The Whole Of America Was Looking For A Hijacker Who Never Existed | True Crime

In late October 1,994, deep in the night, a distraught woman burst into the home of a family from a small South Carolina town. There was panic in her voice. Her two young children had disappeared. News of this spread quickly, plunging the country into anxiety. Police officers, volunteers, and FBI agents combed the streets, forests, and bodies of water.

But all was in vain. The children seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving no clues. The mystery of what happened that night became one of the most notorious crime stories of the decade. On the 25th of October, 1,994, Union County police in South Carolina responded to a call from a resident who had answered a frantic knock at the door.

Susan Smith stood outside pleading for help her children were missing. I was stopped at a red light and um I was looking this way looking toward the left and it was just like just sagging. He was in my car. He just opened the car door and I just screamed. I said, “What are you doing?” He just shut up and drive and he had a gun and he was poking it in my side, you know, told me to drive.

And so Susan claimed she was driving with her sons, Michael and Alex, when a man with a gun forced his way into the car at an intersection. He eventually pushed her out and ignoring her pleas for the boys, drove off. She ran to a nearby house and the resident called police. Her ex-husband, David Smith, was notified at work.

At Susan’s home, he found her in tears. Police told him she had left around 900 p.m. with 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander in the car. The case quickly gained national media attention. The parents gave interviews desperate for the children’s return. Susan said the carjacker had forced her to drive to John Dong Lake, then left with the children.

Police issued a bolo and Sheriff Howard Wells sent out a nationwide APB. The FBI soon joined the search. I wish I could tell you right now that I had something that made me very confident and had taken some of the burden off of our hearts, but as of right now, I don’t have anything that gives me a great deal of relief that is going to turn into a uh development for [Music] the 26th of October 1,994.

The next day, the police dispatched a team of agents and a criminal artist. Based on Susan’s description, a sketch was drawn up of the suspect, a man in his 20s or 30s wearing a plaid shirt and blue hat. He was seen driving a maroon 1000 990 Mazda Pro. The search began by combing the woods and the surrounding area where Susan was dumped.

Helicopters patrolled the area and divers surveyed the bottom of John David Long Lake, nicknamed Black Bottom, by locals. There were periodic reports of children being seen, but none were confirmed. Police were also checking databases, hoping to get on the trail of the kidnapper. With each passing day, hope for a favorable outcome grew weaker, and anxiety grew.

When Michael and Alex disappeared, David and Susan Smith were finalizing their divorce, but united for the search, moving in with David’s parents to stay close to the investigation. An officer was stationed at the home in case the suspect called. Despite their failed marriage, both loved their sons deeply. Were terrible spouses, but wonderful parents, David said.

The boys were happy with either parent, and both waited in hope. Police chased daily tips like a reported man in the woods, but none led anywhere. It was as if the carjacker and children had vanished. Sheriff Wells held twice daily briefings as teams expanded the search. Three days passed with no sign of the suspect or vehicle.

The mystery gripped the nation. Sheriff Wells remained oddly hopeful, even as days passed with no sign of the boys. If the carjacker was in a rush, why hadn’t the children been found? Volunteers arrived, including the Poly Clauss Foundation. But Susan and David refused to meet with Mark Clauss, sending a cousin instead, a strange move for grieving parents.

Investigators found flaws in Susan’s story. She claimed a black man hijacked her at a red light that rarely stops traffic in her direction. Yet, no witnesses came forward. More details unraveled. The friend Susan said she was visiting, wasn’t home. Store staff didn’t see her or the boys. She claimed to leave at 8:30 p.m.

, but a neighbor saw her leave closer to 6:00. Polygraphs confirmed suspicions. Susan failed three times. David passed and was cleared. Detectives grew more certain she was hiding something and closed in cautiously. I do understand uh why they’re having to do what they’re doing. Um I’m all they have u right now. They have not been able to rule anyone out.

I don’t think I’m any more of a suspect than anyone in this case right now. It’s very painful to know that anyone would think that either of us had anything to do with this abduction of our children, but me and my wife know the truth. Sheriff Wells cautious approach finally paid off. There was a real lead. The 3rd of November, 1,994 Thursday.

From the start, investigators saw major holes in Susan Smith’s story. For over a week, the nation followed the search for Michael and Alex. Each tip bringing hope only to end in disappointment. That evening, everything changed. Sheriff Wells held a press conference. There will be no questions. Susan Smith has been arrested and charged with two counts in the deaths of her children, Michael, three, and Alexander, 14 months.

The statement is it. Susan Smith has been arrested and will be charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of her children, Michael three and Alexander 14 months. The vehicle, a 1990 Mazda driven by Smith, was located late Thursday afternoon in Lake John D. Long near Union. Two bodies were found in the vehicle’s back seat.

Identities are pending an autopsy. [Music] Susan Smith admitted that she strapped Michael, 3 years old, and Alex, 14 months old, to the seats and allowed her car to drive into John D. Long Lake. Later, divers found a car with the boys inside. The audience, who had once been moved by her please on television, was shocked. Why did she do that? Defense.

Her lawyer stated that Susan intended to commit suicide, not with her sons, citing depression, trauma, and loss of composure at the last moment. Accusation. Lawyer Tommy Pope claimed that her motive was romantic. Her new lover broke up with her, saying he couldn’t be with a woman who had children.

In support of the prosecution’s version, she put on his hoodie and filled the car with personal belongings, as if she had buried her past. As the outrage grew, the public waited for the trial. Susan, according to her lawyer, was not afraid of being convicted, but of having to face David Smith in court again. Crowds gathered as Susan Smith faced trial.

Though depressed and suicidal, she was ruled sane and competent. She chose not to testify, unable to justify killing her children. Her guilt wasn’t debated, only her fate. Her lawyer blamed years of abuse by her stepfather, who admitted to a relationship but faced no charges, likely due to his influence. The jury weighed life with parole after 30 years against the death penalty.

Public opinion was sharply divided. Prosecutor Tommy Pope invited David Smith to speak. His emotional words moved the court. As Susan left, she whispered, “I’m sorry.” Pope also staged a reenactment. Cameras in a submerged car showed water rising 6 minutes to full submersion. Time Susan could have saved Theor died with them.

Instead, she crafted a lie. [Music] The prosecutor sought the death penalty. Susan’s lawyer countered, “She wanted to die. Death means nothing to Hir. Just wants the pain to stop.” After 2.5 hours, the jury unanimously chose life in prison with parole possible after 30 years. They believed Susan should live to face what she had done.

The defense argued it was a tragedy rooted in untreated trauma, not just a crime. Prosecutor Tommy Pope and David Smith were openly disappointed. The jury vote 120 for life. David had divorced Susan before the trial. He later remarried and had two more children who know about Michael and Alex and what happened to them. The boat launch at John Dong Lake where the children died is now a memorial.

Visitors come to honor their memory. Susan Smith’s first parole hearing was scheduled for the 4th of November, 2024. David Smith is determined to block her release. Will she go free? Doubts persist. In prison, she engaged in inappropriate relationships and contracted an STD. Still, she receives letters from admirersome offering homes, money, even marriage.

She once said she could be a good stepmother. Supporters believe she’s remorseful and changed. But the court will weigh not only her crime, but her behavior behind bars. [Music]