The Smiley Face Killers

There is a group in the country with 'cells' scattered in numerous cities large and small. There is a hierarchy in this group, it is very organized, and they are killing our loved ones. They usually choose males as their kill of choice and often these result in missing persons, later found in bodies of water. It isn’t stopping; it appears to be escalating.... This is a puzzle. A very deadly one. Young college men are vanishing without a trace, only to be found dead; weeks or months later, in remote rivers or creeks, in areas that searched multiple times before; their bodies later discovered there, as though placed to be found. "Understand this; We take what we need and leave: This is necessary. Life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on death feeds on life.” “The evil is rampant and deep and widespread. He was tortured, taken to the river and killed. Then his body was ‘positioned’ and taken to a different part of the water.” This is the work of a group of Serial Killers; but they are a breed of Serial Killers we have never met before...