Sandra Florence Smith was 56 years old, according to coroner's records, when she was found dead on Thursday, December 21, 2000, in South Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, she died after sustaining blunt force trauma. Her death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department case, investigated by the department's Robbery-Homicide Division.
A month after her death, the LAPD released a short statement about the case. "On December 21, 2000 at approximately 3:10 p.m., a female African-American, the apparent victim of a homicide, was discovered in the alley to the rear of 1714 113th Street," the department wrote. "The victim has been identified as Sandra Florence Smith, 54 years of age, of Long Beach." The release gave her age as 54, while the coroner's records used by the Los Angeles Times list her as 56, a difference that has never been explained publicly.
The release said that "Smith's sister filed a missing person's report that led to her identity," which means that for a time after she was found, investigators did not know who she was. It added a detail that stands out: "Smith's vehicle was impounded the day prior to her discovery as a result of a hit-and-run traffic investigation." The department did not say who had been driving the car, where it was found, or whether the hit-and-run and her death were connected, and the wording leaves open the possibility that the car was being used by someone else. "Detectives are still working on leads that may lead to the discovery of her assailant," the release said, and it asked anyone with information to call Detective Cedeno at 213-763-5056.
The assignment of the case to Robbery-Homicide Division, an elite unit that usually takes on complex or high-profile investigations, suggests that detectives saw something unusual in it, though the reason was never made public.
Beyond these facts, little about her life has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. Sandra Smith is an extremely common name, shared by a television news anchor and thousands of other women, which makes any later trace of her very hard to find.
The alley where she was found runs behind a residential block of 113th Street in South Los Angeles, a part of the city of small single-family houses, apartment buildings and alleys that run behind the homes. She lived in Long Beach, several miles to the south, and the record does not say how she came to be in that neighborhood.
Homicides in Los Angeles rose sharply in the early 2000s, climbing past 600 in 2002, and detectives carried heavy caseloads. Many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Sandra Florence Smith could be found in news archives or public records. More than 25 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Sandra in Long Beach, who saw her or her car in the days before December 21, 2000, or who lived near the 1700 block of 113th Street and noticed anything in the alley that week, may hold information that matters. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
