Crown College student missing

[nolongerIFBx]

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2018/02/05/search-underway-missing-crown-college-student-family-suspects-foul-play/306318002/

I'd almost rather it be foul play than the alternative- that he couldn't take the fundie life but couldn't find the strength to leave it either. 

[EowynW]

I was just coming on here to post this. I am worried about the same thing. 

[Fascinated]

His parents had an app that allowed them to track his whereabouts.  He is 20.  

[Carm_88]

 That poor guy! Normally my thoughts and prayers would be with the family but God only knows what that poor kid was going through. If it was foul play, I hope the murderer is caught. If it's at his own hand, I hope that he has peace. 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

When they found the car it was still running, with a brick on the accelerator, and no sign that he had been injured inside. Bizarre! What does that mean-- that someone sent the car down the road unmanned? Maybe in the hopes that its eventual location wouldn't lead anyone to Blake's location?

[Howl]

1 hour ago, Fascinated said:

His parents had an app that allowed them to track his whereabouts.  He is 20.  

And yes, they used it.  Sad that they felt the need to daily track their 20-year-old son's activities, good in that it led police directly to his car. 

Quote

They also have an app on their phones called Life360 that allows them to track their son's location. They thought it was odd when his car was left overnight somewhere other than his dorm, Jim Smith said. 

"At first, I thought he was at some activity from the church or the school, but then I woke up at two in the morning and he was still there," he said. "Around seven in the morning I started calling his dorm mates, and they said he didn't come home that night."

He asked the friends to go check on the location, and when they found the car still running and with the doors open, they called police. 

 

[ColeJo]

Stories like this are very difficult. A student from my university went missing and was found a month later in a creek close to my hometown. The perp kidnapped, raped, and murdered them*. It was hard to deal with and I didn't know Sierra/ Simon. Stuff like this is extremely rare in the area. I imagine it's quite rare there also.

The perp was a felon because of armed robbery, assault, and arson.

*It was reported that the missing student was gender and used gender neutral language.

[ChickenettiLuvr]

Oh good, it's in the news. (I've been sitting on this news for two days. It was posted by folks from my Jesus college days.)

Can't imagine how his family is feeling right now. I'm sending good thoughts.

 

 

[Briefly]

That sounds really bad, I would imagine that the body is the missing student. The circumstances of the car make me lean toward thinking it was suicide.  Sad all around.

[HereticHick]

The story has been updated; a body has been found: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2018/02/05/search-underway-missing-crown-college-student-family-suspects-foul-play/306318002/

[EowynW]

https://m.facebook.com/BlakeSmithMissingPerson/?ref=m_notif&notif_t=group_comment_reply

I've been following the family & friend run page. 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

5 hours ago, ColeJo said:

Stories like this are very difficult. A student from my university went missing and was found a month later in a creek close to my hometown. The perp kidnapped, raped, and murdered them*. It was hard to deal with and I didn't know Sierra/ Simon. Stuff like this is extremely rare in the area. I imagine it's quite rare there also.

The perp was a felon because of armed robbery, assault, and arson.

*It was reported that the missing student was gender and used gender neutral language.

I really hope that they make sure that the perp never leaves prison. Or kills anyone else in prison like he did the last time he was inside.

Hopefully, his evil will die with him and all the wonderful things Simon/Sierra was will live on in their family and friends' memories. I didn't know them, but that story broke my heart.

[livinginthelight]

Why the hell were his parents tracking his car so closely?

He was 20 years. Were they that controlling? Did they suspect depression/self harm?

RIP, Blake.

[Jellybean]

5 hours ago, HereticHick said:

The story has been updated; a body has been found: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2018/02/05/search-underway-missing-crown-college-student-family-suspects-foul-play/306318002/

They haven’t yet confirmed that the body is Blake’s, though I know that seems most likely. 

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

So very sad. 

At first I figured everyone was overreacting about the tracking thing, because my husband, our daughter, and I all have that feature on our iPhones. We drive in bad weather and such and sometimes it’s just easier to check each other’s locations like, “hey, check and see if daddy is close yet.”  But the article made it sound like they were really just checking on where his car stayed parked all night, which I find....odd. Though I suppose they could have checked because he didn’t call that evening or something? Then again, if a 20-year-old college dude called in every single night that would be a little strange in itself. 

[Dandruff]

I realize that the article provides only limited information, but I'm puzzled as to why Blake's roommates didn't notify someone when he didn't show up when expected.  This is Crown, so I'm assuming there was a curfew and maybe even a "lights out" time.  Also, I would hope that family, friends, and authorities are exhaustively searching for him in the event he's not the guy who was found in the water.

The brick on the accelerator seems strange to me, unless there really was foul play.  If he had wanted to suicide in the water then why didn't he park the car someplace and then just walk a few miles?  The crash, I would think, would make it more likely that people would be alerted and start searching for the owner.  And he doesn't sound like the sort who would be reckless with a car.

Either way, poor guy.

[HereticHick]

I wouldn't be surprised if this kid didn't talk/text his parents every day-- I know a lot of non-religious helicopter parents who communicate with their college kids every day!

But I also find it very odd that his roommates didn't report him missing. His hometown (a suburb of Birmingham, AL) looks to be about 4 hours from Crown--so it is possible that they thought he went home (it was Sat. afternoon right?) for the weekend. That is a little far, though.

Each dorm has a resident assistant, and I agree that there is probably a curfew--and you may need to sign out if you are going home for the weekend

 

And I'm sorry, but bodies don't randomly show up in East Tennessee creeks that often--I'm 99% certain the body is his.

[Howl]

From the updated article posted by @HereticHick, it sounds as though a member of the media called the parents to ask if they knew a body had been found, BEFORE the parents were notified by police.  I hope the person who made that phone call burns in a lake o' fire forever. 

I can imagine the folks desperately sitting by the phone in anticipation of any news from police, friends, family and instead they get a reporter telling them that news, and hoping for a quote for their next article or newscast. 

On being in frequent contact with parents, I'm from a different generation, pre-cell phone, so yes, it does seem odd to me.  However, I watch a LOT of Dateline, 48 Hours.  In many of those sad stories, the young women involved are constantly texting and in touch with the parents and friends and the minute a call or text went unanswered, they knew something was wrong. It's just a different way of communicating. 

[VVV]

This is tragically similar to something that happened several years ago involving a student who had grown up in my church, attending a well-known large religious (but not fundy) university. Possibly triggering story under spoiler.

Spoiler

He was reported missing; foul play was suspected, but then his body was discovered in the back seat of his burned out car on a remote road, along with video from a nearby c-store showing him buying cans of gasoline. horrible horrible horrible.

 

[EowynW]

It's been confirmed. It's him.  

[cindyluvs24]

20 hours ago, Fascinated said:

His parents had an app that allowed them to track his whereabouts.  He is 20.  

Jeez, my son has Asperger's and I don't even do that.  

[HereticHick]

1 hour ago, EowynW said:

It's been confirmed. It's him.  

Yup: http://abc3340.com/news/local/body-discovered-in-lake-identified-as-missing-bible-college-student-from-trussville

[Coconutwater]

So sad http://ow.ly/GGOL50gowPX I was hoping it wasn’t him. 

[HereticHick]

1 hour ago, Coconutwater said:

So sad http://ow.ly/GGOL50gowPX I was hoping it wasn’t him. 

Oh dear:

 

"The preliminary cause of death was determined as hypothermia/drowning, and his death appears to be accidental. "

[Carm_88]

16 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

Oh dear:

 

"The preliminary cause of death was determined as hypothermia/drowning, and his death appears to be accidental. "

Oh no.  That's heartbreaking.