Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Carolyn Ruth Killaby




Killaby, date, approximate 1995; Dennis Keith Smith
Date Missing 11/11/1995
Missing From
Orchards, Washington
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 10/02/1961 (61)
Age 34 years old
Height and Weight 5'6, 110 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) 1991 Toyota Camry (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Killaby has a scar on her left forearm, and her ears are pierced. Her maiden name is Lieb.
Details of Disappearance Killaby was last seen leaving Omar's Restaurant & Steak House in the 10400 block of northeast Fourth Plain Road in Orchards, Washington on the evening of November 11, 1995. She was accompanied by Dennis Keith Smith, a man she just met; he later told police she was very intoxicated (a statement supported by other witnesses) and he was helping her to her to her car.
He stated a stranger accosted them in the parking lot and yelled at them, calling Killaby a name. Smith left the scene immediately afterward and drove away in his own vehicle. Just before midnight on the night of Killaby's disappearance, two witnesses called 911 to report hearing a woman screaming for help in a nearby field.
Killaby has never been heard from again. She wasn't officially reported missing for several days. Her 1991 Toyota Camry was left in the restaurant parking lot with no signs of entry, although there was a handwritten note about wanting to fly from Portland to Los Angeles. Her purse was missing and was never recovered. Killaby's husband stated it was uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning.
A photo of Smith is posted with this summary. He had a criminal record dating back to when he was nine years old, and was on parole for a murder conviction at the time of Killaby's disappearance. He had served ten years of a life sentence for the 1982 strangulation killing of his sister. Her body was found a week after she disappeared.
Authorities didn't believe his story about Killaby's disappearance, but when they tried to interview him again he had fled the state. He was charged with Killaby's murder in July 1996.
He remained a fugitive until September, when he was located in Florida. He had been shot in a fight with the police and critically injured. He recovered from his wounds and was extradited to Washington to face trial.
Following his arrest, Smith told investigators a second story: he said he and Killaby had consensual sex for 45 minutes in his pickup truck in the restaurant parking lot, then an unidentified man came up to the truck, hit Smith with a stick, dragged Killaby out of the truck by her hair and went away with her. He later identified Killaby's husband as the man.
Blood traces matching Killaby's DNA were found in Smith's truck; at the trial, his defense claimed this was consistent with his story of sexual intercourse. The defense suggested Killaby was alive, or that her husband had killed her.
The jury convicted Smith of aggravated murder, ruling that he'd committed the murder to cover up the crimes of rape and kidnapping. He received an automatic sentence of life in prison.
In 2001, an appellate court reduced Smith's sentence to 70 years in prison, deciding there was insufficient evidence that he had committed rape and kidnapping. He was also serving 99 years for his sister's death and his nearest parole date was over 100 years in the future.
Smith subsequently admitted to the homicide and, in June 2004, attempted to lead authorities to Killaby's body, which he said was on Larch Mountain. A search of the site revealed nothing, however. Late that year, he died by suicide in prison.
Killaby worked as a medical technician at the time of her disappearance. She was declared ly dead in 1997. In 2002, her family received a $2.8 million wrongful death settlement from the state of Washington; they had alleged Smith was inadequately supervised after his parole.
Her body has never been found, but foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Clark County Sheriff's Office
360-397-2028
Other
Washington State Missing Persons Information
The Oregonian
The Columbian
The Spokesman-Review
The Pendleton Times-Post
Find a Grave
Forensic Files - Season 6, Ep 1: Missing in Time

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos