Edna Laverne Blodgett, a 75-year-old woman from Post, Texas, was last seen on June 2, 1993. A resident of a trailer home, Blodgett was a well-known figure in her small community, often seen walking her small dog and tending to her garden. In 1993, she was living with her boyfriend, Jerry T. Smith, against whom she had obtained a protective order that year due to his physical abuse. Despite the order, Smith continued to visit her.
The last confirmed sighting of Blodgett was on the evening of June 2, 1993, when she was seen walking along a dirt road off U.S. Highway 84, northwest of Post. Several unconfirmed sightings followed, including a report of an elderly woman matching her description who appeared unkempt and claimed to be traveling to Amarillo. On June 14, 1993, employees from the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation reported her missing after being unable to locate her.
The investigation into Blodgett's disappearance soon focused on her boyfriend, Jerry T. Smith. Witnesses had previously observed Smith physically abusing Blodgett on multiple occasions. In the same month she disappeared, Smith was charged with forgery for attempting to cash a $100 check from Blodgett's bank account. This led to a conviction in 1995, for which he was sentenced to ten years in prison. Smith had a history of violence, including severely beating his ex-wife in the early 1980s and assaulting his father in 1985.
In September 1995, while incarcerated for forgery, authorities charged Smith with Blodgett's murder. A crucial witness, a former cellmate of Smith's, testified that Smith had confessed to the murder. According to the witness, Smith claimed to have killed Blodgett in Texas before taking a short trip to Arkansas in early June 1993. Smith allegedly detailed burying her body in a 55-gallon drum, packing soil around it, and then pouring high-octane gasoline over the container and igniting it, believing this would destroy any evidence. Despite the absence of Blodgett's body or any physical evidence of the crime, a jury found Smith guilty of murder in 1996, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Smith has continued to maintain his innocence.
Despite extensive searches by mounted patrols, dog teams, and Civil Air Patrol volunteers in the area where she was last seen, no trace of Blodgett was found. In January 2000, Blodgett's former home was damaged in a fire. During the cleanup that summer, a construction worker discovered a bone fragment, leading to speculation that it could be part of her remains. However, investigators determined it was likely an animal bone. Edna Laverne Blodgett's body has never been recovered.Last Seen: Jun 2, 1993
