Uniontown, Pennsylvania - Canadian authorities have come forward with a voice mail message from a French-speaking woman claiming to represent the taxicab driver who drove a local man just prior to his death more than two months ago.
The message stated that the cab driver did not have anything to do with the death of 23-year-old Uniontown war veteran Mark Kraynak or his traveling companion Steve Wright and that, while he would not come forward, he claimed theories by police labeling the men as "fare-cheats" are accurate. The message is the latest twist in the bizarre deaths of Kraynak and Wright on Aug. 22.
Kraynak's body was found Sept. 1 at the bottom of the rock quarry, along with the body of Steven Wright, 20, of Guernville, Calif., behind a local nighttime hotspot, the Red Lite After Hours Discoth?que, outside of Montreal in the city of Laval.
An extensive, 10-day search ensued following Kraynak's disappearance in late August, led by Montreal police before investigators were able to trace a cell phone transmitter from Kraynak's phone to near the Red Lite, where the bodies were found at the bottom of the cliff.
Laval authorities had been unable to track down the taxicab driver that transported the men to the Red Lite, which they never entered, and concluded that the men were likely running from their $40 cab fare when they fell to their deaths in the quarry.
Kraynak and Wright were supposed to return to the United States the day they went missing, after spending a few months working for French Connection Francaise (FCF), a modeling agency owned by Stephan Sirard, which also functions as a pornography-recruiting agency based in California.
Sirard, the owner of the scouting company, was accompanying both men in Montreal at the time of the incident and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to their discovery.
According to Janice Kraynak, her son and Wright, along with Sirard and another model, Deric Manzi, toured Montreal during the day prior to his disappearance.
Sirard initially told police and the press that he felt the deaths were "sinister" in nature but has recently categorized the incident as an "accident."
Kraynak's mother, Janice, who has spearheaded an effort to further the investigation into her son's death, has questioned the testimony of Sirard to Canadian police regarding the incident, but the owner has denied any involvement in the deaths.
Kraynak said she still believes Sirard knows more than he has revealed and is hoping the investigation will continue to broaden.
"I know my son and I know he didn't skip his fare. I just want answers," Kraynak said.
And Kraynak is not alone as Irish Anti-Trafficking Coalition (IATC) Director Gregory Carlin continues to pressure the Canadian and U.S. governments for a more thorough investigation.
Carlin, whose organization is based in Dublin, faxed U.S. Secretary of State Condolezza Rice a request to investigate circumstances surrounding the case two weeks ago, calling for further examination of the permits obtained by the men to work in Canada.
And while Carlin is still working with the State Department on their role in examining the case, he is confident the U.S. government will get involved.
"Laval police have come under a lot of pressure to get rid of this and try not to bring attention to exotic dancer scheme," Carlin said Thursday. "This is the exact same scheme Kraynak brought in...it is a dirty, filthy, despicable racket."
"I believe the permit issued to Mark Kraynak was issued by Canadian Immigration Minister Joe Volpe's office," Carlin alleged. "And the permit issued to Mark Kraynak was illegal. The entire legitimacy of the investigation is under severe scrutiny by heavyweight politicians. I've got no confidence whatsoever in the investigation conducted by Laval Police. They have been told to make this go away."
Kraynak said she is still waiting for police to release her son's cellular phone records so she can review them, after learning he received an incoming call at 3:32 a.m., just as he and Wright were running up a service road away from the alleged cab.
And Kraynak revealed for the first time Thursday that she never personally identified her son's body due to severe decomposition, nor did the Wright family, with their identity's confirmed through dental records.
She said that while she knows she did not want to see her son after 10 days on the quarry ledge, she cannot be certain of the cause of death in the case.
Police said following autopsies on the men that a cause of death could not be determined.
The men were two of six Americans who obtained 90-day permits to work as exotic dancers at a Toronto male strip club called Remington's, according to Carlin, who alleges the permits were part of a larger government scheme.
The U.S. Government updated their Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act in 2003 and noted "Corruption among foreign law enforcement authorities continues to undermine the efforts by governments to investigate, prosecute and convict traffickers."
And according to the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2005, Canada continues to battle to bring illegal permitting under control.
The government revised its immigration policy to discontinue a blanket employment waiver (begun in 1998) that had permitted adult entertainment establishments to hire foreign women as exotic dancers - a type of program that has been abused and exploited by traffickers in many other countries. Officials acknowledge that some women may have been forced into prostitution.
The visa program has not been entirely suspended.
According to the Government of Canada's official tally, 46 "exotic dancer" visas were issued in 2004," the report states.
Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew, who signed the permit legislation in 1998, did not respond to questions regarding the permits, but forwarded the information to Volpe's office for review.
Following the suspicious deaths, dozens of Internet sites and chat rooms have been created where people from around the country are discussing the case and the theories being floated by Canadian authorities regarding the men's deaths.
One of the most discussed topics is the taxi itself, with surveillance photos and videos suggesting a possible fourth person in the vehicle with the driver and the two men, something that has not been recognized by Canadian investigators but alleged by Kraynak's family.
Also there has been some discrepancy between video aired on Canadian television and still photos of the incident.
One of the shots appears to show a white car parked outside the club with at least two people in it, as well as a dark colored SUV.
Kraynak's mother said she is suspicious of the SUV.
"It was a private SUV. I think it appears Mark could have recognized someone in that vehicle and recognized them as a threat."
Carlin said he is working behind the scenes to mount a substantial push for further investigation into the case, noting that he will find answers for the victim's families.
"I don't think this story and investigation is close to being over," Carlin said.
And for Kraynak, who just recently found a poem scribbled by her son on a torn notepaper in his belongings, that seemed to reveal some of the concerns the 23-year-old was having prior to his death, the investigation is only beginning.
"He knew things were headed in a bad direction. He didn't know the extent he was getting involved. He may have known some of the things he was getting into, but never to the degree they went. My son is dead and that is a tragedy. I just want some answers, "Kraynak said.
