12 y.o. Laura Smither found decapitated in TX
lor...@hotmail.com
In article <19970422010...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, jen1...@aol.com says...
>
>Hello,
>
> More unhappy news in the search for missing/abducted children. 12 year
>old Laura Smither has been found dead, decapitated, in fact, about 10
>miles from her home in Friendswood, Texas. An autopsy today confirmed that
>this was Laura, and that she had been dead for quite awhile.
>
> Police say they have identified several suspects, but no arrests yet.
Dear Joe,
Having visited the site online, and seeing as there wasn't much there, I thought
I might ask if anyone else believes that this could be some type of hoax in the
same vein as the "CrimeScene" site ? In fact, I believe the people who did the
CrimeScene site were supposedly going on to create another fictional community
and story line.
Lord Sir
Stephen B. Kimble
Jen1orbit wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> More unhappy news in the search for missing/abducted children. 12 year
> old Laura Smither has been found dead, decapitated, in fact, about 10
> miles from her home in Friendswood, Texas. An autopsy today confirmed that
> this was Laura, and that she had been dead for quite awhile.
>
> Police say they have identified several suspects, but no arrests yet.
>
> sadistic rage on the part of the killer. Had she been sexually assaulted
> or even sexually mutilated, that would not be terribly surprising. But the
> fact that the killer cut off her head is a good indication that he really
> enjoyed killing her, and wanted to truly destroy her, not just end her
> life. I'll try to find out more details on the autopsy results, and will
> post if I find anything especially interesting.
>
> Take care, JOE
> Make me think of the son of the fellow of America's most wanted; America
fight back. Adam __________.
janie k.
Jen1orbit
Hello,
More unhappy news in the search for missing/abducted children. 12 year
old Laura Smither has been found dead, decapitated, in fact, about 10
miles from her home in Friendswood, Texas. An autopsy today confirmed that
this was Laura, and that she had been dead for quite awhile.
Police say they have identified several suspects, but no arrests yet.
Interesting that she was decapitated. That indicates a high level of
sadistic rage on the part of the killer. Had she been sexually assaulted
or even sexually mutilated, that would not be terribly surprising. But the
fact that the killer cut off her head is a good indication that he really
enjoyed killing her, and wanted to truly destroy her, not just end her
life. I'll try to find out more details on the autopsy results, and will
post if I find anything especially interesting.
Take care, JOE
Courtesy of today's Reuters news wire:
HOUSTON (Reuter) - The body of a 12-year-old Laura Smither was found about
10 miles from her home three weeks after she disappeared, Friendwood
police chief Jared Stout said Monday.
An autopsy confirmed that the remains, discovered in a pond Sunday by a
man out training his dog, were the girl's, Stout said. News reports said
the child had been decapitated.
``It appears that whatever happened happened quickly and that she had
perhaps been on the ground for an extended period of time. How long, I
can't say,'' the police chief told reporters.
Police said they had identified several suspects.
Her disappearance touched off a wave of community concern in Friendswood,
a quiet Houston suburb, where an estimated 5,000 volunteers searched the
area on foot and horseback. At one point, a unit of U.S. Marines joined in
the effort.
Mandy Albritton, who led the volunteer operation, lamented the girl's
death, but said the tragedy had brought the community together in an
unprecedented way.
20:32 04-21-97
Shellie
>
> Courtesy of today's Reuters news wire:
Hi Joe,
How does one find the Reuters news wire...... is it available on the net.
Thanks
Shellie
Jen1orbit
Hello,
Here is an updated report on the discovey of 12 year old Laura Smither's
body in a Pasadena, Texas pond.
The full autopsy report has not been released yet, but we are getting
some very interesting details on the exact dump site, and the condition in
which the body was found. According to Pasadena police Capt. A.H. Corbett,
Laura's head was found separate from her body, but that does NOT
necessarily mean that she was decapitated! This police capt. says that
"water and natural decomposition" could have caused the head to separate
from the body by itself. I suppose that's possible, but it does not seem
all that logical to me. A person's head does not generally detach itself
from the body, especially not within a week or two's time. If any of you
forensics experts out here have an opinion on this, i'd be interested in
hearing it.
The police Capt. also says that the body may have been dumped elsewhere
and only washed into this pond where it was found. Laura was found naked,
except for a pair of white socks. Police believe that the killer was
familiar with both towns, Friendswood, where she disappeared from, and
Pasadena, where the body was found.
When the full autopsy report is released, you can count on me to post
any new and relevant details.
Take care, JOE
The following news article appears courtesy of the 4/22/97 online
edition of The Houston Chronicle newspaper:
Police believe body is that of
missing girl
Ring, dental braces found; coroner's report
is pending
By RUTH RENDON
FRIENDSWOOD -- A signet ring and dental braces
led Friendswood police to conclude Monday that a
body found in a Pasadena pond is that of 12-year-old
Laura Kate Smither.
Although no finding had been reached by the Harris
County Medical Examiner's Office, Police Chief Jared
Stout said the braces -- along with a silver ring bearing
the initials LKS -- convinced him that the badly
decomposed body was Laura's.
The girl, who was home-schooled, had been the focus
of a massive search since she vanished April 3 after
leaving her home in the 2600 block of Ware Dairy Road
for a morning jog.
Stout went to the residence Monday afternoon and
informed Laura's parents, Bob and Gay Smither, before
publicly announcing his conclusion. The couple went into
seclusion with their minister, relatives and friends and did
not issue a statement.
Going to them with the news was one of the most
difficult tasks he has had, Stout said.
"Any time you tell a parent, `Your child isn't coming
home ever,' it's hard."
The body identified by police as Laura's was found
about 3:45 p.m. Sunday in a retention pond near
Beltway 8 and Preston. A man and his son were training
their Labrador retriever when the dog ran to the badly
decomposed remains, Pasadena police Capt. A.H.
"Bud" Corbett said.
.
Investigators looking for further evidence Monday sifted
through silt at the bottom of two adjoining retention
ponds and in a metal culvert connecting them. The
ponds, in thick woods and brush, were created when
the beltway was being built, Corbett said.
The girl's head was found near remains of her body, but
Corbett said that does not mean she was decapitated by
her killer.
"I am more inclined to say that it was because of the
water and natural decomposition," he said. "There was
no hair left. It was just in skeletal form."
Laura's ring was found in the culvert, Friendswood
Chief Stout said.
About 40 officers -- including FBI agents and police
from Friendswood and Pasadena -- were searching an
area west of the beltway, north of Preston and south of
Crenshaw for evidence.
Metal culverts that connect the retention ponds were
removed for examination and authorities stood
thigh-deep in mud and water, sifting for evidence.
Corbett said the body may have been dumped
elsewhere and was washed into the pond during recent
rains. A canal that runs underneath Preston and
Crenshaw drains into the ponds, in a secluded area
about 100 yards from the nearest road.
The body, he said, may have been in the pond for four
or five days.
Stout said police are investigating more than 1,300 leads
to determine who killed Laura. The area where the body
was recovered had not been included in searches by
thousands of volunteers in the past 18 days.
"We have to go back, look at our lead sheets and
re-examine what we know about the Pasadena area and
that whole area east and south of Houston," Stout said.
"That is what is going on. We have reached out for
some specific information about the nature of that area
through maps, organizing both assignments and details to
be followed by investigators as they come free from the
crime scene."
The chief said the ponds are not in a typical location for
a killer to dump a body.
"The abduction occurred in a fairly rural area," he said.
"You would not expect that someone would then go to a
more populated area to leave their victim. It was a
consideration, but I certainly wouldn't have picked this
as a site.
"It's the kind of place you probably wouldn't go unless
you had a reason to be there," Stout added.
He also said he suspects the killer is someone who
knows both Friendswood and Pasadena.
Although Laura was wearing a black T-shirt, navy blue
shorts and white tennis shoes when she vanished, the
only items found on the body at the pond, about 12
miles from her home, were a pair of white socks,
Corbett said.
News of the police identification hit Friendswood like a
body blow.
"Laura may not be with us physically," Mayor Evelyn
Newman said through tears. "She will be with us as a
memorial. We wish that today we were having a
celebration to bring Laura home. We will (bring her
home) but not as we would like."
No funeral arrangements had been made, Stout said. A
prayer vigil for Laura was held Monday evening at the
city's Stevenson Park.
Police asked that anyone with information about Laura's
disappearance call their hot line at 281-482-8061. A
$50,000 reward is being offered for information leading
to an arrest and conviction.
sandy c
I live in Pasadena less than 1/8th of a mile from where this body was
recovered. As of noon, the medical examiner has positively identified it
as Laura Smither. The speculation is that the body was disturbed by
animals and was not decapitated. This is a crime that has had a profound
effect on several communities and our hearts go out to the family.
Sandy
Marie AuBuchon
> Make me think of the son of the fellow of America's most wanted; > America's fight back (Most Wanted). Adam __________.
That would be Adam Walsh. They believe that they found Adam's killer but
the man died (he was in prison on another charge when they were given
reason to believe that he was very likely Adam's killer) before an
official confession was obtained.
--
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whichever is greater, for each violation."
lor...@hotmail.com
In article <335F05...@ix.netcom.com>, Kathy says...
>
>lor...@hotmail.com wrote:
>>
>> Having visited the site online, and seeing as there wasn't much there, I thought
>> I might ask if anyone else believes that this could be some type of hoax in the
>> same vein as the "CrimeScene" site ? In fact, I believe the people who did the
>> CrimeScene site were supposedly going on to create another fictional community
>> and story line.
>>
>> Lord Sir
>
>Are you wondering if the murder of Laura is someone's idea of a hoax,
>and it didn't really happen? I'm not quite sure what your asking here,
>but to clarify it, Laura was a real person and her murder was a real
>tragedy, those of us who live here in Houston, were very hopeful she
>would be found alive. It's terrible to have children murdered like this.
>--
>Kathy
Kathy,
Yes, I was wondering if this was a hoax in the same vein as the site I refer to
above. I am very sorry to hear that this is instead another true case. Thanks
for clarifying, sorry it had to be real and true. My deepest sympathy to all
involved.
Lord Sir
SCrim
>
> >Are you wondering if the murder of Laura is someone's idea of a hoax,
> >and it didn't really happen? I'm not quite sure what your asking here,
> >but to clarify it, Laura was a real person and her murder was a real
> >tragedy, those of us who live here in Houston, were very hopeful she
> >would be found alive. It's terrible to have children murdered like this.
> >--
> >Kathy
>
>
>
> Kathy,
>
> Yes, I was wondering if this was a hoax in the same vein as the site I refer to
> above. I am very sorry to hear that this is instead another true case. Thanks
> for clarifying, sorry it had to be real and true. My deepest sympathy to all
> involved.
>
> Lord Sir
Couldn't help but chime in. I live in another Texas city - Arlington - where a little over a year ago a 9-year old girl was abducted and found four days later with her throat cut. She was nude with the exception of one sock...and her body was found in a creek (Laura was nude, with the exception of two socks and was found in a pond.) Our police department has sent representatives to meet with the police investigating Laura's death in an attempt further sort out any similarites. The girls resembled one another, from what is gathered in the news reports here. Haven't heard anything today...
JBrown6000
Kathy
Paula Lovell wrote:
>
> FYI, Laura's body was found in water and was badly decomposed. The
> medical examiner was not able to determine cause of death and there is
> no indication that she was decapitated. The separation of the head from
> the body may have been from animals or just part of the decomposition.
> A tragedy nevertheless.
>
> Paula Lovell
Paula, if you check the news reports you will see that she was
decapitated. What the ME wasn't able to figure out at first is if that
was done by an animal, the killer or decomposition. Her body was found
in the pond, her head was in the silt. Here is a the latest article
about the case:
INGTON, Texas, April 23 (UPI) -- Arlington investigators still
trying to solve the slaying last year of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman are
getting ready to compare notes with detectives in the death of a 12-
year-old girl near Houston.
Arlington police Sgt. Dee Anderson says Wednesday, ``We're hoping to
go as soon as we can. We need to go when they're ready for us to go.''
Laura Kate Smither vanished April 3 while jogging in Friendswood,
near Houston. She was not found, despite a search by police and hundreds
of volunteers and soldiers, until Sunday when a hunter training his dog
chanced upon the body in Pasadena.
Arlington detectives say clues in Hagerman's and Smither's deaths are
similar.
Anderson says, ``There's basic physical appearance, and both were
pretty much abducted in broad daylight. There's some stuff that raises
interest.''
Both girls were found nude, except for a single sock on one foot.
Both were found near water.
Hagerman's throat had been cut, and Smither's head had been separated
from her body, although officials have not determined if that was due to
decomposition and animals, or to intentional decapitation by her killer.
The eight-member Arlington police task force assigned to the Hagerman
case since her murder in January 1996 have run down leads and researched
about 20 abductions nationwide and in Mexico in an effort to spot serial
characteristics.
Anderson says, ``We've worked through thousands of leads and still
going. We are down to hundreds of leads and there will come a time when
they will have other things to do'' if the case is not solved.
--
Kathy
http://pw1.netcom.com/~kathye/rodeo.html - Cowboy Histories
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2990/ - Crime scene photo's