UPDATE: Body Found In River Identified As Missing Trussville Man

KNOXVILLE, TN - The body of a 20-year-old college student from Trussville reported missing in Knoxville Sunday has been found. Authorities discovered a dead body in a nearby river that has been identified as Blake Smith, a student at Crown College of the Bible in Knoxville. Smith is the son of Kim and Jim Smith and the nephew of Trussville realtor Jill Williams.

According to a report from WVTM, authorities determined the cause of death to be hypothermia/drowning, and Smith's death appears to be accidental.

According to law enforcement officials, Sheriff’s deputies responded to a construction site on Ballards Way in Louisville on Sunday to the call of a missing person where they found Smith’s crashed vehicle, as well as his cell phone and some other personal belongings. A Sheriff’s Office K-9 team searched the area Sunday but was unsuccessful in locating him. On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office UAV operator spotted a body in Georges Creek, and shortly afterward members of BSORT (Blount Special Operations Response Team) recovered the body. Smith’s body was located approximately a half mile from the construction site.

According to a report from the Trussville Tribune, Smith was last seen leaving work at Weedman Lawn Care at 2 p.m. on Saturday and never returned to his dorm. He hasn’t been heard from since. Family members say the last interaction they can find was an Instagram photo posted about the time he went missing. The photo is of a lake that they can’t identify and hope someone will recognize the area.

Smith's father traced his son's phone to the construction site where his car was discovered with the door open. His phone was on the seat, according to social media posts by friends and family.

Image from the Smith family