A 21 year old woman's body is found near a reservoir in Pasco, WA On a summer day in July 1987, the community of Pasco, Washington, was shaken by the discovery of the body of 21-year-old Tracy Lynn Smith. A White/Caucasian female, Smith was found on July 19, 1987, near a reservoir west of the Tri-Cities Airport. The scene told a story of a brutal and violent end to a young life; she had been stabbed numerous times in the head, back, and torso, with some reports indicating as many as 40 wounds.
The sheer violence of the act left a lasting scar on the community and a perplexing case for law enforcement.
In the initial stages of the investigation, detectives tirelessly pursued leads to bring justice for Tracy. The case, however, proved to be a difficult one, and despite their efforts, no arrests were ever made, and no suspects were publicly identified in her murder. Over the years, Tracy's case grew cold, joining the list of unsolved homicides in the Tri-Cities area. The passage of time did little to diminish the pain for her family and friends, who were left without answers and closure.
A potential glimmer of hope in the investigation emerged when detectives began to explore a possible connection between Tracy's murder and a series of murders and rapes that had occurred in the nearby Yakima area. In those cases, women were abducted, sexually assaulted, and stabbed. A man named John Bill Fletcher was charged in connection with the Yakima crimes, and investigators awaited the results of forensic evidence to see if he could be linked to Tracy's case. Despite this lead, her murder remains unsolved, a painful mystery and a testament to the challenges of cold case investigations.
