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

[rsd1200]

I thought so. But why was there a cinder block in the pedal tho? That seems weird

I think they'd have said they found his lanyard rather than his necklace. If his parents i.d.d it then it was probably his. The cinder block could have been there to keep the gas on while he was pushing back, to get the vehicle un-stuck, maybe. Idk. it's just very strange.

 

[NebbyNancy]

I thought I had read that the toxicology report was to be back yesterday...any news? I have read all of the entries here, and am perplexed (along with the rest of you) as to what on earth went on that night...I wonder if we will ever know?

 

[LauraKnight95]

Maybe it got there when he crashed against the construction site even tho is a long way for a cinder block to fly, but why walk into the water after that? Even if he was confused from head trauma, seems unlikely

 

[Lamima]

Could have been drinking, crashed the car and/or got it stuck. Maybe some classmates were there to. Maybe they were panicked about calling for help and getting in trouble. So he said he'd stay with his car until he sobered up and all the classmates left to get back for curfew. Then he tried to free up the car on his own and crashed it again. Maybe he was injured in the process and went to the water to wash up (either wash mud off or blood from an injury). Maybe he went unconscious and landed in the water and drowned. Just a theory.

 

[LauraKnight95]

Could have been drinking, crashed the car and/or got it stuck. Maybe some classmates were there to. Maybe they were panicked about calling for help and getting in trouble. So he said he'd stay with his car until he sobered up and all the classmates left to get back for curfew. Then he tried to free up the car on his own and crashed it again. Maybe he was injured in the process and went to the water to wash up (either wash mud off or blood from an injury). Maybe he went unconscious and landed in the water and drowned. Just a theory.

Could have done but i don't know, fully getting in the water and getting all his clothes wet and cold just to wash off some blood? Why not take the phone from the car to call someone for help? Also even thought he may have done seems odd that he'd go to the water if he felt faint, you would think sitting on the car and calling someone on the phone would be his number one priority, also the car was found still running so i imagine the accident may not have been so bad as to make him go unconcious shortly after, maybe a concusion but then it would make more sense that he felt sleep in the car and died there, but instead he managed to go all the way to the water, and i doubt he went to sleep there. Maybe the car crashed because he struggled with someone in the car and this unknown person drowned him.But the information about how he was found is quite vage, so we don't know if someone was there, and why he went there that day, and other details that we need.

 

[rsd1200]

Could have done but i don't know, fully getting in the water and getting all his clothes wet and cold just to wash off some blood? Why not take the phone from the car to call someone for help? Also even thought he may have done seems odd that he'd go to the water if he felt faint, you would think sitting on the car and calling someone on the phone would be his number one priority, also the car was found still running so i imagine the accident may not have been so bad as to make him go unconcious shortly after, maybe a concusion but then it would make more sense that he felt sleep in the car and died there, but instead he managed to go all the way to the water, and i doubt he went to sleep there. Maybe the car crashed because he struggled with someone in the car and this unknown person drowned him.But the information about how he was found is quite vage, so we don't know if someone was there, and why he went there that day, and other details that we need.

We do know that he was there, at the home, by 10:30 pm. The photo at AFP was taken not long after he left work, at 2:00 pm, so after he went back to college, and ran in and out, and got to AFP, it would have to be around 3:00ish p.m. (guessing). Wonder if he was in an area, that the Life360 dropped connection, between those hours?

 

[beatrixpotter]

I have a similar religious background as this kid. My gut instinct is that he didn't commit suicide. Even if he could fake it he believed what he preached and taught. And he'd believe that suicide was damning him to hell. He'd believe that even if he fooled everyone else that God would know what he'd done.

That said, if he did commit suicide or his parents suspected he did they would do their best to hide it or ignore it or choose to ignore the possibility because they don't want to think of their son spending eternity in hell.

These aren't my current beliefs but what I was raised with and very much what I'd assume of a similar background. Suicide isn't just a sad possibility or option. It would be considered worse than your child being murdered.

 

[rsd1200]

I have a similar religious background as this kid. My gut instinct is that he didn't commit suicide. Even if he could fake it he believed what he preached and taught. And he'd believe that suicide was damning him to hell. He'd believe that even if he fooled everyone else that God would know what he'd done.

That said, if he did commit suicide or his parents suspected he did they would do their best to hide it or ignore it or choose to ignore the possibility because they don't want to think of their son spending eternity in hell.

These aren't my current beliefs but what I was raised with and very much what I'd assume of a similar background. Suicide isn't just a sad possibility or option. It would be considered worse than your child being murdered.

My upbringing was much the same. However, in recent years, I've noted that folks have begun to come to grips, in some circles, that folks can have serious depression, and that suicide is a result of that. It's not what I'd call acceptable, but, it's becoming more understood (if that makes sense), however, not in ALL circles. With that said, I've known several folks who committed suicide, and I live in a Bible Belt. None have ever went to this kind of forethought, or any forethought, to make it appear it was an accident, or they'd been murdered.

 

[HopelessinCa]

I have a similar religious background as this kid. My gut instinct is that he didn't commit suicide. Even if he could fake it he believed what he preached and taught. And he'd believe that suicide was damning him to hell. He'd believe that even if he fooled everyone else that God would know what he'd done.

That said, if he did commit suicide or his parents suspected he did they would do their best to hide it or ignore it or choose to ignore the possibility because they don't want to think of their son spending eternity in hell.

These aren't my current beliefs but what I was raised with and very much what I'd assume of a similar background. Suicide isn't just a sad possibility or option. It would be considered worse than your child being murdered.

Reading your words are exactly how I was raised and still have it deep inside me. Suicide would be worse than murder.

 

[rsd1200]

I just don't see this as a suicide. If he were that despondent, it would have been much easier just to run off the road, and into the river. The Life360 would have still shown the last location before he went into the water, so they'd still found him, and it would look like an accident. Especially so, if he was not used to that area . I would think making it look like a crime, and LE possibly, and wrongly, convicting someone would also feel wrong. It would to me. I don't feel comfortable with a staged crime, as a person of faith, at all.

 

[NebbyNancy]

So it's looking like another mystery which will never be solved, at least for the public. My thoughts are that this young man must have been troubled in some serious way. While his parents almost overstate his piety, his Christian witness, calling, faithfulness, etc, I can't help but think that Blake might have felt suffocated by all of the pressure he felt from his parents and others who put him on a pedestal, raving about this "paragon of virtue" young man. More than likely he was enticed by some yearning that wasn't quite so "holy", and he indulged in it, feeling the guilt, shame and the weight of the world on his shoulders all the while. He most likely had a very strong conscience, sense of right and wrong, and yet had the carnal desires of an average 20-year old male. Most people I've mentioned this case to have surmised "gay"...he does appear somewhat effeminate in his photos, and that persuasion would be ingrained in him to be an "abomination" according to his strict biblical upbringing. If indeed he was secretly indulging in reaching out for homosexual affection/activity, it's my opinion this could cause this young man enough grief, turmoil and shame that he may have felt the need to take his own life. it is hard to believe that no one noticed anything that night, and that the only one who was witness to the events of that night was Blake Smith.

 

[KariKae]

Couple of questions...

1) IF he was beaten shortly around the time of death, would bruises be visible since blood stopped circulating shortly after the trauma?

2) I wonder if it is possible somebody beat him causing head injury. He became disoriented and died "accidentally" (which of course is a homicide)

3) I wonder if the bruises observed by the familyl on the face and hands were actually post-mortem blood pooling?

 

[NebbyNancy]

But why, if this was a murder, is there no plea/statement of a reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator? There must be a good reason for this not to be happening.

 

[DAnthrplgst]

But why, if this was a murder, is there no plea/statement of a reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator? There must be a good reason for this not to be happening.

The parents may have just accepted it as "god's will" and don't want to push the issue. This whole scenario reminds me of a tragic incident that befell my nephew's best friend. Josh came from a very religious family, some off the wall version of Baptist. When Josh was just shy of 20 he was gunned down by a police officer without cause (he wasn't drunk/stoned, had no weapon), the cops excuse was he "felt threatened." Josh's parents refused to make a fuss about it, they didn't want an investigation into the crime, they even expressed their desire that the cop shouldn't be fired because "it was God's will, the police officer was just an unfortunate instrument of the Father's plan." Subsequently, the police officer was fired as the dept couldn't find a reasonable justification for the shooting.

This could be the same line of thinking for Blake's parents, it was just "god's will."

 

[anonypotomous]

Wow, I sure hope that if LE thinks it is a murder, it doesn't matter what the family thinks, and they'll move forward with an investigation. Good grief, I can't imagine LE saying "Ok, well, the parents think it's God's will, so we're done here." In what universe do the police allow a murder to slide just so a family can save face, or for religious reasons?

I mean, come on... If there is even a small chance that someone murdered this young man, LE better get their butts in gear and figure it out.



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[mrsNKY]

I'm on the fence with this case. On one hand I wondered if he was maybe caught in dating scenerio that was being reviewed by the college. There saying rules are way.... out there to me. Maybe he was worried about a report or review regarding a matter they deem unacceptable.

My second thought was could there be deprograming type of "treatment" for a sexual orientation issue? There are several of those places and listen not specifically state they provide such methods. Especially seeing how strict the dating rules are. He may have been still fighting the urge. That could explain the reaction from the parents. Maybe after speaking with school officials some info was released and since they (parents) figured to let it be

My third thought is... why go thru that much trouble to commit suicide. I mean he wouldn't need to go thru all of this because the parents were aware after speaking to the school (Surmising) he would be found out anyway. And how did that car run for 24+ hours without running out of gas. That's a long time.

All of this is imo.

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[NebbyNancy]

The parents may have just accepted it as "god's will" and don't want to push the issue. This whole scenario reminds me of a tragic incident that befell my nephew's best friend. Josh came from a very religious family, some off the wall version of Baptist. When Josh was just shy of 20 he was gunned down by a police officer without cause (he wasn't drunk/stoned, had no weapon), the cops excuse was he "felt threatened." Josh's parents refused to make a fuss about it, they didn't want an investigation into the crime, they even expressed their desire that the cop shouldn't be fired because "it was God's will, the police officer was just an unfortunate instrument of the Father's plan." Subsequently, the police officer was fired as the dept couldn't find a reasonable justification for the shooting.

This could be the same line of thinking for Blake's parents, it was just "god's will."

​You know, the more I think about this, the more this makes sense...hypothetically, the parents found out, either through law enforcement, Blake's friends or the school, that he had homosexual leanings, and that he was meeting someone at that park for that reason; whoever he met was probably the cause of his demise, but the parents have decided to not pursue justice, because then Blake's orientation and double life would come out, and the strong Christian witness that they wanted him to be remembered for would be ruined. This makes the most sense to me at this point, but it would be such a shame if the parents did not demand justice for their son's death.

 

[flute4peace]

It's not up to the victim's family whether or not to pursue a homicide case, is it?

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[ChelBel]

Just a thought--the potential homosexuality theory may or may not be true. Regardless of whether it is though, if Blake's family happens to be on this page, those comments likely wouldn't help in their healing process.

Some people have commented about the cinder block on the gas pedal "all night long" and have asked, "How could the car have run that long?" Just because the car was allegedly discovered that way does not mean it had been that way all night. Perhaps it happened hours after (or before) his body went into/was put into the water. Also, even though his cell phone (apparently, per the Life 360 app) indicated that particular location all night does not mean that we know his *car* was there as well.

 

[GraceG]

Couple of questions...

1) IF he was beaten shortly around the time of death, would bruises be visible since blood stopped circulating shortly after the trauma?

2) I wonder if it is possible somebody beat him causing head injury. He became disoriented and died "accidentally" (which of course is a homicide)

3) I wonder if the bruises observed by the familyl on the face and hands were actually post-mortem blood pooling?

As to your first question. Yes, unless death was instantaneous you would note bruising at autopsy due to hemorrhage into the dermis, subcutaneous tissues, deep soft tissues, and internal organs as a result of rupture of blood vessels following impact with a blunt object or surface