The family taunted by a sadistic killer (Part 1/2) | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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website on the afternoon of Friday May 31 1985 Bob Smith sat in his home office the father of three ran a
business selling electronic scoreboards and signs a job that provided the flexibility to work from
home the arrangement was particularly welcome on this unseasonably hot day as it allowed Bob to relax by the pool with
his wife before sitting down to do some work at around 3:30 p.m. Bob looked out the
window his office was on the second floor of his family South Carolina home with views over the expansive front yard
of their large rural property at the end of the 750 ft long driveway Bob saw the familiar side of
his daughter's blue Chevy Chevette hatchback the car belonged to 17-year-old Sharon F Smith or Sher as
she prefer to be called Sherry was returning home from a pool party at the home of a
classmate as was her habit she stopped at the end of the driveway to check the mailbox before heading down to the
house Bob got back to work but after 5 minutes or so the house was noticeably quiet Sher usually burst in eager to say
hello to her parents and tell them about her day Bob looked outside and noticed that
sher's chevet was still idling at the end of the driveway he wondered if she had received
a letter and was reading it in her car minutes passed and sher's car didn't budge Bob got a bad
feeling Sher had a rare disease called diabetes in insipidus commonly known as water
diabetes the condition was characterized by a hormone malfunction that prevented
sher's kidneys from retaining water resulting in extreme thirst and frequent urination without her medication or
large quantities of water Sher was under the constant threat of severe and even fatal
dehydration therefore she never went anywhere without her medication Bob considered whether Sherry
could have ducked behind a nearby Bush to urinate The Smith's driveway jutted off
plat Springs Road a long stretch roughly 10 Mi outside the town of Lexington it was a quiet spot surrounded
by Woodland and Sherie could have easily relieved herself without anyone noticing worst case scenario she might
have become dehydrated and disorientated or maybe even lost Consciousness not wanting to take any
chances Bob jumped into his own car and quickly drove to the end of the driveway the engine of Sherry's car was
still running the driver's side door was open and mail was scattered on the ground Bob got out of his car and peered
inside of sher's chevet the keys were still in the ignition and The Damp tow she'd taken to
the pool party lay across the driver's seat beside it on the passenger seat sat sher's
handbag her medication and wallet were inside the sandals she'd been wearing that day was sitting on the
floor bare Footprints LED from the car to the mailbox but they stopped there Sher herself was nowhere to be
[Music] seen [Music] [Music] officers from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department were called and
quickly arrived on the scene Bob Smith and his wife Hilda assured the police that Sher had no
reason to run off she was in the prime of her life set to graduate from high school with honors
in just a few days Sher was a talented singer and she'd been given the honor of singing the National Anthem at the
school's graduation ceremony she'd been looking forward to it immensely a born performer Sher had been
accepted to study music at Columbia College in South Carolina later that year in the meantime she and her
graduating classmates would is celebrating the end of their schooling with the crws to the
Bahamas for her parents the only explanation for Sherry's disappearance was that something terrible had
happened Sher was particularly close to her older sister 21-year-old Dawn who was already living away from home while
studying the siblings shared a love for singing and often performed gospel favorites around
Lexington collectively known as the Smith sisters they aimed to carve a career for themselves in the Christian
music industry as soon as Sherie disappeared an officer was summoned to collect Dawn
from the nearby city of Charlotte and drive her back to Lexington daor admitted to police that
her father was strict and that this could sometimes be a source of angst for Sherry Sher had occasionally expressed a
desire to go stay with Dorne but never under any circumstances did Dawn think her little sister would take off on her
own theirs was a close net family and although Sher craved a bit more freedom she knew her parents always had her best
interest at heart even on the unlikely chance that Sherie could have run away she wouldn't
leave her life-saving medication behind police didn't believe the Smiths had anything to hide and they wasted no
time in launching a full full scale missing person's investigation within hours hundreds of
locals braved the sweltering heat to Traverse the rugged terrain surrounding the Smith's 10 acre
property police looked for tire tracks shoe prints or anything else that could provide a clue as to Sherry's
whereabouts they found nothing had Sherry become disorientated due to her medical condition they didn't
think she would have wandered far a member of the search party was checking plat Springs Road about half a
mile from the Smith's home when they found a red bandana it was believed to belong to
Sher police wondered whether she could have intentionally left it behind as some sort of
clue as the hours pass with no sign of the teenager police became steadfastly convinced that sher's disappearance
wasn't the result of her diabetes someone had taken her against her will the last person to see Sher was her
boyfriend Richard Lawson the two had spent the morning in downtown Lexington organizing Travelers
checks for sher's upcoming Cruise once they were done Sherry left her Chevette in the shopping center car
park and drove in Richard's car to their friend's Pool Party the couple spent a few hours there
before Sher called her parents at around 2:30 p.m. to say she was about to head home Sher and her younger brother
15-year-old Robert were expected to check in with their parents every now and then to keep them in the loop of
their plans police cast a suspicious eye on Richard Lawson but sher's family didn't
think there was any chance he would cause her any harm Sher adored Richard he was an upstanding young man and and
the two were head over heels in love they'd both been accepted to Columbia College and were excited to be
starting the next chapter of their lives together regardless police questioned Richard he said that after leaving the
pool party he dropped Sherry back to her car in downtown Lexington the two sat in her car talking
for about 15 minutes after that Richard said he kissed Sherry goodbye and got back into
his own car they shared the same route home so Richard trailed behind Sher for a while
before turning off in the direction of his own home according to Richard he went
straight home and didn't leave the house there after his Alibi checked out this put Sherie arriving home alone
at around 3:30 p.m. some passers by had seen her standing at at her mailbox about to peer
inside they hadn't noticed anything odd or suspicious but they did recall seeing
an unusual vehicle in the neighborhood around this time the car was described as a late
model Oldsmobile or Pontiac in a cranberry color one witness recalled glancing in their rearview mirror and
seeing the vehicle stop in the Smith's driveway they caught a glimpse of the driver describing him as a male aged in
his 30s when they drove past again about 10 minutes later sher's car was still there
but Sher herself wasn't given that the Smith's mail was scattered on the ground police theorized
that sher's abductor had accosted her at the mailbox shortly after Bob Smith looked away from the window of his home
office the fact that Bob hadn't witnessed the incident was sheer bad luck by all accounts Sher Smith was a popular
well-liked and a vibrant young woman she was actively involved in her school community and had been recently voted
wittiest Girl by her senior class as a devoted member of Lexington's First Baptist Church she took her faith
very seriously and wasn't involved in drugs or any nefarious Behavior but to police this didn't seem like an
opportunistic attack if Sher hadn't been targeted by a known enemy police speculated whether
someone could have followed her home the blond-haired blue-eyed Sherry was described as strikingly
attractive someone could have noticed her either before or after the pool party and been captivated by her
physical appearance enough to covertly watch and Trail her vehicle or perhaps they'd been stalking Sher for a
while Sher worked part-time at a local flea market police learned that just two weeks prior a male customer had been
kicked out of the market for harassing Sherry and other young women The Smiths were an influential
family in Lexington sher's father Bob volunteered as a Chaplain for the sheriff's
department as well as the county jail and Youth Correctional Facility he and his wife Hilda often sang hymns
to those incarcerated and they were sometimes joined by Sher and Dawn police considered the possibility
that a former inmate could have developed an obsession with Sher and tracked her down upon their
release alternatively what if an inmate had it out for Bob Smith and targeted Sherry as part of some deranged Revenge
plot inquiries were made into former inmates who had crossed paths with Bob or Sher Smith but there was no evidence
to implicate any of them in the kidnapping with no obvious suspects emerging police considered whether
sher's abduction could have been financially motivated the Smiths weren't particularly wealthy but the income they
earned through Bob's electronic sales and hilder's part-time work as a substitute teacher afforded them a
comfortable lifestyle with an impressively large house although the family seemed like an
unlikely choice to Target police had to consider what if Sher had been kidnapped
for ransom later that night as the search for Sherry continued The Smith's home phone rang on the other line was an
unknown male I have sherry he said I want money and anticipating a call of this nature police had installed a phone tap
which allowed them to trace the call to a phone booth in an undisclosed location the caller was identified as
27-year-old Edward Robertson but any hopes that Sherie would be returned were shortlived when
the call was determined to be a hoax Robertson was hit with multiple charges including extortion and
obstruction of justice the bogus ROM was a huge waste of police resources for a case where
time was well and truly of the essence without sher's medication there was the very real possibility that she
could become dehydrated enough to slip into a coma when there was no sign of Sher
Smith by the following morning planes equipped with infrared technology was sent down by the
FBI authorities from surrounding counties were brought in to assist while a trailer was set up in front of the
Smith family home to act as investigation headquarters led by Lexington County Sheriff James matz the search for the
17-year-old quickly became the largest Manhunt in South Carolina's history a report came in that Sher had
recently been threatened by some other students from her High School police looked into these claims
and questioned every other guest who' attended the pool party with Sher the day before but no further leads
emerged by Sunday the full weight of Sherry's disappearance was felt as her high school graduation ceremony went
ahead without her classmates couldn't ignore the enormity of the situation as a chair
reserved for Sherry sat empty and the national anthem was performed by another student a friend of sher's told The
State newspaper I won't believe I've graduated until they find her a part of our family is
missing when Lexington local Betty Harris not her real name saw the media coverage of sher's disappearance it
sparked a memory on the afternoon of Friday May 31 Betty had been driving down plat Springs
Road when she saw a young blonde woman walking towards her mailbox a man was approaching a couple of minutes later
Betty was continuing down the road when she saw the blonde from the mailbox in the passenger seat of a reddish colored
car it was being driven by a male who looked to be between 35 and 40 years of age with a medium build and receding
light colored hair the car overtook Betty before slowing down to a point that she was
forced to bib her horn Betty could see that the man was distracted by his female passenger she
didn't think much of it until she saw the news and realized that the young woman she'd seen was Sher
Smith the composite sketches of the man provided by Betty and other Witnesses were notably different however their
descriptions of his cranberry vehicle were all similar instead of focusing on identifying the suspect by his
appearance police focused on identifying his car they cated a list of anyone Sher
associated with who drove a similar vehicle including attendees at her church but as the search rolled into its
third fruitless day grave concerns were held for sher's welfare even if her kidnapper hadn't
caused Sherie any harm they'd need to be giving her copious amounts of water to ensure her survival
it had been an agonizing couple of days for the Smith family they gathered in their home comforted by a passing
procession of concerned friends and relatives who brought them meals and joined them in
prayer a team of investigators stationed themselves on the property Round the Clock ready to act the moment any
potential lead came through the Lexington Community was on edge parents kept watchful eyes on their
children while young women avoided going out alone fearful of the unknown then at 2:20 a.m. on Monday June
3rd sher's father Bob was awoken from a Restless sleep by the ringing of the phone Bob
answered the muffled distorted voice of an unfamiliar man was on the other line he asked to speak speak to Mrs
Smith Bob beckoned to his wife Hilda and she picked up the receiver it was the call they'd been
waiting for the man claimed that he had Sherry to prove this wasn't a hoax he described in detail the outfit that Sher
had been wearing at the time she went missing WR down to the black and yellow bikini she had on
underneath the man assured hild that her daughter was fine she was eating and drinking plenty of
water the man said he was going to release Sher The Smiths would be receiving more
information in a letter from Sher that would arrive at 2: p.m. the following day in the meantime the caller
concluded they are looking in the wrong place tell Sheriff Mets to get on channel 10 at 7:00 a.m. and call off the
search at the time technology required a caller to be on the phone for 15 minutes before
their location could be ascertained given the call was short an instant Trace couldn't be
established after some time the call was traced to a phone booth outside of a grocery store approximately 12 mil from
The Smith's home officers rushed to the scene but the booth was empty a dust for fingerprints revealed no
discernable Clues investigators weren't entirely sure what to make of the call the details about sher's bikini
hadn't been reported on which shed credibility to the caller claims but beyond that the alleged
captor hadn't provided any concrete evidence to prove that he had Sherry or that she was indeed
alive furthermore he hadn't made any Ransom demands which raised questions about the purpose of his
call regardless the police were taking no chances the owner of the Lexington post
office was alerted and at 4:00 a.m. he was joined by two officers to collectively sift through every piece of
mail addressed within the county it was a painstaking task the hours ticked by with no sign of
the supposed the letter leading to doubts as to whether it existed at all then at 700
a.m. [Music] success the white legal-sized envelope was addressed to the Smith family home
in scrolling handwriting inside was a two-page letter written on yellow legal paper signed by
by Sher Smith dated June 1st at 3:10 a.m. the title of the letter gave investigators
pause written in cursive at the top of the page were the words last will and testament the letter
began I love you mommy daddy Robert Dawn and Richard and everyone else I'll be with my father now so please please
don't worry just remember my witty personality and the great special times we all shared
together please don't ever let this ruin your lives just keep living one day at a
time the Jesus some good will come out of this as the letter continued Sher apologized for any disappointment she
might have caused and urged someone else to take her place on the upcoming Cruise
she reiterated how proud she was of her family and how much she loved them all the letter
concluded I know you all love me and will miss me very much but if you'll stick together like we always did you
all can do it please do not become hard or upset everything works out for the good
for those that love the Lord there was no return address when Bob Smith was shown the
letter A desperate helplessness washed over him he immediately recognized the handwriting as his
daughters the caller had been right this was no hoax but it wasn't just the title of the
letter or the final farewells it contained that escalated concerns about the abductor intentions for
Sher at the end of one paragraph she'd written in parenthesis The Haunting words casket
closed a cursory examination of the letter revealed no fingerprints or any other
identifying Clues all investigators had to go by was the postage stamp a commemorative duck
decoy but this was of little help as the stamp was a relatively recent design and
was currently in wide circulation although the envelope it did confirm one helpful detail it was
postmarked to June 1 from the city of Colombia just 13 m east of Lexington wherever Sher had been taken
it couldn't be too far the letter was immediately sent for detailed forensic testing a process that
could take weeks in the meantime Bob and Hilda Smith made an impassioned play on
television with Bob urging whoever it is that has our daughter Sherie we want her back we miss
her we love her please send her back home where she belongs Hilder added she is so important
to us nothing in the world is more important right now all we ask is just whoever you are send Sher back
home a $155,000 reward for information was announced with one officer declaring the search is not going to
stop as long as there is hope anticipating that sher's abductor would call again investigators set up a
recording device on the Smith family's home phone if he did make contact The Smiths
were advised to keep him on the line for as long as possible at 3:08 p.m. that same Monday
the phone rang sher's sister Dawn answered it was the same male caller from earlier he asked to speak to her
mother have you received a mail today uh yes I have do you believe me now well I'm not
really sure I believe you because I haven't had any word from Sherry and I need to
know that Sher is well you'll know in two or 3 days why two or three days call the search
off the call was soon traced to a pay phone at a pharmacy in Lexington there was no sign of the
caller or any discernable Clues however the location itself was of particular interest the pharmacy was part of the
same shopping center where Sher had parked her car while attending the pool party on
Friday this added weight to the theory that sher's abductor might have spotted her that day and followed her
home the Smith family didn't know what to make of this turn of events while the contents of sher's letter were deeply
troubling they refused to give up hope that she could still be found alive maybe her harrowing words were
meant as some kind of code at 807 that same night the phone rang again when Dawn answered she
immediately recogn ized the voice of her sister's kidnapper he asked Dawn if she had come
down from Charlotte dawn said yes and asked who she was speaking to the caller ignored her and
said I need to speak to your mother tell her to hurry Hilda picked up the caller asked
did you receive the letter today Hilda responded that she had to prove it the caller asked her to tell
him one thing that the letter said Sher had had drawn a love heart with a combination of hers and her
boyfriend Richard's names in it Hilda told the caller this confirming that the two-page letter was written on
yellow legal paper the caller stated okay so you know now that this is not a hoax
call he then asked why his request for Sheriff Mets to call off the search hadn't been met
saying I'm trying to do everything possible to answer some of your prayers so please in the name of God work with
us here Hilda spoke kindly to the man asking if he could just tell her whether Sher was okay without her
medicine the caller said that Sher was drinking two gallons of water per hour and going to the bathroom afterwards he
told Hilda he had to hurry as he knew the calls were being traced this has gone too far he said
please forgive me the caller told Hilda to have an ambulance ready at their home he claimed that if anything
happened to Sherry in addition to her request for a closed casket she wanted to have her hands crossed over her chest
as though in prayer listen to us please the caller implored forget Lexington County look in
Saluda County do you understand Sherry Fay requests no strangers when we give the
location Hilda reassured the caller that nobody was going to cause any harm she just wanted to know whether Sher was
with him the caller said he couldn't tell Hilda that but quote I want to tell you one other
another thing Sherry is now part of me physically mentally emotionally spiritually our souls are one
now Hilda begged the caller to tell Sher how much her family loved her and that they' do anything to make her
happy again the caller repeated his demands to have an ambulance ready Hilda urged him to call back again
later that night saying God bless you for taking care of my baby the caller continued I got to go now listen
listen please please please forgive me for this it just got out of hand Cherry is protected now she is part of me now
and God look after all of us now good night the cryptic phone call left investigators scrambling for
answers the kidnapper still hadn't provided any proof of life and it remained unclear whether Sher had been
harmed or not the call was traced to a gas station just off the Interstate 20 Highway approximately 8 mil from The
Smith's home but again the caller had left behind no evidence although the information gained
thus far did allow renowned FBI criminal profiler John Douglas to put together a
22o profile of the perpetrator according to Douglas sher's abductor was a white male most likely in
his mid to late 20s but possibly in his early 30s he was single but had probably
been married in the past or had a history of failed relationships if he had a child of his
own that child would no longer be in his custody he would either live alone or with parents or or older
relatives this wouldn't be the perpetrator's first crime he likely had a criminal record that included anything
from making obscene phone calls and peeping and prying to full-blown sexual assault he'd keep trophies taken from
his victims he'd have a penchant for pornography with a particular lust for bondage and S
masochism the evidence indicated that Sher Smith had been taken by force likely at knife or
gunpoint this indicated that the perpetrator wasn't particularly Charming or attractive as he knew he wouldn't be
able to lure Sher into his car through any other means he was likely overweight and
suffered from low self-esteem his crimes would be motivated by his prevailing fantasy of
exerting power over unattainable women he likely picked female victims that he had no chance of a relation ship
with in his daily life therefore forging a sense of power and control those victims would likely be
children or young girls as he'd find adult women too intimidating investigators determined
that the perpetrator was using a variable speed control device to alter the sound of his
voice this indicated a knowledge of electronics that suggested the perpetrator likely worked in electrical
contracting a job that provided flexible hours and the freedom to move around although the device distorted the
caller's voice it couldn't disguise his slight southern accent in his first phone call the
perpetrator had told Hilda Smith to expect a letter from Sher at 2:00 p.m. 2:00 was their usual mail delivery
time this in addition to the perpetrator's knowledge of the surrounding counties and his use of
various pay phones gave John Douglas no doubt that the offender lived locally or
was at the very least familiar with the area the perpetrator knew that Dawn Smith had traveled down from
Charlotte he'd also used sher's middle name Fay did this mean he knew the Smith family on a personal
level the pay phone locations also suggested something else of note each call had come from a different location
and each area had been wiped clean the fact that the offender knew his calls were being traced coupled with
his use of a voice altering device indicated a knowledge of forensic proceedings whoever he was investigators
were dealing with someone of above average intelligence John Douglas determined that the perpetrator was meticulous and
obsessive in his daily habits he likely had everything planned planned out with the tone of his voice hinting that he
was reading from a script he was a rigid thinker who probably had an unsuccessful previous
career in the military Sheriff James Mets told reporters I feel we're looking for an
extremely sharp individual in one regard and an extremely psychotic individual in
another regard he seems to be almost schizophrenic one who thinks clearly and acts
irrationally by Tuesday June 4 the investigation into Sher Smith's disappearance rolled into its fourth day
convinced that the perpetrator was following the story in the media the Smith family made another television
appeal for sher's safe return with Dawn telling her sister we're not a family Without
You Hilda added Sher we love you so much we're just not going to give up on finding you I know you're being taken
care of we just feel such assurances from the Lord that you will be with us again empathetic of their plight the
community continued to Rally behind the Smiths with volunteers Distributing over
10,000 missing person posters around town concerned citizens contributed to the reward pool in ining the amount to
$25,000 still nothing led to the identity of sher's kidnapper by 9:00 on Tuesday night over
24 hours had passed since the offender last made contact the Smith family sat on edge
unable to sleep as they awaited further instructions that they weren't even sure
would come then at 9:45 p.m. the phone finally rang Dawn answered it it was sher's
abductor he asked the dawn to put Hilda on the other line and to grab a pencil and
paper this is sher's own words he said so listen carefully say nothing unless you're asked I know these calls are
taped and traced but that's irrelevant now there's no money demanded so here's Sherry Fay's last
request on the fifth day to put the family at rest Sherry Fay being freed remember we are one Soul now when
located you'll locate both of us together we are one God has chosen us respect all past and present
requests the caller told the women to jot down the actual times and events he said the kidnapping happened
at 3:28 p.m. on Friday May 31 and that Sherie quote had the fear of God in her at 3:10 a.m. on Saturday June 1 she
wrote her last will and testament at 458 a.m. the two quote became one Soul Hilda asked the caller what he
meant by that he continued no questions now and instructed them to have an ambulance
ready between 4: and 7:00 the following evening prayers and relief coming soon he said please learn to enjoy life
forgive God protects the chosen again he ordered Sheriff Mets to call off the search
adding blessings are near you will receive last instructions where to find us Hilda pleaded with the man not to kill
her daughter he ignored her concluding we love and miss you all get good rest tonight
goodbye the call was traced to a pay phone at a convenience store at Lake Murray 9 mies from The Smith's home
again no fingerprints or other evidence had been left behind officers established roadblocks in the
area but nothing brought them closer to identifying the perpetrator or finding Sherry based on the caller's
instructions police feared that they could be dealing with a murder suicide however behavioral profiler John Douglas
believed that the perpetrator was quote too full of himself and his perceived power to take his own
life based on his pattern of promising and withholding information Douglas thought it was more likely that
the kidnapper had already killed Sher but didn't want to reveal the location of her body because he was continuously
returning to visit her corpse whatever the case investigators needed to be ready for when the next
call came the following day they came up with a plan they deactivate a majority of payones in the
area and keep a covert eye on the few they left in order this would hopefully Force the perpetrator to one of the
phones that was under surveillance the selected payones were set to go down just after midday on
Wednesday June 5th at 11:45 a.m. 15 minutes before the scheduled shutdown the phone rang at the
Smith family's home Hilda answered hello carefully take Highway 378 West to Traffic Circle take Prosperity exit go 1
and2 miles turn right at sign Mo slge Number 103 go 1/4 mile turn left have white
frame building go to Backyard 6 ft Beyond we're waiting God chose [Music] us the location that Sher Smith doctor
described was in Saluda County roughly 17 Mi west from the Smith family home by this point Sher had been missing
for 5 days and investigators feared the worst they ordered sher's family to stay
home while they followed the caller's instructions taking extra precautions in anticipation for what they may
find but the family remained tirelessly optimistic that Sherie would be found alive with her mother Hilda preparing an
overnight bag in anticipation of a hospital stay a helicopter was dispatched to the
Masonic Lodge a white two-story building surrounded by dense Woodland with their aerial view those on
board could see something through the trees roughly 50 ft behind the lodge about 8 ft into the
woods it was the unmistakable side of a human body a team of off quickly converged on
the scene 17-year-old Sher Smith was lying face up on her back Barefoot and dressed in the same clothes she'd been
wearing on the day she went missing her shirt was pulled over her body in a manner one investigator
described as like a shroud all of the jewelry Sher had been wearing at the time of her abduction was
missing except for a gold necklace given to her by her boyfriend Richard and a single gold start
earing it was immediately clear that Sher had been deceased for several days the recent heat wve had caused
rapid decomposition making it impossible to readily determine the cause or time of her
death however investigators were fairly certain they knew exactly what time Sher
had passed away during his June 4 phone call to Hilder and Dawn Smith the perpetrator
said that he and Sher had become one Soul at 4:58 a.m. on June 1 this was likely the time she had
died if this was accurate it meant Sher had passed away just 12 hours after she'd been
kidnapped while this would have been enough time for Sher to fall sick as a result of her diabetes it wouldn't have
been life-threatening it was therefore unlikely that she died from her medical condition
but sher's body showed no signs of physical violence such as a gunshot or stab wounds and no evidence of sexual
assault the only identifiable clue as to her cause of death was residue from duct
tape that was found on her face which indicated the possibility that Sher had been
suffocated the killer had also cut a significant chunk of hair from sher's head likely to remove duct tape that had
gotten stuck regardless of the exact cause of death a pathologist determined that whoever had
kidnapped Sher was directly responsible her death would therefore be treated as a homicide no matter
what a thorough examination of the surrounding Woods failed to provide any further
Evidence however a line of saplings leading to sher's body had been flattened down indicating that sher's
killer had like ly driven to the back of the Masonic lodge and then dragged her body about 8 ft into the
woods the sheer accuracy of the directions provided by the caller strengthened the investigator's belief
that he had indeed been returning to visit sher's corpse however they didn't think that
was the reason he delayed revealing the location it was more likely that the killer was buying time knowing that the
longer sher's body lay undiscovered the less chance would be of recovering crucial forensic
evidence if this was the case it bolstered the theory that the killer was familiar with criminal
proceedings the location of the crime scene also strengthened the belief that the killer lived
locally the Masonic Lodge was in a remote area with no foot traffic not the type of place you'd stumble upon by
accident Sherry's family were anxiously sitting at home holding a silent prayer when
they saw a patrol car heading down their driveway they immediately knew that Sher
was dead as Dawn later described to TV series eyewitness Hilder immediately fell apart
sobbing not my Sherry not my baby Dawn recalled I'd never heard crying like that until that
moment when the news reached the Lexington Community an outpouring of grief was accompanied by an increasing
sense of fear if sher's killer wasn't identified what would stop him from striking
again friends of sher's feared they could be targeted next her co-workers from the flea market
grew increasingly afraid that the strange man who had harassed Sherie was responsible and would set his sights on
them on the afternoon of Thursday June 6th Sheriff mats held a press conference appealing to the perpetrator
directly met stated we are concerned that this person may take his own life if he doesn't turn
himself in we don't want him to do that I want to reassure him that we have no intentions of killing anyone all we want
to do is take this person into custody we're trying to get this person to surrender he needs help and we want him
to get it if he's having fun jerking us around he can continue the investigation
is going full blast and we are not stopping until we catch him I promise Charlie Keys was a well-known
investigative reporter with local Columbia news station W 2 and 1/2 hours after the the press
conference Charlie was in his office when he received a phone call from an unfamiliar male who explained that the
call was regarding Sherie face Smith he said that he wanted to use Charlie as a medium
ordering listen carefully I can't live with myself Charlie and I need to turn myself in I'm
afraid the caller gave Charlie a set of instructions once they ended their convers ation Charlie was to call
Sheriff James Mets and let him know this was no hoax to prove that he was the one
responsible for sher's Abduction the caller described sher's last willing Testament in
detail Charlie was to appear on the news that evening to broadcast Sheriff Matt's
home phone number as proof that the message had been received the following morning Charlie
was to go to the Sheriff's home along with Sher priest the caller promised he would call
them then and turn himself in he were to then give Charlie an exclusive interview
in which he'd reveal every detail about sher's abduction the caller explained it just went bad I know her
family and well I just made a mistake it went too far all I wanted to do was to make life to her I didn't know she had
the rare disease and it just got out of hand I got scared and I have to do the right
thing all calls made to the news station were automatically recorded So when Charlie got off the phone he was able to
notify investigators immediately when they heard the audio they had no doubt that the voice
belonged to sher's killer however they were highly SK skeptical of the caller claim that he
was going to turn himself in he was getting far too much enjoyment from the power he wielded in this
[Music] situation it had been an agonizing day for sher's loved ones as they came to
terms with the reality that Sher would never be coming home the Thursday evening news came and
went without Charlie ke fulfilling the Killer's request to make a public television announcement
[Music] things were quiet at the Smith residence Bob was at the funeral home making arrangements for his daughter's
burial while Hilda was in a sedated sleep at 8:57 p.m. the phone rang sher's Aunt Beverly
answered a telephone operator announced that she had a collect call for Dawn Smith Beverly responded that Dawn
couldn't come to the phone a male voice then came on the line and asked to speak with Hilda or
bobsmith realizing who she was talking to Beverly went to find Dawn as soon as Dawn picked up the phone
she recognized the muffled voice of her sister's killer the caller told dor that he would
be turning himself in the following morning he claimed that Sher had requested he do so on the fifth day
after her body was found he explained that he would no longer be giving an exclusive interview to Charlie
ke however he had written a detailed letter describing exactly what happened to Sher along with pictures and both
Thorne and Charlie would be receiving a copy this thing got out of hand and all I wanted to do was make love to Don I've
been watching her for a couple to to I'm sorry to Sher Don I hope you and your family
forgive me for the dawn urged the caller not to take his own life she said she wanted to help him and that God would
always forgive the caller responded that he couldn't live with himself nor could he
live in prison or face the electric chair I'm sick he said this is the way it's going to have to
be the caller went on to explain that Sherie was very strong WR willed and didn't cry once during her
ordeal she wasn't scared he said she knew that she was going to be an angel he claimed that Sher wanted her
family to treasure her gold necklace and stud earing he then made a disturbing offer did Dawn want to know how her
sister died dawn said yes according to the call he gave Sher the option did she want to
be suffocated shot or given a drug overdose she chose Suffocation Sher then wrote her last
will and testament at her own valtion the caller then quote made love to Sherry before tying her to the bed
post with electrical cord he proceeded to cover her head with duct tape until she could no longer
breathe Dawn asked if Sher had been afraid the caller responded she was not she was at peace
she knew that God was with [Music] her the call was traced to a truck stop roughly 50 mi from The Smith's home in
the town of Great Falls yet again the caller had left behind no evidence but his latest phone call had
been significantly longer than the others and provided investigators with some deeper
insights like in his call to Charlie Keys the perpetrator had told Dawn that he was a friend of the
family but his claims that he didn't know Sher had a rare medical condition disproved this
assertion sher's diabetes was a well-known fact among her Inner Circle and if the perpetrator knew the Smiths
he would have been aware of this additionally investigators highly doubted that he would have given Sher
the choice of how she died as profiler John Douglas explained in his book When a Killer calls even if this was true it
was incredibly dubious that Sher would have chosen Suffocation to Douglas quote he chose this means because it
prolonged his sexual thrill at the power he had over her and the length of time he got to enjoy watching her
die but there was something else the caller said that had investigators on edge at the start of the call he'd
mistakenly said that all he'd wanted to do was make love to Dawn daor and Sher looked strikingly
similar and they were sometimes mistaken for twins given that the perpetrator had
specifically asked to speak with Dorne and appeared to be attempting to establish a bond between them concerns
were raised that he could be turning his focus on Dawn if John Douglas's behavioral
profile was anything to go by the killer wouldn't stop with Sher what if Dawn was
next the Smith family was warned of this possibility but they had no choice but to
persevere just as investigators suspected the killer didn't turn himself in in on Friday like he had
promised Saturday June 8th was sher's funeral over 1,000 mourners gathered to farewell the 17-year-old at Lexington's
First Baptist Church Sherry's murder had a profound impact on the local community and
Lexington citizens tied pink ribbons to signposts and letter boxes between the church and Cemetery as a sign of
respect sher's Pastor urged to those in attendance not to blame God saying God does not do what has been
done here it is because of the confusion and the sin and the depravity of men that we've come to an occasion like
this investigators believed there was a high chance that sher's killer was among
the attendees they filmed the proceedings and were on high alert for anything out
of the ordinary at the cemetery as the graveside service wrapped up a man in his 30s suddenly leapt from the
crowd I'm sorry I'm really sorry he shouted whoever is responsible for this I believe you're here I love you and I
will not hurt you come forward right now his sudden Outburst caused such alarm that one of sher's friends fell to
the ground screaming in Terror the man immediately became a suspect even more so when it was
revealed that he owned a car similar to the one seen near the Smith's driveway on the day Sher was abducted he was
taken in for police questioning and had his voice compared to the audio of the killer but it didn't match and there was
nothing to link him to the crime the Shak and Smith family had only just returned home from the funeral when
at 2:21 p.m. the phone rang Dawn in answered with the operator telling her it was a collect call from
Sher after accepting the charges Dawn was once again met by the voice of her sister's
killer he told her he'd been at the funeral and that a police officer had directed him into a parking
space for several minutes he ranted about his final interactions with Sher speaking as though the two of them had a
close relationship and that Sher viewed him as a confidant Dawn asked the caller why he didn't turn
himself in as promised he responded I didn't have the strength I'm scared as hell he refused to tell Dawn where he
had killed sh saying only that it happened in Lexington County however he claimed he did want to
reveal this information he promised at dawn he'd call again the following Saturday with
the exact location concluding the call God bless us [Music] all the call was traced to a gas station
in the neighboring state of Georgia roughly 60 mi from The Smith's home predictably there was no sign of
the killer nor any clues Left Behind the days ticked by with no further word from
him investigators remained unconvinced that he could have taken his own life he was enjoying himself too
much Sheriff Mets told the Press I don't think he has the guts if he was going to do it he'd have done it
by now the man hunt intensified as the reward for information increased to $30,000 investigators examined the
footage from sher's funeral on the lookout for anyone even remotely suspicous supicious
a segment about sher's case was aired on the local Crimestoppers TV program with
the sheriff matz telling the public somebody somewhere knows the killer we've got to find this person
before he kills again hundreds of tips came through to the police but the days continued to go
by with no arrests gun sales Rose around South Carolina with several households reporting receiving threatening phone
calls against their children although the Killer's silence was mystifying investigators believed it
was only a matter of time before the perpetrator made further contact with Dorne she was given instructions on how
to behave if he called again given his hunger for power daor was told to be compassionate and
understanding so that he would feel like the one in charge the longer she could keep him
talking the better their chances were at tracing the call but despite his promise to call the
following Saturday a week came and went with no further contact from the killer concerns arose that he could have
fled into state where he could be on the hunt for his next victim if experience had taught the
investigative team anything it was that killers of this nature didn't simply stop if he wasn't apprehended there were
no doubts that he would kill again investigators wondered whether they could lure the killer out by using
Dawn as a sort of porn sher's wouldbe 18th birthday was approaching profiler John Douglas
devised a plan what if they held a memorial service for Sherie on her birthday and
made sure it was covered by the media this just might reignite the Killer's interest in in
Dawn Sherry collected stuffed koalas Dawn could lay one on sher's grave in the hopes that the killer might
be tempted to steal it as a momento covert officers could lay in wait with Round the Clock surveillance
ready to capture any suspicious activity Dawn was apprehensive about the plan but she was prepared to go to any
length to capture her sister's killer the memorial was scheduled to go ahead on Tuesday June
25th 3 days prior just after midnight on Saturday June 22 the phone rang at the Smith family
home Dawn answered the operator told her it was a collect call from Sherry fa Smith Dawn
accepted thank you Dawn you know this isn't a h folks correct came the all too familiar
voice he continued you know God wants you to join Sherry Fay this month next month this
year next year you can't be protected all the time have you heard about Deborah May
hamri to be Contin nud next [Music] week

Case 261: Shari Smith & Debra May Helmick (Part 1)

*** Content warning: Sexual assault *** [Part 1 of 2] When 17-year-old Shari Smith disappeared from the end of her family's driveway in Lexington, South Carolina, there were immediate concerns for her wellbeing. Shari had a rare medical condition that could turn fatal without her medication.

But any concerns that Shari’s illness could have caused her disappearance were quickly quashed after the Smith family received an odd phone call, prompting the largest manhunt in South Carolina’s history. As the taunting calls continued, the question remained - where was Shari? And was she still alive?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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