AL AL - Margaret Aileen Smith, 56, Birmingham, 23 Dec 1978

[TheArtfulDetective]

Margaret Aileen Smith



Case Classification: Involuntary Missing
Missing Since: December 23, 1978
Location Last Seen: Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama

Description:​

• Date of Birth: September 07, 1922
• Age: 56
• Race: White/Caucasian
• Gender: Female
• Height: 5' 5" (65 inches)
• Weight: 110 lbs
• Hair Color: Auburn/Reddish Brown
• Eye Color: Unknown
• Nickname/Alias: Margaret Aileen Butler
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
• Clothing & Personal Items: Unknown
• Identifiers: Not available

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Smith was last seen in Birmingham, Alabama on December, 23 1978. She has never been heard from again. She is a heavy smoker but her home was left spotless- including the ash trays. Her personal belongings were also left behind. Smith's car was discovered some time later at a chop shop. Few details are available regarding her disappearance and her whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigators:

• Birmingham Police Department: (205) 297-8479
  Reference Case#: E-228918

NamUs Case Number: Not listed
NCIC Case Number: Not available

4008DFAL - Margaret Aileen Smith

 

[heartanium]

I think the date she disappeared may be wrong - from the articles it looks like she was officially reported missing December 23, 1979 instead of 1978.

4 January 1980, The Birmingham Post-Herald, pg 13



She was last heard from on December 18th, 1980 at 3pm.

Her address is 449 Dalton Drive

"The only thing missing from the house was a portable color television...not something she'd have taken with her if she'd gone traveling."

"House showed no signs of violence or foul play"

9 February 1981, The Birmingham Post-Herald, pg 17



"Miss Smith had been threatened in public."

"A professional car thief had been contracted to dispose of [Smith's] car...he had picked it up at Smith's home. The car was then taken to a chop shop and later to a junkyard where it had been shredded"

"Smith had been divorced for three years...her husband cut off her alimony payments. At one time, her former husband signed a warrant for her arrest saying she conducted a harassment campaign against him, but she was found innocent."

9 February 1981, The Birmingham Post-Herald, pg 21



"someone was offering money to have her killed"

"An acquaintance went by Mrs. Smith's house on Dec. 19th and got no response at the door although Mrs. Smith's car was in the driveway."

 

[heartanium]

Larger photo from the article:

 

[alb1on]

A husband who cut off payments and tried to get her arrested is an obvious suspect. However, George Jackson Smith died in 1994. Someone who organised a murder for hire would usually mix in some pretty murky circles but I can find out nothing about the husband other than family relationships detailed on Ancestry.

 

[Codebender_Cate]

Hi everyone

This is my great grandmother. Everyone believed Grandpa Jack did it but there was never any proof. Police will not give us access to the case files because the case is still open. Thank you all for the news articles. Please let me know if you find more, but please be careful. Almost everyone who has worked this case either passed early or disappeared, to my knowledge.

 

[Codebender_Cate]

A husband who cut off payments and tried to get her arrested is an obvious suspect. However, George Jackson Smith died in 1994. Someone who organised a murder for hire would usually mix in some pretty murky circles but I can find out nothing about the husband other than family relationships detailed on Ancestry.

That is likely my ancestry account. Everyone in the family said Grandpa Jack and Grandmother Margaret were old fashioned and somewhat strict. They said Jack became terrifying after the divorce. They believe he had Grandmother Margaret killed as punishment for giving their grandkids back to their daughter right around the time of their divorce - Jack had his 2 granddaughters taken from his daughter's babysitter while she was at work. One year later they adopted their granddaughters, and raised them for 10 years. At the age of 10, my mother and aunt were told who their real mother was, and they were adopted back by her, meeting their younger sister for the first time. According to family lore, Jack hated his daughter and was livid when he learned she'd gotten her children back.
Before Grandmother Margaret could change her will after the divorce, she disappeared, and Grandpa Jack went to court to have her declared deceased and take the estate.

We all know, on some level, that Grandpa Jack had her killed, what we want to know is where her remains went. According to court transcripts, the remains were not in the car when it was scavenged and later shredded. Nobody knows where she is. That's all we've wanted: to bring her home

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Hi everyone

This is my great grandmother. Everyone believed Grandpa Jack did it but there was never any proof. Police will not give us access to the case files because the case is still open. Thank you all for the news articles. Please let me know if you find more, but please be careful. Almost everyone who has worked this case either passed early or disappeared, to my knowledge.

Welcome and so sorry for what your family has been through. It's unfortunate the police can't share anything with family, especially after the amount of time that has passed. Presumably they are hopeful for a DNA match someday and that's why it's still open after all this time. May your great grandmother be found so you and your family can find closure.