Divers search river for David Breunig, 21 and missing in Maine

Divers and dogs will resume the search today for David Breunig (below) who went missing in Orono Maine late Friday night.

The 21-year-old attends the Maine Maritime Academy. Authorities began looking for him less than 24 hours after he vanished from a residence in the Crosby Street neighborhood.

Yesterday, they probed the area where the Stillwater River and the Penobscot converge, after officers of the Maine Forest Service performed aerial searches which revealed "two objects of interest" below the water.

Police have provided no other details as to why they suspect Dave Breunig may have drowned there or what, if anything, they discovered in yesterday's recovery efforts.

They did say that Breunig's cellphone has gone dead and there's been no activity on his bank cards or social media accounts either.

MMA also indicated on its Facebook page over the weekend that school officials are aiding local law enforcement agencies in the attempt to locate their missing college student "alive" and "safe."

David Breunig is an athletic Caucasian male about 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, with blue eyes and short brown hair. He is believed to have been wearing blue jeans, a black shirt and brown Timberlands when he disappeared.

Anyone who knows what happened to this young man or his current whereabouts is asked to call Lieutenant Chris Thornton of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office at (207) 667-7575 without delay. 

The Orono Police Department is also actively involved in this missing persons investigation. Tips to the OPD can be submitted via the Penobscot County Regional Communications Center at (207) 945-4636.

 EPONYMOUS ROX

'Evil' Teen Killer Philip Chism Could Be Free in 40 Years

Teen killer and rapist Philip Chism was leniently sentenced this week for the brutal sex assault and slaughter of his teacher, Colleen Ritzer, in 2013.

Chism, now 17 and still confined to a juvenile detention center until his 18th birthday, also attacked a female corrections officer while incarcerated in that facility, for which he must soon separately stand trial.

Like the shocking crimes he perpetrated against Colleen Ritzer three years ago, his second near-fatal assault of the prison guard was also premeditated, and involved stalking and striking her repeatedly as well as the use of a sharp instrument.

That's why the prosecution was seeking a minimum of 50-years to life -- ideally without parole -- for the incurably deadly teen; and why the Ritzer family desperately urged the court to put "this animal" away.

“He is evil, pure evil, and he must be punished,” the slain schoolteacher's father told the judge in his victim statement Friday.

"Philip Chism poses an enormous danger to the public in general, and to women in particular," the state's prosecutor echoed, adding that life behind bars for such a hopeless deviant was a "fundamental mandate of ensuring public safety."

But, despite the adult nature of his appalling offenses and his towering frame, Chism is *just a kid* in the eyes of the law now, so he'll be free to commit these heinous acts again when released from prison in his early fifties.

And he will. He will.

EPONYMOUS ROX

Body of Zachary Marr is in the River, Per Secret New Video

Cops looking for the body of Zachary Marr in a Boston river today have declined to release secret "new video" showing "he fell into the water."

A spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department told the Boston Globe this week that "new" footage emerged "recently" which led divers to focus their search efforts near the Charles River Dam.

However, she wouldn't elaborate on the film's content or where it came from, and also said the BPD has "no plans" to let the public view it.

“The video shows a male heading toward the water and disappearing,” Police Commissioner Bill Evans also stated. "It’s a sad case.”

Boston tourist Zach Marr disappeared early in the morning of February 13th, after being prevented from reentering a popular tavern where he'd been celebrating his birthday with relatives -- allegedly because it was about to close.

Marr, 22, was a stranger in the big city and wasn't wearing an overcoat during his ill-timed and ill-fated cigarette break, despite subfreezing temperatures.

It therefore sounds rather unlikely he would've strayed too far from family members still inside the pub at closing time; let alone almost a mile.

Pressed about the secret footage which would seem to prove otherwise, a second BPD spokesman said only that investigators "were shown new video that has pointed us into this direction and we are searching the Charles River."

He too declined to provided additional details, but, if Zachary Marr is indeed found drowned there, he would be one of many young men who mysteriously went missing in such a notorious municipality during cold weather, and met an icy, watery end.

EPONYMOUS ROX

Missing NH Man John Watkins Found Drowned

The drowning of yet another missing young man -- John Watkins of New Hampshire (below) -- is making this winter one of the deadliest 'Smiley Face Killer' seasons on record.

Watkins, 23 and slight, was last seen early Christmas eve in Merrimack NH.

Loved ones reported the Nashua man missing after his vehicle was later found abandoned in the town of Milford, some distance from his last known location.

Watkins hasn't been seen or heard from since December 24, 2015, but over the weekend a jogger running along the Souhegan River Trails spied a corpse floating in the water.

Police said today they were sure it was the remains of John Watkins and don't suspect foul play, although a formal identification and autopsy to determine how he died is pending.

Watkins is one of many unfortunate young men in the U.S. and across the pond who've gone mysteriously missing this winter, only to turn up dead in icy bodies of water days or weeks later ... if at all.

In Boston, for instance, police continue to probe the city's waterfronts and waterways for missing Harvard man Zach Marr, who disappeared while standing outside the historic Bell In Hand on February 13th.

Minutes before vanishing, Marr had urgently texted a relative inside the tavern that security personnel wouldn't let him reenter because "it was closing time."

Bell In Hand's management refuted that person's account days later, claiming via Facebook that their surveillance video "clearly" showed missing student Zachary Marr walking off as other patrons were being allowed back into the bar.

The alleged film footage of this series of events has yet to be released to the public, and Marr is still gone without a trace.

EPONYMOUS ROX

Missing Maine Man Jim Dyer Found Dead in Harbor

A body found in the harbor yesterday is that of Jim Dyer (below), who went missing in Old Port Maine during New Year's eve celebrations with friends.

The 23-year-old vanished from the historic Portland district while he and his group were preparing to leave the Pearl nightclub in the predawn hours of January 1, 2016.

Search-and-rescue teams routinely scoured the waterfront in the weeks following Jim Dyer's sudden and strange disappearing act, but came up empty-handed each time.

Dive teams equipped with sophisticated sonar also repeatedly searched the harbor waters and likewise found nothing.

Portland police have launched a criminal probe too -- a highly unusual development in one of these cold weather disappearances of young males.

No person-of-interest or suspects have been identified in this missing persons case, though, but the police investigation is said to be still in progress.

In the meantime, an autopsy will be performed this weekend in Augusta Maine to determine how James Dyer died and ended up in the water.

Toxicology results are pending as well.

EPONYMOUS ROX

Michael Ortega, Jonathan Kent, Lewis Hogan, Matt McAllister STILL MISSING

Michael Ortega of New Jersey, Jonathan Kent of Virginia, Lewis Hogan of Georgia and Matt McAllister of Louisiana are each still missing, after mysteriously vanishing from their home states.

Michael Ortega, 21, was last seen in his own Jersey City neighborhood on January 19th. It is uncharacteristic for him to have lost contact with loved ones. Ortega's unsolved disappearance has not received the attention it deserves -- please read and share our missing persons alert for this young man posted in January, and contact police at (201) 547-5477 if you have any information.

Jonathan Kent, 26, vanished in his automobile in the Roanoke area of Virginia on or about January 20, 2016, and coworkers reported him missing on January 25th. Kent is 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. He drives a 2015 gray Honda CRV with Virginia license plate VEC-7717 -- please call RPD if you see this vehicle and/or Kent at (540) 344-8500.

Lewis Hogan, 20, went missing from Georgia earlier this month while job-interviewing in the Anderson area. Although police "don't suspect foul play" Hogan's family is understandably worried about his welfare. Lewis "Rico" Hogan is 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes -- if you have info, please call Investigator Jason Price at (864) 260-4434.

Matt McAllister, 26, hasn't been seen or heard from since February 15, 2016 after reportedly departing in a dark green SUV from Cut Off Louisiana for Luling. Matthew Blake McAllister has tattoos, hazel eyes, brown hair, and is about 6-feet tall and 250 pounds -- if you  know where he is, please contact the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office at (985) 532-4326, or 911.

EPONYMOUS ROX

5 reasons the death of Justice Antonin Scalia looks suspicious

U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia found dead at a *resort ranch* with a pillow over his face ... death by obesity, or murder?

1. If Justice Antonin Scalia was deathly ill from being so overweight, what was he doing frolicking around at a Texas resort ranch by himself, and without his personal physician close by? "I had a chance to observe him ... animated and engaged," said a fellow guest. "He was very entertaining."

2. Who sleeps with a pillow over their head? “We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head. His bed clothes were unwrinkled.”

3. Why would Scalia fold his hands peacefully while experiencing a painfully fatal heart attack? “His hands were sort of folded on top of the sheets. The sheets weren’t rumpled at all.”

4. What kind of coroner decides the sudden passing of a high-ranking government official "was natural" over the telephone and without ever examining his body? "I respected the wishes of the Scalia family ... I did this based upon credible reports."

5. How come Scalia's family went to extreme measures not only to avoid a physical examination of the Judge's corpse at the scene of his sudden death but also an autopsy? "It's not unusual .... I didn't see any red flags."

EPONYMOUS ROX