Sherry Lynn Smith, a 15-year-old girl, attended a dance at Garberville's Firemen's Hall on April 30, 1976. She was last seen heading towards John Annibel's car when the dance ended at 2 AM the following morning. Sherry's body was discovered off Eel Rock Road on May 2, 1976, by a motorcyclist making a comfort stop. She had been severely beaten, throttled to death, raped, and left with her pants around her ankles. The similarity to prior cases, such as Janet Lee Bowman and Karen Frances Fisher, brought John Annibel into suspicion for Sherry's death, as well as the two prior cases. Despite extensive questioning of Annibel and numerous interviews of dance attendees, law enforcement was unable to press charges against him. He went on to be convicted in 1999 of the first-degree murder of Debbie Sloan.
