'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQG/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAw9YIf//EAB4QAAIDAAEFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFAAYHERNC/9oACAEBAAE/AMXrLepXoXpbN+GJmHvAl8l04nc3TCKJNW0z/RFePn//xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABABIh/9oACAECAQE/AKhhP//EABYRAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACIv/aAAgBAwEBPwBaP//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice aired its episode investigating Tommy Booth’s mysterious death on February 9, 2020. Booth’s body was found in Ridley Creek behind Bootleggers Bar in Pennsylvania two weeks after he disappeared, on January 19, 2008.
Though his death was officially ruled an accidental drowning, forensic anomalies disputed medical findings, and the discovery of a smiley face graffiti nearby fueled suspicions of foul play. Independent investigators believed his case could be linked to the alleged “Smiley Face Killers,” a group thought to target young men. The episode is re-airing on Oxygen tomorrow, September 19, 2025.
Tommy Booth’s death: 5 key details explored
1) Tommy Booth was discovered two weeks after he disappeared
Trending
On January 19, 2008, 24-year-old contractor Tommy Booth vanished after attending the birthday party of a friend at Bootleggers Bar in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania.
For two weeks, authorities combed the surrounding area, including Ridley Creek, which runs directly behind the bar. Finally, on February 4, 2008, his body was discovered face down in a shallow section of the creek, near the bar where he was last seen alive, as per Oxygen.
2) The evidence from the death scene hinted at foul play
The Delaware County Medical Examiner concluded that Tommy Booth’s death was caused by probable drowning since there were no signs of external trauma to the body. However, the details of the scene complicated this conclusion. Investigators documented a curious drag mark in the soil near Booth’s body, accompanied by what appeared to be shoe impressions on either side of it, according to Oxygen.
The mark ran upstream against the current, suggesting Booth’s body may have been dragged into position. With this detail, Ridley Township Detective Scott Willoughby proposed an alternative explanation. He said that the mark could have been caused by water flowing around Booth’s body, producing a sandbar effect.
3) There were multiple forensic inconsistencies in the case
As the case developed, experts highlighted several forensic inconsistencies that challenged the drowning narrative. Crime scene reconstruction specialist Scott Roder noted that the body did not display the typical signs of being submerged for 14 days, like excessive bloating and skin slippage, reported Oxygen.
More striking was the presence of fixed posterior lividity, which indicated that he had lain face up on a hard surface for an extended period. This finding contradicted the idea that Booth had floated face down in a creek for 14 days. It was also noted that his body exhibited rigor mortis, which sets in roughly 8 to 10 hours after death and generally subsides within 36 hours. This implied that he had not been dead in the water for the entire period.
4) A connection to the Smiley Face Killers was drawn
Moreover, to add to everything, a smiley face graffiti was discovered near Bootleggers Bar, close to where Booth had last been seen. This symbol had been documented in numerous cases across multiple states, and some investigators linked it to the “Smiley Face Killers,” as per Oxygen.
Former NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon, Anthony Duarte, and Michael Donovan, along with criminal justice professor Dr. Lee Gilbertson, who have been investigating a series of mysterious drownings of young men since the 1997 death of Patrick McNeill in New York City, believed Booth’s case fit the same disturbing pattern of the Smiley Face Killers.
5) Authorities remain open to reinvestigating Tommy Booth’s case
Tommy Booth’s mother, Barbara MacKay, never accepted the official ruling that her son’s death was an accident. She has campaigned for reinvestigation, convinced that foul play was involved. In her search for answers, she even turned to celebrity medium Tyler Henry on Hollywood Medium.
During their session, Henry suggested that Booth communicated that he had been drugged and had not been in the creek for the full two weeks he was missing. While officially, Booth’s death remains classified as drowning, the Delaware County Medical Examiner has expressed a willingness to review the conclusion should new evidence emerge. The Ridley Township police have also cooperated with outside investigators in this case.
Catch all about Tommy Booth’s case on Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt For Justice, season 1 episode 5, which re-airs tomorrow on Oxygen.
