CA CA - Lisa Smith, 17, Santa Rose, March 16th 1972

[Mysteries1974]

Lisa Smith was last seen hitchhiking in Santa Rosa. There is speculation her case could also be related to the Santa Rose Hitchhiker Murders. (Photo Credit: Charley Project.org)
On March 16, 1971, 17 year-old Lisa Smith was hitchhiking on Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa, California. She may have been trying to get to Petaluma, California where she lived. She has not been seen since.

 

[Coffee56]

Some tidbits of info here :

Whatever happened to Lisa Smith?

Forty years ago a 17-year-old Petaluma girl stood along Santa Rosa's Hearn Avenue trying to hitch a ride.

Lisa Smith was wearing a white blouse with ruffles, cowboy boots, green bell bottom jeans and a dark pea coat.

Nearly two weeks later the March 28, 1971 edition of The Press Democrat reported she was missing and fears were mounting for her safety. No one had seen her since.

This story's headline included a question: "Missing Girl Treated In Novato Hospital?"

The five-paragraph story said Sonoma County authorities were investigating whether an assault victim treated at Novato General Hospital the prior Saturday was the missing Petaluma girl.

The girl at the hospital had allegedly been beaten after she'd been picked up by a man while hitchhiking. She'd given the name &‘Lisa Smith' and was released after treatment. But the hospital believed she was 21 years old, according to the article.

Was it in fact the teenager?

 

[Lavender Moon]

Bumping for Lisa, our mystery girl.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Bumping for Lisa, our mystery girl.

I think I found her in a yearbook

 

[Mysteries1974]

Lisa Smith

Above: Smith, circa 1971

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

• Missing Since: March 16, 1971 from Santa Rosa, California

• Classification: Endangered Missing

• Age: 17 years old

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female.

• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white ruffled blouse, a dark-colored peacoat, green bell-bottom jeans and cowboy boots.

Details of Disappearance

Smith was last seen hitchhiking on Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa, California on March 16, 1971. She has never been heard from again. She lived in Petaluma, California at the time she went missing.
Around the time of Smith's disappearance, seven females disappeared and were later found murdered. They were all between 12 and 23 years old and all of them were habitual hitchhikers. Smith and another young woman, Jeannette Kamahele, are the only ones that were never been located. Police believed a serial killer was operating in the area, but it's unclear whether Smith was one of the victims. Her case remains unsolved and very little information is available in her disappearance.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Santa Rosa Police Department
707-565-2185

Source Information
Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders
The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004.

Last updated August 30, 2011; casefile added.

Charley Project Home

 

[ohthatkatgirl]

Original article referenced in earlier post -

 

[Beekarina]

Hmmm.....her nose is def different, but I see a few similarities with the "girl with the long dark hair & the fur coat" in the Alcala thread. Edited: it looks like Lisa might have brown eyes too? Does anyone know?

I'm not on a device that facilitates side by side.

Girl with dark long hair and fur coat.

 

[Mysteries1974]

I wonder if Lisa is still missing or not and they can’t prove her identity

 

[ohthatkatgirl]

It seems like even the police don't know the answer to whether she was ever located. Since the missing report was lost/purged/whatever, not even her next of kin would be trackable to ask unless they came forward when the appeal for information was released.

 

[Mysteries1974]

I hope this mystery can be solved!

 

[Lavender Moon]

I hope so, too. So far, we don't even know her eye color.

 

[ohthatkatgirl]

Or even hair colour, as I have seen people with blonde hair look like they have dark hair in black and white photos.

 

[dogperson]

If the girl at the hospital was actually her, maybe she was beaten not by some unknown man who gave her a ride but by a boyfriend/male acquaintance. I wonder if she was dating anyone or had recently broken up with someone. A lot of domestic abuse victims won't tell the hospital the truth about how they got hurt. So I was just thinking that if she had a man in her life he needed to be investigated.

 

[Mysteries1974]

If the girl at the hospital was actually her, maybe she was beaten not by some unknown man who gave her a ride but by a boyfriend/male acquaintance. I wonder if she was dating anyone or had recently broken up with someone. A lot of domestic abuse victims won't tell the hospital the truth about how they got hurt. So I was just thinking that if she had a man in her life he needed to be investigated.

It’s stated that she had a boyfriend at the time but they cannot find him.

 

[ohthatkatgirl]

Missing Girl, 17, Safe At Home; The Press Democrat (Apr 1, 1971) -

 

[Mysteries1974]

Missing Girl, 17, Safe At Home; The Press Democrat (Apr 1, 1971) -

So she really isn’t missing

 

[ohthatkatgirl]

Apparently not. Hopefully LE are aware of this information and are not still looking for information on Lisa.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Apparently not. Hopefully LE are aware of this information and are not still looking for information on Lisa.

She’s probably living her life in her 60s

 

[Mysteries1974]

From what I’ve read and a Namus entry, it seems as though that newspaper article is a hoax because Lisa is still missing and apparently her body has never been found.

 

[Mysteries1974]

Lisa’s full name is Lisa Michelle Smith