Hello everyone. I found this podcast after watching Unsolved Mysteries and hope to offer my insight since I’m struck by the similarities in Josh's life with my own. While I remembered his case — along with other young men around my age who went missing or drowned at the time — the latest revelations about Josh are eerily familiar.
I’m two years older than Josh, grew up in a small town in neighboring Wisconsin, accomplished political science and pre-law student at a private, Catholic university in the upper Midwest, and had ambition to run for president (not uncommon with poli sci and pre-law majors). I also questioned my sexuality, watched different types of porn, and eventually met guys online (chat, cam, then hooked up) — all of which began not long after I broke up with my long-term girlfriend.
I’ll elaborate on my experiences and theories in later posts if anyone is interested in the mindset Josh might have had, but I’m curious if @Joshua Newville or anyone else is able to answer a few questions. I work alongside law enforcement and eager to get their opinion.
They did note that some baffling or suspicious details in unsolved cases are benign and police tend to withhold certain names and clues to protect the investigation. They also frequently have contact with the suspect early on — whether they are aware of it or not — in cases of foul play. While less skilled investigators may have dismissed vital evidence or theories in the beginning, competent investigators in later stages solve even the most perplexing cases by studying victimology and patterns of behavior along with reliable evidence. They also review theories that were definitively ruled out to be sure but if they’re leaning in a specific direction, there is usually a good reason.
Were any of the monks or university staff active online and did one or more abruptly leave with or without explanation after Josh disappeared (and possibly returned months or years later)?
I know Katie and Nick doubted Josh was gay, but the friend from high school hinted otherwise. That could be suggestive editing by Unsolved Mysteries, but did any of Josh’s friends doubt or explicitly deny he was bisexual, experimenting, or questioning?
Did students have the ability to buzz open doors for visitors? Did they frequently prop open outside doors when running an errand or to let in visitors?
Did the sleeping roommate have access to or admit that he used Josh’s computer?
Did any friend or roommate admit or explicitly deny washing Josh’s computer or are we assuming they did or did not? When exactly was the program installed and used?
Did the police confirm if they have complete chats from one or more of the same users Josh purportedly had contact? Do we at least know if the data is incomplete, dated, encrypted, or otherwise not homogenous?
I don’t recall if Yahoo in 2002 notified a user when another reported them for violations. For example, an email about “please remember to follow the rules” or “your profile has been removed or suspended due to…”
@Joshua Newville
Thank you. I feel like I'm back in 2002 at times while researching this case. I'll listen to the podcast again and update my notes. Meanwhile, I have a few follow-ups:
As disturbing as the material is on BTPC, I’m careful not to conflate the pedophilia with abuse and inappropriate conduct toward adult students. Pat Marker aptly noted that if Josh was questioning his sexuality, that made him a vulnerable target of predators on campus.
Related: I'm reminded of a case in the 80s where boys were abducted and later forced to abduct other boys for a pedophile ring. Perhaps one or more of the sinister incidents involving your sources were an organized effort. I also recall a fraternity prank in the late 90s where guys were duped into proposed or simulated sexual acts or dropped off in remote areas and retrieved some time later. We never participated in such stunts but knew members of problematic frats and chapters that pushed the envelope. I'd review any relevant Life Safety reports and interview sources to eliminate or pursue the possibility of a prank that led to an accidental death.
That makes sense. My ex asked me if was gay or bi when we broke up (which I denied) and others suspected but most of my family and closest friends had no idea when I came out years later. Those of us who went to great lengths to hide our secrets during the process of self-discovery are often very effective. I believe Josh and Katie genuinely loved each other. Josh appeared loyal and mindful to not hurt or cheat on Katie, which would explain why his online behavior escalated in the months following their break up.
And by all accounts, no other person had used their key card except Josh at 11:06pm, Nick at 2:42am, and Greg after 3am?
What floor did Adam S and Greg live at Maur? Who were the other two roommates (and the one absent and one sleeping)? Do we know which roommate purported overhearing a fight between Josh and Nick?
Sorry, I must’ve missed that detail. Brian and Paul weren't tech savvy and preoccupied with the fact Josh was missing but Paul did bring up the fake IDs. I'm curious when he learned that and if he recalls a roommate or someone else present who may have used the computer afterward. Did they leave or focus on another task and maybe didn't notice? It's interesting that no one removed any embarrassing Yahoo activity or porn. That suggests the mission was targeted to something specific (e.g., the IDs). I also agree that this was more likely a few friends creating their own as many of us did at that age. How frustrating that these are still loose ends after 20 years.
That’s unfortunate. Do we know which profile(s) Josh used to cam? For what it's worth, I remember turning off or covering the lens of my web cam those times I didn't want to appear on screen so it's possible Josh did the same. By my count, we have one general account: Joshua56231 (AOL or Yahoo?), the two impersonation profiles on Yahoo, and a Hotmail webmail account. Are there others? In 2002, eHarmony and Match.com were popular dating sites and Craigslist and Manhunt were gay hookup sites and Gay.com (now defunct) was all-in-one. Did Justin or SCSO find any evidence he visited these or any other niche sites?
That was the full question (the ellipses was meant as a fill in the blank). I’d encourage SCSO to contact the FBI for assistance. They have computer forensic specialists with considerable experience and technology to recover and interpret old and encrypted data. They also have liaisons at big tech companies to facilitate FOIA requests, warrants, and subpoenas.
The complaint Josh filed may have involved criminal activity or created a potential liability for Yahoo. Presumably, they would keep the file intact beyond the standard retention period and until the statute of limitations ran out or the liability was no longer perceived. I read the Yahoo retention policy from 2008 (the earliest I could find) and it wasn’t as elaborate as today where anonymization of user data generally occurs after 18 months, chat logs/emails are purged after a few months, and other material is kept indefinitely on a case-by-case basis. Perhaps some data may still be recoverable in an archive.
AOL is now owned by Yahoo and Hotmail by Microsoft. While it's unlikely those old accounts would yield any results, archived Yahoo data and Josh's hard drive are the two most critical pieces of evidence. The FBI or a private, defense-level contractor will be the best resource to locate and interpret any data that exists but not yet found.