Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9408180113
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
David Smith's 37-year-old wife, Carol, is missing. Police continue to investigate.
"It's got [Smith] as upset and confused as the rest of us," said Roanoke County Sgt. Paul McElvein.
Smith, a jail warden with Pulaski County, told neighbors his wife left him June 6, saying that she wanted to "find herself." He told neighbors that she walked out of their red brick home at 3521 Richards Blvd. and got in someone else's car. Smith may have been the only witness to her departure.
Police and neighbors say they have no idea whose car she got into. And they have not heard from her since that day. That's one of the many strange elements of the case, McElvein said.
For instance, Carol Smith is described as a doting mother, but she reportedly has not contacted her two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.
The couple, who have been married for more than a decade, are described as role models for the neighborhood. They held hands, played ball with their children and were involved with local organizations, friends say.
"They were the All-American family," said neighbor Josh Crane.
Soon after Carol Smith's disappearance, her husband began pouring concrete for a new patio. Neighbor Jeff Sheets said Smith had talked about building the patio for months. Shortly before his wife disappeared, he had finished building a wooden deck.
Neighbors and Carol Smith's family members in Maryland alerted police about Smith's building project. From those calls, police decided to dig. Smith gave them permission.
Wednesday, as a county bulldozer skimmed off layers of dirt and police dogs sniffed the area, Smith left his residence, neighbors said. The children were apparently not with him.
After excavating about a foot underneath the patio, police called off the search. They said they will rebuild the patio for Smith.
"I'd just like there to be a happy ending," said Elyse Crane, Josh's mother. "It's almost like one of those unsolved mysteries."
by CNB