Joe Tate’s death continues to be one of the biggest mysteries in soaps in recent times – and shows no signs of being solved any time soon.
Ever since the handsome businessman departed Emmerdale last October, viewers have been left with a can of worms writhing with questions…
Like who killed Joe and how? And is he really dead?
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We’ve seen Graham let Cain deal with the guilt of thinking he murdered Joe, even though we’ve been led to believe it was actually Graham himself who did the killing.
Now Graham seems intent on getting Cain sent down for the crime – even planting a watch stained with Joe’s blood in Cain’s garage and tipping off the police.
Backed into a corner, Cain has even threatened to murder Graham.
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Viewers saw Cain punch Joe to the ground in a fit of rage, furious with him for leaving his daughter Debbie at the altar on their wedding day.
Graham then told a shocked Cain that Joe was dead and that he’d clean up the mess, loading Joe’s lifeless body into the back of his car to ‘dispose’ of it…
However, fans saw Joe’s hand twitch and assumed he was alive – and that Graham actually killed him before dumping his body in the quarry – and letting Cain take the blame.
But what if we’ve missed an important clue which suggests the mechanic really did kill Joe?
We know that one violent punch CAN kill someone, especially if the victim then lands on a hard rock – which could cause internal bleeding and possible brain damage.
Scenes also showed blood surrounding his head – could he have lost enough to die?
While many assumed that Joe’s twitching fingers meant he was still alive, this could in fact have just been rigor mortis setting in.
Otherwise known as postmortem rigidity, it is caused by chemical changes in the muscles after death and causes the limbs of the corpse to stiffen – although it normally happens much later after death.
Fans of the show know that Cain had no love for his future son-in-law after his shady appearance in Emmerdale pretending to be someone else.
And Cain is no stranger to using his fists to express his rage!
https://twitter.com/theviewster/status/1095049569518473218
I hope the twist will be that Cain did kill Joe as the body can twitch/move after death (although it is rare). Graham would not kill Joe.
— Francesca Paige (@FrancescaPaige1) February 11, 2019
Graham would not kill Joe. My theories are 1) Cain killed him as the body can twitch/move after death. 2) Joe is alive and Graham is doing all he can to protect Joe from Kim and Vincent. Even if it means doing the dirty on Cain.
Alot of it happened off screen to keep us guessing— Francesca Paige (@FrancescaPaige1) February 9, 2019
While this was the first time Cain had knowingly ‘killed’ anyone, it wouldn’t be the only time he’s attacked someone and brutally beaten them…
One fan recently tweeted: “Theory. Say if the twist was that Cain indeed did kill Joe? It’s not impossible for Emmerdale to do that is it?”
Another agreed, saying: “I hope the twist will be that Cain did kill Joe as the body can twitch/move after death (although it is rare). Graham would not kill Joe.”
So until his body shows up… we’ll never know for sure!
Do you think Cain Dingle killed Joe Tate? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!