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In 2009, 24-year-old Navy veteran Will Hurley disappeared after attending a Boston Bruins game. He was found six days later, dead, in the Charles River. His body showed signs of blunt force trauma, and toxicology tests revealed the presence of GHB, raising suspicions about foul play.
The unsettling case soon caught the attention of retired NYPD detectives, who launched their own investigation into whether Hurley was murdered. His story is the focus of Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, Oxygen’s 2019 true-crime series. Hurley’s episode is scheduled to re-air on Thursday, September 18, 2025.
Will Hurley's murder: 5 key details explored
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1. Will Hurley was last heard from by his fiancée, Claire
Will Hurley was a Navy veteran who had settled in Boston with his fiancée, Claire Lebeau. On October 8, 2009, he attended a Boston Bruins game at TD Garden with friends, as per Oxygen. Midway through the game, however, he decided to leave early. Feeling tired, he called Claire to pick him up.
However, when Claire drove to the arena, she couldn’t find Will. During their call, she overheard him asking someone nearby where he was, and the man replied, “99 Nashua Street.” Will also mentioned that his phone battery was about to die. That was the last anyone ever heard from him.
2. Will's body was recovered
Six days later, on October 14, 2009, Will Hurley's body was discovered in the Charles River, not far from where he was last seen. While authorities initially suggested that he had drowned accidentally, the evidence pointed to something far more complicated.
An autopsy revealed injuries including blunt force trauma to his head, one eye socket, and behind his leg. His toxicology report showed traces of alcohol, though at a relatively low level. More disturbingly, it showed the presence of GHB, a powerful sedative often associated with drug-facilitated assaults, as per Oxygen. Forensic toxicologist Sabra Botch-Jones confirmed that the level of GHB in his system was well above normal.
3. Evidence suggested foul play
Surveillance footage from that night showed Will Hurley struggling to keep his balance outside TD Garden, leading police to suggest that intoxication and a fall into the water explained his death. However, forensic pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Laposata argued that Will’s injuries didn’t match what one would expect from a simple fall into the river.
Bruises beneath his eye and near his nose were likely from being struck directly. Equally suspicious was the discovery of Will’s cell phone near 99 Nashua Street. The device appeared deliberately destroyed rather than accidentally crushed.
4. The drowning theory was challenged
Underwater forensic investigator Rhonda Moniz also challenged the drowning theory. Will Hurley's body had been located upstream from his last known location, which would have been impossible given the Charles River’s current.
This detail suggested he either entered the water elsewhere or that his body had been placed in the river. According to Oxygen, law enforcement classified Will’s case as an undetermined drowning, while his family and independent investigators believe he was murdered.
5. Connection to the Smiley Face Killers
Will Hurley's death soon caught the attention of retired NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon, Michael Donovan, and Anthony Duarte, along with criminal justice professor Dr. Lee Gilbertson.
The group had been investigating the Smiley Face Killers theory, which posits that an organized network of killers targets young men, drugs them, and disposes of their bodies in rivers. Smiley face graffiti is said to appear near many of the sites, giving the theory its name.
The 2019 Oxygen docuseries Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, episode 3, revisits Will’s case, highlighting the inconsistencies and bringing new forensic perspectives to light. The episode re-airs this Thursday.
