What Happened to Joseph Smedley? Episode Six: Confidential Informant

Joseph Smedley vanished from Indiana University on September 27, 2015. Five days later, he was found in shallow water at Griffy Lake with a backpack full of rocks strapped to his chest. Police pointed to suicide. His family, and many friends, do not agree.

In this episode, we revisit the early investigation handoff from IUPD to BPD, the decision to route updates through Joseph’s father, the autopsy overview, and the contested narrative around a possible confidential-informant angle. We also introduce experts who will help unpack what the evidence can, and can’t, tell us.