former FBI agent Tracy Wilder believes they could be a serial killer
Crime remains a major problem for the Windy City, with a shocking 40 percent increase in crime from last year’s already high numbers
Almost all crime has increased in Chicago since the same time in 2022.
Rape is up 2 percent, robbery is up 32 percent, and aggravated assault is up 4 percent.
In the Windswept City, the number of thefts is up six percent, and vehicle thefts in particular are up 135 percent since last week, according to the city’s own statistics.
The 16 people spotted in Chicago’s waterways since early 2022
Kathleen Martin, March 2022 – Cause: Drowning
Unknown man, April 2022 – Reason: Not available
Unknown woman, April 2022. Reason: Not available
Unknown woman, May 2023 – Cause: Not available
Yuet Tsang, April 2022: Cause: Drowning
Karina Pena Alanis, April 2022. Cause: Suicide
Natally Brookson, May 2022. Cause: Undetermined
Daniel Sotelo, May 2022. Cause: drowning
Hayward Brown, June 2022. Cause: Accidental drowning
Peter Salvino, December 2022. Cause: Accidental drowning
Krzysztof Szubert, December 2022. Cause: Accidental drowning
Anthony Rucker, February 2023. Cause: Suicide
Joel Orduno, March 2023. Cause: Drowning
Seamus Gray, April 2023. Cause: Drowning
Richard Garcia, April 2023. Cause: Pending
Noah Enos, June 2023 – Cause: Pending