A Heavy Weight

What happened to Jeremy Jourdain?We return to the moments leading up to Jeremy’s disappearance and begin to unravel theories around what could’ve happened to him that Halloween night.

In this episode, we dive into the challenges the Jourdain’s faced after Jeremy went missing, the emotional toll of searching without answers, and the systemic issues that made this case feel invisible. Who will step in to help when the system fails them, and what does it mean for a family to search for justice without support?

Episode 2 begins on Halloween night, 2016, as the search for Jeremy Jourdain unfolds in the hours after his disappearance.

17-year-old Jeremy Jourdain disappeared on Halloween night 2016, vanishing into thin air in Bemidji, Minnesota. Season Two of A Heavy Weight explores Jeremy's disappearance.

Episode ten of A Heavy Weight: Where are we today? In the series finale we’ll go over the facts in Joseph’s case and hear from outside experts as to what could help have Joseph’s case re-opened. We’ll also hear from Joseph’s family about what they want to happen in his case. While this is the series finale, for now, we’ll be posting episode updates as we keep working on justice for Joseph. Thank you for listening.

Episode nine of A Heavy Weight: What is the narrative in Joseph’s story? Who has tried to control it and why? We’re diving into a few strange details in Joseph’s case, starting with the letter found by his roommates. You’ll hear conversations from the time, begging the question, who could’ve written that note? Do law enforcement know something we don’t? We’ll also hear from Joseph’s family in the aftermath of his death; why would law enforcement hold onto Joseph’s belongings for the past six years?

Episode eight of A Heavy Weight: Forensic pathologists Dr. Andrea Zaferes and Dr. Darin Wolfe join us again to talk about the likelihood of suicide by drowning in Joseph’s case. What does the evidence tell us? Should his death have been ruled suicide by drowning?

Episode seven of A Heavy Weight: We begin to unpack Joseph’s autopsy and toxicology reports with the help of experts Andrea Zaferes and Dr. Darin Wolfe. What do the reports tell us about Joseph’s death?

Episode six of A Heavy Weight: The investigation into Joseph’s death takes shape; but does the story being presented make sense?Joseph’s family try to get more answers from law enforcement and begin to form their own theories about what could’ve happened.

Episode five of A Heavy Weight: The body of 20 year old IU sophomore Joseph has been recovered and the investigation into what could’ve happened to him shifts. The prevailing theory around his death is made public leaving those close to him with more questions than answers.

Episode four of A Heavy Weight: 20 year old IU sophomore Joseph has been missing for nearly a week. What clues could the group chat found on his laptop hold? The search for Joseph takes a turn no one could have predicted...

Episode three of A Heavy Weight: 20 year old IU sophomore Joseph hasn’t been heard from in days. What clues do detectives and his sister find as the search continues…

Picking up the night of September 27th, 2015 after Joseph vanished. Where could he have gone? What clues did he leave behind?

Episode 1 of A Heavy Weight; a podcast re-investigating the unexplained disappearance of Joseph Smedley. 20 year old sophomore Joseph vanishes on the night of a blood moon, September 27, 2015.

A Heavy Weight is a series re-investigating the 2015 disappearance of Joseph Smedley, a 20 year old sophomore attending Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.  The series launches this fall; visit www.aheavyweight.com for source materials and to follow Joseph's story.

Episode 10 brings together the most unsettling pieces of Joseph Smedley’s case — the late-night messages, the odd cell phone pings, the missing belongings — and confronts the gaps that remain. This episode is a call for truth, transparency, and for anyone holding a piece of the story to finally come forward.

For Joseph’s family, this is year ten. Ten years of rereading the same note. Ten years of asking for his case files. Ten years of watching other IU students’ cases become national stories while his slips out of view.Coverage sits inside that imbalance. We talk about media bias and what it means to keep showing up for a family long after everyone else has moved on.Thank you for listening, sharing, and saying his name with us. Episode 9 is out now.

In this episode we return to the death of Indiana University student Joseph Smedley, whose body was found in Griffy Lake with a backpack weighed down with rocks. Drawing on a twenty year study of suicide by drowning and the insight of forensic pathologist Dr Darin Wolfe and forensic aquatic death investigator Andrea Zaferes, we ask how likely it really is that Joseph died by suicide in the way his case was closed. We unpack the challenges of determining cause and manner of death in bodies recovered from water, revisit the original autopsy and the attempted second autopsy, and explore the confusing trail of cell phone pings that suggest Joseph was not alone in his final hours. Along the way, we raise larger questions about how death determinations are made, what it means when a case is labeled suicide instead of undetermined, and why some missing students receive wall to wall coverage while others are met with silence.Content note This episode includes discussion of suicide, death, and possible foul play.

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.

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.