Found Deceased TN - Blake Smith, 20, Knoxville, 3 Feb 2018

[rsd1200]

I'm curious WHY he was at either one of those places and whether or not he was alone.

1.) Possibly met up with someone at location one, where the IG photo was taken, then went either willingly or unwillingly to the construction site where his car was found. Maybe someone he met online? Maybe someone he counseled in the past? Things went sideways somehow. I get a possible Blaze Bernstein vibe here. Maybe. ??

2.) If he was alone and it was indeed an accident, and no one else was involved, why in the world was he there? Seems a strange place to go. Private road and totally off the beaten path. Being there had to be intentional - but why?

Can someone post a timeline? I know that Life360 app can track where you are all day and what time you were at each location.



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BBM
Your post has had me thinking some more.

I don't know if am permitted to post this or not but I ran across a place, in studying the maps, that, when I checked it out, found it seems to be a little place that seres food and adult beverages. I'd not thought as much about it... but, the location, and Bs, friend's, comment, that "B had some struggles, but he'd never think o him hurting himself" (loosely quoted).

I thought maybe he might have gone to this little place, and somehow met up with some really nasty folks. The mapping got me thinking, along with the amount of time, that we don't know where he was, between AFP and the home on Ballards Way. Surely he went somewhere else, in between. There's also a little place called Mike's Bar & Grill down the road from Shooters.

If against TOS, I apologize, in advance.

 

[DAnthrplgst]

I keep going back to what his father said:
“He had a positive outlook, and morally we never had a problem with him.”

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news...-student-family-suspects-foul-play/306318002/

Does that imply there was some other personal issues they went through? Maybe there was some mental illness or some other health issues? It seems the whole family is very religious but to mention there wasn’t any moral problems seemed odd. Why not just say no problems at all.

Dear god, if this turns out to be another kid who was forced into the shadows, put into a position of having to meet people in dangerous places because his "pray away the gay" regimen wasn't working I think I'm gonna lose my mind.

 

[LadyO]

I'm curious WHY he was at either one of those places and whether or not he was alone.

1.) Possibly met up with someone at location one, where the IG photo was taken, then went either willingly or unwillingly to the construction site where his car was found. Maybe someone he met online? Maybe someone he counseled in the past? Things went sideways somehow. I get a possible Blaze Bernstein vibe here. Maybe. ??

2.) If he was alone and it was indeed an accident, and no one else was involved, why in the world was he there? Seems a strange place to go. Private road and totally off the beaten path. Being there had to be intentional - but why?

Can someone post a timeline? I know that Life360 app can track where you are all day and what time you were at each location.



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Concerning No. 2:
Decided to look at at a map of where Ballard Rd is located after reading your comment. What struck me was that it is basically a straight shot from the UT campus and downtown Knox. You just come down Alcoa Highway and turn onto Topside Road. Did he meet someone at the park, go home with them or go partying downtown, and then end up on a joyride out by the river?

This is also easily accessible from Maryville College to the south.

Edited to say: I don't really see this as being way off the beaten path, as a local. It's right off of major roads. The weird part is it being posted as private property, which leads me to think others might be onto something about him knowing about it due to his job.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Snipped...
Edited to say: I don't really see this as being way off the beaten path, as a local. It's right off of major roads. The weird part is it being posted as private property, which leads me to think others might be onto something about him knowing about it due to his job.

I am not local and maybe E Old Topside is a road locals know about but Ballards Way is not signposted and from streetview really just looks like a private driveway from the road. I would not be surprised if there was private property signs and that the unmade road is considered a right-of-way for property owners only.

 

[LadyO]

I am not local and maybe E Old Topside is a road locals know about but Ballards Way is not signposted and from streetview really just looks like a private driveway from the road. I would not be surprised if there was private property signs and that the unmade road is considered a right-of-way for property owners only.

I was actually just referring to Topside Rd. Ballard Rd us just a couple quick turns off of that road.
You've got me curious now, lol. I've got a recovering sick kid who I promised a car ride to today, so I think I'll drive by and see what I can see without disturbing anyone. Don't worry, I won't go on private property, lol.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I did not follow the BB case, but, I have wondered.

B left his job at WeedMan Lawn at 2pm
It is said that the photo at Farragut Park was taken shortly after he left his job.

There's been conflicting stories about if he returned to the dorm or not.

It is only 8.5 miles between Weed Man and Farragut Park.

If he left WeedMan at 2p.m., as was stated, & went to Crown College first, that is approx. a 13 mile drive (20ish minutes)

If the above is the case, it is said he "stopped at his dorm" and then left Crown College.

From Crown College, to Admiral Farragut Park (AFP), it is right at a 19 mile drive (28 minutes).

So that would put him at AFP, closer to 3:30-4:00. (It is said that the photo was taken not long after B left work)

From AFP, the vehicle shows up, on Life360, at a residential site, on Ballards Way, late Saturday night (before 2 a.m., Sunday).

It is right at 7.0 miles (10 minute drive) from AFP to Ballards Way.

Where was he between that time period between AFP and Ballards Way? Wouldn't the Life 360 app show that?

I can't find where anyone has said that they saw him stop in at the college though. I guess that could be normal though. Every thing states that the last time that he was seen, was leaving work, at Weed Man.

Sorry if this is a bit scrambled but the sequence makes no sense to me if he's that close to AFP, from work. I guess he could've just run up to Crown College, emailed his Dad his taxes, and darted back out.

The photo at AFP does not stand out to me as something pleasing to the eye either. I'm a photo buff and there's just nothing eye about it that stands out. It's kind of a depressing photo. His public profile selfies didn't look especially happy, but some folks don't take the greatest selfies. Raises hand...

Could someone else have taken the photo? Planning to throw folks off to look in the wrong location? They'd not know about the app. The destruction to the car seems like someone was angry. If LE didn't find it til Monday, they'd think as the parents did at first, that it had been stolen. Of course he may have just seen something in the photo that I don't, and just snapped it.

stopped by his dorm
https://coed.com/2018/02/07/blake-smith-crowns-college-student-found-dead-info-details-updates/

...snipped

Most press state he did return to the dorm...only a few early SM posts said not. Also the clothes that he had been wearing earlier that day were retrieved from his dorm for the search dogs to use for scent so I think we can assume he did make it back.

Thank you for the excellent timeline, rsd.

The following from your post really caught my attention:

It's kind of a depressing photo. His public profile selfies didn't look especially happy, but some folks don't take the greatest selfies. Raises hand...

I was able to find Blake’s FB page, and I agree. It’s locked down somewhat (e.g., I have seen screenshots of additional posts by Blake himself on the page, including links to his Instagram photos, but I cannot view them using my own FB account):
https://m.facebook.com/brs4bama?pn_ref=story

I agree, eucalyptus, that Blake did return to his dorm room, IMO. And I did find a few MSM articles stating that he did:

1. “Smith was reportedly last seen Saturday afternoon. He left work at Weed Man Lawn Care and stopped at his dorm before leaving, according to his parents, Jim and Kim Smith.”
http://thejacksonpress.org/?p=79281

2. “Smith, of Trussville, Alabama, was last seen Saturday afternoon. He left work at Weed Man Lawn Care and stopped at his dorm at Crown College before leaving, according to his parents.”
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news...-student-family-suspects-foul-play/306318002/

The above article has a pretty good timeline also.

3. In the video here (thank you, mrsNKY, for posting the link upthread), starting around te 1’21” mark, Blake’s father states that:
1) around 2pm, a friend of Blake’s stopped him off at his dorm (question: Why didn’t he drive himself to work that day? Does the friend also live on campus or nearby, therefore carpooling often? This is likely irrelevant to what happened to Blake that day - just something I wondered about);

2) it was at this point that Blake texted his W-2’s to him (thank you for mentioning this earlier, mrsNKY). Perhaps Blake checked his mailbox when he got back to his dorm, maybe he found his in his mailbox, promptly took a photo and texted to his dad.

Considering the fact it is the time of the year when employers are sending W-2 forms to employees, this may be considered a perfectly normal behavior.

When I found out about this, however, my immediate thought was “putting one’s affairs in order” ....

https://www.knoxnews.com/videos/new...ents-missing-crown-college-student/110120836/

 

[Steelslady]

I'm curious WHY he was at either one of those places and whether or not he was alone.

1.) Possibly met up with someone at location one, where the IG photo was taken, then went either willingly or unwillingly to the construction site where his car was found. Maybe someone he met online? Maybe someone he counseled in the past? Things went sideways somehow. I get a possible Blaze Bernstein vibe here. Maybe. ??

2.) If he was alone and it was indeed an accident, and no one else was involved, why in the world was he there? Seems a strange place to go. Private road and totally off the beaten path. Being there had to be intentional - but why?

Can someone post a timeline? I know that Life360 app can track where you are all day and what time you were at each location.



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Yes, yes, yes! I'm getting that same vibe! I won't go so far as a gay hookup, just because right now, there's no proof of that, but the rest of this case- deja vu!

Look at how the friend mentions, in a similar quote- "Blake had some struggles, but he would never harm himself" just like the "driver friend" Sam said in Blaze's disappearance.

 

[anonypotomous]

Look at how the friend mentions, in a similar quote- "Blake had some struggles, but he would never harm himself" just like the "driver friend" Sam said in Blaze's disappearance.

Oh my gosh, that’s right!!!


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[lstiff]

Yes, yes, yes! I'm getting that same vibe! I won't go so far as a gay hookup, just because right now, there's no proof of that, but the rest of this case- deja vu!

Look at how the friend mentions, in a similar quote- "Blake had some struggles, but he would never harm himself" just like the "driver friend" Sam said in Blaze's disappearance.

IMHO

I agree. Total speculation but getting the same vibes here too.

 

[kdhith]

Dear god, if this turns out to be another kid who was forced into the shadows, put into a position of having to meet people in dangerous places because his "pray away the gay" regimen wasn't working I think I'm gonna lose my mind.

This is what I was thinking. I'm new to this thread, but I have a few questions. Maybe the info is out there and I missed it but:

=What was he wearing when he was found? Hiking clothes? Hiking shoes?

=What kind of car did he have? How big a gas tank? His phone was at this location since at least 10:30pm, and was found at roughly 8am (dad started calling friends around 7am), and the car was still running? I would imagine it was revving pretty high, considering the pedal was held down with a cinder block. How much gas would that take? How much was left in the tank? This could help determine at least when the car was crashed into the house.

Sad case.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I keep going back to what his father said:
“He had a positive outlook, and morally we never had a problem with him.”

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news...-student-family-suspects-foul-play/306318002/

Does that imply there was some other personal issues they went through? Maybe there was some mental illness or some other health issues? It seems the whole family is very religious but to mention there wasn’t any moral problems seemed odd. Why not just say no problems at all.

Dear god, if this turns out to be another kid who was forced into the shadows, put into a position of having to meet people in dangerous places because his "pray away the gay" regimen wasn't working I think I'm gonna lose my mind.

As an agnostic, I am genuinely interested in learning what Blake’s family considers to be morally wrong based on their religious beliefs.

While I have no idea about Blake’s family, there are many people in our country that view mental illness as a character flaw. If Blake was experiencing symptoms of a psychiatric disorder (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia etc.), depending upon his loved ones’ view of such illnesses (as well as what he has been taught about those illnesses), he might not have felt comfortable seeking treatment.

I agree with your entire post, DAnthrplgst. Generally, I respect others’ religious beliefs, but discrimination of any kind (gender, race, sexual orientation and more), is one of the few things I have zero tolerance for. There is something I consider morally wrong right there.

By the way, do we know whether or not Blake was gay? I find it interesting that it has been brought up several times on the thread.

Personally, I think there is a good possibility, but I have no evidence to support it.

It’s just an impression or feeling I get from the photos I have seen of him online (there is a beautiful compliation of pictures someone close to him made into a video posted on YouTube). Many of those pictures remind me of some of my friends who are gay, but didn’t come out until at least in their early 20’s although many of us close to them always “knew” to be. It’s their hair, what they wear/style (and how those things evolve as they become more comfortable with themselves), things like that. But without meeting the person or getting to know them, it’s impossible to know, IMO.

The fact that the park where he posted the Instagram photo from is apparently known as LGBTQ-friendly is somewhat telling, too, IMO.

 

[Steelslady]

Oh my gosh, that’s right!!!


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Me thinks this friend needs to be questioned quite a bit. Especially when you look at how successful and happy Blake seemed with his life, just like Blaze.

 

[Steelslady]

IMHO

I agree. Total speculation but getting the same vibes here too.

It is just so similar to Blaze's case. Blaze's parents insisted that Blaze would never kill himself, that he was thrilled to go back to school, to work on that cooking magazine, buying new things for his apartment. Yet, when Sam told the cops he was depressed over his grades and other pressures, his mother denied all of it, and folks started believing that the parents put him under a lot of pressure, didn't accept him, etc, because of that one comment made by Sam.

This sounds like the same thing with Blake. I know people will argue with me that you can't always tell when a person is depressed and sometimes folks kill themselves without a warning, but man oh man, if that was the case with Blake, he sure went to a lot of trouble setting up a suicide all by himself. Blake's family suspects foul play just like the Bernsteins did, and I am going to take their word for it that they know their son better than we do or the media. Remember, in Blaze's case, the cops were rightly so, very tight lipped about the details and Sam for a couple of weeks. I bet the cops are also skeptical of this friend's story, but time will tell.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I don’t have time, so cannot discuss at length, but could the manner of death being “accidental” for the time-being mean something along the lines of an accidental overdose, or at least the drowning precipitated by it?

Would there be any signs present during the autopsy, even without the toxicology results, or something that would lead them to at least suspect it? Or what if they found paraphernalia on Blake’s body, when it was found?

I just find it curious and unusual that the coroner announced the MOD so quickly, when s/he could have as easily said undetermined.

 

[Steelslady]

As an agnostic, I am genuinely interested in learning what Blake’s family considers to be morally wrong based on their religious beliefs.

While I have no idea about Blake’s family, there are many people in our country that view mental illness as a character flaw. If Blake was experiencing symptoms of a psychiatric disorder (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia etc.), depending upon his loved ones’ view of such illnesses (as well as what he has been taught about those illnesses), he might not have felt comfortable seeking treatment.

I agree with your entire post, DAnthrplgst. Generally, I respect others’ religious beliefs, but discrimination of any kind (gender, race, sexual orientation and more), is one of the few things I have zero tolerance for. There is something I consider morally wrong right there.

By the way, do we know whether or not Blake was gay? I find it interesting that it has been brought up several times on the thread.

Personally, I think there is a good possibility, but I have no evidence to support it.

It’s just an impression or feeling I get from the photos I have seen of him online (there is a beautiful compliation of pictures someone close to him made into a video posted on YouTube). Many of those pictures remind me of some of my friends who are gay, but didn’t come out until at least in their early 20’s although many of us close to them always “knew” to be. It’s their hair, what they wear/style (and how those things evolve as they become more comfortable with themselves), things like that. But without meeting the person or getting to know them, it’s impossible to know, IMO.

The fact that the park where he posted the Instagram photo from is apparently known as LGBTQ-friendly is somewhat telling, too, IMO.

You know, I quite clearly remember the Bernstein's being judged harshly like this in the beginning, when it turned out that not only did they suspect Blaze was gay, but they loved him and adored him and his mother tried to get him to talk about it, to let him know that they loved him anyway and would support him. People made early and harsh judgments about their family, and I would hate to do the same about Blake's family, without knowing more about them. Just because they are religious, does not mean that they wouldn't love or care and support him, if he was gay.

I have devote Christians in my family that love and support several family members and friends that are gay- we're talking right wing religious folks who follow the Bible like it's their lifeline- yet they still love people close to them who's beliefs aren't the same. I know there are some radicals out there, but it isn't fair to assume that every religious person is one.

 

[Steelslady]

I don’t have time, so cannot discuss at length, but could manner of death being “accidental” for the time-being mean something along the lines of an accidental overdose, or at least the drowning precipitated by it?

Would there be any signs present during the autopsy, even without the toxicology results, or something that would lead them to at least suspect it? Or what if they found paraphernalia on Blake’s body, when it was found?

I just find it curious and unusual that the coroner announced the MOD so quickly, when s/he could have as easily said undetermined.

Could "accidental" mean that he got into a fight with someone, and they accidentally killed him?

 

[rsd1200]

Oh my gosh, that’s right!!!


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I have had vibe about this from the git go but didn't want to say anything. I've tried to dance around it with his parent's using the the tracking app, for one, and a couple other things but didn't come right out and say it. But when you posted about feelings of the BB case, then... The little bar that I put on my map, when you search Google, pops up as, well, welcoming to all. I'll put it that way. It's so close to where B was found, and then where his car was later found, that I wondered i he was going there to meet someone, but came across someone who wasn't "welcoming". Just tossing it out there now that the barn door is open.

 

[rsd1200]

This is what I was thinking. I'm new to this thread, but I have a few questions. Maybe the info is out there and I missed it but:

=What was he wearing when he was found? Hiking clothes? Hiking shoes?

=What kind of car did he have? How big a gas tank? His phone was at this location since at least 10:30pm, and was found at roughly 8am (dad started calling friends around 7am), and the car was still running? I would imagine it was revving pretty high, considering the pedal was held down with a cinder block. How much gas would that take? How much was left in the tank? This could help determine at least when the car was crashed into the house.

Sad case.

Excellent questions!

B drove a tan 2014 Toyota Camry

25 city / 35 highway

17 gal tank

The vehicle, only has a 17 gal tank but, it would take quite awhile to run out of gas because it is basically going at a steady rate of speed. Kinda like cruise control, only in reverse, rather than drive. No stop and go traffic, curvy roads, etc...

It's really no different than one starting their vehicle, to let it run, to warm it up in the morning. The only difference is that Bs vehicle was placed it reverse, but, it still couldn't go anywhere, butted up against the building, so it was like it was just idling there.

Even if they had the block all the way down on the accelerator, I don't think it would overheat, because of the cold temps.

 

[eucalyptuz]

I found that odd, too. See my post below. So, the family was allowed to go on the leads with LE? They apparently saw things that lead them (family) to believe it was foul play.
I still think it was suicide.
He knows his family best. I think he went out of his way to keep them from finding out he ended his own life. Jmo

I think that once the parents verified that Blake had not returned to the dorm to sleep and that his phone was still pinging from the unexpected location on Ballards Way that they jumped in the car and headed over from Alabama...3 or 4 hours drive I think.
From how the father tells it, it was him that gave the phone’s location to some other Crown students to check on. I don’t think we know how quickly a missing person report was opened but I wonder if they waited until after they had arrived in Knoxville and followed up on the Life360 info first.? One of the videos by the parents suggested they had assembled a search team of at least a dozen from the college which were later joined by police.

It's a very sad case. I too believe it may have been suicide despite clues that would suggest otherwise...my reasoning is 3-fold:
-There have never been any statements from LE that any kind of crime had taken place - all comments of foul play seemed to have all stemmed from family members.
-The speedy deliverance of the “appears accidental” MOD by the Sherriff’s Office...after only 24 hours and without tox results etc. In my mind this seemed to suggest that no-one else was involved and in the absence of a note of suicidal intent, perhaps the sheriff thought this was a gentler finding for this deeply conservative family.
-There is an inkling, if you fish about long and far and across all avenues, that some friends and family members are acknowledging something that suggests a melancholic and not untroubled side. I agree that this might be because of questions about self-identity, although it might have less to do with sexuality and more to do with self-esteem, direction and his ‘fit’ within the rigidity of religious fundamentalism.

 

[rsd1200]

As an agnostic, I am genuinely interested in learning what Blake’s family considers to be morally wrong based on their religious beliefs.

While I have no idea about Blake’s family, there are many people in our country that view mental illness as a character flaw. If Blake was experiencing symptoms of a psychiatric disorder (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia etc.), depending upon his loved ones’ view of such illnesses (as well as what he has been taught about those illnesses), he might not have felt comfortable seeking treatment.

I agree with your entire post, DAnthrplgst. Generally, I respect others’ religious beliefs, but discrimination of any kind (gender, race, sexual orientation and more), is one of the few things I have zero tolerance for. There is something I consider morally wrong right there.

By the way, do we know whether or not Blake was gay? I find it interesting that it has been brought up several times on the thread.

Personally, I think there is a good possibility, but I have no evidence to support it.

It’s just an impression or feeling I get from the photos I have seen of him online (there is a beautiful compliation of pictures someone close to him made into a video posted on YouTube). Many of those pictures remind me of some of my friends who are gay, but didn’t come out until at least in their early 20’s although many of us close to them always “knew” to be. It’s their hair, what they wear/style (and how those things evolve as they become more comfortable with themselves), things like that. But without meeting the person or getting to know them, it’s impossible to know, IMO.

The fact that the park where he posted the Instagram photo from is apparently known as LGBTQ-friendly is somewhat telling, too, IMO.

Any of this could potentially be true. He was at a school where permission had to be sought to date someone of the opposite race so in my way of thinking, that's pretty strict. Idk if B was gay or not, but, the first pic I saw of him, I thought that there was a good chance, before I came to WS to see if there was a thread set up. If so, I hope someone didn't hurt him b/c of that. I hope it was, somehow, truly, accidental.