On October 4-6, 2003, just days before little Josef’s untimely death, Dr. Jayne Dubois, PhD. in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in domestic violence and abuse with families, directed a booth for weight loss at the Southern Women’s Show in Birmingham, AL. The Smith family attended the show and helped work this weight loss booth, and they stayed in the same hotel as Dr. Dubois in Birmingham. Long-time friends with the Smiths, Dr. Dubois also helped to organize the Fox News media shoot in the Smiths’ home in September (mentioned in a previous article). Dr. Dubois saw the eczema on Josef’s elbows and ankles during their time together, and she saw Sonya putting lotion on each child. The Smiths and Dr. Dubois were together for 10 long hours working at this booth at the Woman’s Show — and Josef was there as well. Dr. Dubois recalls Josef was so outgoing – he would walk around and visit, talking to everyone at the other booths. He was a happy child with no signs of pain…no signs of timidness…and no signs of any other pattern of abused children. Josef was doing better than ever with his behavior during this time. Thousands of people saw this child at the Southern Women’s Show, and no one saw marks on the body or an “abused child.”Dr. Dubois has known the Smiths for years and has even been an overnight guest in their home on occasion. Neglect, child abuse, and murder are the last words she would ever think to describe these loving, caring, outreaching parents who were always in the public eye, with up to 40 people in their home weekly for classes and often attending weekend church functions outside Nashville, TN.
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