The Disappearance of Grace Allison Smith

 

Grace Allison Smith has been missing since February 23rd, 2022. The then-34-year-old woman was last seen in Mason County, West Virginia. On the day of her disappearance, Grace went to her mother's house in Point Pleasant. She left the residence around 8:30 PM, and after that, she seemingly vanished. Grace has never been seen or heard from again. 

On February 25th, Grace's car was found abandoned in the McClintic Wildlife area - located approximately 10 miles away from her mother's home. According to police, her keys and her purse were found on the hood of the vehicle. Many of her personal belongings were found inside the car. Other than that, though, there was no further since of Grace in or around the area.

The discovery of Grace's abandoned car raised red flags for several reasons. At the time, Grace was reportedly homeless and living out of said vehicle. According to family members, Grace was also facing difficulties due to drug addiction. In fact, during Grace's visit to her mother's house on February 23rd, she disclosed that she was felt unsafe with the people she was associating with, and she agreed to seek treatment. 

Source: Dateline

The image above is the last known image of Grace, outside her mother's residence, on the day of her disappearance. Before leaving the house, Grace's mother gave her $20 for gas. Grace also made plans to meet up with her father the following day so he could take her to a rehabilitation center. Once the next day came, Grace was nowhere to be found.

Grace's family initially believed that she was avoiding going to treatment. However, after Grace was reported missing, it was determined that she did not make any phone calls after leaving her mother's house. She did receive incoming calls - including one from her mother at 11:30 PM that evening - but they went unanswered. 

Authorities believe that foul play is involved in Grace's disappearance. Still, no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified. In October 2022, the Mason County Sheriff told reporters, "We’ve had hundreds of tips. We’ve ran down every single one of them and have found no truth in any of those statements." Since then, it's unclear if police have received any other substantial leads.

Reports state that Grace divorced her husband in 2021; their daughter was in his custody. She also had another teenage son from a previous relationship. To this day, Grace's loved ones are left with questions about her fate. The Mason County Sheriff’s Department is in charge of investigating the case.

If you have any information that could help solve the disappearance of Grace Smith, please contact authorities at 304-675-3838.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Facebook

NBC News

WCHS TV

The Disappearance of John DeMarino

Source: News and Sentinel

John DeMarino vanished under mysterious circumstances on January 30th, 2019. The then-51-year-old was last seen during the evening at Uncle Mike's Bar in Parkersburg, West Virginia. John ordered a beer at the bar, drank half of it, then got up and walked away. He has never been seen or heard from again.

John was driving his mother's silver Ford Escape on the night of his disappearance. Four days later, the car was found abandoned at a Love's Truck Stop in Conneaut, Ohio. The vehicle was unlocked, and a phone charger and loose change were found inside. However, there were no further signs of John himself.

The car had reportedly been there for 3 to 4 days by the time it was reported. It's worth noting that the area where the vehicle was found is located on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border; an approximate three and a half hour's drive away from where John was last seen in Parkersburg. It's unknown why John would travel there, or if he even drove the car there himself. 

Before his disappearance, John had been living with his mother in Spencer, West Virginia for about five months after splitting up with his wife. He kept in frequent contact with his two children: a 19-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old-son. John's family members were immediately worried when he fell-out-of-touch. 

Additionally, the circumstances surrounding John's disappearance are quite suspicious. As previously noted, he vanished after ordering a beer at a bar and drinking just half of it. An employee who saw John get up midway through his drink thought he was just going to the restroom - but he never returned at all. It's unclear what caused him to abruptly leave, and his fate since then remains unknown. 

Years have passed without any clues to John's whereabouts. His disappearance is now considered a cold case. Detectives from both Roane County and Spencer are in charge of the investigation. If you have any information that could lead to John's whereabouts, please contact the Roane County Sheriff's Office at 304-927-3410 or the Spencer Police Department at 304-927-5616.

 

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Sources:
Charley Project
NamUs
News and Sentinel
Uncovered

The Disappearance and Murder of Leah Hickman

source: Herald-Dispatch

Leah Hickman had her whole life ahead of her during December 2007. The then-21-year-old lived in Huntington, West Virginia, and she was a student at Marshall University. Leah was pursuing a degree in journalism and was looking forward to her future. Unfortunately, that future was cut short when Leah vanished on December 14th, 2007. Her body was found a week later. 

Before her untimely death, Leah shared an apartment with her half-sister, Jessica Vickers, on 8th Avenue in Huntington. On the day of her disappearance, Leah accessed her Myspace page from a computer at the apartment. She later spoke to a friend on the phone and said she was going to go to McDonald's for some food. 

A receipt later found in the apartment seemingly confirms that Leah did, in fact, go to McDonald's. What happened after that remains a mystery to this day. Leah's sister Jessica stated that when she returned to their apartment the following day, Leah was nowhere to be found. However, her car, purse, and cell phone were all left behind. 

Leah's family was later notified that she did not show up to a scheduled work shift at Dress Barn. This immediately worried her loved ones, who subsequently attempted to search for her themselves to no avail. Her family then reported her missing to police on December 16th, 2007. 

On December 21st, 2007, a team of investigators found Leah's body in a crawl space in her apartment building. She had been strangled to death and her body was wrapped in plastic. It appears that her killer(s) placed her in the crawl space in attempt to hide her body. 

Several years have passed, and Leah's murder remains unsolved. Investigators have never publicly announced any suspects of persons of interest in case. However, there has been a lot of both local and online speculation about who might be responsible for Leah's death.

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Who killed Leah?

After Leah's body was found, locals in Huntington immediately began speculating - both online and offline - about the identity of her killer(s). There are many factors that play into said speculation. Some of the speculation comes from known information about Leah's case, while other speculation comes from rumors heard around town. 

The apartment building/crawl space.

The building where Leah lived/was found murdered. (source: Herald-Dispatch)

In 2007, there were four units inside the apartment building where Leah lived with her sister Jessica. One unit was obviously occupied by Leah and Jessica. Two of the other units were vacant. A single man lived in the remaining unit; however, he was out of town at the time of Leah's disappearance and murder. 

The crawlspace where Leah's body was found is part of the building's laundry room. The laundry room was a common area used by all tenants, located in the building's basement. 

source: YouTube

It seems likely that whoever placed Leah's body in the crawl space was, at the very least, familiar with Leah's apartment building. Various discussion about this case online seems to indicate that the crawl space could easily go unnoticed unless one already knew it was there. 

Speculation about the sister's ex-boyfriend.

Over the years, there has been an abundance of speculation about Leah's sister/roommate Jessica, and Jessica's ex-boyfriend. Much of that speculation has been posted online on various forums. Certain posts state that the ex-boyfriend lived with Jessica in the 8th Avenue apartment for 2 years. 

In fact, some posts also indicate that there was overlap between Leah and the ex-boyfriend in the apartment as well - meaning that at some point, Leah, Jessica, and Jessica's ex-boyfriend all lived there together. A statement that consistently seems to come up across all the online speculation is that Leah and Jessica's ex-boyfriend did not get along. 

Another statement amongst locals that has popped up more than once is that Jessica and the ex-boyfriend broke up while he was deployed to Iraq. Jessica and Leah then reportedly removed all of his things from the apartment. 

One specific post from Mydeathspace states: "The rumor is: he used to live in the apt with Jessica before he shipped off to Iraq. They broke up while he was gone, and Leah/Jessica threw all his crap away. It was stored in the basement." 

If there is any truth to the rumor in this post, this raises a bunch of suspicions. If the "basement" being referred to in this post is the basement of Leah and Jessica's apartment building, that means it's the same basement where Leah's body was found in a crawl space. Is it possible that Jessica's ex-boyfriend showed up at the apartment demanding his items? If so, did Leah bring him down the basement, where he strangled her and then hid her body in the crawl space?

The same post on Mydeathspace also mentions something else that raises suspicions about the ex-boyfriend. The post, in part, states "Rumor is his arm was injured right after Leah came up “missing” and he refused to take any lie detector tests."

It's worth noting that these rumors originated all the way back in 2007, when the crime first occurred, and they have never been publicly substantiated by investigators. Still, these rumors have never been publicly ruled out, either. 

Speculation about the sister.

Most speculation about Leah's murder mentions Jessica's ex-boyfriend as a probable suspect. Much of the speculation also mentions Jessica herself possibly being involved in Leah's murder as well. As previously stated, Leah allegedly never got along with Jessica's ex-boyfriend. There are various online postings that Leah and Jessica were also fighting a lot before Leah's disappearance and murder as well.

It's not unusual for sisters to fight from time to time, but rarely does sibling drama escalate to murder. The extent of the fights between Leah and Jessica do not appear to be discussed super in-depth online, but many seem to agree that they fought quite a bit. 

In 2018, a commenter on a Reddit post about Leah's case wrote the following: "Lifelong Huntington resident here. The general consensus is it was her sister's boyfriend and the sister helped cover for him. A smaller percentage of people think the reverse, that it was the sister and the boyfriend covered for her. Personal belief is that it was both. The sisters were known to fight a lot over anything and everything. Most people that knew them believe the sister was involved in some way if not the actual perpetrator."

What do investigators think?

Again, it's worth noting that Jessica and her ex-boyfriend have not been charged with anything related Leah's murder. Investigators have never publicly labeled either of them as suspects. Investigators have also not labeled anyone as a suspect or person of interest; they have mostly remained tight-lipped about the case.

In September 2008, Huntington Police Capt. Steve Hall told reporters, "There is an individual that we believe was involved. It is an individual that we have contacted and have spoken to. However, this individual keeps coming to the forefront of someone we’re particularly interested in."

To this day, investigators have not disclosed the identity of this individual. There has been inevitable speculation that this person is Leah's sister's ex-boyfriend. It seems that detectives have still been unable to collect evidence that could lead to a prosecution. 

DNA evidence.

Investigators collected various evidence from the area where Leah's body was found. The evidence was sent for DNA testing, but the results were reportedly not conclusive. Leah's father reportedly requested that the DNA be retested by Parabon NanoLabs. Investigators working the case stated that the DNA sample was so small that they feared new tests would destroy it.

The lead detective on the case told reporters that they were hesitant to retest due to "the fear that it would lead nowhere, and the remaining evidence would be lost."

A cold case.

As of 2024, the murder of Leah Hickman remains unsolved and is considered a cold case. It has been years since investigators have provided any substantial updates in the case. 

In 2014, someone spray painted "Who Killed Leah Hickman?" on the outside brick wall of the apartment where Leah lived. Police reportedly do not know the identity of the spray painter.

source: Herald-Dispatch

Since then, there have not been any updates on Leah's case. However, the online speculation remains somewhat active. Investigators still encourage anyone with information that could help solve Leah's case to call the Huntington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, at (304) 696-4420 or the tip line at (304) 696-4444.

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Sources:
Herald-Dispatch
Killer Crawl Space
Me Aww
NBC News

Reddit
True Crime Society
WSAZ

The Disappearance of Jasmine Cruz

 

source: WVNS

Jasmine Cruz vanished in Deep Water, West Virginia on April 1st, 2016. The then-30-year-old woman left her mother's home on Boonesboro Road after an argument. Jasmine never returned and has never been seen or heard from again.

Certain reports state that Jasmine was last seen running into the woods near the water. Other initial reports state that she left the home and headed towards Montgomery. It's unclear if anyone saw Jasmine after leaving her mother's residence. Jasmine's family contacted Fayette County authorities after she did not return home. However, the sheriff's office initially did not feel Jasmine was in any danger.

In fact, on April 12th, 2016 - 12 days after Jasmine's disappearance - Sheriff Steve Kessler shared information about Jasmine on the family's behalf but stated that investigators were not searching for the missing woman. The report on Kessler's announcement states, "the Sheriff's Office is not actively searching for Cruz. She has not committed any crimes, and even if deputies located her, they could not force her to return home against her will. Cruz’s mother is concerned for her daughter’s safety, however, and has asked for the assistance of the public in helping attempt to locate her daughter."

A month after Jasmine's disappearance, investigators changed their tune. During May 2016, police reportedly received a tip that Jasmine may have been a victim of foul play. It appears that investigators followed up on this tip, but it is unknown if anything substantial was found. Searches in the area from where Jasmine vanished ended unsuccessfully.

Since then, years have passed without any updates in Jasmine's case. She remains missing today. If you have any information that could help solve Jasmine's disappearance, please submit a tip. 

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Sources:
59 WVNS
Charley Project
Montgomery-Herald
Register-Herald

The Murder of Shannon Stafford

29-year-old Shannon Stafford was a loving mother in the midst of a difficult custody battle when she was shot and killed by her estranged father-in-law, 54-year-old Larry Mitchell, on April 21st, 2012. That morning, Shannon drove to a Wal-Mart located in Morgantown, West Virginia around 9:45 AM. Larry, who was already in the parking lot when Shannon arrived, approached her car with a 9mm handgun and began to shoot at her. 

Shannon exited the car to try and escape, but Larry continued to fire shots at her until she collapsed. A large group of witnesses to the brutal event surrounded and held Larry until the authorities arrived on the scene. When they finally arrived, Larry was arrested, and Shannon was pronounced dead.

The scene shortly after Shannon was shot. (source: WPXI)

On the day Shannon was killed, she was supposed to have her first unsupervised visit with her daughter Faith. Investigators have cited this as the main motive for Shannon’s murder: The Mitchell’s had declared Shannon as an unfit mother and did not want her to have access to Faith. Shannon’s estranged husband, Nathan Mitchell, had primary custody of Faith and was living with her at his parent’s home. 

Before Shannon filed for divorce, she lived in the Mitchell’s home as well. In fact, Shannon moved into their home early into her relationship with Nathan. Shannon was incredibly happy with this arrangement at first; Nathan treated her well and the Mitchell’s warmly welcomed her into their home. 

According to family and friends, Shannon had always longed for a “normal and stable” family after growing up in the foster system. When she met Nathan, Shannon felt she had finally found the family she always wanted with him and his parents. The couple got engaged shortly after she moved in.

Unfortunately, the happiness did not last for Shannon. Overtime, Shannon grew frustrated with Nathan’s mother, Sandra Mitchell. Sandra apparently made Shannon do all of their housework and would belittle her when it was not completed to her satisfaction. Rather than defend his fiancé, Nathan would agree his mother and belittle Shannon as well. 

Additionally, Sandra and Larry monitored Shannon’s every move and isolated her from her siblings and foster parents. They didn’t even allow Shannon to invite them to her wedding—they said they wanted their son to have a small wedding and asked her not to invite any guests. Although this upset Shannon, she complied because she did not want to jeopardize her relationship with her in-laws. 

When Shannon got pregnant, Sandra grew irate and claimed that it was too early into the marriage. She blamed Shannon, calling her irresponsible, and kicked her out of the house. Shannon moved back in with her foster family who welcomed her with open arms.

Shortly thereafter, though, Nathan begged for Shannon to come home. He promised they would find their own place and eventually move out of his parents’ home. Shannon moved back in under that condition: that they would find their own place before the baby was born.

Things did not improve for Shannon in the Mitchell household. Despite Nathan’s promises, he eventually told Shannon that he had no intentions of moving out of his parent’s home. Shannon ended up giving birth to her daughter Faith three months early. The Mitchell’s blamed Shannon for the baby’s premature status and heavily controlled Shannon’s interactions with her own daughter. 

When Shannon decided to visit her foster family for a weekend, she was forced to leave Faith behind. During that time, the Mitchell’s decided to not let Shannon back into their home when she returned. After that, Shannon filed for divorce and custody. 

The Mitchell’s accused Shannon of being an unfit mother to Faith and it was decided that Shannon would get supervised visitations with her daughter while an investigation ensued. As the family court officials in Harrison County did not see any reason why Shannon would be an unfit mother, she was granted unsupervised overnight visitations with Faith. Reeling from this news, Larry conducted a plan to get rid of Shannon for good.

In December 2012, Larry plead guilty to first degree murder in Shannon’s case. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. That same year, Shannon's foster brother Barry Adkins filed a civil suit against the Mitchell's. The suit alleged that "Sandra Mitchell and Nathan Mitchell 'encouraged, assisted, aided, abetted, provoked and incited' Larry Mitchell in the shooting and killing of Stafford by 'providing him with information which they knew or reasonably should have known would incite him to take action to seriously injure or kill' her."

Barry won the suit, and in 2018, a judge ordered that $32,614,860 be provided to Adkins.
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Sources:
Baybold Reports
CBS News
WBOY

The Disappearance (and presumed murder) of Kristen Anderson

24 year-old Kristen Lee Anderson was tragically murdered by her controlling and abusive husband, James Anderson, on October 1st, 2006. A week before the murder, Kristen moved from Wheeling, West Virginia to Martins Ferry, Ohio in attempt to escape her abusive relationship. She brought their two young sons with her, and was temporarily staying with a friend until she found a more permanent arrangement.

During the early morning hours of October 1st, James showed up at Kristen’s friend’s apartment and asked Kristen to come home. An argument ensued, and Kristen’s friend reportedly heard Kristen shout “don’t hit me!”. Later that morning, when her friend woke up, Kristen was nowhere to be found. Both of her children and all of her personal belongings were still at the friend’s apartment.

It was almost immediately suspected that James was responsible for Kristen’s disappearance. Those suspicions were confirmed just days later, when surveillance footage from October 1st showed James carrying Kristen’s lifeless body out of his house and putting it in the trunk of his car. Additionally, their young sons may have witnessed the crime as well. One of sons told his grandmother that he saw Kristen sitting on the couch that morning, but she wasn’t responding to her name. His grandmother asked what happened when he touched her, to which the young boy replied “mommy was very cold.”

Once James found out about the incriminating surveillance footage, he committed suicide. He left a note behind saying that Kristen’s body would never be found. To this day, her remains have still not been located.

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[Cases with Dead Suspects]