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

[Steelslady]

But she's a 15 year old girl - I don't blame you, that's smart!

But a 20 year old man who's on his own.. that's odd to me.

I don't know about these apps myself as I am not tech savvy. However, my kids all leave theirs set to location trackers on their own just to be on the safe side. Both of my daughters had unsavory experiences- one was a stalker from her work (a customer who still does from time to time) and the other was a sexual predator that lived close by and by the Grace of God, I followed that bleeping pig to give him a piece of my mind and reported his license plate- that's how I found out he was a sexual predator. I never did catch the jerk myself, but let's just say, the cops handled him. So, both of my daughters on their own said that they have put trackers on their phones in case something ever did happen to them again, we or LE could hopefully find them. My son has it on, too.

I think folks don't give a lot of kids credit when it comes to safety- many really don't have an issue with leaving their locations on, so long as parents aren't ridiculously checking up on them to a point where they can't go out somewhere without criticism or negativity. My kids also call or text me if they're going to be late, staying the night at a friends, or going somewhere else such as they were going to the movies but decided to go bowling instead. I never bother them, just encourage them to always be aware of their surroundings, safety in numbers and so on, but I don't embarrass them or harass them unless they are really late and I just want to make sure they're not broken down somewhere or something else is going on and they need help. Believe it or not, my kids tell me often that they feel safe knowing I am home waiting up for them to get home at night, we do live in the country, so that may be another reason why it's a secure feeling to them. They know if they don't get home by the time they tell me they are coming home, I will text first, then call, and if they're ok and just running late, no questions asked, just a polite thank you and I'll see you when you get home is all I do, but you know what? They do me the favor of letting me know they're ok almost all the time, so I in turn only call when they are about 10 minutes late just check to make sure they're ok, and it works for us beautifully, this system we have. I, as a mother, appreciate that they all do this for me..

 

[Dalebecky1]

Everyone I know has the Life360 app. All of my friends and family. Many friends of mine use it for their college kids for safety reasons. Especially if they travel long distances to come home one weekends. It is extremely common.

 

[Paddleboarder]

It pretty much has to be him. They called off volunteers for the search at around the time the helicopter was out (not long after their drone found the male body) + the location.
Due to the body language of the guy talking, I wonder if this my be a suicide or complicated accidental death. Either way, I hope they find answers for the family.

I fear it was a suicide.


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[Steelslady]

A body was found in a lake near where the car was located

https://www.facebook.com/WVLT8/videos/10156072265219469/


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Oh no.....how very very sad to hear this news.

 

[Steelslady]

I fear it was a suicide.


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I don't know- he ripped his own necklace off, left a shoe and his beanie behind, left his car running, then killed himself in the lake somehow?

Most people that kill themselves don't try to make it look like someone else harmed them. Just my opinion, but you could be right. Either way, so very very tragic.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

Everyone I know has the Life360 app. All of my friends and family. Many friends of mine use it for their college kids for safety reasons. Especially if they travel long distances to come home one weekends. It is extremely common.

O/T - I've never heard of the app being discussed and it is terrifying IMO. George Orwell was right - yikes!

ETA: It's not right or wrong, just different. I don't want anyone being able to know where I am at any time. Maybe if I had children, I'd think differently. Maybe it is generational.

Regardless, I hope Blake's family has some answers soon.

 

[negative_ninjas]

Also, the body found is confirmed male and was found at George’s Creek, which one site says drains into Fort Loudoun Lake.

 

[Hazelnutty]

Surely not a suicide with car running and a cinder block on accelerator? Shoe, chain & hat near car? Horribly tragic, regardless . Prayers for family. What is it with young men & dark water ?

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[negative_ninjas]

Possible scenario: He needed to get away for a while. Sets things up to go ‘missing’, but gets clocked by his car door when he accidentally puts it in reverse rather than drive. Gets literally knocked out of his shoes (or shoe) and his hat in the process. Disoriented, breaks his chain necklace getting up and then checks on his car. Puts his phone and wallet in. Then in a disoriented state goes to sit by the water like he appears to frequently do to think and falls in. He then succumbed to hypothermia. Too many possibilities right now.

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Body found during search for Trussville man missing in Knoxville, Tenn.[/h]

KNOXVILLE, TENN. –According to WBIR in Tennessee, a body has been found during the search for Blake Smith, a Knoxville college student and Trussville native.

Blount County Sheriff James Berrong announced that a body was found in George’s Creek. That is a tributary that drains into Fort Loudoun Lake, not far from the construction site where Smith’s vehicle was found.

The body has not been positively identified at this time and the investigation into the events surrounding Smith’s disappearance continues.

The sheriff’s office located the body in the lake with the use of a drone. A helicopter from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office assisted in helping to pinpoint the location.

http://www.trussvilletribune.com/20...for-trussville-man-missing-in-knoxville-tenn/

 

[Gardener1850]

Found a video interview with his parents: https://www.knoxnews.com/videos/new...ents-missing-crown-college-student/110120836/

According to that his parents tracked him with an app called "Life 360". They noticed he was at an unusual place Saturday night late at night when he was supposed to be at the dorm. When he still wasn't back at the dorm at 2 AM his dad was concerned. Dad called his roommates at 7 AM and found out he never made it back there. Then they contacted college security and police. Dad said no blood in car so they are hoping for the best. A friend had dropped him off at the dorm after work around 2 PM, then he had texted his dad his W2's so his dad could help do taxes. His dad thinks he got in his car and drove to the park right after that because the picture was posted to instagram not long after the text. He likes to hike so his dad thinks he went to the park to hike.

Bumping this interview. In this video his dad says a friend gave Blake a ride from work to his dorm around 2 PM. Yet all the news reports are saying he was last seen leaving work and no mention of him going back to the dorm and then leaving again in his truck as his dad suggests. I wonder why the info released was that he was last seen leaving work instead of leaving the dorm? Could it be they did not find any evidence he made it back to the dorm at 2 PM? I hope LE is looking closely at the person who allegedly gave him a ride home to the dorm from work. JMO.

 

[Dalebecky1]

Possible scenario: He needed to get away for a while. Sets things up to go ‘missing’, but gets clocked by his car door when he accidentally puts it in reverse rather than drive. Gets literally knocked out of his shoes (or shoe) and his hat in the process. Disoriented, breaks his chain necklace getting up and then checks on his car. Puts his phone and wallet in. Then in a disoriented state goes to sit by the water like he appears to frequently do to think and falls in. He then succumbed to hypothermia. Too many possibilities right now.

Dad said there was no blood found at the location of his car.

 

[Steelslady]

O/T - I've never heard of the app being discussed and it is terrifying IMO. George Orwell was right - yikes!

ETA: It's not right or wrong, just different. I don't want anyone being able to know where I am at any time. Maybe if I had children, I'd think differently. Maybe it is generational.

Regardless, I hope Blake's family has some answers soon.

I hear you- that is why I respect all of my children's privacy and do not check up on them on the app- I believe that is the app that they use. I do have it in my phone in case I need to access it in an emergency, but I as a rule respect their privacy and would never invade it. This is just a precautionary thing with us because both of my daughters had those negative experiences- one of them is still experiencing issues with a customer that is still stalking her. They did this on their own, which makes me happy, as I hesitated asking them to do it myself, for fear of them worrying about Mom tracking them. I am a very private person myself and don't like being tracked, but I don't mind my husband and kids having access just in case. After reading all the cases on here over the last few years, it gives me peace of mind that should something happen to me, they would have an area to pinpoint where to search for me. Yet, it isn't something that I would want everyone be to be able to do in my life, that's for sure.

 

[negative_ninjas]

Likely wouldn’t be any in that scenario. Just enough injury to disorient and knock some clothing off. Maybe knock the wind out of one. Would likely leave bruising that would show up later. Like I said, one possible scenario out of many.

 

[negative_ninjas]

From what is being released, it makes me believe there is much more than they are releasing. With parents present in the area, ID should be quick for a body found in cold water in the winter (less marine life). The fact that they didn’t mention if the found body appeared to be more recent, if it had clothes...and if those were similar to what the missing guy was last wearing, makes me think they are holding back for the family.

 

[anonypotomous]

Blake, preaching on December 31, 2017

---> https://youtu.be/K35MG0_nd1Q

 

[ohhieliz]

Re: the life360 app, I'm an adult and my mom did try to get all of us to sign up for it. I said no, but more because I didn't want some app knowing where I was all the time, I don't care if my mom knows. I do have location sharing on with my husband and sister, but that's because I read websleuths way too much and I worry about my safety and their safety. *shrug*

 

[anonypotomous]

Updates:

https://www.facebook.com/Blount-County-Sheriffs-Office-585300914895354/

 

[Gardener1850]

Blake, preaching on December 31, 2017

---> https://youtu.be/K35MG0_nd1Q

I'm only 2.5 minutes in but have to comment how sad this is in light of the fact he is most likely deceased. He begins by describing his life growing up in the church he is preaching in and different memories he has with his family and friends there. Then he reads James 4:13-17. I won't quote it (not trying to preach) but the verse is about not being too arrogant in your plans for the future because you never know when you might die and life is short (my paraphrase/my interpretation only). This is really sad! It's almost like he is giving his own eulogy in these first 2.5 minutes. JMO. I don't know if I can get through listening to the rest

ETA: Ok. I finished listening. Such a mature young man with a serious sermon topic. The sad irony of the theme continued throughout the message. One of the last statements he said as he was praying was "I pray that we would live every single day like it's our last". :tears:This is so heartbreaking! My prayers go out to his family and friends.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

“Body recovered near missing Crown College student's car; police investigating”
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news...-student-family-suspects-foul-play/306318002/

“LOUISVILLE, Tenn. – Authorities recovered the unidentified body of a young man in a creek Monday afternoon, about a quarter-mile from where the car of a missing college student was found wrecked at a construction site.

Blount County Sheriff James Berrong said the car, a 2014 tan Toyota Camry, belonged to 20-year-old Blake Smith, though police have not yet confirmed whether the body recovered nearby is Smith.

Smith, a junior at Crown College who was studying to be a minister, was reported missing Sunday by his family. They said they suspect foul play.

Berrong would not comment on the cause of death for the body that was found and would not say whether the death is suspicious or possibly a suicide.
"The investigation just started," he said shortly before 3 p.m. Monday on East Old Topside Road, where the body was recovered. "That will be determined as we go."
The body was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center, where an autopsy will be performed Tuesday, according to the Sheriff's Office. The identity of the body will not be released until after the autopsy, the Sheriff's Office said.“