5 chilling details about Dakota James's case

In January 2017, 23-year-old Duquesne University graduate student Dakota James vanished after a night out in downtown Pittsburgh. Surveillance cameras captured his last moments walking through an alley, but 40 days later, his body was recovered miles away in the Ohio River.

Authorities ruled his death an accidental drowning, but his family remains convinced foul play was involved. Suspicious marks on his neck, inconsistencies in the autopsy, and the unexplained condition of his body have fueled ongoing debate.

Dakota’s case has since become part of a larger mystery tied to the controversial “Smiley Face Killers” theory, and it is covered on Oxygen's Smiley Face Killers: Hunt for Justice.

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Dakota James's case: 5 details explored

1. The disappearance of Dakota James

Dakota James, a 23-year-old graduate student at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, spent the evening of January 25, 2017, out drinking with friends along Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh. He was last seen at around 11:49 PM that night in a surveillance footage that captured him walking alone through Katz Plaza in the city’s Cultural District, as per Oxygen.

He entered an alley near Fort Duquesne Boulevard, and that was the last he was seen. Authorities later theorized that Dakota James crossed the boulevard, descended steps near the Clemente Bridge, and accidentally fell into the Allegheny river. However, from the beginning, Dakota’s parents, Jeff and Pamela James, were skeptical about this theory and believed their son had been abducted.

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2. Dakota's body was recovered

Five days after Dakota disappeared, the police officially accepted the missing persons report. During that time, his parents temporarily relocated from Maryland to Pittsburgh to organize searches and raise awareness. Forty days after his disappearance, on March 6, 2017, Dakota’s body was discovered in the Ohio River near the Interstate 79 bridge over Neville Island, roughly 10 miles from where he was last seen.

According to CBS, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled his death an accidental drowning, citing cold water shock as a likely cause. However, forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, who later reviewed the findings, noted the body showed little external or internal decomposition and almost no sign of any external injury. This raised doubts about whether Dakota had drowned six weeks ago and passed through the turbulent waters and dam systems along the river.

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3. Inconsistencies in the autopsy report

Dakota's case covered on Oxygen (Image via Getty)

There were no scratches on Dakota’s face or hands, which was unusual for someone who might have struggled in the water. Investigators also noted blood pooled in his fingertips, which Dr. Wecht suggested could be consistent with attempting to remove a ligature from around his neck. Most significantly, photographs from the autopsy appeared to show distinct marks on the back of Dakota’s neck.

The evidence strongly pointed towards a ligature strangulation. However, the medical examiner’s office maintained that the marks were dried blood that washed away during the autopsy and were not evidence of strangulation. This further deepened doubts about how dried blood could remain after 40 days in a river but then wash off during examination.

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4. The link to the Smiley Face Killers Theory

Dakota’s case attracted the attention of retired NYPD detective Kevin Gannon and his team, who were investigating a series of young men across the country found dead in rivers after nights out. Dubbed the “Smiley Face Killers” due to graffiti often located near recovery sites, the theory suggests that an organized group drugs abducts, and kills their victims before dumping them in waterways.

Gannon believed that Dakota James fit the pattern of their victim as he was a college-aged athletic male who had been recovered from the river under suspicious circumstances.

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5. Dakota's case remains open

Despite pressure from his family and independent investigators, Dakota’s case remains officially classified as an accidental drowning. District Attorney Zappala has acknowledged the case as an open homicide file but not an active investigation, leaving further progress dependent on new evidence or a change in the medical examiner’s conclusions.

Moreover, Dakota James was cremated, making reexamination of his body impossible. For his family and well-wishers, the suspicious marks on Dakota’s neck, the lack of decomposition, and the condition his body was found in suggest foul play.

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Catch all about Dakota James's case on Oxygen's Smiley Face Killers: Hunt for Justice, which re-airs tomorrow, September 17, 2025.

Edited by Sneha Haldar