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

[MzOpinion8d]

Has there been any updates to this case?
---Father Chris Sodder

It's been ruled an accidental drowning, case closed. Even though I think there's no one who actually believes that.

 

[Deleted member 219975]

It's all still very odd. What with being around the back of the house to begin with and missing curfew, never calling for assistance, letting his dorm know that he wasn't going to make curfew due to an accident, etc... That door had to take a hard lick, to bend it back all the way to the front takes quite a lick. I'm not saying someone deliberately killed him, but I think there's more to this story, than we will never know.

yeh like u say it is odd but if hes just had an innocent accident and the head injury took a time to kick in then he could have been trying to sort it whilst knowing he wouldnt meet curfew he rang not wanting to causing a panic.. he liked to explore and curiosity takes u all over..people mention places theyve seen or heard of so u go for an explore...he goes looks and gets the car stuck..tries a bit to get it out and fails so rings in to say gona be late.. the accident he refers to is been stuck.. goes back to extracting the car and it all goes wrong... the door well after the rear end took out the first post the impact could have caused the door(not shut as he intended to get in and stop after free) to swing open. now theres an advantage of leverage as the post hits it at the edge. that and momentum would be enough.
i know this is a car wash but it shows it doesnt take much force its the leverage that does it. https://youtu.be/weeD4A7gl2A

 

[Taurian34]

Update
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news...nt-disoriented-drowned-after-wreck/378083002/

 

[Taurian34]

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news...nt-disoriented-drowned-after-wreck/378083002/

 

[cybervampira]

Update
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news...nt-disoriented-drowned-after-wreck/378083002/

BBM

Smith was "involved in a vehicle accident" at the construction site and suffered from brain bleeding, which likely caused him to become "confused and disoriented," the Blount County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

Smith then drowned in water that was "approximately 18 to 20 inches deep," according to Blount County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Marian O'Briant.

Investigators have no evidence to suggest anyone was with Smith, O'Briant said.

The medical examiner ruled his death an accidental drowning. The toxicology report was negative for drugs and alcohol, the sheriff's office said.

Smith's car crashed while he was trying to free it from mud at the construction site, O'Briant said.

Investigators believe he "used a piece of concrete to place on the accelerator, while he pushed the vehicle from the driver's side fender near the driver's door," O'Briant said, adding that muddy handprints and footprints were found on and around the car, respectively.

Investigators believe Smith was outside the car when it began to move and crashed into the deck of the house. He "got caught between the driver's door and the decking support," and that's when he suffered the head injury, O'Briant said.

[...]

Deputies found the car "still running with the reverse lights on," the report reads. The driver's side door was "completely forced forward to the front quarter panel." A "piece of concrete" was lying in the driver's side floorboard, O'Briant said.

Near the car, deputies found one boot, a hat, a pocket knife and Smith's wallet, which contained cash and credit cards. Smith's cell phone was found inside his car, and authorities "don't know why he didn't try to call someone," O'Briant said.

The car had "extensive damage" from the crash into the house, the report reads. Deputies initially said it appeared the car had been driven around the back of the house before it crashed into the deck of the home, destroying a set of stairs and several support beams.

 

[Kittybunny]

OK. I can buy the whole accident theory, as bizarre as it is. However, I need some clarification on some items before completely letting this go. In recent discussions, people seem to be saying that he didn't call for help because he was afraid of missing curfew, etc. BUT wasn't he seen the next day? Didn't a co-worker give him a ride back to the dorm...etc. the day he disappeared? And when was that picture of the other lake taken? I thought that was the same day? Help! Here is what I thought the timeline/sequence was:

1. Previous night is when he missed curfew. His family pings his phone and it's somewhere weird, not where he's supposed to be. Roommates know he didn't come back.
2. Comes back at some point and goes to work, coworker takes him back to the dorm. He changes, goes back out again in his own car.
3. Takes picture of lake, is driving around, and at some point this is when he "disappears".

Am I wrong? Or is the night of missed curfew actually the night of the day he disappeared? If so, and at that house is where the place he wasn't supposed to be phone pings came from, then this makes more sense. I can get to the bizarre but tragic accident if this is the case. So, he comes home from work to his dorm, changes, goes out "exploring", takes a picture of the lake, then goes to the house where everything happens. Presumably accident and drowning happen that same day, pings that night, misses curfew, and is then reported missing?

 

[Deleted member 219975]

He "got caught between the driver's door and the decking support,"...ok mr holmes..so hes pushing the car from the front,thats as shown by the foot prints and hand marks..the car sets of and what..hes at the front...spose he could have run round the side and jumped in but then why not just press the brake..spose he could have run round and not got in the car but have been caught between the car and the decking but the car hit the stair support first with the rear end then the second post took the door round.....actualy just dawned on me did he chase after the car and simply ran into the stairs nutting the support ect.

 

[beatrixpotter]

I still can't fathom how he'd end up driving behind that house and somehow slam into it so hard he'd do that kind of damage to the decking and supports. I mean sure it was muddy ..so muddy he lost control of the vehicle and it just slid down the hill under the house BUT was also able to have enough traction for the initial hard impact? A vehicle sliding down in mud just doesn't seem like it would hit everything that hard.

 

[beatrixpotter]

He got caught between the car and the decking causing head trauma severe enough for internal bleeding and confusion that he wandered off and drowned in shallow water. BUT the damage that caused the internal bleeding didn't cause any obvious external damage? He got caught between a car and wooden support beams enough to dislodge the posts (which are usually sunk in the ground in concrete when placed) and caused a brain bleed...but no damage anywhere else on his body?

It was my understanding they didn't even find the brain bleed at first? So was there really no other damage on the body or his head externally? That just doesn't sound right to me.

 

[chihuahua]

Been busy with the Lucas thread but marking my spot here. Just such a sad loss.:lookingitup:

 

[Gardener1850]

OK. I can buy the whole accident theory, as bizarre as it is. However, I need some clarification on some items before completely letting this go. In recent discussions, people seem to be saying that he didn't call for help because he was afraid of missing curfew, etc. BUT wasn't he seen the next day? Didn't a co-worker give him a ride back to the dorm...etc. the day he disappeared? And when was that picture of the other lake taken? I thought that was the same day? Help! Here is what I thought the timeline/sequence was:

1. Previous night is when he missed curfew. His family pings his phone and it's somewhere weird, not where he's supposed to be. Roommates know he didn't come back.
2. Comes back at some point and goes to work, coworker takes him back to the dorm. He changes, goes back out again in his own car.
3. Takes picture of lake, is driving around, and at some point this is when he "disappears".

Am I wrong? Or is the night of missed curfew actually the night of the day he disappeared? If so, and at that house is where the place he wasn't supposed to be phone pings came from, then this makes more sense. I can get to the bizarre but tragic accident if this is the case. So, he comes home from work to his dorm, changes, goes out "exploring", takes a picture of the lake, then goes to the house where everything happens. Presumably accident and drowning happen that same day, pings that night, misses curfew, and is then reported missing?

You are confused. It all happened the same day. Timeline goes more like this:

1. Blake gets off work, coworker drops him off at dorm
2. He gets in his own car and goes to the park
3. Instagrams picture of lake
4. He drives around and at some point gets stuck in mud behind house
5. He tries to free car himself with block on accelerator and pushing
6. Blake gets pinned by car when it goes in reverse and hit deck/gets head injury in the process
7. He stumbles into the lake and drowns
8. At some point that night his parents notice his phone is in an odd place/not at the dorms and they call the next morning.
9. Parents call police and drive to TN
10. Roommates follow parent's directions and find Blake's car/phone at the accident site.

A couple points-- we don't know what time the car accident occurred.
It might have been only minutes after the instagram photo which was still daylight. It might not have even been dark yet when this happened.
He probably didn't call for help simply because he didn't think he needed it to get his car unstuck from the mud. I don't know any young man in the South who would immediately call for help when stuck in mud. It happens pretty frequently where I live and most men try multiple ways to get out of it before conceding they need help.
By the time he was seriously injured and needed help he was probably not able to use his phone to get help due to the head injury .
People are coming up with all kinds of wild reasons for why he would be skipping curfew or scared about missing curfew when he may have already been dead or drowning by the time curfew rolled around. JMO.

 

[Tricia]

Dear Everyone,

This is why we don't allow you to tear into people's lives.

All of you that said horrible things about Blake, about his friends and his friend's parents, need to realize that your words have power.

I do not want to read one thing about how this could still be a murder. No, it was a very tragic accident.

Actually, I'm closing the thread. May he rest in peace. Our hearts go out to Blake's family.

Tricia