Episode 6 of A Heavy Weight revisits the early investigation, the autopsy overview, and why Joseph’s loved ones dispute the suicide ruling.
On Sunday, September 27, 2015, Indiana University student Joseph Smedley left his apartment and disappeared. His body was recovered five days later in shallow water near the bridge by the Griffy Lake marina. A backpack filled with rocks was strapped tightly to his chest. From the start, law enforcement leaned toward suicide; Joseph’s family—and many of his friends—have never accepted that conclusion.
In the days after recovery, jurisdiction shifted from the Indiana University Police Department (IUPD) to Bloomington Police Department (BPD). Communication with the family tightened: by late November 2015, BPD designated Joseph’s father as the sole point of contact, leaving Joseph’s sister Vivianne—who had compiled extensive timelines and messages—waiting for answers.
Friends closest to Joseph say the narrative didn’t add up. They remember him making plans for the week ahead and looking forward—not withdrawing. Multiple people close to him were never contacted by investigators, despite spending significant time with him the weekend he vanished.
The autopsy summary cited findings consistent with drowning, no evidence of trauma, and alcohol detected from pleural fluid sampling, with a note about THC and a specific hallucinogen not detected. The backpack was estimated at roughly 30 kilograms of rocks, alongside ordinary items like cords and pens. These details raised more questions than they resolved—especially given reports that the water where Joseph was found was shallow enough to stand.
This episode asks hard questions about movement and means: given cell activity patterns and the terrain to Griffy Lake, could Joseph have walked there alone in the pre-dawn hours? The roads are unlit, winding, and not pedestrian-friendly. If not on foot, who drove? And why?
We also examine a possibility Joseph’s father could not shake: Was Joseph acting—voluntarily or under pressure—as a confidential informant? The show looks at known patterns on college campuses, parallels to other cases that raise similar red flags, and an FBI reply relaying local records that deny CI involvement—acknowledging how little such a letter can truly confirm or disprove.
To ground this discussion, we bring in voices with lived expertise. A Bloomington attorney who represents students speaks to how campus and criminal processes intertwine and what she’s seen around informant use. We also preview analysis from a forensic pathologist and an aquatic death investigator who will help parse manner-of-death questions, staging versus suicide, and what we can reasonably infer from where and how a body is found.
Why this matters
Joseph’s case sits at the intersection of campus policing, racial bias, and the opacity of informant practices. It challenges us to scrutinize initial narratives, push for thorough interviews with those closest to the victim, and insist that official conclusions match the evidence—not the other way around.
What’s next
In upcoming episodes, we dive deeper into the autopsy and toxicology with specialists and revisit the investigative timeline with fresh eyes. If you knew Joseph or were near Griffy Lake the week of September 27–October 2, 2015, your recollections could help fill in critical gaps. Share the episode, raise the questions, and help keep Joseph’s story in the light.
