Tera Smith Missing - CA - Since 8/98

[Juliana]

17 year old Tera Smith has been missing from Shasta, CA (where Heather Carpenter lived) since 1998. Sounds like police suspect her 29 year old karate instructer was involved. How do families survive never knowing where their child is?

Here's a link:

http://www.redding.com/specials/Smith/

[Litlstar04]

Do you know anything more about the case? The last updated article on the website is from January 2000. It says that her karate instructor wasn't considered a suspect, but that he was being held in jail for an unrelated assault charge. What were the details of the assault charge? This case reminds me of the Rachel Cooke case - both girls were going jogging when they disappeared. I wonder how she came upon her karate instructor when she was out jogging?
So sad, and another family that I wish closure to.

[Juliana]

I really don't know anything about this case. I've just been scanning the articles listed in the site I linked in my first post.

This link says that Tera had written about her karate instructor in her journal, and I guess the parents think she was having an affair with him. The karate instructor's last name is "Zink".

This Zink guy says that Tera called him and asked him to pick her up near her home the day she disappeared. He said he dropped her off later at another intersection and she hasn't been seen since. Zink says he then went to a secluded hilltop to pray. This Zink guy was married with a child at the time.

[Litlstar04]

I tried to read through some of the articles on the website. What a sad story! It reminds me of the Kristin Smart case in the fact that the last person she was seen with isn't talking. I wish there was a way to make these creeps talk! I wonder what he went to pray about for hours on a hilltop? I guess there's some comfort in the fact that it sounds like this guy is in prison for something. I just wish he would give the family some closure!

[Trino]

Another, "I picked her up, let her off someplace" case. It sounds like the guy is involved.

[Sable]

Smith helps in search for man

Missing girl's dad offers empathy to family

By Lauren Brooks (http://www.redding.com/staff/lauren-brooks/) (Contact (http://www.redding.com/staff/lauren-brooks/contact/))
Tuesday, February 20, 2007

http://media.redding.com/redd/content/img/photos/2007/02/20/Search20a-01_t220.jpg (http://www.redding.com/photos/2007/feb/20/5045/) Photo by Brad Garrison

OFFERING HOPE AND SUPPORT: Terry Smith of Shasta Lake gives a supportive hug to Michele Kvasnicka on Monday at her mother’s home on Bear Valley Trail in Jones Valley, while Joyce Reginato sits on the porch. Kvasnicka’s son is missing.


http://media.redding.com/redd/content/img/photos/2007/02/20/matthew_deffebach_updated.jpg Matthew Deffebach


Terry Smith wants to help find a missing young man. He wants people to be on the lookout. And he wants the man's family to have the support they need.

Smith's daughter, Tera, 16, disappeared on Aug. 22, 1998. She is still missing.


more: http://www.redding.com/news/2007/feb/20/smith-helps-in-search-for-man/

[bykerladi]

Did LE really confiscate Zink's truck? I didn't see that in the articles I read. And was it clean? Maybe too clean? His story clearly doesn't add up. But he HAD to have told someone about it. Maybe one of his male friends knew he was really sleeping with Tera and could at least get him for statutory rape? Any idea if he was convicted of the other charges?

[bykerladi]

Ok, scary information - there are 506 registered sex offenders in Shasta County (where Tera disappeared)

[ohwell1971]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2202dfca.html

[newkid]

Nothing new http://www.redding.com/news/2008/aug/22/10-years-without-tera/

[meggilyweggily]

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_tera.html