Alyssa Renee Smith was 25 years old when she went missing from Chelyan, West Virginia. According to NamUs case MP95426, the date of last contact was February 1, 2022, and she had been living homeless in eastern Kanawha County at the time. She was described as a Caucasian female, approximately 5'4″ tall and weighing around 105 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, piercings in her ears and tongue, and small scars on each hip from earlier piercings.
In the months following her disappearance, concern within her family grew. Alyssa had previously communicated regularly with her sister—typically at least once a month—but all contact ceased in early February 2022. Fearing for her safety, her sister filed a missing person report on August 3, 2022, approximately six months after last hearing from her. At the time, authorities noted that Alyssa was known to frequent multiple areas in eastern Kanawha County, including Belle, Witcher Creek, Crown Hill, Marmet, and Chelyan.
Description and circumstances provided by multiple agencies emphasized her homelessness and routine presence in those areas of Kanawha County. Despite several leads and public appeals by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, she remained missing for many months.
In fall 2022, human remains were discovered in Boone County, West Virginia. Authorities later confirmed through forensic DNA testing, conducted by the West Virginia Fusion Center in cooperation with Marshall University’s forensic laboratory, that the remains belonged to Alyssa Smith. The identification was publicly announced in September 2024. Her family was notified and offered some closure, though law enforcement emphasizes that many questions remain unanswered and the investigation into the circumstances of her death is ongoing.
Investigators continue to urge anyone with information related to Alyssa’s disappearance or death to contact the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Section at 357‑0556. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via 357‑4693 or through the sheriff’s office website.
Though confirmed deceased, her case remains under active review. Family members and officials maintain hope that additional information may still emerge to clarify what happened in early February 2022 when Alyssa vanished from Chelyan.Last Seen: Feb 1, 2022
