The true story behind Tommy Booth's death ahead of Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice

Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice examines the mysterious death of 24-year-old Tommy Booth, whose body was discovered in Ridley Creek behind Bootleggers Bar in Pennsylvania two weeks after he went missing.

While his death was officially ruled as accidental drowning, lingering inconsistencies, disputed forensic findings, and the discovery of symbolic graffiti raised suspicions of foul play.

Investigators and Booth’s family believe his case may be linked to the alleged “Smiley Face Killers,” a group of unknown assailants accused of targeting young men and staging their deaths as accidents. The episode originally aired on February 9, 2020, and is re-airing tomorrow, September 19, 2025, on Oxygen.

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Tommy Booth’s body was found in Ridley Creek

On January 19, 2008, 24-year-old contractor Tommy Booth vanished after attending a friend’s 21st birthday party at Bootleggers Bar in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania. Two weeks later, his body was discovered face down in a shallow section of Ridley Creek, directly behind the same bar where he was last seen alive.

As per Oxygen, Tommy Booth’s body was recovered after search teams had canvassed the creek repeatedly in the days following his disappearance. The Delaware County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as probable drowning, citing no visible trauma. However, the investigators reported noting a suspicious drag mark in the soil where Booth’s body was found, with possible shoe impressions on either side.

The mark was oriented upstream against the current, suggesting Booth may have been dragged into position by an unknown individual. Ridley Township Detective Scott Willoughby suggested that the drag mark could have been caused by water flow.

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The inconsistency in forensic evidence

Other forensic anomalies complicated the drowning narrative. Crime scene reconstruction expert Scott Roder argued that Booth’s body did not show signs consistent with 14 days in water, such as advanced bloating or skin slippage, as per Oxygen.

Instead, Booth exhibited fixed posterior lividity, the blood pooling consistent with lying on his back on a hard surface after death. This would be unlikely if he had floated face down in a creek.

Roder also highlighted the presence of rigor mortis in Booth’s remains, which typically sets in within 8 to 10 hours after death and subsides within 36 hours. Its presence after two weeks suggested Booth had not been in the creek the entire time.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, who was brought in to review the case, also deemed the rigor mortis finding suspicious and came to the same conclusion, declaring that Booth’s death warranted re-examination, as per the outlet.

Tommy Booth’s body was recovered (Image via Getty)

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The connection to the Smiley Face Killer

Adding to the mystery, a smiley face graffiti was discovered near the bar where Tommy Booth was last seen. Similar markings have been documented at numerous suspected Smiley Face Killer sites across multiple states, as reported by Oxygen.

Former NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon, Anthony Duarte, and Michael Donovan, who have investigated suspicious drownings of young men since the 1997 death of Patrick McNeill, believed that Booth fitted the victim profile.

Their theory suggested that a group of perpetrators targeted college-aged men, drugged them with substances such as GHB, and disposed of their bodies in waterways, often leaving a painted smiley face as a signature near the crime site.

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Current status of Booth’s case

Tommy Booth’s mother, Barbara MacKay, has long maintained that her son’s death was not an accident. She has pushed tirelessly for reinvestigation and closure. During an appearance on Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry, MacKay sought psychic insight. Henry reported that Booth communicated feelings of being drugged, difficulty walking, and not being in the creek for the entire duration of his disappearance.

Though officially classified as a probable drowning, Booth’s case remains the subject of independent inquiry. The Delaware County Medical Examiner has expressed willingness to reconsider the findings if new evidence emerges. Local detectives have also cooperated with outside investigators to reexamine the case.

While no suspects were identified and no homicide ruling issued, forensic inconsistencies and the presence of symbolic graffiti continue to raise doubts about what really happened to Booth.

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