Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice - Tommy Booth - A detailed case overview

Tommy Booth’s mysterious disappearance and death are covered on Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, season 1 episode 5, which aired on February 9, 2020. Booth’s body was found in Ridley Creek behind Bootleggers Bar in Pennsylvania.

Though his death was officially ruled an accidental drowning, discrepancies in forensic evidence fueled suspicions of foul play. Many believed his case could be linked to the alleged “Smiley Face Killers”. The episode is re-airing on Oxygen tomorrow, September 18, 2025.

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Tommy Booth’s body was discovered in Ridley Creek

24-year-old contractor Tommy Booth disappeared on the night of January 19, 2008, after attending a friend’s 21st birthday party at Bootleggers Bar in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania.

As per Oxygen, search teams scoured the surrounding area, including Ridley Creek, for two weeks to look for Booth. Finally, on February 4, 2008, Booth’s body was discovered face down in a shallow section of the creek, not far from the bar where he was last seen.

Booth’s body was found in Ridley Creek (Image via Getty)

Initially, the Delaware County Medical Examiner ruled Tommy Booth’s death a probable drowning, citing no visible trauma to his body. However, the autopsy report also included a suspicious observation. There was a drag mark in the soil above Booth’s head and torso, where he was discovered, reported Oxygen.

There were also probable shoe impressions on either side. The mark was directed upstream, against the current, suggesting Booth’s body may have been dragged by someone to the location he was found in. Ridley Township Detective Scott Willoughby argued that the mark could have been caused by water flow around the body, producing a natural sandbar-like effect, as per Oxygen.

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The drowning theory challenged

According to Oxygen, the drowning theory was further challenged when crime scene reconstruction expert Scott Roder analyzed Tommy Booth’s remains and concluded they did not exhibit the physical changes expected after two weeks in water.

Typically, a body submerged for that length of time would show signs of significant bloating and skin slippage, but Booth’s body displayed relatively mild decomposition. Even more concerning was the presence of fixed posterior lividity. Lividity occurs when blood settles after death, and its fixed position along Booth’s back suggested he had lain on a hard surface for a substantial period before being placed in the creek.

This negated the official account of him floating face down in the water for two weeks. Roder also emphasized the unusual presence of rigor mortis, which usually develops 8 to 10 hours after death and disappears within 36 hours, reported Oxygen.

The fact that Booth’s body still exhibited rigor after 14 days indicated he had not been in the creek for the entire period of his disappearance. Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht later reviewed the case and agreed with Roder’s conclusions, urging reinvestigation.

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A probable connection to the “Smiley Face Killers”

As the investigation continued, another unsettling discovery emerged. A smiley face graffiti was found near Bootleggers Bar, close to where Booth had last been seen. It was similar to the ones found in other suspected “Smiley Face Killers” sites across multiple states.

According to Oxygen, former NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon, Anthony Duarte, and Michael Donovan, who have spent years investigating mysterious drownings of young men, believed Booth fit the victim profile of the Smiley Face Killers and that he may have been one of the victims.

Booth’s mother, Barbara MacKay, has never accepted the official ruling of accidental drowning. She has tirelessly pursued answers, convinced that her son’s death involved foul play. Seeking closure, she even turned to psychic medium Tyler Henry on Hollywood Medium, who claimed that Booth communicated that he had been drugged and not in the creek for the entire two weeks he was missing.

Despite compelling evidence of anomalies, Tommy Booth’s death remains officially classified as a probable drowning. The Delaware County Medical Examiner has indicated a willingness to reconsider the findings if new evidence is revealed, and local detectives have cooperated with outside investigators to review the case.

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Tommy Booth’s case is explored on Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt For Justice, season 1 episode 5, which re-airs tomorrow on Oxygen.