Rebecca Ann Darling, a 21-year-old white female from Salem, Oregon, disappeared during the early morning hours of February 19, 1984. She was working the overnight shift at an all-night convenience store when she vanished. A customer had seen her at approximately 3:20 a.m., but by 3:50 a.m., another patron found the store abandoned. Rebecca was gone, and there were no immediate signs of struggle.
Her disappearance sparked concern in the Salem community, especially as it followed a troubling pattern of young women vanishing or being murdered in the area.
On March 25, 1984, over a month after her disappearance, the decomposed body of the 21-year-old white female was discovered concealed in brush along the Little Pudding River, about six miles northeast of Salem. She was nude from the waist up, her hands bound behind her back, and had been strangled with a piece of rope. The condition of her remains and the location where she was found suggested a deliberate attempt to hide the body. Her death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation.
The investigation into the murder of Rebecca Ann Darling led authorities to suspect William Scott Smith, a local man with a troubling criminal history. Smith, a high school dropout and unemployed fry cook, had prior convictions for menacing, burglary, and indecent exposure. He was also suspected in other violent crimes in the region. By April 1984, police had focused their attention on Smith, who owned a vehicle matching the description seen near the scene of another victim's disappearance. He was already in custody for unrelated charges involving obscene and threatening phone calls.
On April 26, 1984, William Scott Smith was formally arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder, including the murder of 21-year-old white female Rebecca Ann Darling. He waived his right to a jury trial and was convicted in July 1984. The judge sentenced him to two consecutive life terms in prison. Smith was later linked to additional murders, including those of 18-year-old white female Katherine Redmond and 18-year-old white female Sherry Eyerly, further solidifying his status as a serial offender operating in the Salem area during the early 1980s.
