09/12/2005
Montreal: Authorites Baffled Over Dancer Deaths
Two male dancers were found dead in a quarry in suburban Montreal last week, and authorities still do not know how they died or why. Steve Wright, a native of Guerneville, in northern California, and Mark Kraynak of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, had danced at Remington's, a gay strip club in Toronto, and were visiting Montreal for fun before returning home. They were on their way to an afterhours club when they disappeared. They were missing for more than a week.
After viewing surveillance footage of the club, authorities say it is unlikely they ever arrived. What happened between the time they called a friend from their taxi and their arrival at the club is a mystery. Their bodies showed no signs of violence or foul play.
Kraynak (right) had served in Iraq with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and received a Purple Heart.
Posted 10:51 AM EST by Andy Towle in Current Affairs | Permalink
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that is bizarre!!!!
Posted by: Roy | Sep 12, 2005 11:50:56 AM
I've been looking around the net for more information and such. Both had numerous broken bones (apparently from the 50 to 60 foot fall) and nothing was taken from them. They had their clothes, jewelry, etc.
The Red Lite rave club they were heading for wasn't far away. If they hadn't arrived there yet it's possible they were taking a shortcut through the quarry area.
The police are awaiting toxicology reports, to see if any either had taken a drug, were given a drug, etc. I'd really like to find the taxi driver who these two guys were with and see what the taxi driver has to say.
Posted by: Rob | Sep 12, 2005 2:25:02 PM
I was saddened to learn about the two men, particularly Kraynak, who appeared on Fratmen.com as "Nate." I remember watching a private show he gave on that website a few months ago.
Posted by: Kevin | Sep 12, 2005 3:45:32 PM
Initial reports when this story broke two weeks ago called the men "tall, buff and brawny" and said that "What has stumped parents and police alike is how two robust American men could vanish together without any apparent trace"
Posted by: Sebastian | Sep 12, 2005 5:04:59 PM
Gay marriage, gay adoption, gay people are everywhere, and the people who hate us are still out there. They used to be able to abuse us, humiliate us, beat us and kill us, without fear of reprisal. Now they hide behind every dumpster, and lurk in every dark corner of the internet, waiting for their chance to make the world a better place by getting rid of us.
Gay rights may be a legal reality, but our right to exist does not make us any safer from thugs and bigots. In some ways, it will always be a prudent choice to stay "in the closet". It's not a nice way to live, but this is not always a nice world.
We can be pretty sure these boys were killed for being gay. What we don't know is how many people are murdered every year, who were not known to be gay, except by their executioners. I suspect that number would make a lot of people very nervous.
Posted by: jay | Sep 12, 2005 7:58:14 PM
Ummmm....I think these two guys were straight. Apparently one of them was quite uncomfortable stripping for men and had done a bit of hetero porn. It seems that the other guy liked his "porn star" status and enjoyed his work. Either way, it does not make them gay...and it is far from certain that they were murdered. They were out partying at a club called the Vatican - very hetero, before heading up to the after hours club. The police don't even think they made it into the after hours club. It was about 3:30 am when they supposedly arrived in the industrial park where the club is located. The quarry is about 300 metres from the club entrance. Perhaps they got lost and fell. And I agree with the previous poster...finding the cab driver will be essential. It really is a mystery..and I hope that they get to the bottom of this as soon as possible...for the family and friends of the two american men.
Posted by: Don | Sep 12, 2005 9:41:09 PM
Yeah, the guys were straight. Their deaths, more likely murders, are tragic. No matter who you are, male, female, gay, straight, or whatever, we are all vulnerable.
Posted by: jack | Sep 13, 2005 1:18:05 AM
Whether they were "Gay for Pay" or just plain Gay makes little difference to most people. The point is that these guys were known, among other things, for dancing in a Gay club, and I believe they were targeted by gay haters, just like any openly gay men. The fact that they were privately heterosexual only proves my point. No matter how many court battles we win, it's still dangerous to be gay.
It's not too safe to be an American in a foriegn country either.
Posted by: jay | Sep 13, 2005 2:48:10 AM
Though I am certainly not privy to any police evidence, I can hardly imagine this is an issue of Canada being a dangerous place for Americans, as one poster ("It's not too safe to be an American in a foriegn country") may be implying.
Posted by: Sebastian | Sep 13, 2005 9:14:03 AM
Don might be right. Maybe they got lost, stumbled and fell? However, it seems more likely they were targetted by antigay hostility. I can't find anything of the toxicology report so it must not yet be finished and/or released.
Posted by: Rob | Sep 13, 2005 1:35:34 PM
HELLO, IM STEVENS AUNT. HE WAS NOT GAY AND AS FOR MARK I WAS TOLD HE DIDNT DO PORN? NOT SURE. ANYWAY IT WASNT AN ACCIDENT AND YES THEY HAVE TAPE THEY MADE IT TO THE CLUB. UNFORTUNATELY THE COPS MISSED FINDING THEM ON IT AT FIRST AND LOOKED AGAIN AND REALIZED THEY MADE IT THERE LATER THAN EXPECTED AND FOUND THEY WERE THERE UNTIL 5:30AM OR SO. ALSO IT WAS NO ACCIDENT THEY FELL FROM A CLIFF AND THERE IS A 5 FT FENCE WITH BARB WIRE AND ALSO A SECOND FENCE FOR EXTRA EFFORT TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GETTING HURT. IT IS NOT DARK HERE AT 5:30 AM HOW ABOUT THERE. WHY WOULD THEY BE BACK THERE MARK WAS LEAVING AT 10 AM TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN PENNSYLVANIA. A CAB DRIVER DID COME FORWARD BUT SAID THEY SPOKE FRENCH WHICH THEY DIDNT BUT I NOW HAVE INFO THAT SOMEONE TAUGHT THEM SOME FRENCH TO GET THEM BY FOR THE WEEKEND IN MONTREAL. I AM TOLD BY NUMEROUS CANADIANS THAT ALOT OF THEM ESPECIALLY QUEBEC DO NOT LIKE AMERICANS. ESPECIALLY PROBABLY IF THEY ARE WALKING AROUND SAYING THEY ARE PORN STARS. ID APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS ON THIS. THANKS!!!!!! I THINK THE POLICE DID A HORRIBLE JOB AND LET THEM ROT DOWN A CLIFF FOR 10 DAYS WHEN MARKS PHONE HAD ATRACKING DEVICE WHICH SHOWED IN THE AREA AND THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING THERE. THEY DID A SEARCH AFTER ALMOST A WEEK, DONT THEY HAVE DOGS? WE'LL FIND THIS STUFF OUT AND THEIR IS A NEW LEAD ABOUT A POSSIBLE ALTERCATION AT THE CLUB. HOPEFULLY MORE PEOPLE WILL COME FORWARD, OBVIOUSLY THERE IS MORE PEOPLE WHO SAW THEM THERE JUST WHER ARE THEY????
Posted by: ROCHELLE | Sep 14, 2005 7:22:52 PM
i was close with steve and i can assure anybody that he was not gay. i want to know more about what happend and i miss him very much. this investigation is ridiculous and was not done correctly. if anyone has more info on what happened please email me at fivepetal_rose@hotmail.com.
R.I.P Steve!!!!!
Posted by: maria | Oct 3, 2005 3:37:36 AM
http://www.quicktopic.com/33/H/4nrxQ8J5dKyn
go here!!!
Posted by: sharkelic | Oct 7, 2005 12:21:57 AM
ONE POSTER IN HERE SUGGESTS THAT IT IS NOT SAFE BEING AN AMERICAN IN ANOTHER COUNTRY - FIRST OF ALL THIS WAS CANADA, NOT IRAQ OR A SUCHLIKE COUNTRY - ON THE OTHER HAND, JUST TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS TO U GUYS IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY (USA)- WE AUSSIES SIMPLY CANNOT BELIEVE THE LEVEL OF ANTI GAY SHIT THAT GOES ON IN THE USA WITH ULTRA RIGHT WING GOVERNMENTS AND RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS ALL PUSHING THEIR OWN AGENDAS AND MANIPULATING MEDIA AND SO ON - ALL GAY GUYS I KNOW HERE WOULD HATE TO BE LIVING AS A GAY MAN IN THE USA.
Posted by: OzCraig | Mar 5, 2006 4:44:25 AM