In the quiet predawn hours of September 22, 1998, 70-year-old Bonnie Dean Smedley departed from her residence in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was setting out on a familiar journey to a property she owned in Muskogee, Oklahoma, driving her 1996 Saturn sedan. According to her husband, Jackie Smedley, her early morning departure was not out of the ordinary. It wasn't until law enforcement contacted him about his wife being missing that he became concerned.
After receiving this news, he reached out to a neighbor who lived near his wife's Oklahoma property, who confirmed that Bonnie had never arrived.
The investigation into Bonnie's disappearance began, and several days later, a significant piece of evidence surfaced. On September 28, 1998, her 1996 Saturn was discovered abandoned. The vehicle was found near the south bank of the Saline River, by the US 167 bridge, an area situated between Fordyce and Sheridan, Arkansas. A state trooper who located the car noted that it was locked. However, a glance inside revealed some of her personal belongings, including her eyeglasses, left behind on the dashboard. This discovery was unsettling to the officer and shifted the perspective of the case.
Despite the passage of time, the case of Bonnie Smedley's disappearance remains without a resolution, and foul play is suspected. At the time she went missing, she was described as a white female, 5'6' tall, and weighing 170 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. A notable physical characteristic was that she had a left knee replacement. When last seen, she was believed to be wearing blue shorts and a T-shirt. The Saline County Sheriff's Office has been handling the investigation into her disappearance. The discovery of her abandoned car, miles from her intended route, with personal items inside, has left her loved ones and investigators with many unanswered questions. The circumstances surrounding her vanishing and the location where her vehicle was found suggest a troubling end to her journey, a journey that has yet to find its conclusion.Last Seen: Sep 22, 1998
