Donald Edward SMITH Missing Person Case

Donald Edward

SMITH

95

55

66 inches

66 inches

130 lbs

130 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the spring of 1987, fifty-five-year-old Donald Edward Smith of Hemet, California, was feeling downcast as health issues prevented him from working. Seeking a change of scenery and a chance to connect with family, he decided to embark on a cross-country journey to visit his relatives. On May 11, 1987, he set off in his pickup truck, towing a trailer and accompanied by his two beloved Labrador Retrievers. His primary destination was Idaho, where he planned to reunite with his daughter, Brenda Walker. This trip was particularly significant for Don and Brenda, as they had been separated for most of her life following her parents' divorce and had only recently reconnected. Not long into his journey, Don ran into trouble with the trailer he was towing just outside of Las Vegas and had to leave it behind. It is believed that shortly after leaving Las Vegas, he offered a ride to a hitchhiker. At some point during their travels together, it appears the two men began drinking. The day after visiting his daughter, Don made a phone call to his sister in Vancouver, asking her to wire him $200, which he picked up in the company of a man matching the hitchhiker's description. The last confirmed sighting of Don alive was on May 13, 1987, when he was seen at a convenience store in Heyburn, Idaho. That same day, he made his last phone call to his sister. The unsettling turn of events began to unfold in the early morning hours of May 16, 1987, in Denver, Colorado, 700 miles away from where Don was last seen. His pickup truck was involved in a collision, and the driver, who was not Don, fled the scene. A search of the abandoned truck by police revealed a bloody jack handle and a key to a local motel room. At the motel, investigators found the room registered to a "Larry Monroe," and inside were blood-covered pants and a sweatshirt. The truck was traced back to Donald Smith, whose wife had not heard from him in twelve days. Tragically, about two weeks after he was last seen, Don's body was discovered in the high desert near Twin Falls, Idaho. An autopsy revealed he had been bludgeoned to death. Investigators theorize that the hitchhiker killed Don for his money, possibly using the jack handle from the truck, while Don had stopped to let his dogs out. The suspect, known only as "Larry Monroe," was described as a light-skinned Black man, approximately six feet tall, and around 180 pounds at the time. Despite the discovery of Don's truck and the evidence within it, the man who was with him has never been identified, and the murder of Donald Edward Smith remains an unsolved case.

Jacket Black Pants Blue, Jeans, dark blue Shirt Green, Red, Plaid Shirt Shoes Black, Dress shoes Socks Blue, Light blue Amputation Left Index Finger, Tip of left index missing Scar Left Wrist, Minor surgical scar Scar Right Wrist, Minor surgical scar

Apr 05, 1986

Niagara Falls

Niagara Regional Police Service

Niagara Regional

905-688-4111

905-688-4111

Law Enforcement

1986-42345

Niagara Regional Police Service

White

Build: Slender/Thin; Complexion: Light/Fair; Hair details: Full Head of Hair

No