Mark Alan Smith: A Detailed Account of His Crimes
Early Life and Background
Mark Alan Smith was born on June 27, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois. His early life was marked by disturbing behaviors, including attempts to strangle a classmate at age 8 and stabbing a playmate at age 9. These early signs of violence foreshadowed his later actions.
Confirmed Victims
- Obie Fay Ash
- Date: December 3, 1969
- Location: Mountain Home, Arkansas
- Details: Smith abducted, raped, and strangled Ash before repeatedly stabbing her. Her body was discovered in her car near his workplace.
- Jean Irene Bianchi
- Date: January 27, 1970
- Location: McHenry, Illinois
- Details: Bianchi was abducted from a laundromat, sexually assaulted, and stabbed multiple times. Her body was found in a partially frozen creek three days later.
- Janice Bolyard
- Date: February 27, 1970
- Location: Des Plaines, Illinois
- Details: Bolyard, a co-worker of Smith, was beaten, raped, and strangled with her own pantyhose in their workplace's basement.
- Jean Ann Lingenfelter
- Date: May 27, 1970
- Location: McHenry, Illinois
- Details: Lingenfelter was last seen entering Smith's vehicle. Her body was found the next day, showing signs of severe beating, rape, and strangulation.
Additional Confessions and Suspected Victims
Smith confessed to killing between three and eight women in West Germany during his military service, though he later recanted some of these confessions. Authorities also suspect his involvement in other unsolved murders, including the 1966 killing of Valerie Percy, daughter of businessman and politician Charles H. Percy.
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