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Since the late 1990's, there have been over one hundred mysterious
drowning deaths of young men, all in the mid west area of the U.S.A. Two retired
New York Detectives believe the deaths are not mere accidental drowning deaths
related to alcohol abuse.
As the cases kept on coming, more and more young men were found dead in rivers,
lakes, creeks, there appeared there was a pattern, all the victims were of
similar age, most were students, most were catholic. The detectives started
tracing were they thought it most likely the bodies of the victims had entered
the water, they repeatedly found near the place of entry into the water in many
cases, graffiti with seemingly cryptic messages, and most famously of all smiley
faces.
It was not until November 2002, that the first real leads pointing to possible
perpetrators came into the picture. Two cases were connected during an
investigation into the latest missing student .
The students name was Joshua Guimond, 20 years old from Maple lake Minnesota, a
student at St Johns University, Collegeville, Minnesota. Joshua Guimond went
missing from St Johns University on the night of November 9th, in 2002, after
leaving a card game with close friends at the Metten Court student apartment at
st Johns university. Sometime around midnight Joshua told his friends he was
going back to his dorm room at St. Maur house, st Johns University.
That was a three minute walk. Joshua was not inebriated according to his friends
when he left the small card party.
The next day Joshua's friends raised the alarm when he could not be found
anywhere.
Sunday, November 10, 2002: Searches for Joshua began late in the day when he did
not show up for mock trial team practice but only minimal searches could be
conducted in the dark.
His roommate said he last saw Joshua around 8.30pm the previous night November
9th, before he went over to the card party at Metton Court.
Joshua was not depressed, was a very active conscientious student with many
friends and was hoping to become a lawyer and serve in the Minnesota House of
Representatives.
Joshua had also been outspoken in his criticism of the abuse scandals that
plagued st johns university and abbey.
Friends and family know Joshua to be so well planned and organised, Joshua did
not have his glasses or contact lenses , his car which was undisturbed , credit
cards or even his coat when he went missing, the weather was very bad at the
time and there were no belongings at all missing from his room. This leads
family and friends who really know Joshua to say that they know his
disappearance must be foul play.
The search for Joshua included the National Guard, hundreds of local people who
searched the grounds and lakes in the st johns university area, the Stearns
County Sherriff's department used horses and men on foot to search.
For days, volunteers and law enforcement searched the entire St. John's campus
and woodlands. Stumpf Lake was carefully checked.
The Sherriff's Dept concentrated their efforts around stumpf lake, which runs
between Metton court and St. Maurs house, assuming Josh had drowned.
The Trident foundation using underwater search equipment conducted a thorough
search of all three lakes in the area and found no sign of Joshua.
Volunteers from the Trident Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to
respond to drownings or water-based crime situations, brought sophisticated
equipment to search the waters in Stumpf Lake, Gemini Lake and Sagatagan Lake on
the St. Johns Campus. Sidescan sonar techniques with multiple directional
passes, ensuring complete and overlapping coverage of the lakes, was conducted
by the team. All three lakes were cleared with no relevant evidence found.
Mar 12, 2004 - Joshua's dad, Brian Guimond , voices concern over the way his
missing sons' case is being handled.
With no clues as to Joshua's whereabouts after three years , Guimond presented
members of the Stearns County Board with a packet of information and spoke about
his frustration with the search efforts conducted by the Stearns County Sherifs
Department. He reminded board members that it took two requests to the county
board before the Trident Foundation, a nationally acclaimed non-profit
organization designed to respond to drownings or water-based crime situations,
was allowed to search and clear the lakes on the St. Johns campus. Guimond said
he was then told by Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner that Joshua must have
fallen into a swampy area of the campus.
However, on Nov. 18, 2004, Bradley Wenz of the Minnesota Soil & Water
Conservation District reported that he had not experienced a natural soil type
that could draw in and cover a body in a short period of time. Guimond said that
on Feb. 15 of 2005, he met with Attorney General Mike Hatch about additional
concerns with the investigation that included delays in conducting a search
after Joshua disappeared, delays in interviewing students and the failure to
examine the hard drive of Joshua's computer. "As you can see, the facts state
that the investigation has not been performed in a timely manner and some things
have never been done," Guimond said. "As a parent, you can see how this has been
very frustrating. I think it is time somebody is held accountable for their
mistakes. It is obvious that we have had no cooperation from the first day. And
if anything, we have been lied to and misled. This is my son, a human being“not
a missing animal“that we are talking about and trying to find."
At the conclusion of the board meeting, the commissioners held a brief
discussion about Guimond's presentation and concluded that a letter would be
sent to Guimond notifying him that a decision was made not to take any action on
the issue.
The letter will address the decision that they made, not to tell the sheriff how
to run his department, said Roxanne Gerads, Stearns County Administrative
Assistant.
Timeline of events in the search for Joshua
Saturday, November 9, 2002: Joshua Guimond , a junior at St. Johns University
and a 2000 graduate of Maple Lake High School, was last seen at the north end of
the St. Johns Campus leaving a party at approximately midnight to walk home to
his on-campus apartment in St. Maur House.
Sunday, November 10, 2002: Searches for Joshua began late in the day when he did
not show up for mock trial team practice but only minimal searches could be
conducted in the dark.
Monday, November 11, 2002: The entire St. Johns campus and surrounding areas
were searched by horse and foot, including buildings, the power plant and all
wooded areas. Divers from the Stearns County Sheriffs Department searched a
slough on campus after a search dog led them to the area. The Minnesota State
Patrol aided in the search sending helicopters to do an arial search of the
woods on and around campus, and a state-wide alert by the Bureau of Criminal
Apprehension Minnesota Crime Alert Network Missing Persons Bulletin went out in
all major media and twin cities newscasts.
Tuesday, November 12, 2002: Campus buildings continued to be searched, as stated
by Michael Hemmesch, St. Johns Director of Communications. He also stated that
the Stearns County Sheriffs Department was conducting the search and had not yet
asked for help from local volunteers. Offers from Maple Lake High School were
turned down by the Stearns County Sheriffs department, which said that only
prayers were needed at this time.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002: The Minnesota National Guard stepped in to aid in
the search, providing 118 troops and equipment and searching a 16-square mile
area surrounding campus, including swamps and woods. After a search dog picked
up Joshua's scent near Stumpf Lake, a snake-like body of water located on the
route Joshua would have taken back to his apartment, the decision to lower the
water level in order to search the lake was approved. Searches and dragging of
the lake uncovered no clues. Requests to totally drain Stumpf Lake awaited DNR
approval.
Thursday, November 14, 2002: Brian Guimond attended a meeting and press
conference at the State Capitol for families of three other missing students and
met the Jenkins family, who would later help the Guimond family in their search
for Joshua.
November 24, 2002: A search organized by Guimond's family of 75-100 volunteers,
mostly from Maple Lake, combed the woods around the St. Johns campus. A report
from Lt. Dave Nohner from the Stearns County Sheriff's Department said the sonar
search of Stumpf Lake was unsuccessful in yielding any evidence in the
disappearance.
Week of Dec 2: The Stearns County Sheriff's Dept. had contacted and questioned
eight of the nine students present at the party the night Joshua disappeared,
but stated that they were unable to contact the remaining student.
December 19, 2002: Yellow ribbons were tied to every sign, post, tree and fence
in Maple Lake by Maple Lake High School Student Council members as visual
reminders of the search for Joshua. Newscasts, KARE 11 TV and KSTP TV from the
Twin Cities and the St. Cloud Times, were all present to cover the event.
December 29, 2002
CHRIS JENKINS SCENT TRACED TO ST JOHNS ABBEY'S DOORS- HOOVER BLOCKED FROM
ENTERING ABBY-
HOOVER THEN FOLLOWS JOSHUA'S SCENT FROM METTON COURT TO STUMPF LAKE, THEN TO
JOSHUA'S APARTMENT AT ST MAURS BUILDING THEN FINALLY TO ST JOHNS ABBEY ALSO-
SEARCH HALTED-BLOCKED FROM ENTERING THE ABBEY .
December 29, 2002: The scent of Chris Jenkins, a missing University of Minnesota
student, was traced to St. Johns by Hoover, a man-trailing bloodhound hired by
the Jenkins family. Hoover traced the scent to St. Johns Abbey and the dog
showed interest of entering. From the apartment where Joshua was last seen,
Hoover followed his scent to Stumpf Lake, on to Joshua's apartment and then on
to the Abbey.
January 5, 2003
HOOVER FINDS JOSHUA'S SCENT INSIDE ST JOHNS ABBEY AT THE REAR OF THE VERY LARGE
BUILDING
January 5, 2003: Hoover appeared to pick up Joshua's scent in the back of the
Abbey after gaining permission to enter and then to the lake behind the Abbey.
NEWS RELEASE January 8, 2003, ATTACKS CREDIBILITY OF SEARCH DOG HOOVER- ACHIEVES
MOVING OF SEARCH FROM ABBY AREA TO OTHER SEARCH AREAS
January 8, 2003: Stearns County Sheriffs Dept. sent divers into East Gemini
Lake, across from Stumpf Lake, while the lake behind St. Johns Abbey, Sagatagan
Lake, was only searched with underwater cameras. The Sheriffs Dept. said divers
went into East Gemini because a news release claimed the credibility of Hoover
was in question. The news release also stated that there had been no indication
of any member of St. Johns academic or monastic community being involved in the
disappearance of Joshua.
January 18, 2003, SEARCHERS ASKED TO STOP SEARCHING WITH HOOVER- PETS NOT
ALLOWED ON CAMPUS
January 18, 2003: Hoover was brought out again and followed Joshua's scent to
Sagatagan Lake and out onto the lake. Hoover had traced the scent to the center
of the lake when St Johns Life Safety staff member asked the group to leave for
interfering with the investigation conducted by the Stearns County Sheriffs
Dept. and because pets were not allowed on campus. A later clarification by
Michael Hemmesch, Director of Communications at St. Johns, stated that both
reasons were true but the crew was actually asked to leave because the search
was not coordinated through the Stearns County Sheriffs Dept. and their search
would impede on the investigation.
PRIVATE SEARCH OF SAGATAGAN LAKE USING HOOVER AND UNDERWATER CAMERAS IS APPROVED
BY ABBOT OF ST JOHNS ABBEY JOHN CLAUSAN AND STEARNS COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT
January 18, 2003: The Guimond family was notified that private searches could be
conducted as long as Abbot John Clausen of St. Johns was notified prior to the
event and the Stearns County Sheriffs Department approved the action. Hoover
returned to Sagatagan Lake and a perimeter was established by holes drilled in
the ice. A camera purchased with funds from Find Joshua was used though no clues
were found.
February 27, 2003, BODY OF CHRIS JENKINS FOUND IN MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR
DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS
February 27, 2003: The body of Chris Jenkins, the missing U of M student, was
found in the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis. The Jenkins and
Guimond families had been working together to find their sons after both were
reported missing within the same two-week period.
February 27, 2003 ,PLANNED IN DEPTH PRIVATE SEARCH BY SEARCH DOG HOOVER WHO MADE
SCENT TRACE OUTLINE OF AN AREA INCLUDING TWO BOATHOUSES IS STOPPED BY STEARNS
COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT
At St. Johns, a private crew, funded by Find Joshua, conducted an under-water
search in two areas outlined by Hoover. The plan also included Hoover searching
an area and two boathouses near the lake and Brian Guimond said the appropriate
authorities were notified prior to the search. On the day of the search, a
deputy on-site stated that a search warrant was required to search the
boathouses. A later statement by Pam Jensen, Stearns County Sheriffs Dept.
captain, said that it was not necessary for Brian and his crew to search the
boathouses as they had already been searched.
End of March, 2003, MICHAEL NOLL FOUND DEAD IN HALF MOON LAKE
End of March, 2003: The body of Michael Noll from the University of
Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the third missing college student, was found in Half Moon
Lake in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Guimond family requested additional search
efforts from the Stearns County Board of Commissioners, asking that the Trident
Foundation be allowed to search the lakes on the St. Johns Campus.
End of April, 2003 FURTHER DOGS BROUGHT IN - ONLY SEARCH STUMPF LAKE AREA
End of April, 2003: Searches continued with help of search dogs from North Star
Search and Rescue and Canine Search Services, which combed the area around
Stumpf Lake. A sonar unit operated by Ken Anderson of Emergency Support Services
scanned Stumpf Lake.
STUMPF LAKE RULED OUT BY SHERIFFS DEPT
April 29, 2003: Stumpf Lake was dragged, though no evidence was found. Sheriffs
Department Detective, Kerry Beckenbach, said no more searches of Stumpf Lake by
the Sheriffs dept. were planned at that time.
May 8, 2003: The Stearns and Benton Sheriffs Departments spent an hour diving
areas previously designated by search dogs and sonar in Stumpf Lake, but were
unsuccessful in finding any clues.
TRIDENT FOUNDATION SEARCH ALL LAKES NOTHING FOUND
May 13 & 14, 2003: Volunteers from the Trident Foundation, a non-profit
organization designed to respond to drownings or water-based crime situations,
brought sophisticated equipment to search the waters in Stumpf Lake, Gemini Lake
and Sagatagan Lake on the St. Johns Campus. Sidescan sonar techniques with
multiple directional passes, ensuring complete and overlapping coverage of the
lakes, was conducted by the team. All three lakes were cleared with no relevant
evidence found.
STEARNS COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT RULE OUT ANY MORE SEARCHES OF ANY OF ST JOHNS
PROPERTIES
Early June 2003: A letter sent to the Guimond family by St. Johns stated that
the Stearns County Sheriffs Department recently indicated that the St. Johns
property had been satisfactorily examined and no further searches were planned
at the time.
TEN PEOPLE PROTEST THE HALTING OF THE INVESTIGATION INTO JOSHUA GUIMOND'S
DISAPPEARANCE.
June 18, 2003: On Joshua's 21st birthday, a demonstration of approximately ten
people, organized by Brian Guimond , rallied outside the Stearns County
Courthouse in St. Cloud asking for more activity into the investigation.
November 9, 2003
JOSHUA'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS GATHER AT HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH FOR A ONE YEAR
MEMORIAL FOR JOSHUA- AN OAK TREE DEDICATED TO JOSHUA WAS PLANTED.
November 9, 2003: One year after the date that Joshua disappeared, family and
friends gathered at Holy Cross Lutheran Church to share memories and find
support through the continuing difficult time. An oak tree dedicated to Joshua
was planted at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.
March 12, 2004:
St johns University Via The Order Of St Benedict take out court Order of
restraint against Joshua Guimond's father to stop him from further searching for
his son at St Johns University and St Johns Abbey and they win.
March 12, 2004 St. Johns University, through the Order of St. Benedict, Inc.,
requested and was granted a temporary Harassment Restraining Order against Brian
Guimond ,Joshua's father. A hearing was set that would later put the order into
effect for two years.
Timeline of the above was taken from an article by Theresa Andrus and Angela
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