Shirley Smith, a 69-year-old White/Caucasian female, was found dead on August 30, 2023, inside a room at the Town and Country Motel at 1401 North McKenzie Street in Foley, Alabama. What began as a death investigation quickly turned into a homicide inquiry after Foley Police officers arrived at the motel and discovered that Shirley had suffered multiple stab wounds. The Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit was called in to assist, and investigators began processing the room where Shirley had been living.
Shirley had reportedly been staying at the motel with her daughter, 36-year-old Katie Lee Smith. In the days leading up to Shirley’s death, witnesses had seen Katie at the rental unit with her mother. Authorities said Katie was also seen at the motel on the day Shirley was found, but she left before officers arrived. At first, investigators described Katie as a person of interest who had information vital to the case, and law enforcement asked the public for help locating her.
The case grew darker as more details emerged from court records. Shirley’s body was reportedly found wrapped in a sheet and placed in a wheelbarrow inside Room 7 at the motel. Investigators treated the death as a homicide based on the scene and autopsy-related information. In the early morning hours of September 1, 2023, deputies spotted Katie Smith leaving the motel office. When Baldwin County deputies and Foley Police officers attempted to detain her, she ran into a wooded area. After a brief standoff, she was taken into custody.
Katie Lee Smith was initially arrested on charges that included abuse of a corpse, criminal trespass in the first degree, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and attempting to elude. Later, the case advanced beyond the initial charges tied to her conduct after Shirley’s death. Katie ultimately pleaded guilty to murdering her mother and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
No other suspects were publicly identified in the killing. The case that first unfolded as a suspicious motel death ended with Shirley’s own daughter being held responsible, turning a quiet room at a Foley motel into the center of a homicide investigation, an arrest, a guilty plea, and a prison sentence.
