Reachelle Marie Smith was a 3-year-old girl from Minot, North Dakota, who was last seen at her home in the early morning hours of May 17, 2006. NamUs lists her date of last contact as May 17, 2006, and describes her disappearance as suspicious; the case record identifies her as a White/Caucasian female with light brown hair, brown eyes, pierced ears, and a mole on her right shoulder.
Online missing-person listings also describe Reachelle as about 3 feet 4 inches tall and 40 pounds at the time she vanished, and note that she was known by the nickname “Peanut.”
According to accounts summarized by The Charley Project, Reachelle had been seen sleeping on a couch at the home of her aunt and legal guardian, Stephanie Smith, on the night of May 16, 2006. The next morning, Reachelle was gone. Stephanie’s roommate, Leigh Cowen, reportedly claimed that his mother had picked Reachelle up and would keep her for a few days. Because Cowen was close to Reachelle and had claimed to be her father despite not being biologically related to her, Stephanie initially believed him, but concern grew when days passed without contact from Reachelle or Cowen’s mother.
On May 22, 2006, Cowen left in Stephanie Smith’s teal 1995 Ford van, and an Amber Alert was issued as authorities searched for both him and Reachelle. Investigators later learned that Cowen’s mother had not taken the child. Cowen was found dead in the van on May 23, 2006, in the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Minot; reports state that he had died by suicide. Reachelle was not found with him, and the discovery left investigators and her loved ones without the one answer they needed most: where she had been taken.
The search for Reachelle drew a major response from law enforcement and volunteers. Contemporary reporting described authorities, volunteers, and search teams combing Minot and surrounding areas after she was reported missing, including searches connected to the refuge and other possible locations. Police dogs reportedly tracked Reachelle’s scent from the apartment toward a river channel near the home, but despite extensive efforts, no recovery was made.
For years, Reachelle’s case remained a painful absence for her family and the Minot community. In May 2021, 15 years after she disappeared, Minot Police announced that they had concluded there was overwhelming evidence Reachelle had been murdered by Leigh Cowen. Police said they reviewed evidence and witness statements and concluded that Cowen was the only person responsible. One key piece of evidence cited in reporting was a cooler that contained a substantial amount of Reachelle’s blood. Authorities also said they did not know a motive, and her remains have never been recovered.
Although police announced the case conclusion in 2021, the lack of Reachelle’s remains has left a deep and unresolved grief around what happened to her after she vanished from her home. Her case is remembered not only for the evidence that later led investigators to name Cowen as responsible, but also for the life of a little girl who was loved, missed, and searched for by many. Reachelle was only 3 years old when she disappeared, and the enduring hope has been that her family might one day receive the remaining answers they deserve.Last Seen: May 17, 2006
