Death of Joseph Smedley: How Did He Die? Was He Killed?

A teenage student at Indiana University disappeared without a trace after sending mysterious text messages to his brother’s phone and then disappearing. Just days later, his body was pulled from a nearby lake, but the discovery raised more concerns than it answered. The first half of the “Still a Mystery: Indiana Unsolved” episode on Investigation Discovery focuses on the mysterious events surrounding the death of Joseph Smedley and the events that took place before his death. If this is something you’re also interested in, don’t worry; we have you covered.

Joseph Smedley

How Did Joseph Smedley Die?

Joseph Smedley II had a happy, bright, and outgoing personality as a child growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana. When he was young, his parents went through a divorce, and since then, he has had no contact with either of them. On the other hand, Joseph maintains a close relationship with his sister Vivianne Bernas and talks to her almost every day. In the year 2015, the individual who just turned 20 is a sophomore at Indiana University. He planned to get a degree in biochemistry and live off campus with several other students who were in the same fraternity.

On September 28, 2015, Vivianne decided to report Joseph missing after she was unable to contact him by phone or texting. Last night was the last time he talked to his brother. On September 27, 2015, around 11:30 pm, the family received word that Joseph was last seen by his roommates. The next day, October 2, 2015, a fisherman at Griffy Lake in Indiana discovered Joseph’s body floating in the water there. He was wearing all his clothes and had a pair of binoculars around his neck. The verdict reached by the coroner was that Joseph committed suicide by drowning himself and this was the manner of death. According to the complaint, Joseph was wearing a bag on his back that contained approximately 66 pounds worth of pebbles.

Was Joseph Smedley murdered?

According to the show, about a week before Joseph Smedley’s disappearance, Vivianne received a call from her former landlord about some debt she owed, and she had until September 28, 2015 to pay it. All this happened about a week before Joseph Smedley disappeared. Vivianne spoke with Joseph on the evening of September 27, and during that conversation, Joseph mentioned that he would deliver the check the next day. On the other hand, that did not materialize. Vivianne received a text message from Joseph’s phone at approximately four in the morning on September 28.

It said, “Viv,” in the message. I love you. I decided to leave the country. I maintain your safety and ensure your protection by not explaining why. Do not bother calling this number in an attempt to contact me as it will never go through. I can’t contact you until I live abroad. I am so grateful to you, Viv, and I will always love you. And I regret that.” Since she didn’t even have a passport, Vivianne at first thought it was a joke about something else. However, he began to worry when he was unable to contact the young student the next day.

The family later learned that Joseph did not show up at school on September 28, and his roommates said they saw him before returning that evening. Smedley’s handwriting was found on a note placed on Joseph’s bed and it addressed him leaving the country. However, Vivianne was convinced that her brother was not the author of the piece. He said that Joseph didn’t like it when people used his last name, despite the fact that their handwriting didn’t match.

Then, in a tragic turn of events, Joseph’s body is discovered in Griffy Lake, ending the search but raising more concerns. The coroner determined the death to be a suicide nearly two months after the body was recovered. However, the autopsy was performed by a third-party forensic pathologist at the family’s request. The findings are surprising to say the least. According to the show, Joseph had bleeding on his back, and the doctor thought that an accident or an undetermined cause of death may have been the cause of Joseph’s death. Vivianne also indicated that the authorities refused to share information with the pathologist, making it more difficult for them to get the answers they were looking for. Additionally, Joseph’s relatives believe that he probably did not attempt suicide by weighing himself down with stones.

Information from Joseph’s smartphone indicates that he was traveling in a vehicle at the time. Vivianne said she did not own a vehicle that was in working condition, indicating she may have been with someone else before she passed away. Additionally, the data revealed that Joseph’s phone only had outgoing communications between the hours of 11 pm on September 27 and 4 am on September 28. Vivianne continued by saying, “Now, for to those of you who love to use your cell phone, that’s long. it’s time to say nothing.” Vivianne was referring to the fact that some people like to talk on their mobile devices.

Law enforcement officials insisted that Joseph took his own life, but Joseph’s family did not believe them. They are advocating for the investigation to be reopened, and a petition with more than 100,000 signatures asking for the investigation to be reopened has been created. In July of the year 2020, Vivianne said, “We still care about Joseph. We have not moved on, and we will not stop seeking justice for him as long as we feel that what happened to him has not received attention.

Death of Joseph Smedley

When Joseph left

Vivianne, Joseph’s sister, made the report on September 28, 2015, saying that she could not find her brother. At 4:15 that morning, she received a strange text message from Joseph’s phone saying that he loved her and was about to leave the country. The message also said that he was about to leave the country. Joseph’s phone was used to send the message to the recipient. In addition, the message instructed him to refrain from making any efforts to contact her, as it stated that he would contact her once he had established himself in his new country. He originally believed that he was probably just joking about it; but, after she failed to respond to his attempts to contact her, she became concerned and contacted the authorities.

When detectives questioned Joseph’s roommates, who were also his fraternity brothers, the roommates indicated that they had last seen Joseph on September 27, 2015, the night before. This information was provided during the interviews with the investigators. According to the story they tell, they went to Griffy Lake with Joseph to try to observe a lunar eclipse also known as a “blood moon,” but because of the cloud cover, they couldn’t see much, so they returned to their fraternity home to try again the next night. This is the version of events they say. Everyone in the house reportedly went to their rooms before midnight, and this was the last time any of the other residents saw Joseph, according to other people who lived there.

It was found, in a search of Joseph’s room in the brotherhood house, that most of his belongings were still there; however, his mobile phone was taken. Additionally, there is a handwritten note with a message that is strikingly comparable to the cryptic text Vivianne received. It was indicated that there was no need for Joseph’s roommates to make any attempts to contact him while he was leaving the country. Members of Joseph’s fraternity indicated that the name “Smedley,” which was the name signed to the message, was the name they usually referred to him by.

After examining the note, Vivianne shares her assessment that the handwriting does not appear to be Joseph’s. He said he didn’t believe it was his. Despite the fact that Joseph was a right-handed person, he made the judgment that it appeared to be written by someone who writes with their left hand. It is also important to note that Joseph was not known to have a passport at the time, which would have made it difficult for him to travel around the world at the time. This fact must be taken into account. In addition, according to Vivianne, it was out of character for Joseph to skip responsibilities such as his college education and the rent he owed on a former residence where Vivianne co-signed the lease. Vivianne said this because Joseph co-signed the lease for that residence with Vivianne. Vivianne states this due to the fact that Joseph signed the lease on their last property.

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