What Happened to Joseph Smedley? Episode Seven: Extremely Unusual
A Heavy Weight18 Nov 2025

What Happened to Joseph Smedley? Episode Seven: Extremely Unusual

Joseph Smedley’s death was ruled a suicide by drowning, with alcohol and cannabinoids listed as contributing factors. In this episode, we slow down and examine that conclusion through the lens of Joseph’s autopsy and toxicology reports.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Darrin Wolfe and drowning expert Andrea Zaferes walk us through what those reports can and can’t tell us in a decomposed body recovered from water. We talk about the rare nature of suicide by drowning, the backpack filled with rocks, conflicting details about how Joseph was found, and the critical questions his family still doesn’t have answers to, about his phone, the handwritten note, and missing scene photos.

This is not about solving Joseph’s case in one episode. It’s about understanding why so many people, including experts, see his death as extremely unusual.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of a death that was ruled a suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, worried about someone, or need support, please reach out. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 or chat via 988lifeline.org for 24/7 free, confidential help. If you’re outside the U.S., please contact your local crisis line or emergency services.

Avsnitt(70)

 The Trunk on Forrester Road

The Trunk on Forrester Road

In February 1981, 31-year-old Juanita Boyd vanished after a night at Snyder’s Corner Tavern in LaPorte, Indiana. A week later, she was found strangled and stabbed in the trunk of her green Pontiac Cat...

11 Aug 202522min

The Girl in the Barrel: The Murder of Mary Ann Higginbotham

The Girl in the Barrel: The Murder of Mary Ann Higginbotham

In the summer of 1979, a rusted barrel bobbing in a shallow Indiana creek revealed a secret the town had almost forgotten: the skeletal remains of 21-year-old Mary Ann Higginbotham. She had vanished w...

4 Aug 202533min

What Happened to Rayna?

What Happened to Rayna?

In 1993, 16-year-old Rayna Rison walked out of her after-school job and vanished.Thirty-three days later, her body was found in a pond. No signs of trauma. No suspect in custody.For decades, the case ...

28 Juli 202530min

The End of the Driveway: Who Killed Linda Weldy?

The End of the Driveway: Who Killed Linda Weldy?

In 1987, 10-year-old Linda Weldy got off her school bus in rural Indiana and vanished. Her body was found just a few miles from her home. Her murder remains unsolved nearly four decades later.But Lind...

21 Juli 202520min

Part Three: Larry Dewayne Hall

Part Three: Larry Dewayne Hall

Jessica. Holly. Linda. Rayna.These girls never met.But they may all be connected by the same man.In this episode, we examine Larry Dewayne Hall: a man suspected in over 40 abductions, but convicted in...

14 Juli 202517min

Part Two: The Girl by the Road, Jessica’s Ride & Larry Dewayne Hall

Part Two: The Girl by the Road, Jessica’s Ride & Larry Dewayne Hall

A grave digger. A Civil War re-enactor. A man with a van full of rope, duct tape, and maps marked with X’s.In this episode of A Heavy Weight, we reveal the man who may have haunted the Midwest for ove...

8 Juli 202529min

The Girl by the Road & Jessica’s Ride

The Girl by the Road & Jessica’s Ride

On a cold January morning in 1992, 18-year-old Holly Ann Anderson was found stabbed to death on the side of an empty rural road in Vermillion County, Indiana. Her case went cold almost immediately. No...

30 Juni 202522min

Who Killed Pixie Grismore?

Who Killed Pixie Grismore?

In 1978, Mary Beth “Pixie” Grismore — a 26-year-old mother and former pageant star — vanished from her Indiana farmhouse, just hours before she was set to start a new life. Seventy-one days later, her...

23 Juni 202522min

Populärt inom True Crime

podme-dokumentar
infor-ratta
svenska-mordhistorier
podme-crime
aftonbladet-krim
fangelsepodden
mordpodden
rattegangspodden
en-mork-historia
spoktimmen
forhorsrummet
rss-krimstad
svenska-fall
seriemordarpodden
krimrummet
p3-krim
rss-valdet-krim
fallen-jag-aldrig-glommer
massmordarpodden
rss-mordarens-motiv