The case of Joseph Smedley ll is known by many in the town of Bloomington as a case with no real answers — that is if one has even heard of Joseph’s story.
When authorities found a backpack filled with rocks attached to Joseph’s body in Griffy Lake in Autumn 2015, it seemed as though a criminal investigation would be underway. But, that quickly changed once the Bloomington Police department ruled the case a suicide.
“I was so shocked. At the very least, I was expecting it to be undetermined or accidental. But, when they put suicide I was like you’ve got to be kidding, that is insane,” said Vivianne Bernas, Joseph’s sister. But, the backpack filled with rocks was not the only concerning piece of evidence that pointed Joseph’s family and friends to another direction. Griffy Lake is far. In fact, it is an estimated 45 min. walk north of IU’s campus. The last people to see Joseph were his Sigma Pi fraternity brothers when they went to Griffy Lake to see the blood moon. According to the fraternity brothers, there was a letter found in Joseph’s room. But, Joseph’s family said that the note does not match his handwriting.
“Any logical person would see that this doesn’t make sense. So, for them to rush and say that it’s a suicide, I feel like it’s easy for them to do that because then they don’t have to look any further,” said Vivianne. The Joseph Smedley case is still closed today. But, many continue to take to social media demanding the reopening of the case as well as answers from IU.
“It wasn’t until Joseph’s anniversary . . . when I found out that they (IU students) weren’t notified. I had assumed that they (IU) had been doing that and they hadn’t,” said Vivianne. According to Joseph’s sister, the only information that was published by IU about Joseph’s case was a joint email with another student who was killed that same week as well as a certificate that was sent to Joseph’s family.
“They are trying to separate themselves fast and as quick as possible from Joseph’s case so they don’t have to deal with the blowback. The jurisdictions changed when Joseph’s body was found. Bloomington Police Dept. then took over the case from there and it seemed like IU disappeared and didn’t say much else,” said Vivianne.
The killing of George Floyd left the country stunned and further opened the dialogue of racial injustice in the United States. This newly widened conversation laid the groundwork for Joseph’s story to regain traction in the Bloomington area. With over 110,000 signatures on change.org and over $10,000 raised on gofundme.com, Vivianne and her family continue to search for justice for Joseph. While there are many questions left unanswered, Joseph’s family and friends are grateful for the support.
This past summer after the George Floyd situation, people started posting on social media and my posts about Joseph blew up with so much support, said Vivianne. “I was so happy. It’s one thing when it’s just yourself trying to fight. But, when you have a big group of supporters behind you it makes a world of difference.”
For more information on the petition, visit https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-joseph.