Enthralling discussion. Can’t wait to see.
The things that stood out to me were:
1) Kid had two drinks over 3-4 hours. Yet was barely able to stand and was in bad shape. I've seen this before first-hand: A friend was roofied and this happened.
2) Being in such bad shape, he would have had to walk a mile in a strange city and cross 6-8 lanes of heavy traffic on Lakeshore Drive to reach Lake Michigan, or use the underground tunnels that he may or may not have been aware of.
3) He was missing for 77 days and was found 30 miles away, washed up on a Gary, Indiana beach. This is highly unusual for people who drowned off of Lakeshore Drive. They are almost always found within 2 miles of the point of entry.
4) Whereas it is true that a body could have drifted that far, as proven by the Coast Guard using their floating sensor balls, it is unlikely it would have taken 77 days. The CG tests revealed the few balls that drifted to Indiana took 36-48 hours.
5) The body was in an amazingly good state and had little signs of decomposition for being in the water for 77 days.
6) While it is true the water was cold considering he was alleged to have gone into the water on New Years Eve, the water was 39 degrees through January according to the Coast Guard, the water was not cold enough to completely arrest decomposition.
7) After 77 days at 39 degrees, with surface temps higher during the day, the body should have exhibited a lot more purification. The detectives' third-party forensic pathologist was of the opinion that it was nearly impossible that the body was in the water for 77 days.
8) Tests revealed there was little to no alcohol in his system. Months in the water may have prejudiced the BAL, but the lack of decomposition suggest the body wasn't in the water for long.
So, if he wasn't in the water for 77 days, and a search did not turn up a body on land, what happened?
Possibilities:
1) He died on land on NYE, the body was stored in a manner that kept it fresh, and was put in the water later.
2) He wasn't killed on NYE and was killed much later and put in the water only a couple weeks before he was found.
Both would suggest foul play.