Its wild how much the theory of him being an informant makes sense. Like the fact that the narcotics department is who went out to recover his body. Very heartbreaking, i hope his family gets answers.
I thought the same thing!! And also the fb messages that his sister Vivian found between his frat brothers about "getting rid of the drugs" and everything. All of that and the fact that the police are all being SO uncooperative make me feel like it could've been a real possibility that he was an informant and maybe he found out about something he shouldn't have and was dealt with to keep him quiet. I can't imagine what it's like for his family, I hope that one day they get justice for Joseph.
@@peppiholliday4525im not sure how that is relevant but yeah I’m sure they did because she co-signed. They don’t care about what happened all they probably care about it getting paid. Unfortunately, families are usually left with their loved ones debits no matter what the situation is. It’s happen to my family and myself personally. Some times if there is a victim’s advocacy they will help the family with funds for funerals but if someone opens a GoFundMe page for the family they won’t help. In this case they are trying to make us believe it was self inflicted so the family has to pay. It’s terrible. Thank god my family was able to get justice in my 16 year old cousin’s murder, I wish this family could too. It really does help in the grieving process.
Also could explain how there was confusion about him being in jail, maybe he had been arrested at some point so his name had been in their recent records.
I’m beginning to wonder if one of the fraternity brothers is related to somebody working in the police force or somebody with some power within the community. That would explain why the authorities have been acting so suspicious about Joseph’s death. This is just a theory of mine.
Check ties with the 'pillars of the community' and there's a high probability there's a close connection. Cops do anything they're paid to do. Literally the laws change every year: that's a HIGHLY moldable moral code. - we never think of them as mercenaries for our government. We want them all to be heros. We want our government, and leaders, to do its (and their) best for the all the people. But some are just mercenaries.
Why though? Men kill themselves all the time. The evidence actually points to suicide more than anything else. Grief puts blinders on people because majority of the time, suicide isn't depression but borderline personality disorder(i have been diagnosed with it). You make very rash and nonsensical decisions. They will harm themselves to get attention. If he was reaching out to girls and they rejected him he could have lashed out.
Then police should happily hand over case files to the family. They are just asking for transparency and they are not getting it. While what you say is valid and important to understand, it is also highly important for families involved in tragedies to understand what happened to their loved on without feeing deception and confusion.
While I agree that all suspicious deaths should be investigated thoroughly and the police should be transparent with the family, there is nothing presented in this video that "proves" that this was a murder. All we have are some weird details and a family that refuses to believe this is a suicide (which is not at all uncommon). Unfortunately, there may not be much evidence to prove anything conclusively.
The frat brothers need to be investigated. It’s either hazing gone wrong or they found out he was an informant and couldn’t risk Joseph telling someone they had drugs/alcohol in the house since they were already on probation.
Joseph moved in with a close friends of mine when he emancipated. It was so nice to see his name pop up in my notifications and that there are people still talking about this case. There are some very sketchy details about his frat brothers and how they treated him in the weeks leading up to his death. There is definitely more to this case. Thanks for covering it!
First, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, compounded by a such an obvious denial of justice! Second, it seems to me the author of the text messages would be an older person, ~ middle aged, because those of us who who actually learned to type on typewriters have a tendency to use correct grammar and capitalization in our texts, while younger people are far more flexible in grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc. I hope Joseph and those who loved him find justice soon!
@jmgajda8071 I see your point but also there is another perspective. I'm not saying the perpetrator is very wise for sure by some of their actions but... if I were to try to fool someone with text language.. I'd change my vernacular.
The NARCOTICS Unit pulled his body from the lake? His college major is also one that sometimes attracts people who finance their way through college by dealing pharmaceuticals to other college students. He also had family contacts outside the country. Also, was the fraternity almost exclusively White, as the photos here imply?
i haven’t yet watched this video so i don’t know if these are alike at all but what u said reminds me of sean daughtry. so sad. such a happy bright little boy who was found in a way impossible for him to have done it yet the police dismissed it and said that’s what happened angering
Poor Vivien....having to take on this fight for answers all on her own. She has my utmost admiration. Keep going Vivien, you are doing your brother proud 👏
Danelle, this is UNBELIEVABLE!!! When something happens, LE is where you start and depend on and trust. This is terrible. Unbelievable. They need to be held accountable. WTH??? Awful. Poor Joseph.
This is a literal living nightmare for his family. No closure, no way to move on, nothing. This is heartbreaking. The cops are hiding something, it's obvious.
I’ll never understand if they truly believe it’s non criminal why they won’t pass on their findings to a secondary examination. Almost like they KNOW they won’t have the same findings.
I still have 20 minutes left to watch so maybe you’ll address this but if Joseph’s hands weren’t restrained, instinctively he would’ve removed the backpack if he tried to drown himself. It’s incredibly difficult to successfully drown yourself if your hands aren’t restrained because your brain immediately tells you to find a way out to breathe. There’s a zero percent chance he did this to himself! He needs justice 💙
@@mikebond6328yeah that seems like a “body disposal” method and not suicide, especially with the fraternity acting Like That and the narcotics officers showing up to get his body. The half-done autopsy? Something is wrong. Tho either way I think OP and that other commenter have forgotten how difficult it would physically be to remove a 60+ pound bag of rocks while you’re in water
@@JenN080-x4ghe autopsy wasn’t really trustworthy it seems and since they didn’t bother to do any investigation we don’t know how/where he drowned and there is absolutely no method by which an investigator could determine whether he was wearing the bag when he drowned, if those rocks were in the bag when he drowned, or if they were added post mortem by a potential killer. We will never know the real answer because they went out of their way to not ask why someone died. Nobody believes they had any right to close the case and claim it was a suicide because there is nothing that points to that. They found nothing that pointed them there, they just chose the option that means they don’t have to do their job.
Happy to see you covering this. It's indeed mysterious. My heart goes out to this family. I'd like to add now that I've learned new facts...this wasn't just mysterious...it's corrupt.
Here in my county the police, sheriff's department, prosecuting attorney's as well as judges are all corrupt. So I definitely understand where you are coming from
@@peppiholliday4525 So unfortunate to see...it's difficult when the people who are supposed to protect are a detriment to any situation. It's understandable why people lose faith in them...which in turn affects the good ones. Those good guys then over time become jaded and hardened and often turn into the corrupt individuals they were accused of being from the start. Then...rinse and repeat. The cycle is strong and benefits Noone. It's infuriating and exhausting.
The haphazardness with collecting the body and persevering evidence 😭😭 it makes me sick to think his stuff was just thrown in the body bag with him like it’s a kid packing a sleepover bag.
Its nuts what people get away with.This sounds odds with the blood moon and him being with his Fraternity. Hopefully one day someone will come forward and talk.
Did these police officers even bother to check if any of these roommates or fraternity brothers cell phones pinged in that area along with his at all? Cuz the way it looks I bet they didn't my guess is on purpose
It's such bologna that police are allowed to just dig their heels in and tell a grieving family to practically go to hell for no apparent reason. It's insane.
I'm so glad you're finally covering this!!!! IU is/was my college, and I still live in bloomington. Tragic and definitely a cover up. While I was not a student the year he died, people who know still talk about it. It's wild just how many people don't know though.
They must have watched the blood moon on drugs. He might have reacted weird. (Who goes to bed at 11pm in a student flat?) Maybe he was half dead and his friends didn't know what to do and they put the backpack on him to make the body dissapeare. The friends and fraternity brothers needs to be investigated.
There are a lot of men in Chicago being found dead in the rivers. They all were similar young men. But there probably is not enough info because the police won't say that it is strange. I think the last 6 months it has been 11. People are talking about it, though.
I don't know the way in which they were found, but if the only thing suspicious about it is the amount of similar young men, it is most likely just an outlier of what is extremely common: young, drunk men peeing in rivers after a night out, falling in, and not being able to get out, and quickly get hypothermia because of the alcohol, and drown.
The cover-up is so apparent on behalf of the police department as well as the University Police ending with the first carner's results. Why will they not give them the records especially to the new forensic pathologist? This is beyond bizarre and something needs to give one way or the other.
@@aromaladyellie honestly no . They could have stolen that bottle a long time ago . But they just happened to do it during the same time frame he goes missing and ends up found dea* under suspicious circumstances. Then acting weird towards him before he went missing and having secret conversations about him in the group chat and mentioning hiding dru*$ the evidence is too overwhelming.
You know if they keep stuff they are obviously hiding something or else give it back. The computer. Thanks for the story and that sister working hard to get info. RIP
I think Joseph was doing some sort of dare within the frat that went wrong, and is potentially being covered up. I hope the truth comes out. Love and light to Joseph's family and friends
I was thinking that it was that time of year that hazing in frats goes on. It could've had something to do with that as much as any of the other theories mentioned. Plenty of fatalities in hazing rituals happens. The rocks in a backback strapped to him might have also just been to hold him down under the water so his body wouldn't resurface.
This is a horrible situation for his family to be in. The police have failed not only themselves and his family but the whole community. Joseph deserves so much better than this and for them to withhold so much it just looks way too suspicious. The frat gives me concerns - they are taught to keep secrets and keep things within the group. That is not a good situation when you as a family need answers and support. If any family members ever read this - please keep strong and fight - the case files belong to you and you need them. I'm so sorry you are facing this and my prayers and kindest thoughts are with you all. Thank you Danelle for doing this case. I'm in Scotland so never hear of these things otherwise. The world has become very harsh and more kindness is needed - you sharing these stories is a great kindness and I appreciate all you do xxx
I'm not surprised by BPD. My husband and I went there to visit to explore a cave. The city of Bloomington is very strange. There were many BLM signs despite having a vibe that many people there are racist. The city has a strange creepy spirit behind it. The fraternity and sorority homes are massive mansions. You can tell there is a lot of political power there.
I grew up there. It’s about five miles each way out of town to cornfields fulls of people who think the south will rise again. The town itself is where most of the liberals are but once you get out, forget it.
I was born and raised in Indiana. My husband specifically lived in Indy and surrounding cities on and off for the last 15 years, and our immediate thought as we listened was that it’s not surprising the police dropped the ball with this case considering our experiences with them and because Joseph was a POC. It’s devastating to hear the details of this case because it truly isn’t surprising to either of us. We hope his family gets justice for him because bloomington police clearly never gave this case the proper attention it deserves 😞
Autopsy says he died by drowning yet there was trauma to his back. I wonder if he was killed elsewhere and then taken to the lake to stage drowning all very suspicious.
Definitely seems like he went with the fraternity brothers to watch the blood moon in Griffy lake, but instead got tied and thrown into the river. After that the fraternity brothers say they didn't even went to Griffy, which can't be, else they can't drown him. If they could find any evidence that fraternity brothers went to Griffy (check their phone, etc.), it would very easily found that it is homicide.
My theory: this was a drug deal gone bad. Maybe not for him. But maybe he had to do something to join the frat/ meet someone bad. Or his frat brothers lured him out to watch the moon. And they hit him from behind when he used his binoculars, for whatever reason. It is SO WEIRD that they were freaking about hiding the drugs right after their friend passed. This poor family. This is heart breaking!! And so many red flags. That’s the first thing I thought when you said the narcotics unit showed up. Maybe they knew who did it, and we’re hiding it to catch a “bigger” issue.
I personally have a few more friends and family that are not here anymore bc of the fentanyl epidemic. People who have been able to function in life for many years while on opiates that believe that they were pros and still overdose. At minimum I was able to hear from the people who were the finder and they were not in dumb and know that it was going to show up on tox screen but in that moment they removed the stuff from drug use. If I have to guess why we have that thought despite the truth is so much about the treatment of the body directly in the aftermath and removal of the body. So they don't have to be looked at as less in the worse possible way in death. I'm still early in video but it is something that I have on my mind bc we lost a family member little more than a month ago.
Damn I thought my mind was maybe reaching when I immediately thought about the possibility of him being an informant for the pd. As always you did a great job on this one Danelle! Thank you for continuing to shed light on these lesser known cases! Hopefully we will continue to see more support & encouragement for Joseph’s family & their pursuit of justice & transparency in his mysterious death.
I went to IU and was a freshman in 2015 - this death DID NOT GET PUBLICIZED AT ALL. I didn’t know about it til after I graduated. On the topic of being a police informant - this happens all the time at IU - my current partner and his roommate were raided (due to another informant) at IU and then forced to be informants themselves. So fucked.
I believe this young man had so much going for him he wouldn't have committed suicide. There are too many "make it make sense" in this case. He and his family deserve justice! I pray they get it.
What if the whole fraternity went to see the blood moon and he became either an accidental or ritual sacrifice ….then they rushed home to write hasty notes and texts
I think the reality is the value society apportions to someone is consummate to the level of effort the police and media express for their demise One of societies biggest shames
I also want to say that in suspicious deaths on college campuses they are often quick to try and hide things away. Nobody wants to go to school and live in a town where there is a murder lurking around for their next victim. There’s been so many suspicious deaths on campus. In this young man’s death since he was new to the fraternity I wonder if it could have been like a hazing gone wrong? I could be wrong but either way it’s worth looking into.
did the autopsy report water in the lungs, BPD not sharing info with fam, I remember reading yrs ago about a female student at same U. her fam said the same thing about BPD, her fist name Laura maybe, sorry it's been like 10yr since read about her
Joseph deserved much more. There is so much evidence suggesting something really bad was happening after they tried watching the blood moon, especially with the cellphone records!!! As a college student there are so many more people with malicious intent than you’d think who are your brothers / sisters in Greek life. I feel sorry for Joseph that he was robbed of his life, may he be in paradise. I can’t help but think how he likely spent 4-6:30 am that day completely and utterly horrified… he really did deserve more. I hope and pray his family finds comfort in this lifetime I truly cannot imagine how angry they feel about this. This case truly was heartbreaking , Joseph’s family needs answers. Thank you for covering this Danelle ❤ I really do think you were onto something when you said there had to be more to the story with the binoculars.. someone could have went to go see the blood moon with him at the lake.. I wonder if the brothers he lived with at the college had their phone records looked into to see if they were also at the lake.
Why is it so common for police not to do their jobs in these types of investigations? I feel like I hear about this every day! It’s troubling and disgusting really.
This comes over like a big ole cover up from the police. Such a great loss to family. We will never know what he would have accomplished in his life. Such a bright light taken to early.
My heart breaks 💔 for his sisters, family & loved ones!!! I pray they get answers & can find peace!! So tragic to hear of a young man with such amazing potential is found dead & LE not doing everything to find the truth plus not cooperating with his family!!!
I live in that town... the amount of judicial prejudice, corruption and forced CI work is insane. I honestly don't understand how they continue to get away w it...
Danelle you are a great detective, I love 💕 the way you give your all to your cases!! My heart hurts for Vivien and the rest of the family ! Joseph was a wonderful brother and son!! Danelle if the police were involved in this horrific case, I would hope that someone would tell his loved ones what really happened!! Thanks Danelle you have an awesome channel!!!!❤❤❤❤❤
This is so bizarre! I was attending IU during this time and vividly remember that eclipse. I was a biology major chem minor and literally never had heard about all of this! I’m disappointed in IU for how they handled this..
Hi Danelle, I would love love if you could do a breakdown video of the Mitrice Richardson Mystery case! It’s one I stumbled upon a year ago and has been obsessed with ever since. I trust your genuine breakdown and analysis of the case 💗
Everytime there are sororities or fraternities in the picture i can't help but feel uneasy, i get the feeling most time they work as cults where there are weird and strong power dynamics between grown teenagers drinking insane amounts of alcohol.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
Its wild how much the theory of him being an informant makes sense. Like the fact that the narcotics department is who went out to recover his body. Very heartbreaking, i hope his family gets answers.
And also his sister Vivian. I wonder did the apartment complex still demand the $700 from Vivian?
I thought the same thing!! And also the fb messages that his sister Vivian found between his frat brothers about "getting rid of the drugs" and everything. All of that and the fact that the police are all being SO uncooperative make me feel like it could've been a real possibility that he was an informant and maybe he found out about something he shouldn't have and was dealt with to keep him quiet. I can't imagine what it's like for his family, I hope that one day they get justice for Joseph.
@@peppiholliday4525im not sure how that is relevant but yeah I’m sure they did because she co-signed. They don’t care about what happened all they probably care about it getting paid. Unfortunately, families are usually left with their loved ones debits no matter what the situation is. It’s happen to my family and myself personally. Some times if there is a victim’s advocacy they will help the family with funds for funerals but if someone opens a GoFundMe page for the family they won’t help. In this case they are trying to make us believe it was self inflicted so the family has to pay. It’s terrible. Thank god my family was able to get justice in my 16 year old cousin’s murder, I wish this family could too. It really does help in the grieving process.
Also could explain how there was confusion about him being in jail, maybe he had been arrested at some point so his name had been in their recent records.
Police kill off informants all the time. I had that thought early on in the story, and I think it's most likely what happened.
I’m beginning to wonder if one of the fraternity brothers is related to somebody working in the police force or somebody with some power within the community. That would explain why the authorities have been acting so suspicious about Joseph’s death. This is just a theory of mine.
Check ties with the 'pillars of the community' and there's a high probability there's a close connection. Cops do anything they're paid to do. Literally the laws change every year: that's a HIGHLY moldable moral code. - we never think of them as mercenaries for our government. We want them all to be heros. We want our government, and leaders, to do its (and their) best for the all the people. But some are just mercenaries.
(Also not saying they did it, just that they EASILY stand down when told to stand down- with way worse things then murder).
Not a good theory
@@FlackinA2 Probably better than anything you could come up with
@@FlackinA2 your theory is just MORE incompetence? Or what would be a logical excuse?
I don't get why police are so quick ruling a suspicious death a suicide even though the evidence proves otherwise? It's so frustrating.
Why though? Men kill themselves all the time. The evidence actually points to suicide more than anything else. Grief puts blinders on people because majority of the time, suicide isn't depression but borderline personality disorder(i have been diagnosed with it). You make very rash and nonsensical decisions. They will harm themselves to get attention. If he was reaching out to girls and they rejected him he could have lashed out.
Then police should happily hand over case files to the family. They are just asking for transparency and they are not getting it. While what you say is valid and important to understand, it is also highly important for families involved in tragedies to understand what happened to their loved on without feeing deception and confusion.
@@DanelleHallan Agreed. 💯
Cuz they are Fuckin Lazy! Or they are covering for someone they are involved with what happen!!!
While I agree that all suspicious deaths should be investigated thoroughly and the police should be transparent with the family, there is nothing presented in this video that "proves" that this was a murder. All we have are some weird details and a family that refuses to believe this is a suicide (which is not at all uncommon). Unfortunately, there may not be much evidence to prove anything conclusively.
The frat brothers need to be investigated. It’s either hazing gone wrong or they found out he was an informant and couldn’t risk Joseph telling someone they had drugs/alcohol in the house since they were already on probation.
Joseph moved in with a close friends of mine when he emancipated. It was so nice to see his name pop up in my notifications and that there are people still talking about this case.
There are some very sketchy details about his frat brothers and how they treated him in the weeks leading up to his death. There is definitely more to this case. Thanks for covering it!
It hits me immediately that they know something. (Frat Bros) Corruption is strong on this one. Thanks for sharing about your time with him.
First, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, compounded by a such an obvious denial of justice! Second, it seems to me the author of the text messages would be an older person, ~ middle aged, because those of us who who actually learned to type on typewriters have a tendency to use correct grammar and capitalization in our texts, while younger people are far more flexible in grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc. I hope Joseph and those who loved him find justice soon!
@jmgajda8071 I see your point but also there is another perspective. I'm not saying the perpetrator is very wise for sure by some of their actions but... if I were to try to fool someone with text language.. I'd change my vernacular.
Do you happen to know how he was able to qualify for emancipation?
@@jmgajda8071today there’s autocorrect to capitalize and keep the grammar up, so… not a strong argument, imo.
The NARCOTICS Unit pulled his body from the lake? His college major is also one that sometimes attracts people who finance their way through college by dealing pharmaceuticals to other college students. He also had family contacts outside the country. Also, was the fraternity almost exclusively White, as the photos here imply?
Yes, Greek life at IU is very white unless you're in a Black frat or sorority.
@@toriwargelthat's still a thing. Wtf? That's not right..
@@onthecasejeannieIt’s Bloomimgton IN… the KKK started here so it’s exactly what you would imagine
If it's been ruled "self-inflicted"..then case closed!! Hand over the case files police department..🤨
I will never get over the fact that they put this down as self inflicted. It’s crazy! When I first heard that, I was baffled, and I still am.
Just like Brandon Embry. The police blow my mind (in the worst way possible) sometimes.
i haven’t yet watched this video so i don’t know if these are alike at all but what u said reminds me of sean daughtry. so sad. such a happy bright little boy who was found in a way impossible for him to have done it yet the police dismissed it and said that’s what happened angering
Yeah have to agree just friggen lazy cops an he is a poc it’s pretty common to poc this way just horrific
@@cN-xv7juwhat is a poc?
@@FlackinA2 a person of colour
Poor Vivien....having to take on this fight for answers all on her own. She has my utmost admiration. Keep going Vivien, you are doing your brother proud 👏
The informant theory seems very possible, especially since the narcotics unit was on the scene when his body was found
If it is self-inflicted why do the police need his belongings??
It's always so sad and frustrating to see officers treat a human like they were not worth their time. Some have no soul.
Danelle, this is UNBELIEVABLE!!! When something happens, LE is where you start and depend on and trust. This is terrible. Unbelievable. They need to be held accountable. WTH??? Awful. Poor Joseph.
This is a literal living nightmare for his family. No closure, no way to move on, nothing. This is heartbreaking. The cops are hiding something, it's obvious.
I’ll never understand if they truly believe it’s non criminal why they won’t pass on their findings to a secondary examination. Almost like they KNOW they won’t have the same findings.
I still have 20 minutes left to watch so maybe you’ll address this but if Joseph’s hands weren’t restrained, instinctively he would’ve removed the backpack if he tried to drown himself. It’s incredibly difficult to successfully drown yourself if your hands aren’t restrained because your brain immediately tells you to find a way out to breathe. There’s a zero percent chance he did this to himself! He needs justice 💙
I reckon he was found out as an informant. Poor guy 😞
They were not restrained. According to a witness they were outstretched in front of him.
@@JenN080-x4g not if he was already dead.
@@mikebond6328yeah that seems like a “body disposal” method and not suicide, especially with the fraternity acting Like That and the narcotics officers showing up to get his body. The half-done autopsy? Something is wrong. Tho either way I think OP and that other commenter have forgotten how difficult it would physically be to remove a 60+ pound bag of rocks while you’re in water
@@JenN080-x4ghe autopsy wasn’t really trustworthy it seems and since they didn’t bother to do any investigation we don’t know how/where he drowned and there is absolutely no method by which an investigator could determine whether he was wearing the bag when he drowned, if those rocks were in the bag when he drowned, or if they were added post mortem by a potential killer. We will never know the real answer because they went out of their way to not ask why someone died. Nobody believes they had any right to close the case and claim it was a suicide because there is nothing that points to that. They found nothing that pointed them there, they just chose the option that means they don’t have to do their job.
they're all in bed: attorneys, police, politicians… and the majority (not all but most) are scumbags.
Happy to see you covering this. It's indeed mysterious. My heart goes out to this family.
I'd like to add now that I've learned new facts...this wasn't just mysterious...it's corrupt.
Here in my county the police, sheriff's department, prosecuting attorney's as well as judges are all corrupt. So I definitely understand where you are coming from
@@peppiholliday4525 So unfortunate to see...it's difficult when the people who are supposed to protect are a detriment to any situation. It's understandable why people lose faith in them...which in turn affects the good ones. Those good guys then over time become jaded and hardened and often turn into the corrupt individuals they were accused of being from the start. Then...rinse and repeat. The cycle is strong and benefits Noone. It's infuriating and exhausting.
@@peppiholliday4525they can’t ALL be corrupt, be real please.
He had such a sweet contagious smile 🥺 my heart goes out to him and his family. I hope one day they get justice.
The haphazardness with collecting the body and persevering evidence 😭😭 it makes me sick to think his stuff was just thrown in the body bag with him like it’s a kid packing a sleepover bag.
and the drug task force were the ones to respond to the crime scene! perhaps there is more to the theory that he was cornered into being an informant
@@alexbee3736 it makes a lot more sense!!
These frat brothers are suspicious.
Its nuts what people get away with.This sounds odds with the blood moon and him being with his Fraternity. Hopefully one day someone will come forward and talk.
Such a cute kid. So sorry to his friends,and fam,and everyone that loved this guy.
Sending love from West Virginia..❤
Vivienne seems absolutely amazing. How she managed to do all of this while dealing with shock and grief is incredible. ❤
Whenever I see the notification that you've posted, I click so fast! Thanks for all you do for the ones who cannot tell their own stories.
😍😍
Did these police officers even bother to check if any of these roommates or fraternity brothers cell phones pinged in that area along with his at all? Cuz the way it looks I bet they didn't my guess is on purpose
My assumption is no, however it usually takes a lot for them to check that in any case just for privacy reasons.
It's such bologna that police are allowed to just dig their heels in and tell a grieving family to practically go to hell for no apparent reason. It's insane.
As someone who went to IU...their PD is useless.
I have seen this said MANY times during research. It is so disheartening.
I live in Indiana and my sister went there, I second this! It's unacceptable and frustrating.
I can't tell you how many cases we had where something AWFUL occurred and they did the absolute bare minimum. So glad I left.
I'm so glad you're finally covering this!!!! IU is/was my college, and I still live in bloomington. Tragic and definitely a cover up. While I was not a student the year he died, people who know still talk about it. It's wild just how many people don't know though.
They must have watched the blood moon on drugs. He might have reacted weird. (Who goes to bed at 11pm in a student flat?) Maybe he was half dead and his friends didn't know what to do and they put the backpack on him to make the body dissapeare. The friends and fraternity brothers needs to be investigated.
I just thought of that myself. Were drugs found in his system?
There are a lot of men in Chicago being found dead in the rivers. They all were similar young men. But there probably is not enough info because the police won't say that it is strange. I think the last 6 months it has been 11. People are talking about it, though.
I don't know the way in which they were found, but if the only thing suspicious about it is the amount of similar young men, it is most likely just an outlier of what is extremely common: young, drunk men peeing in rivers after a night out, falling in, and not being able to get out, and quickly get hypothermia because of the alcohol, and drown.
The cover-up is so apparent on behalf of the police department as well as the University Police ending with the first carner's results. Why will they not give them the records especially to the new forensic pathologist? This is beyond bizarre and something needs to give one way or the other.
These “frat brothers” are either extremely guilty of something or selfish trying to cover their own butts or worse …. Both
I… have a suspicion they just stole his bottle of alcohol, not murder.
@@aromaladyellie honestly no . They could have stolen that bottle a long time ago . But they just happened to do it during the same time frame he goes missing and ends up found dea* under suspicious circumstances. Then acting weird towards him before he went missing and having secret conversations about him in the group chat and mentioning hiding dru*$ the evidence is too overwhelming.
It honestly sounds very close to a hazing ritual gone wrong
Family's shouldn't have to fight this hard to get answers.
You know if they keep stuff they are obviously hiding something or else give it back. The computer. Thanks for the story and that sister working hard to get info. RIP
I remember this case & wondered why they never investigated this. I would be devastated if this was my brother.
Thanks for all your hard work Danelle. ❤🕵️♀️
I think Joseph was doing some sort of dare within the frat that went wrong, and is potentially being covered up. I hope the truth comes out. Love and light to Joseph's family and friends
I was thinking that it was that time of year that hazing in frats goes on. It could've had something to do with that as much as any of the other theories mentioned. Plenty of fatalities in hazing rituals happens. The rocks in a backback strapped to him might have also just been to hold him down under the water so his body wouldn't resurface.
More incompetent police? Seems to be a lot of that these days.
This is a horrible situation for his family to be in. The police have failed not only themselves and his family but the whole community. Joseph deserves so much better than this and for them to withhold so much it just looks way too suspicious. The frat gives me concerns - they are taught to keep secrets and keep things within the group. That is not a good situation when you as a family need answers and support. If any family members ever read this - please keep strong and fight - the case files belong to you and you need them. I'm so sorry you are facing this and my prayers and kindest thoughts are with you all. Thank you Danelle for doing this case. I'm in Scotland so never hear of these things otherwise. The world has become very harsh and more kindness is needed - you sharing these stories is a great kindness and I appreciate all you do xxx
My love goes out to Joseph’s family. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. RIP Amazing Joseph.
I hope the TRUTH is revealed very soon!
Thank you for all you do! you are an inspiration 😊
I'm not surprised by BPD. My husband and I went there to visit to explore a cave. The city of Bloomington is very strange. There were many BLM signs despite having a vibe that many people there are racist. The city has a strange creepy spirit behind it. The fraternity and sorority homes are massive mansions. You can tell there is a lot of political power there.
I grew up there. It’s about five miles each way out of town to cornfields fulls of people who think the south will rise again. The town itself is where most of the liberals are but once you get out, forget it.
Fraternities are related to the occult. Videos on YT about the subject.
@@dawnsites4232i think so too,because whats their purpose exactly??
Hi Danielle!!! Thank you for all your work and attention to detail! You're one of the best! Keep up the amazing work! Love from Kansas❤❤❤
Hi from kcmo!
I really hope she covers Justin Siwek. Kckpd are shady af. His brother Cody Siwek was killed a couple years prior too.
Joseph was such a good looking young man...and he looks and sounds like he had a sweet personality and a good heart. RIP Joseph...never forgotten 💞
I was born and raised in Indiana. My husband specifically lived in Indy and surrounding cities on and off for the last 15 years, and our immediate thought as we listened was that it’s not surprising the police dropped the ball with this case considering our experiences with them and because Joseph was a POC. It’s devastating to hear the details of this case because it truly isn’t surprising to either of us. We hope his family gets justice for him because bloomington police clearly never gave this case the proper attention it deserves 😞
Me too I live in speedway this is so so sad
Wow your hair looks awesome!!!! Thanks for all of your work trying to help these victims and their families ❤
I agree on all of your points. Danelle's hair is so thick.. I need the secret.
@@JadedBellethe secret is some people just have thick hair 😅
@missbieber1211 Yes this is true lol. Once upon a time..I had this. RIP 🤭
Autopsy says he died by drowning yet there was trauma to his back. I wonder if he was killed elsewhere and then taken to the lake to stage drowning all very suspicious.
Definitely seems like he went with the fraternity brothers to watch the blood moon in Griffy lake, but instead got tied and thrown into the river.
After that the fraternity brothers say they didn't even went to Griffy, which can't be, else they can't drown him.
If they could find any evidence that fraternity brothers went to Griffy (check their phone, etc.), it would very easily found that it is homicide.
I needed this tonight! Thank you! Love your videos 💕
My theory: this was a drug deal gone bad. Maybe not for him. But maybe he had to do something to join the frat/ meet someone bad. Or his frat brothers lured him out to watch the moon. And they hit him from behind when he used his binoculars, for whatever reason. It is SO WEIRD that they were freaking about hiding the drugs right after their friend passed. This poor family. This is heart breaking!! And so many red flags. That’s the first thing I thought when you said the narcotics unit showed up. Maybe they knew who did it, and we’re hiding it to catch a “bigger” issue.
I personally have a few more friends and family that are not here anymore bc of the fentanyl epidemic. People who have been able to function in life for many years while on opiates that believe that they were pros and still overdose. At minimum I was able to hear from the people who were the finder and they were not in dumb and know that it was going to show up on tox screen but in that moment they removed the stuff from drug use. If I have to guess why we have that thought despite the truth is so much about the treatment of the body directly in the aftermath and removal of the body. So they don't have to be looked at as less in the worse possible way in death. I'm still early in video but it is something that I have on my mind bc we lost a family member little more than a month ago.
the biggest hole in this case, in my opinion, is frat boys going to bed before midnight 🙄🙄
someone in that rental knows something.
Yep! I think a hazing went bad or they were up to drinking or drugging and he overdosed.
Thank you, Danelle
Did anyone question the person or persons, who invited Joseph to view the Blood Moon?!
Damn I thought my mind was maybe reaching when I immediately thought about the possibility of him being an informant for the pd. As always you did a great job on this one Danelle! Thank you for continuing to shed light on these lesser known cases! Hopefully we will continue to see more support & encouragement for Joseph’s family & their pursuit of justice & transparency in his mysterious death.
I think you will get one million subs this year God willing
I went to IU and was a freshman in 2015 - this death DID NOT GET PUBLICIZED AT ALL. I didn’t know about it til after I graduated. On the topic of being a police informant - this happens all the time at IU - my current partner and his roommate were raided (due to another informant) at IU and then forced to be informants themselves. So fucked.
Hi Danelle, thanks for covering this case and making this video 💐❤️
I believe this young man had so much going for him he wouldn't have committed suicide. There are too many "make it make sense" in this case. He and his family deserve justice! I pray they get it.
What if the whole fraternity went to see the blood moon and he became either an accidental or ritual sacrifice ….then they rushed home to write hasty notes and texts
i’m thinking this or even some sort of hazing ritual went wrong
Sounds plausible.Fraternities are creepy.
The informant theory absolutely makes the most sense. How tragic is this. RIP 🙏
as soon as i was looking for true crime i saw her video 😭
You're an angel and a blessing Danielle. Thank you for all you do
The police hate doing real police work this is especially true when it comes down to investigating the suspicious death of somebody who's black.
I think the reality is the value society apportions to someone is consummate to the level of effort the police and media express for their demise
One of societies biggest shames
I also want to say that in suspicious deaths on college campuses they are often quick to try and hide things away. Nobody wants to go to school and live in a town where there is a murder lurking around for their next victim. There’s been so many suspicious deaths on campus. In this young man’s death since he was new to the fraternity I wonder if it could have been like a hazing gone wrong? I could be wrong but either way it’s worth looking into.
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This is truly your gift to the world - making these videos.
Danelle, you do such a good job! I love listening to you!
Sadly, this reminds me of Jelani Day. Thank you for covering this. I pray his beautiful family gets the respect and justice they deserve💖✨
I thought that too, quite a few similarities and equally as sad 😢
did the autopsy report water in the lungs, BPD not sharing info with fam, I remember reading yrs ago about a female student at same U.
her fam said the same thing about BPD, her fist name Laura maybe, sorry it's been like 10yr since read about her
I grew up in Bloomington and moved away about ten years ago. The frat houses are corrupt. I really wouldn’t doubt that hazing went bad.
Thank you for sharing. 💔
Thank you for bringing to light this case. I had never heard of Joseph Smedley and his suspicious death.
Joseph deserved much more. There is so much evidence suggesting something really bad was happening after they tried watching the blood moon, especially with the cellphone records!!! As a college student there are so many more people with malicious intent than you’d think who are your brothers / sisters in Greek life. I feel sorry for Joseph that he was robbed of his life, may he be in paradise. I can’t help but think how he likely spent 4-6:30 am that day completely and utterly horrified… he really did deserve more. I hope and pray his family finds comfort in this lifetime I truly cannot imagine how angry they feel about this. This case truly was heartbreaking , Joseph’s family needs answers. Thank you for covering this Danelle ❤ I really do think you were onto something when you said there had to be more to the story with the binoculars.. someone could have went to go see the blood moon with him at the lake.. I wonder if the brothers he lived with at the college had their phone records looked into to see if they were also at the lake.
Very intriguing case. I’m not sure what I think. Hopefully the family gets answers. Nice job Danelle.
Maybe someone in police department was related to someone in the frat and helped brush it under the rug.
That text message says EVERYTHING! He was clearly murdered
So sad. Thanks for covering. I hope you covering the case and people sharing brings this case needed attention. I love this channel
Thank you for your sensitivity in your content Danelle. Please take a breath though, I worry about you.
It sounds like someone in the PD or a higher up official had a child at the college that was up to no good.
Wow, not done with the video yet, but i can tell Vivian is a badass..doing the job of the cops for them ...smh
I wonder if the binoculars were in the backpack? Was it eventually identified as his backpack? I’m curious to know where they came from.
it says in the video that they were found around his neck
Finally catching an upload right away 😃 so happy
Keep up the great work
Love your channel, thank you Danelle - Dee, Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦
I've missed you! I hope you are enjoying summer!!
Im originally from Bloomington. Thanks for covering this. I haven’t heard this. Love your videos ❤
The informant makes more sense being that narcotics was the ones who pulled him out of water and were on scene.
Why is it so common for police not to do their jobs in these types of investigations? I feel like I hear about this every day! It’s troubling and disgusting really.
They are money collectors, not investigators. Freemasons
Before I start the video, just wanna say I'm loving your brows!
This comes over like a big ole cover up from the police. Such a great loss to family. We will never know what he would have accomplished in his life. Such a bright light taken to early.
man o man why do I have so many questions here. feels so unsettling and upsetting
I wonder if it was something related to hazing
My heart breaks 💔 for his sisters, family & loved ones!!! I pray they get answers & can find peace!! So tragic to hear of a young man with such amazing potential is found dead & LE not doing everything to find the truth plus not cooperating with his family!!!
I live in that town... the amount of judicial prejudice, corruption and forced CI work is insane. I honestly don't understand how they continue to get away w it...
So glad you are back ❤❤❤❤
Danelle you are a great detective, I love 💕 the way you give your all to your cases!! My heart hurts for Vivien and the rest of the family ! Joseph was a wonderful brother and son!! Danelle if the police were involved in this horrific case, I would hope that someone would tell his loved ones what really happened!! Thanks Danelle you have an awesome channel!!!!❤❤❤❤❤
This is so bizarre! I was attending IU during this time and vividly remember that eclipse. I was a biology major chem minor and literally never had heard about all of this! I’m disappointed in IU for how they handled this..
I went to IU from 2016-2020 and I have never heard of this case.. how incredibly heartbreaking
Those cops and frat boys are so suspicious
Hi Danelle, I would love love if you could do a breakdown video of the Mitrice Richardson Mystery case! It’s one I stumbled upon a year ago and has been obsessed with ever since. I trust your genuine breakdown and analysis of the case 💗
Everytime there are sororities or fraternities in the picture i can't help but feel uneasy, i get the feeling most time they work as cults where there are weird and strong power dynamics between grown teenagers drinking insane amounts of alcohol.
Yes exactly??Whats their use anyway?And their stupid hazing ceremonies.Why is it allowed by universities at all?
i live in indiana and also go to iu bloomington, this is so sad to watch. there really isn't a lot of talk about this case down there unfortunately