Only on Lifetime Real Women. Check Your Local Listings.
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Only on Lifetime Real Women. Check Your Local Listings. |
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SYNOPSIS: On June 27, 1982, in Vancouver, Washington, 5-year-old Dustin Johnson's father picked him up for a custody visit. Dustin didn't know it but he was saying goodbye to his mother for the last time. That weekend, Patricia Johnson was murdered. Two weeks later Patricia's own brother, Dennis Keith Smith, confessed to the crime. He was sentenced to life in prison on a charge of second degree murder. Dustin was taken in by his mother's parents. When Dennis Smith was paroled ten years later he moved into the same house. On a daily basis, Dustin Johnson had to face the man who had killed his mother. The uneasy truce lasted about a year, until another local woman mysteriously disappeared. Dustin soon became convinced that his uncle, Dennis Keith Smith, was somehow involved. Dan and Carolyn Killaby lived just three miles from Dustin. On the morning of Saturday, November 11, 1995 the Killabys were patching up an argument. They decided to spend a romantic evening together. But just before Dan left work, his brother called and invited him to drop by. Dan and his brother ended up going to a local tavern and spent the evening there. Dan didn't call home until 1:00 a.m., leaving a message for Carolyn that he would be sleeping at his brother's home that night. Sunday morning, Dan returned to an empty house. His message was still on the machine. Dan assumed that Carolyn was deliberately not calling home, giving him a taste of his own medicine. But by Sunday night, he began to worry. Carolyn still hadn't shown up by 6:00 a.m. Monday morning when she was due at work. Dan and his brother cruised the streets of Vancouver, looking for any sign of Carolyn. They found her car in the parking lot of a popular nightclub. A witness claimed that Carolyn had been seen in the club that Saturday night, but now Carolyn was nowhere to be found. When the story hit the local newspaper, Dustin Johnson became suspicious. The story said that a man named Dennis had been seen with Carolyn. Dustin called Dan Killaby and told him about his hunch that his uncle, Dennis Keith Smith had been the man seen with Carolyn. Authorities had not yet released the man's last name, but from the detectives response Dan Killaby suspected immediately that his wife had been murdered. The nightclub bartender helped police reconstruct what was very likely Carolyn's last evening alive. He claimed that she was alone, appeared to have been crying, and was very drunk. Dennis Smith was a club regular. According to the bartender, Smith had had his eye on Carolyn all night long. At around 11:30 p.m. Smith approached Carolyn and the two left together. Carolyn disappeared the night of November 11, 1995. Less than 72 hours later, detectives decided to talk to Dennis Smith. According to authorities Smith claimed to have had sexual relations with Carolyn. He went on to claim that a stranger had come upon them in his truck, threatened him, and taken Carolyn away. Detectives had a hard time believing the story, especially when they inspected Smith's pick-up truck. Not only did a gaping hole in the seat arouse suspicions, but the seat cover had been removed and every inch of carpeting had been stripped off the floor. At that point, detectives believed Dennis was hiding something from them. However, without proof that Carolyn was dead, suspicions alone weren't enough to keep Dennis Smith in custody, let alone bring him to trial. Smith left town shortly after he was questioned for the second time and has not been seen since. Carolyn Killaby has never been found. However, detectives have now amassed enough evidence to formally charge Dennis Keith Smith with her murder. A $5000 reward has been offered in this case.UPDATE: Federal fugitive Dennis Keith Smith was arrested by members of the New Smyrna Beach Police Department on February 4, 1997, based on information provided by an Unsolved Mysteries viewer. Smith had been wanted locally for questioning regarding a vehicle stolen the previous Monday night. The tipster contacted local law enforcement and provided information on Smith's probable location, as well as identifying him as having been profiled on the Friday, January 31, 1997 Unsolved Mysteries broadcast.
Based on the tipster's information, police made a traffic stop on the vehicle in which Smith was riding. During questioning, Smith attempted to escape. The officers gave pursuit and when Smith was apprehended, a violent struggle ensued. As officers attempted to subdue him, Smith allegedly grabbed one of the officer's guns, attempting to remove it from the holster. As that officer struggled to retain possession of the firearm, Smith was shot in the neck by a second officer. Smith recovered from his wounds and was ultimately convicted of the murder of Carolyn Killaby. In November of 2005, Dennis Keith Smith committed suicide.
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