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E257: Judy Smith
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Judy Smith had packed her bags, ready to join her new husband Jeffrey on a work trip to Philadelphia in April 1997. Since Jeffrey’s day was filled with conference meetings, she had decided to explore the city by herself. But she never returned to the hotel. Where did she go? What happened? And how could it be possible that this investigation would end up focused not in Philadelphia but 600 miles away in Asheville, North Carolina?
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast and Hosts
00:00:00
Speaker
One year when Anthony and I were newly married, I accompanied him to Northern Kentucky for a work conference. While he spent the day in meetings, I filled my days with other activities. If you've been listening to us for a while now, you know how I am. If you're new here, I am a self-proclaimed scaredy cat.
00:00:18
Speaker
So rather than filling my days with museum explorations or shopping or going to the zoo, I spent my time ordering room service, watching TV, and staying in my pajamas all behind the safety of a locked door. Unlike me, the victim of today's case wasn't a scaredy cat. And while in a different city with her husband, who was also attending a conference, she decided to go sightseeing. But she never made it to see many of the things she had planned somewhere along the way.
00:00:47
Speaker
she disappeared. A beloved 50-year-old nurse from Newton, Massachusetts just simply vanished.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Judy Smith
00:00:53
Speaker
For five months, her family frantically searched for her only for her remains to be found some 600 miles away.
00:00:59
Speaker
This geographical discrepancy immediately became a central point of contention in the investigation, raising the question of how she traveled such a significant distance. The case is further complicated by conflicting witness accounts, the initial focus on her husband as a suspect, and the lack of concrete physical evidence directly linking a perpetrator to the crime. This cold case has perplexed investigators and web sleuths for years, and we're still left wondering if it will ever be solved. This is the case of Judy Smith.
00:02:05
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Alison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron. We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee,
00:02:40
Speaker
and listen to what's brewing this week. Okay, Maggie. Several things. Okay. First of all, before we start, I want to give a podcast suggestion to our listeners. We have made some new podcasting friends. We've got friends. Yes. And they are the hosts of a podcast called Mortal Musings.
00:03:05
Speaker
We know that you're going to love them. yeah They are super funny, plus their accent is... Hey, and you all love accents if you love your show. That's right. This one is quite different than ours, but we know you're going to enjoy it. And here is a sneak peek about their show.
00:03:28
Speaker
enjoy getting traumatized on a weekly basis well neither does my co-host knew Uh, people call me a victim more than a co-host. Anyway, uh, welcome to the Mortar Musings podcast. I'm your host, Megan. Each week we dive into some truly dark and disturbing cases. Do you ever find yourself listening to these horrific tales and saying to yourself, Huh? No. Huh? What the actual f**k? Why? Why did you do that? Solved it, mate. There's no need for that. ah They're just acting the f**ks. Our episodes include cases of serial killers, the story of a socialite that was held captive for 25 years, prison riots, wrongful executions, and scandals in the death industry. At the end of each episode, we throw in a tale of oddity, anything from medical mishaps to the real-life weekend at Bernie's or Mike the Headless Chicken. New episodes every Wednesday, available wherever you get your podcasts.
00:04:28
Speaker
And remember, here at the Mortal Musings podcast, we like to take the cases seriously, but not ourselves.
00:04:42
Speaker
The other thing, you should have seen my eyes when Maggie said the 600 miles. They got really big and bugged out quite a bit. But it made me think in terms of um Was it the underwear lady? No. No. But that was, gosh, that was one of our early cases. Virginia Douglas. But when you were talking about contention in the investigation and raising questions, did you see
00:05:15
Speaker
that they are reopening Ellen Greenberg, the teacher. Oh really? Yeah. So remember how it was ruled a suicide even though because her husband had gone down, I think it was it to the gym in their building. It was a snow day from school and she had all the stab, but they're reopening the case. So hopefully we'll get some more answers on that one. Honestly, I thought, I don't even know that we've told them.
00:05:43
Speaker
Oh, I don't think we have. This is the biggest news yet. I thought when Allison said that her eyes popped open. It was because my belly is so big because we're expecting baby number two. And we're 22 weeks in. It's been a while since we've seen each other and my belly is popping. That's so cute. The first thing I did was reach out to touch the baby because I'm so excited. I feel like Buddha at school cause all the little kids like rub your belly. Cause I teach kindergarten now, some of them will like
00:06:21
Speaker
kiss the belly. Oh, that's so sweet. So, so sweet. So yeah, we've got lots to celebrate here on the show.
Judy's Life and the Fateful Trip
00:06:30
Speaker
Any who's back to Judy, though, who was born in 1946. And what did we say?
00:06:36
Speaker
i Listen, Massachusetts, well okay, well, we can't talk about weird names because Kentucky has weird names, but she was born in a Hyannis, Massachusetts, and she was known for both her loving personality and her caring personality. So no one was surprised that when she grew up, she went into the healthcare care field because it just fit who she was. She was a 50 year old home care nurse living in now in Newton, Massachusetts when she met her husband. Okay.
00:07:06
Speaker
His name was Jeffrey Smith and he was a lawyer that was working in healthcare. So they understand each other's world. Yeah. They can speak the same language. yeah Despite having two failed marriages, Judy felt for certain that she had found her true love in Jeffrey. And sadly, the further you go in marriages, the percentage that it Well last, yeah, goes down. But there are people I feel like who just marry the wrong person to start. Yeah, so like the first one maybe it doesn't need to count. We just won't count that one. That's right. but So I'm hopeful for Judy. I'm hopeful that she did. But and since we're talking about her case,
00:07:49
Speaker
Maybe not. We'll see. Maybe not. Just a few months after their marriage in April of 1997, they went on their first trip together, which was a pharmaceutical conference in Philadelphia, and they were supposed to be gone from April 9th to April 11th, followed by a visit to go see some friends in New Jersey. So this conference was the 9th to 11th. Yes, okay. And Philadelphia to New Jersey. It's like a 30 minute drive. It's super short. Yeah. So it would make sense that while they're in Philly, they're like, Hey, let's just head on over into New Jersey. Now I don't know where in New Jersey their friends live, but it's a super short trip. Well, I feel like even if you cross the state of New Jersey, it wouldn't take
00:08:32
Speaker
as long as it would take to like cross Kentucky. Oh no, and maybe an hour or two each way from the middle. Y'all, we're in two time zones in Kentucky. Yeah, we are. We're special. Now, I'm sure that many of you listening have heard the term passenger princess. Well, that is me. If we're driving somewhere, Anthony drives because he says he gets, air quotes, car sick if he doesn't drive.
00:08:59
Speaker
I think it's because he thinks I can drive, but I can. The only things I have ever hit are stationary buildings. And he has two vehicles. So really who has the better record?
00:09:17
Speaker
He is also Anthony when we fly, the person that keeps track of the tickets, the passports, the driver's license, and so on. Have you seen those TikToks where it's like the Home Depot theme song and it's like the dad on vacation with the Manila folder and he has everybody's stuff? That's Anthony. yeah but Because, you know, I don't complain though, because if it was me, I would forget some type of important document that I needed, so I just let him do his thing. Judy, much like me, did forget a very important document when they were flying to this conference. It didn't start real smooth. According to Frank Lewis, who wrote an article focusing on Judy's case,
00:09:59
Speaker
for the Philadelphia City Paper when they get to Logan International Airport, so Judy and Jeffrey. Oh, their names sound so cute together. They do, they really do. Judy realized she had forgotten her driver's license. Okay, now we may think in 2000, whatever year we're in, 25, oh God, 2025, that that would be standard, you know, I have to have an ID to fly. Which soon you're gonna have to have the real ID. Which by the way, in my old town,
00:10:29
Speaker
When we moved, I had the real ID, but when we moved towns, they weren't doing that in that town. um And when I went to get my new ID, the lady was like, this says it's not even a real ID. And I was like,
00:10:42
Speaker
because and i didn't do the passport part of it but it's an id but anyway so i'm guessing she shows up with neither right because that was a new requirement at that time that you had to have a proof of identity so much to jeffree's protest you know but the protective new husband and all that Judy had to return home to get her license because without it she couldn't fly. Well hopefully they showed up early enough where she had time to do that before getting on the plane. Well she's not a dameron because they didn't because she had to take a later flight and meet up with Jeffrey later and I would have cried like Anthony would have been on that later plane too because I could not do it by myself.
00:11:25
Speaker
Lord. So she returns home to get her ID okay and then meets Jeffery at the DoubleTree Hotel in Center City, Philadelphia that evening. Even bringing him flowers as an apology. What a reversal of roles right there. Well that was kind of her. That's what I said. So on the morning of April 10th, Jeffery went down for breakfast returning to find Judy Awake and in the shower she's getting ready. So they share like a light-hearted moment about her Um, jokingly suggesting that she go down to breakfast as she was, which was naked and you know, they laughed newlywed things. They laughed. Yeah. Then Jeffrey left for his conference sessions. So they had planned for Judy.
00:12:10
Speaker
because this was her first visit to Philadelphia to spend the day sightseeing. So she wanted to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, you know the history things. And after that, she was supposed to come back to the hotel at 6 p.m. for a cocktail party that they were having for the cop for the conference. got it So she was excited to explore the city. He was in the conference sessions all day, which I'm sure were riveting, like all conferences. Just as exciting as her
The Search Begins
00:12:38
Speaker
sightseeing. yeah So when Jeffrey gets back to their room after his last session, Judy was still gone. And I'm not a hundred percent sure what time he got back, but he initially assumed that she had gone ahead to the party. So it had to have been close to cocktail hour.
00:12:56
Speaker
So he's thinking maybe she'd gotten confused or had just forgotten the plan. She didn't forget her ID. I mean, it it's character, you know, it's fit for character. yeah Maybe she's like me and forgetful. So he goes downstairs to search for her, but she wasn't there. So he spent the next bit of time going from their room to the cocktail party, hoping that he may have missed her. Yes. Okay. And they just kind of missed times like passing, you know, but that never happens. He doesn't,
00:13:26
Speaker
pass her in the hall, meet her in the elevator, see her at the party. So he alerted the concierge and the concierge said, well, I'll start calling local hospitals. Okay. Jeffrey even hired a cab driver to retrace the route that the tour bus that she was on was supposed to take, which I thought was pretty smart. Yeah, that's very smart. Maybe see if she got left behind somewhere or whatever.
00:13:49
Speaker
He also contacted her children, so his stepchildren, to check to see if like maybe did their houses have any machine like answer messages on the machine. you know Had she tried calling somebody and she couldn't get a hold of them, but all the efforts were fruitless. So finally around midnight, he went to the Philadelphia police and reported Judy missing.
00:14:13
Speaker
wow And I mean, maybe he's even thinking, you know, maybe she got free tickets to a show or something and decided to go. And so, I guess... Is this baseball in April? I don't know. Do they have baseball in Philadelphia? They do, but... I don't know when that is. Maybe there was some type of sporting event. We don't play nor watch sports. Yes, there's that.
00:14:36
Speaker
They informed Jeffrey the police that a missing person report couldn't be filed for 24 hours after Judy was last seen. So of course Jeffrey is upset, but yeah the detective suggested he could air quote, push it and file the report the following morning. So instead of waiting until like they have departed ways, he would like do him a favor.
00:15:04
Speaker
a new city. This isn't a city that they're yeah and it's a somebody familiar with because she's excited about sightseeing. Yeah and it's a big city so that makes sense. So he goes back to the hotel obviously it's a sleepless night and then bright and early in the morning goes back to the police station to file this report.
00:15:24
Speaker
So prior to officially filing the report, he spoke with the Philadelphia mayor and a state representative, both of whom were attending the conference. So he knew these higher up people were at the conference. Those are the people to talk to. So he expressed to them that he was extremely frustrated.
00:15:42
Speaker
with how the police had just kind of dismissed um Judy being gone and j Jeffrey later stated that these conversations appeared to have a significant impact because when he came back to the police station he was actually met by two detectives who took the report and treated him with courtesy and respect. Good for him. And he overheard a phone conversation that was basically like the police commissioner would receive a copy
Investigative Challenges and Suspicions
00:16:11
Speaker
of the report. So like the mayor and this senator have pushed it on up the line to the commissioner too. So hire up people in the
00:16:20
Speaker
police force are getting involved. I feel like, I know you mentioned at the beginning, suspicion on the husband, but I feel like even this, this that, that ah if you're saying, because if you are involved, you want police to be dismissive. yeah If you want more time to pass, you wouldn't, in my mind, go to the mayor of the city yeah and say, ah push this along because I'm upset about it.
00:16:44
Speaker
According to Frank Lewis, who was the initial article that we talked about, he okay wrote consecutive articles about about this case this case for the same paper. This one, though, was called City Beat Found. So despite the initial improvement in his treatment by police, Jeffrey later recalled lingering resistance from investigators, and he claimed that even four days after reporting Judy missing, one detective continued to suggest she had staged her disappearance due to a midlife crisis. no And then another detective later. They just got married. I know. I know. And then another detective would later reiterate that statement to the Boston Globe. Like she just faked her disappearance. I do not like that. Even though she's just a newlywed and seems very happy. But Smith also felt that despite outwardly cooperating, the police were
00:17:38
Speaker
just focusing on him as a suspect. So it's almost like he made them mad going over their heads and so they're kind of retaliated in some way. Which I would hope that that's not a thing but it probably is. This focus was seemingly justified so the focus of Jeffrey Smith as the prime suspect.
00:18:00
Speaker
by police captain John McGinnis who explained that statistically, quote, 85 to 90% of females who are murdered are killed by someone very close to them. A family member, spouse, boyfriend, end quote, thus necessitating the examination of Jeffrey as a suspect until you know proven innocent. I mean, I get yeah that, but they're still 10 to 15%. But it isn't him? Right. And I'm sure I would hope if he's at a conference, his attendance in sessions would show that he's not anywhere where she is even in his room. I would hope. So while Jeffrey cooperated with requests such as allowing his stepdaughter to be interviewed without him present, she cooperated his account. He was troubled by skepticism that Judy had ever been in Philadelphia. So there's questions about,
00:18:58
Speaker
what happened. So they questioned why an experienced traveler like Judy who had previously traveled alone to Thailand would forget her driver's license. But if it's a new thing. That's what I said.
00:19:09
Speaker
then okay. Right. And I don't know, I could do something 10 million times and on the 10 million and one, 10 million and one, I don't know. On time 10 million and one, I could forget something. If I'm in a hurry or I'm distracted or I'm worried. Yeah.
00:19:29
Speaker
Smith countered this in an interview with the Philadelphia City Paper explaining, like you just said, this was a new FAA regulation that required the identification. It had only been there for 18 months and she had only flown once during that period. Okay. So making it a very plausible oversight that she didn't have her driver's life. Agreed, Jeffrey. Yes, go Jeffrey. The police emphasized that the lack of initial cooperation of Jeffrey's account with the hotel desk clerk initially confirming seeing Judy They thought that was suspicious. This changed in August when another conference attendee recalled seeing her in the hotel lobby upon her arrival, though the police remained cautious as this witness didn't know Judy personally. So they're like, did she ever even get to the conference?
00:20:17
Speaker
But wouldn't she, what couldn't they verify if she took a later flight and then her ticket was punched? Or that she had to check in to the hotel? Well, I don't know if she would have checked in, if he checked in. But would she have to get a key? Unless he had to, I guess, and just met her. But you would still have proof that she flew there. Or maybe even rode in a taxi. Yeah.
00:20:43
Speaker
So the detective's search of Jeffrey's hotel room revealed that Judy's clothes appeared to be unworn and that she seemingly brought no cosmetics which the detective found unusual but not everybody wears makeup. Judgmental much? Yeah and also if you're going to be sightseeing it's hot probably you're going to get sweaty like why would you wear anyway and and if she okay so he did say that she showered But for all we know, if the only thing she did was fly in on the plane, maybe she was like, you know what? I would like to take a shower, but my clothes aren't really that dirty. It's not like I've been sightseeing in them. I wore them on the plane. Plus they're comfortable and maybe she forgot to bring. I don't know.
00:21:34
Speaker
lightweight clothes and it was hotter than what she thought. So she was like I'm just gonna go ahead and put these clothes back on because I'm just gonna get hot and sweaty again walking around. So maybe that can explain why clothes are unworn. Or maybe it just looks like they're unworn because she's a neat person and folds them back up. Yep that's true. And her daughter said that that appearance and the cosmetics and all that was just typical of her mother's travel habits. Also I feel like if you travel a lot if she's going to I keep wanting to say Thighland. I won keep wanting to say Thighland because Anthony says that like as a joke. But if she's gone to Thailand alone, yeah then I feel like she knows how to pack. right you know
00:22:13
Speaker
A point of contention arose regarding a lie detector test as well. So while police asserted that Jeffrey refused to take the test, he maintained that he only stipulated that it be administered by the FBI and that a successful result would prompt because I guess a successful prompt would, you know, have the police.
00:22:32
Speaker
even more so on his case. So he's saying that the police would formally request the Bureau's assistance in the investigation. So he, it's like, I guess a double-edged sword. Like he's like, yeah, I'll take it, but you're going to get the FBI involved. And I would think because we're talking about, I know that they're in Philadelphia, but they did have plans to visit friends in New Jersey. So crossing state lines, I would hope that the FBI would be like, okay, well,
00:22:58
Speaker
Yeah. Take on this case. And I think if you murdered your wife, you wouldn't be like, hey, I want the FBI. I want the FBI, right? Exactly. Now. Yeah.
00:23:14
Speaker
Police officials, however, claimed that Jeffrey knew the FBI wouldn't become involved and that that was just kind of like a scapegoat for him. So he refused for the Philadelphia Police to arrange with the Massachusetts State Police to administer the test. Hmm.
00:23:31
Speaker
so interesting yeah and deterred by the police investigation smith actually hired two private investigators oh and he went about distributing missing persons flyers to hospitals nationwide actively seeking information about where judy could be and these ah efforts ultimately did play a role in what happens later oh okay Following Judy's disappearance, there was extensive media coverage in Philadelphia, including newspaper articles, which we've talked about, and television reports that brought her case to public attention. Jeffrey, along with friends and family, again, get those flyers out with her photograph. And then because of that, there are a number of reported sightings that come in. okay So while most of those initial reports originated within Philadelphia, some would later come outside of the city limits.
00:24:26
Speaker
So several reports described a woman that looked like Judy, but was acting strange, exhibiting signs of maybe mental instability. okay Staff at the Society Hill Hotel described a woman who stayed there between the 13th and 15th of April, registering as HK Rich Collins as their quote unquote weirdo of the week.
00:24:52
Speaker
What kind of hotel does that? That is awful. Yeah. Well, I mean, okay, but let's, let's talk about why they named her that. Okay. So they said that there were instances of her touching her private areas in public, speaking in tongues and proclaiming to them that she was expecting a wire transfer from quote unquote the emperor.
00:25:21
Speaker
okay Okay, so maybe a little odd. So some delusions, some inappropriate behavior. Then maybe we should have gotten help for her rather than yeah call her the weirdo of the week. Yes, exactly.
00:25:32
Speaker
Another reporter placed a disoriented woman at the intersection of Broad and Locust Street around 3 p.m. on the day Judy disappeared. I wonder what they mean by disoriented, like she's lost? Because if yeah, if it's a new city she could easily just be lost or is she like just turning around in circles, come to aimlessly walk them out?
00:25:54
Speaker
Hmm, curious. Similar reports of a disturbed woman surfaced in the Penn's Landing area. So this was a popular tourist destination where that bus that she would have been on would have stopped. So I feel like that maybe is a little more credible. However, both the police and Judy's family largely dismissed these sightings saying and attributing them to confusion with a local homeless woman who bore a striking resemblance to Judy. But why would she be in that hotel?
00:26:25
Speaker
I mean, is it, I don't know, is it like a really nice hotel? and I don't know, like, upsetting people stay there, or is it like one that the doors open to the outside and, you know? I don't know. Despite this confusion, though, one homeless man in Penn's Landing, after being shown Judy's picture, insisted that he had seen her, so Judy, okay not lookalike Judy, sleeping on a nearby bench the night before. On April 15th, he informed the family they had narrowly missed this woman,
00:26:55
Speaker
but subsequent searches of the area proved fruitless." So he's like, I swear it was her. It wasn't. Homeless looked like it was Judy. Hmm. This sighting was considered significant by the family as it represented the last time anyone definitively identified Judy from her photograph. So he is saying with certainty, this man, that it is Judy. But why do you believe in him over other people? And unless something happened,
00:27:24
Speaker
for this disorientation. And I know that people can have mental breaks, but I feel like ah were there were she acting strangely before that? Because she and her husband were just joking around before she went on her sightseeing. Plus she was on a tour bus and I feel like they would know, I would think, if somebody got off and didn't get back on.
00:27:52
Speaker
And I mean, this is a woman who travels to Thailand by herself and she can't get back to the hotel where she was. I don't know. I don't know.
00:28:04
Speaker
more potentially reliable siding centered on the tour bus that she took and its roots. And I want to call it flash cause you know, it's P-H-L-A-S-H, but I don't know if that's true. That's what I want to say. i would Flash. yeah Like fat, but with a P-H. A hotel employee recalled Judy asking about nearby bus stops the morning of April 10th. Again, I don't know that that would be weird. Maybe she wants to go out on her own somewhere that's not in the tour. Yeah. It's just like taking a subway. Yeah.
00:28:33
Speaker
A bus driver reported picking up a woman matching her description at Front and South Streets early that afternoon, and then he thinks he dropped her off where she near the hotel but okay where she was staying. So there was also reports of her entering and exiting the city's Greyhound bus terminal, presumably to use the bathroom again. Not weird, you gotta pee.
00:28:53
Speaker
Given Judy's fondness of Chinese and Thai cuisine and the terminal's proximity to Chinatown, her family speculated that she probably ate in Chinatown, and though those restaurants may not have had a restroom, so she went to the bus terminal to go pick up. Yeah, that makes sense to me.
00:29:12
Speaker
A report also placed Judy shopping for dresses at Macy's in the mall in Deptford Township. Again, I think that makes sense too. She's at a conference. Maybe she didn't pack something that was appropriate for the cocktail party that they're having. and This is in New Jersey. And again, right now we know how close New Jersey is. This location could have been reached by the bus where she was at. So not weird. A Macy salesperson and a customer reported encountering a woman who fit Judy's description.
00:29:45
Speaker
noting that she mentioned shopping for her daughter who often disliked her purchases, a detail consistent with something that Judy's family said she would say. Okay. And matching her description, including the distinctive red backpack that she carried when she traveled. That would be something that you would notice. They also recalled her attempting to persuade a younger woman who they assumed was her daughter to leave with her. Now that part, I don't understand. Did you overhear the conversation though? Or were you just like,
00:30:15
Speaker
assuming that's what they're saying. Maybe they were talking about like where Judy could find shoes to match the dress. right Or it could have been it could have been anything. She could have struck up a conversation waiting for the the fitting room and said, oh my gosh, I had the best lunch today in Chinatown. And I had this and this and this. And the woman said, you know, oh, I loved it. And they she said, come with me. And they just heard her say, come with me. Judy was described as friendly.
00:30:45
Speaker
Finally, reports placed Judy in Easton, so about 55 miles north of Philadelphia, a few days after her disappearance. However, Jeffrey found a different Philadelphia siding more credible. So one of those private investigators that he had hired relayed information from a man who, while leaving a wall wall, which if you do not know what that is, like I did not, is a convenience source, like a gas station, 7-Eleven type thing. yeah near Rittenhouse Square around 6 a.m and he noticed quote a well-dressed white woman sitting outside a nearby gourmet grocery store which he said would have been an unusual sight at this hour and the man later recognized the woman as someone who resembled Judy after seeing a news article about her disappearance. Now I do think though like
00:31:38
Speaker
When people are missing, we want to find them. So we see them in other people's faces. Because I just keep thinking, what is going through Jeffrey's head? Why didn't she come home? Why would she And so in my mind, I feel like it'd be hard to see here anything as credible because I would be like, no, my wife would have come home, come yeah to the cocktail party. Yeah. Like we'd talked about. So unless he thinks something has happened like a mental break or something. In an article called Judy Smith, missing woman found murdered 600 miles away.
00:32:16
Speaker
by Michelle Short.
Discovery of Judy's Remains and Investigation Shift
00:32:17
Speaker
Short wrote that Judy's case remained stagnant until September 7th of 1997. So remember she goes missing in April. Okay. So it's not anything's really happening until September. And that's when a disturbing discovery was made in North Carolina. So again about 600 miles from Philadelphia. So in the National Forest there near Stony Fork picnic area, a father and son were hunting deer, which I did not know you could do in the National Forest. I didn't think you could.
00:32:45
Speaker
But they came across human skeletal remains and the remains were kind of scattered almost like um scattered by animals. sc avenue okay While some bones were partially buried in a shallow grave beneath a tree. So some are scattered, some are buried. And then they said they thought wrapped in like a blue blanket. Found near or on the body, research went back and forth, was $167 in cash. Also, let's have a lesson, friends, because I've seen this so much on social media. The dollar sign goes before.
00:33:22
Speaker
The amount. So it's a dollar sign, 167. Not 167 dollars. People are putting it after. Yes. Oh no. I know you say 167 dollars, so you want to put it after. Still. No. The cents, if it was five cents, the little c goes after. What are we teaching our children? Yeah. Yeah. So money was not the motive. Right. So it obviously wasn't robbery. There was also a blue and black backpack.
00:33:49
Speaker
and various articles of clothing some winter attire included, a wedding ring, and a pair of sunglasses. So random things because she had the red backpack. That is weird. The medical examiner was able to determine that the remains belonged to a Caucasian woman between 40 and 55. So remember she's like 50. Noting extensive dental work and severe arthritis in her left knee.
00:34:12
Speaker
They're actually cutting marks on her ribs, along with cuts and punctures on her bra that was found among the retrieved recovered clothing, confirming that she had been fatally stabbed.
00:34:24
Speaker
So this officially classified this death as a homicide. So as of right now, this is a Jane Doe. Right. who it is right But the identification process was very swift. An emergency room physician in Franklin, North Carolina, which is about 65 miles west of Asheville, recognized the case from a newspaper article describing the discovery and connected that to the flyers.
00:34:49
Speaker
that Jeffrey had been circulating. So he contacted the Philadelphia police who said, hey, and he was like, hey, we have this Jane Doe, it fits, it may be Judy. And so they obtained Judy's dental records and forwarded them to the medical examiner in Asheville. is This is like so many steps. And then these records were able to positively identify those remains as belonging to Judy. I bet they were like, what the heck? Yeah. Wow. Yeah.
00:35:19
Speaker
So while the discovery concluded the missing persons investigation, it launched a new homicide investigation. So now we're switching states because it's the missing person from Philadelphia has been closed. So now we're switching to North Carolina. as So how,
00:35:39
Speaker
had Judy traveled all the way to North Carolina. Evidence at the scene suggested she had been with someone, potentially her killer, and that she was alive upon arrival in the Asheville area. So she does make it to Asheville, but I guess why? I mean, Asheville's beautiful, but 600 miles away from where you're supposed to be.
00:36:01
Speaker
Judy's leg bones were still clothed in jeans, thermal underwear, and hiking boots. Clothing different than what she had been seen in in Philadelphia, but appropriate if you have not been to Asheville for hiking the mountains of Asheville in mid-April because it's still a little chilly. There was no wallet on her, no identification was found in her pockets. This is bizarre to me.
00:36:28
Speaker
Yeah, a blue and black, I guess, well, we can talk about a blue and black vinyl backpack containing winter clothes and about $80 in cash was found with the body. I don't know.
00:36:41
Speaker
where the cash is coming from, because I don't recall reading anywhere in the research that they had like traced bank cards or anything like that, but if she doesn't have a wallet, then she doesn't have a card. And then an additional $87 was discovered in a shirt that was buried in your bra, so that's where we get the $160 sit-in. But if the person, and Jeffrey believes she had about $200 with her when she left the hotel, here's where I'm super confused.
00:37:10
Speaker
She's in different clothing than what she would have had in Philadelphia. But if she knew she was going to Asheville to hike, she would have bought clothing appropriate to hike there. Yeah, but you would think, why even go to this conference in the first place? And why keep it a secret? Why not be like, oh, Jeffrey, while you're going to the concert, I'm going to go hike in Asheville. Yeah, I'm going to go do this other thing.
Theories and Speculations about Judy's Death
00:37:30
Speaker
that doesn't make any sense to me and the fact that she has the cash on her in this new outfit with a new says that whoever she is with knows that she has this money and it's not 200. There's been some spent so it's almost like this has changed from something. They also left the wedding ring. Yeah and so she has been Abducted and taken somewhere why would they let her have her own money where if she escaped them? She could pay for a cab or she could hop on a bus or she could Get on a train or something like it doesn't make sense to me and where did the red backpack go with the clothes that she had on?
00:38:09
Speaker
while she was in Philadelphia. right If we're assuming that she was murdered in April, which is what it sounds like they were assuming because she's prepping. She looks like she would have been hiking in April. Where did all of those things go? And her family did not recognize the sunglasses, which were expensive and found near the remains. So where did those come from? Maybe she's a double agent. Maybe, maybe she does have an awful ganger. Maybe.
00:38:37
Speaker
Judy's family expressed confusion over her presence in the Asheville area stating that she'd never expressed any desire to visit Asheville and had only been in that general region twice before, which PS if you have not been, very beautiful. It is beautiful. So she went once to visit Jeffrey at a waist weight loss clinic near Raleigh Durham and another time accompanying a patient visiting family that, and they said either in the Asheville area,
00:39:07
Speaker
maybe nearby Virginia or maybe Tennessee, which all you know right meet right there at that point. yeah Multiple individuals in the Asheville region reported encountering Judy or someone at least matching her description during the month of April. Notice we don't really have any sightings thus far past April. A retail store employee described her as very alert and pleasant, observing no unusual behavior. of The woman she interacted with mentioned her husband, a Boston attorney, was attending a conference in Philadelphia and she had spontaneously decided to travel to the Asheville area. no
00:39:42
Speaker
also remember there's no cell phone so even if she did but like I feel like a 600 mile trip that's a that's not a spontaneous thing that you do it's not like you're just going 30 minutes away that and if she had flown wouldn't they have proof of her flying well I think she took the bus Remember she was looking at all those buses, but that's ludicrous to me. 600 miles on a bus would be a very long time. yeah That's like what? Six hours or something? I This isn't sitting right with me. An employee at the Biltmore estate also. Beautiful. home yeah They also recall seeing Judy at a nearby campground. The owner reported a woman arriving in a gray sedan, laden with boxes and bags.
00:40:26
Speaker
And this lady inquired about spending the night in her vehicle, but departed after leaving it wasn't permitted. Okay, which is weird. A deli owner in the same vicinity informed the Philadelphia city paper that Judy visited his establishment in that same gray sedan, purchasing $30 worth of sandwiches and a toy truck, which would that not math people equal that 200 if she spent the 30, 167? Local law enforcement officials deemed these sightings all as reliable.
00:40:57
Speaker
Who is she there to see? Okay, well let's talk about it. There are so questions. So the County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina, they exclude Jeffrey as a suspect. He passed away in 2005 and they say due to his significant weight loss, so remember she had went with him to a Raleigh Durham for a weight loss thing, and investigators believe that he would have been incapable of transporting his wife's body uphill to the location where it had been discovered. Okay. So whoever did this, they were fit. Yeah, they were fit. Or she walked by herself.
00:41:35
Speaker
His attendance at the conference during Judy's disappearance has been confirmed, so he had an alibi. okay um However, the Philadelphia Police Department did not eliminate him as a suspect. but yeah We'll disregard. Sam Constance, the lead detective on the case, believes Judy traveled to Asheville voluntarily and wasn't abducted. So she leaves Philadelphia of her own accord. Okay. So he also dismissed the possibility of Judy being killed elsewhere and transported uphill to the side, citing that it was a considerable distance. You would have had to been like a peak physical specimen to be able to carry the body. I'm curious why they don't think that she was killed there.
00:42:16
Speaker
at the at the location. Well I think that's what he's saying like she would have had to have been because nobody could have. Oh nobody less unless unless they were like okay you know David has one in his prime. Okay okay. While Jeffrey and the children denied any marital issues a close friend named Carolyn Dickey revealed to Unsolved Mysteries in 2001 that their marriage was very tenuous at the time of Judy's disappearance and Carolyn speculated that any undisclosed event may have prompted Judy to seek temporary separation from Jeffrey so maybe
00:42:52
Speaker
And maybe, which I get the impression from Jeffrey, he wouldn't withhold this, but maybe he could have been ashamed of their, or embarrassed that their marriage was wrong. And so maybe he didn't say, I knew she was going to Asheville, but I just don't see that from him with everything else that he did. So if we believe she left have her own accord, there are so many questions. So yeah what happened to her? right Why is she in Asheville?
00:43:21
Speaker
how did she end up dead? Was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Did she make maybe met somebody and they wanted to go hiking together? Right. And then that person was a murderer? Like a misplaced trust?
00:43:36
Speaker
I feel like that has to be it and it has to be someone who... But it is just somebody who wants to kill because they didn't take any of her bullets. Right and that's what makes me feel like it has to be somebody maybe she sought solace or advice in an ex-boyfriend or in somebody like that and yeah and That's why she's maybe there
Link to Serial Killer and Unanswered Questions
00:44:02
Speaker
willingly. It might also be why she wouldn't tell Jeffrey where she was going. But I feel like he would have said, hey, her ex lives here. Unless maybe they don't know a whole lot about each other because they are newlyweds. And it was quick. But I feel like it's personal, especially because there were multiple and there were multiple knife wounds. And money in the ring was left. Right. And that, I don't know.
00:44:30
Speaker
But unless it is like a upset boyfriend or husband or like who else could it have been? Right. I don't know. There is a possibility of Judy encountering Gary Michael Hilton, who was a serial killer and was apprehended and convicted of multiple murders in Southern Appalachia. So right where?
00:44:51
Speaker
um Judy would have been but most of his killings were in the early 2000s okay so it like or I guess mid-2000s right 2007 and 2008 so that's a little early unless just the connection haven't been made but You feel like there would be some in between. Yeah. And he had a pretty like distinctive way of doing things. So he usually left the body of the victim tied to a nearby tree. Oh, and she's not. But she's not, but one of their victims is found or his victims is found near Judy's body's discovery. So like you do have that connection that two were in the same place. Did he visit the same place in any of the others?
00:45:35
Speaker
know That's a good question. So that's something maybe we could look into. But like I said his known killing spree began in 2007. So that's like 10 years. yeah In my mind obviously it's someone she knew because she had to have followed them there willingly. It's someone who she trusted or else she wouldn't have gone on this hike to the middle of nowhere with them. But I feel like it was personal.
00:46:03
Speaker
The state of North Carolina and the Smith family are offering a $17,000 reward for any information that could aid in solving the case. The Judy Smith case remains a mystery highlighting the challenges in solving crimes with limited evidence and the passage of time. Despite numerous leads and investigative efforts, the circumstances surrounding her journey from bustling Philadelphia to the remote wilderness of North Carolina remain unclear. The lack of a definitive suspect coupled with the passage of time has made it increasingly difficult to piece together those final moments of Judy's life.
00:46:38
Speaker
While the reward money offered by the state and Jeffrey may have incentivized sharing information, it has not yielded a crucial breakthrough that would bring closure to this heartbreaking case. The unanswered questions surrounding Judy's motive for traveling to Asheville, the identity of her traveling companion, if any, and the precise events leading to her death continue to haunt this investigation and the public alike. So please, if you have any information about this case, come forward to police.
00:47:07
Speaker
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00:47:37
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.