OH OH - Tyler Davis, 29, Columbus, 24 February 2019

[ly502]

LE debunked the series, saying the deaths were accidental drownings and not related. Here's a bit more info from both sides of the story. Why The FBI Has Debunked The 'Smiley Face Killers' Theory

Yeah...I never bought the "Smiley Face" aspect of it...but it was more the fact that these men would be missing for weeks, then found in the water (sometimes with water in their lungs, but often not), but their bodies looked like they had only been in the water for 24-72 hours. So, the part about them accidentally drowning did seem off since they were found in relatively good condition, suggesting that they did not drown around the time they went missing and were possibly held somewhere for a good amount of time. That was what got to me...but who knows!

 

[IrishSon]

What’s ‘Arnold Classic’ ? Someone mentioned another 3 disappearances that have happened around this time ?

The Arnold Classic is a fitness expo held every year by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Columbus. People come from all over for this event to participate in many contest's and event's. Held in downtown Columbus, about 10-15 minutes from Easton in good traffic, though as you can imagine people stay in many different hotels including Easton's Hilton.

 

[ly502]

People don't often think of men being "taken," but if I am imagining the area correctly, it seems like a rather small area to search (around where he was last heard from). Where could he be if he is really still nearby? Perhaps someone with better knowledge of the area have better ideas than I. My apologies if this was mentioned, but is this a dangerous area - at night/early morning? Could he have seen something, wrong place-wrong time? Is it a high drug area once night falls? Just such an odd case?

 

[mgeni]

I wouldn’t consider Easton a dangerous area. I live about 30 minutes away and I spend one weekend a year at the Hilton for a kid-free “stay cation” (and also get all my Christmas shopping done!). I go by myself and either walk to the shopping area or take a shuttle, depending on the weather. There have definitely been issues with fights at the mall itself (“mall” but a lot of the shops are outside), but not a high crime area. A lot of upscale restaurants and shops in the area. I paid close attention last week when I was there and just don’t see much area for him to be “lost.” It is very close to the interstate, though.

 

[ly502]

I wouldn’t consider Easton a dangerous area. I live about 30 minutes away and I spend one weekend a year at the Hilton for a kid-free “stay cation” (and also get all my Christmas shopping done!). I go by myself and either walk to the shopping area or take a shuttle, depending on the weather. There have definitely been issues with fights at the mall itself (“mall” but a lot of the shops are outside), but not a high crime area. A lot of upscale restaurants and shops in the area. I paid close attention last week when I was there and just don’t see much area for him to be “lost.” It is very close to the interstate, though.

Thank you...this was my impression of the area - as you described. Not a lot of places to be lost... (and not at all insinuating that he took off intentionally). Just the feeling that searches would have turned up something.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

Who would leave a hotel room and walk in the woods in a strange town?! The woods probably has homeless camps. Hilton google earth link does not show woods.
Google Earth

 

[ly502]

Who would leave a hotel room and walk in the woods in a strange town?! The woods probably has homeless camps.

Possibly someone who was intoxicated...or upset. I am a small female and I wouldn't think of going out alone in the middle of the night, but a male might...to "walk it off..."

 

[ly502]

Who would leave a hotel room and walk in the woods in a strange town?! The woods probably has homeless camps. Hilton google earth link does not show woods.
Google Earth

I assumed the patch of land 2 streets east of the hotel was woods...

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

I assumed the patch of land 2 streets east of the hotel was woods...

He would have to cross a four lane highway.

 

[ly502]

He would have to cross a four lane highway.

Yes...looks like it. There are crosswalks...but that does seem like the only wooded area around at all. And it does seem like he could have seen the hotel from there, but it doesn't look like anywhere someone would go for a walk

 

[The Night Watchman]

So, hi guys. I just found this thread and made an account. I'm a personal friend of Tyler's. He has been my manager (Boro Wendys) for over a year now, and he's very close with us all. More like a father figure than a manager, and he'd give us money, food, the clothes off his back. He hangs out with coworkers outside of work to play games almost weekly. His son is his life. He gets put in the doghouse with his wife from time to time, but it's obvious he loves her too. He's the kind of person you can tell anything to, and get great advice. But he treats himself like ****, smokes, is generally unhealthy -- he pledged to go see a doctor and take better care of himself at 30. We're all still hoping we can hold him to it

So here's the story I got from the coworker he hangs out with weekly, who is even closer to him than I am, and spends time with his wife as well.

His wife, a friend of theirs, and he went to celebrate his wife's birthday. They had drinks and went to a strip club. They headed back to the hotel and at some point Tyler and his friend got into an argument. I don't know what about, but it got Tyler mad enough to go off to the woods. He doesn't lose his cool easily. I assume he smoked to cool off. His wife was concerned, so the friend said he'd go after him, but he came back alone and said it'd be fine. She was still worried and said she'd go after him too, although the friend said she was blowing things out of proportion. She did go anyway but couldn't find him, and returned to the hotel to wait. Close to 4 am, Tyler called and said he'd be there in ten minutes -- ah well the phone conversation is listed above a bit differently. It's probably more accurate. In any case, 4:10 came and went and Tyler never showed. I do not know if the friend was still with the wife or if he had already left by then. Either way I heard the detective has already questioned him, and do not know what came of that. Hotel cams show him heading to the hotel, but nobody seems clear if he *entered* the hotel or not. It is possible police are holding information, because I can't imagine the hotel cameras don't show the door.

Please keep in mind this is second hand info because I'm not in contact with the wife. Tyler would not run away, no charges have been made to his bank account, his phone has been off, he'd have no car, and he didn't even take a jacket. He wasn't a hardcore druggie. It doesn't look good. We're having a hard time keeping up hope at work

Thank you for your information, Missy!

And from the news article-

“He actually said 'I’m walking through the woods, I can see the Hilton and I’ll be right there,'” Davis told us. “He sounded really confused.”

Things I find unusual here-

Wife's has a birthday celebration with Tyler at hotel far from home, and they have a male friend join them.
According to accounts- The argument. Why would there be an argument?
According to accounts- Easy going Tyler leaves hotel in the middle of the night "to cool off". As a result of the argument.
According to accounts- Tyler made call saying he would be there in ten minutes.
According to accounts- Tyler said he was walking through the woods and could see the hotel.
Woods. Why would you be in the woods in the middle of the night? The one possible patch of woods to the east of the hotel are remarkably uninviting. Highly unlikely to choose to walk into those woods.
According to accounts- Tyler sounded really confused.
Fact- Tyler hasn't been seen in a month.

A lot of times, tragic accidental deaths result from a series of unusual events like those described here. And sometimes there is foul play and first hand witness accounts tell a tale where the victim is described in a vulnerable position that could explain a death/disappearance. I don't know what occurred here from the limited information, and I am only suggesting the accounts of that night as unusual.

I guess the hotel cameras have told a story that we are not privy to. There does not appear to have been very targeted searches, or on-going LE interest in getting the story to the media.

So I suspect LE has a clue as to what happened that night. What ever happened that night.

ETA- screen shot of path/road that leads into the nearest woods across a field from the Hilton.

 

[ly502]

Very uninviting! And thank you for reminding us that it has been a whole month...that does lead me to believe that LE does know a lot more about what happened and that it might not be that much of a mystery...sad nonetheless.

 

[GraceG]

So, hi guys. I just found this thread and made an account. I'm a personal friend of Tyler's. He has been my manager (Boro Wendys) for over a year now, and he's very close with us all. More like a father figure than a manager, and he'd give us money, food, the clothes off his back. He hangs out with coworkers outside of work to play games almost weekly. His son is his life. He gets put in the doghouse with his wife from time to time, but it's obvious he loves her too. He's the kind of person you can tell anything to, and get great advice. But he treats himself like ****, smokes, is generally unhealthy -- he pledged to go see a doctor and take better care of himself at 30. We're all still hoping we can hold him to it

<modsnipped>

Welcome! The only woods I can see near the downtown Hilton (Goodale Park) require a trek across an extremely busy interstate interchange. I don't see how he would have gone in that direction. Crossing the interstate would be difficult and risky. Google Maps

 

[Missy20201]

Welcome! The only woods I can see near the downtown Hilton (Goodale Park) require a trek across an extremely busy interstate interchange. I don't see how he would have gone in that direction. Crossing the interstate would be difficult and risky. Google Maps

Yes, I see that now! It's really strange. I've never been to the area, so I had no clue, but it is what everyone seems to be repeating. He went to the woods, when they went to search, they looked in the woods, his wife says Tyler told her he was walking through the woods... So unless there's some other somewhat wooded area nearby, he apparently managed it, for one reason or another

 

[mgeni]

I’ve never posted a picture here before, so hopefully this works. The only woods he’d be able to see the Hilton from would be east (there are bigger woods NW on Morse Rd and NE on Sunbury Rd, but you can’t see the hotel or Easton in general from there). He’d have to cross Stelzer Rd which wouldn’t be very busy at that time. The woody area to the north of the Hilton on the map is no longer there. It wouldn’t have been there a month ago, either. They’re expanding the mall with more shops and restaurants. 270 goes around the city of Columbus, but 71 cuts right through the state and is just a few mins north of this area on 270 (a little further if you go south).

 

[mgeni]

Welcome! The only woods I can see near the downtown Hilton (Goodale Park) require a trek across an extremely busy interstate interchange. I don't see how he would have gone in that direction. Crossing the interstate would be difficult and risky. Google Maps

According to MSM articles, they were staying at the Hilton Easton, not downtown near Goodale. Hilton Columbus at Easton is on the east side and located at 3900 Chagrin Dr.

 

[Missy20201]

Curious. I could ask my coworker tonight, what woods they were talking about. I don't go into work for another 6 hrs though.

 

[The Night Watchman]

Welcome! The only woods I can see near the downtown Hilton (Goodale Park) require a trek across an extremely busy interstate interchange. I don't see how he would have gone in that direction. Crossing the interstate would be difficult and risky. Google Maps

.

Grace, it is the Hilton at Easton. North of the city.

ETA- sorry for the duplicate post, took me ten minutes to upload because the original screenshot was too large. My previous street level image (post 32) of the "woods" was from the "b" in Columbus, in the hotel name on this screen shot.

 

[GraceG]

According to MSM articles, they were staying at the Hilton Easton, not downtown near Goodale. Hilton Columbus at Easton is on the east side and located at 3900 Chagrin Dr.

Thank you for the clarification. Here is a good map of that hotel's surrounding area. Google Maps

 

[ly502]

Yes, I see that now! It's really strange. I've never been to the area, so I had no clue, but it is what everyone seems to be repeating. He went to the woods, when they went to search, they looked in the woods, his wife says Tyler told her he was walking through the woods... So unless there's some other somewhat wooded area nearby, he apparently managed it, for one reason or another

But...we are relying on his wife and possibly his friend to verify that he was in the woods (no judgment of them...). Is there any other source that places him in the woods?