I'm thinking he hired someone in Massachusetts and had them fly down to Philly ahead of her. Maybe the husband told her that the hired killer was a trusted associate or a cousin and that this man would take her hiking, while the husband attended his conference. She could have been killed closer to Philly, but after she was killed was brought to the remote area in NC. Another possible scenario is that this phoney associate or relative made her climb that mountain then killed her there.
PA PA - Judy Smith, 50, Philadelphia, 10 April 1997
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I'm thinking he hired someone in Massachusetts and had them fly down to Philly ahead of her. Maybe the husband told her that the hired killer was a trusted associate or a cousin and that this man would take her hiking, while the husband attended his conference. She could have been killed closer to Philly, but after she was killed was brought to the remote area in NC. Another possible scenario is that this phoney associate or relative made her climb that mountain then killed her there.
One thing that makes me scratch my head is the hiking boots. She could have hiked around fine with sneakers, especially if they were a quality brand. I wonder if there was wear and tear on those boot treads.
Also, how did she get to the NC area? Some possible witnesses claim they saw a woman matching her description in a gray car. Where did that car go? It had to have been a rental, if she came from Philly. Wouldn't there have been a police report on a missing gray car from a rental agency?
Also, how did she get to the NC area? Some possible witnesses claim they saw a woman matching her description in a gray car. Where did that car go? It had to have been a rental, if she came from Philly. Wouldn't there have been a police report on a missing gray car from a rental agency?
JeannieC
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From all I've read there was no indication she had ever been to the hotel. No makeup, no dirty clothes, no female products in the room at all. I don't believe she was ever there.........my personal opinion. No one saw her there.
I really wonder if she flew to PA. She could have given the ticket to someone else. Someone who didn't see the articles that she was missing. They probably didn't have this on the news in every state or her husband gave the ticket to someone else.
I don't know about the boots. Don't remember reading anything about them being new or previously used. I wonder the same thing. I don't think she was someone who went hiking very often. I could be wrong though.
I wonder if she took the flight, had a car waiting at the airport and drove to NC. It would have been a 10 to 12 hour drive. Maybe the car belonged to a friend. (Boyfriend maybe) or someone who was suppose to meet her in NC. That person took the car after killing her. It wasn't in her name or rented in her name so it wasn't reported missing. It is all very strange. Maybe her husband had the car waiting at the airport for her and it belonged to the man he paid to kill her. He might have told her a friend loaned it to them or that it was rented. The car is a mystery too!
She might have thought he (her husband) was going to join her after the conference. A vacation/honeymoon for them. I believe the car belonged to the person who killed her.
I really wonder if she flew to PA. She could have given the ticket to someone else. Someone who didn't see the articles that she was missing. They probably didn't have this on the news in every state or her husband gave the ticket to someone else.
I don't know about the boots. Don't remember reading anything about them being new or previously used. I wonder the same thing. I don't think she was someone who went hiking very often. I could be wrong though.
I wonder if she took the flight, had a car waiting at the airport and drove to NC. It would have been a 10 to 12 hour drive. Maybe the car belonged to a friend. (Boyfriend maybe) or someone who was suppose to meet her in NC. That person took the car after killing her. It wasn't in her name or rented in her name so it wasn't reported missing. It is all very strange. Maybe her husband had the car waiting at the airport for her and it belonged to the man he paid to kill her. He might have told her a friend loaned it to them or that it was rented. The car is a mystery too!
She might have thought he (her husband) was going to join her after the conference. A vacation/honeymoon for them. I believe the car belonged to the person who killed her.
Very interesting case.
I think most likely Judy was on the 2nd flight to Philly. The ticket was used, there were the correct number of passengers, and a Dr. claims to have seen her on board. Additionally the hotel desk clerk and one other person claim to have seen her at the hotel.
It does seem strange that she showered and didn't at least put on clean underwear, but we don't really know what she brought along in her backpack, as opposed to the suitcase that apparently went on the first flight.
Mr. Smith seems to have tried hard to locate her. If it were just for show, he cold have done half as much and it still would have looked like a respectable effort. Mr. Smith also faxed dental records to NC. If he had killed her earlier and buried her in the woods in NC would he really want the body identified? Wouldn't it be better for him if she remained "missing"?
Apparently Judy's kids saw her the day before the trip, and there are plenty of witnesses to place Mr. Smith at the convention. I'd pretty much have to rule out him being the killer - at least under any scenario where he kills her prior to the convention.
One of the articles mentions that Jeffery and one of Judy's sons spent a week searching for her in Boston, right after she disappeared. So it's unlikely he could have taken her to NC and killed her after the convention.
It's possible that there was a murder for hire scenario, but nothing really supports that. There are all sorts of possible scenarios we could make up, but there is no use without at least a small amount of evidence to base it on. Truth is we don't have a clue how Judy got from Philly to NC. Hitchhiking, rental car, abduction..... all are possible and none are supported by any evidence we know of.
We do know Mr. Smith reported her missing at midnight and was told to wait until she'd been missing 24 hours. There was no undue delay in reporting her missing.
I don't know what to think of the eyewitnesses. I wouldn't remember details about someone 6 hours later, much less 6 months. But there are people who remember the smallest details, and remember for a long time.
My biggest problem is the long underwear. I can't see that someone used to Boston's climate would need long johns, in NC, even in April. Maybe, if sleeping outdoors, but even then, it seems unlikely. Certainly long underwear would not have been packed for a hotel stay in Philly.
There is a lot of individual variation in people's comfort levels at different temps. Still, most people coming from Boston would have found the temps in NC quite comfortable, especially if engaging in hiking. Wearing long underwear, while hiking in 50 degree weather would have been unbearable for most northerners. Also comfort levels are seasonal. When temps dip into the 50s in the fall we northerners start to put on light jackets or sweaters. But in the spring, when temps get into the 50s, after having been cold all winter, we tend to be out in our shirtsleeves. It's hard for me to believe someone from Boston wants to wear long underwear to go hiking in NC in the springtime.
I think most likely Judy was on the 2nd flight to Philly. The ticket was used, there were the correct number of passengers, and a Dr. claims to have seen her on board. Additionally the hotel desk clerk and one other person claim to have seen her at the hotel.
It does seem strange that she showered and didn't at least put on clean underwear, but we don't really know what she brought along in her backpack, as opposed to the suitcase that apparently went on the first flight.
Mr. Smith seems to have tried hard to locate her. If it were just for show, he cold have done half as much and it still would have looked like a respectable effort. Mr. Smith also faxed dental records to NC. If he had killed her earlier and buried her in the woods in NC would he really want the body identified? Wouldn't it be better for him if she remained "missing"?
Apparently Judy's kids saw her the day before the trip, and there are plenty of witnesses to place Mr. Smith at the convention. I'd pretty much have to rule out him being the killer - at least under any scenario where he kills her prior to the convention.
One of the articles mentions that Jeffery and one of Judy's sons spent a week searching for her in Boston, right after she disappeared. So it's unlikely he could have taken her to NC and killed her after the convention.
It's possible that there was a murder for hire scenario, but nothing really supports that. There are all sorts of possible scenarios we could make up, but there is no use without at least a small amount of evidence to base it on. Truth is we don't have a clue how Judy got from Philly to NC. Hitchhiking, rental car, abduction..... all are possible and none are supported by any evidence we know of.
We do know Mr. Smith reported her missing at midnight and was told to wait until she'd been missing 24 hours. There was no undue delay in reporting her missing.
I don't know what to think of the eyewitnesses. I wouldn't remember details about someone 6 hours later, much less 6 months. But there are people who remember the smallest details, and remember for a long time.
My biggest problem is the long underwear. I can't see that someone used to Boston's climate would need long johns, in NC, even in April. Maybe, if sleeping outdoors, but even then, it seems unlikely. Certainly long underwear would not have been packed for a hotel stay in Philly.
There is a lot of individual variation in people's comfort levels at different temps. Still, most people coming from Boston would have found the temps in NC quite comfortable, especially if engaging in hiking. Wearing long underwear, while hiking in 50 degree weather would have been unbearable for most northerners. Also comfort levels are seasonal. When temps dip into the 50s in the fall we northerners start to put on light jackets or sweaters. But in the spring, when temps get into the 50s, after having been cold all winter, we tend to be out in our shirtsleeves. It's hard for me to believe someone from Boston wants to wear long underwear to go hiking in NC in the springtime.
I agree about the long underwear. I'm from Mass. and I only wear long underwear skiing in the winter. Why would she bring them to Philly in April for shopping in a city? Hiking a mountain in NC in April would make me sweat.
I shortened your post to highlight this portion.
If she was staying at the hotel in Philly, I would think she would have left her dirty underwear in the hotel room--not take it with her in the backpack. She could have taken her cosmetics and a few other things in the backpack, but the dirty underwear----very doubtful.
JMO
I think most of the eye witnesses did not see HER. I believe those were cases of mistaken identity. She looked like a lot of people. A middle age blond heavyset woman. There are a lot of them.
The odd thing about this case is that she could have left this husband at any time. I think she had divorced at least one other husband and she was a professional, who could have got a nursing job anywhere in the country. She wasn't dependant on his income and her occupation is in demand. She didn't need him and she didn't need to sneak around. At this moment, I think the husband
was involved.
Chrishope,
Good post. You sum it up pretty well. A couple of points. The body was found at 4000ft elevation. It would have been pretty cold in April. Renting a car is practically impossible without a credit card. It’s possible she had a "secret account" at a PO Box that the husband never found out about.
My best guess at what happened is that she was taking a "vacation from her marriage" with a "friend" she met online that she didn't tell anyone about. She took a lot of cash; perhaps so her husband couldn't follow any paper trail (note the cash found in the clothing she was buried in). The "friend" took her to a remote spot, killed her and stole her money. He probably figured she could never be traced to him
.
Good post. You sum it up pretty well. A couple of points. The body was found at 4000ft elevation. It would have been pretty cold in April. Renting a car is practically impossible without a credit card. It’s possible she had a "secret account" at a PO Box that the husband never found out about.
My best guess at what happened is that she was taking a "vacation from her marriage" with a "friend" she met online that she didn't tell anyone about. She took a lot of cash; perhaps so her husband couldn't follow any paper trail (note the cash found in the clothing she was buried in). The "friend" took her to a remote spot, killed her and stole her money. He probably figured she could never be traced to him
.
JeannieC
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I checked on the weather for Apr 10, 1997. In Ashville (the city) the low was 59 degrees. The mountains would have been colder. There was fog and drizzling rain. If she planned to be outside it would have been cold and the wind gets pretty intense up there. If she planned to camp she would need long johns, a tent, and warm sleeping bag.
This article might have been posted earlier and I missed it but it was interesting. If it is a repeat I apoligize for reposting.
http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/072497/article015.shtml
This article might have been posted earlier and I missed it but it was interesting. If it is a repeat I apoligize for reposting.
http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/072497/article015.shtml
JeannieC
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Another article I have not seen before now. Again I apoligize if it is a repeat.
http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/071797/article010.shtml
http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/071797/article010.shtml
JeannieC
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This article from Oct 1997 says she was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes when she was found. She had warmer clothes in her blue backpack.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAAAIBAJ&pg=5714,106324&dq=judith+smith&hl=en
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAAAIBAJ&pg=5714,106324&dq=judith+smith&hl=en
JeannieC
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Another article I might have missed previously.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAAAIBAJ&pg=4496,994478&dq=judith+smith&hl=en
Jeff Smith went to the crime scene and spoke with police - 1999
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...g=6633,6872895&dq=judith+bradford+smith&hl=en
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAAAIBAJ&pg=4496,994478&dq=judith+smith&hl=en
Jeff Smith went to the crime scene and spoke with police - 1999
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...g=6633,6872895&dq=judith+bradford+smith&hl=en
This is possible, if LE didn't check her computer or phone. If they did check and found nothing, then how would she have communicated with this secret friend? I hope LE looked for a computer in her home. Back in 1997, the internet was still pretty primitive, but some people were getting into meeting strangers online at that time.
Thanks for the link. I hate it when details are different. One article said a shirt was buried with money in it. This article said the money was found in a winter jacket.
As for the winter jacket, it may have been a jacket she wore in Boston on her way to the airport, but took off in the warmer weather of Philly or NC. Depending on the weather (Canadian air blowing down) sometimes us northerners have to wear our winter coats into spring, especially at night.
I find it interesting that all they have is a luggage ticket to confirm that she arrived in Philly from Boston. Back then, the airlines were not that careful about matching luggage to passengers. The matching of luggage to passengers didn't happen until after 9/11/2001 (terrorist attacks). A boarding pass would be much more convincing to me that she actually flew to Philly.
In the second article, the husband thinks his wife wasn't "in full possession of all her faculties" when she was in Philly. One wonders if he had any evidence that she was losing it prior to the Philly trip to give him that idea. I would have thought she was just plain kidnapped and taken to NC, which seems more plausible to me, especially if she wasn't exhibiting any weird behavior prior to the trip.
JeannieC
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Did you notice in one of the articles that it stated that Judith was known for taking hiking trips alone? She might have gone to the Piscah National Park alone to go hiking. That didn't seem to be against her nature but the big question is how did she get there?
On the devious side....her husband was at a Pharmaceutical convention. Lots of drugs and drug samples were probably given out. That was before the FDA quit allowing samples to be given out.
Redwood146
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Is any chance that it might not be her body just a similar ring and even dental record matches have later proven to be wrong?
I wonder who gave the media and police the info that she hiked alone on occasion? Was it the husband or children or friends? I can't see her going out to NC from Philly or Mass. on a hiking trip alone without telling her husband or anyone else. Seems very odd. She may have hiked alone, but not 100s of miles away from her home or city she was visiting without telling anyone.
Possibly, she hiked alone in local parks or conservation areas around Newton,
MA.
The scenario sort of fits one of my thoughts on how she got there. He hired someone to pretend
they were a trusted friend or relative to take her out there. Perhaps, the husband told her that he would meet her there after the conference, but it was just a way for the hired killer to do his work and the location was chosen to confuse the police.
The pharmaceutical connection crossed my mind as well. He could have drugged her.
JMO, it can change at anytime. . .