ALBANY, N.Y. -- Bill Szostak is convinced his son Josh was murdered when he disappeared shortly after hanging out with friends at an Albany bar just days before Christmas. He is convinced even after his son’s body was recovered from the Hudson last week and an autopsy said he drowned. He was convinced, even after the Albany Police Department closed its case. Even after world renowned pathologist Dr. Michael Baden conducted a second autopsy just to be sure.

So, working with a medium he continued his search for clues this week and said he stumbled upon a bizarre image at the Port of Albany. He had heard about a similar image before. Shortly after his son’s body was found, several other deaths of several other male college students hit the national media. Two retired NYPD detectives reported that they'd been able to link several cases because of a bizarre site at the crime scene. Smiley faces drawn with paint where the detectives believed the bodies had gone into a waterway before being discovered dead.

The Albany PD said its case remains closed, and that there is no reason to believe this image is anything more than a heartless prank. Szostak said a simple test could determine that, and also prove to skeptics that he didn’t paint it himself.

He can't get his mind off yet another strange element of the cases around the nation. In many the investigators found that the victim’s cell phone had been left in a place far from the body. The Albany police never determined why Josh's cell phone was left steps away from a garage where a state DEC car was stolen around the time he disappeared.

Bill Szostak said he has been in contact with the two detectives to see if he can prove or disprove any possible connections to their cases.

We want to reiterate that Albany police still say they are not planning on re-opening their case.