IN IN - Walter 'Tom' Smith, 42, Edinburgh, 3 Sept 2006

[Rle7]

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: September 3, 2006 from Edinburgh, Indiana
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: May 11, 1964
Age: 42 years old
Height and Weight: 5'11, 165 - 200 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Smith has quarter-sized surgical scars on the sides of his right knee, a scar on his right shin, and acne scars on his face and back. His nickname is Tom. Smith has thinning hair and he normally wears a moustache. One of his front teeth is chipped.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: Blue jeans and a patriotic shirt or a red and white striped polo shirt, and possibly a watch with a silver stretch band.
Medical Conditions: Smith has a heart condition and is prone to strokes and seizures.
​

Details of Disappearance

Smith was last seen in his rural mobile home community on Delchar Drive in Edinburgh, Indiana on September 3, 2006. He has never been heard from again. His black 2000 Daewoo Laganza with temporary license plates numbered J045763 was located abandoned approximately two months later, at an apartment complex on the north side of Franklin, Indiana. There was no sign of Smith at the scene. Smith was in the process of opening a business in Edinburgh at the time of his disappearance. All of his personal belongings were left behind. His case remains unsolved.
​

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Shelby County Sheriff's Department
888-387-1444

Source Information
The National Center for Missing Adults
The Indy Channel
America's Missing Adults
Project Jason

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_walter.html

 

[Rle7]

A balloon release and candlelight vigil will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Flat Rock Christian Church to commemorate the 44th birthday of Walter "Tom" Smith Jr., a Flat Rock man who has been missing since Sept. 3, 2006.

"Here we are again - having to celebrate our brother's birthday without him," said Alice McGinnis, of Flat Rock.

Smith's birthday is actually on Sunday, which is Mother's Day. The church is located at 2854 W. Pope St. in Flat Rock.

The family's emotional rollercoaster ride took another swing on April 27 when human remains were discovered in a shallow grave near Camp Atterbury. A team led by Dr. Stephen Nawrocki, of the University of Indianapolis Archeology and Forensics Laboratory, are doing tests on the remains to see if they are male or female. At some point, officials are hopeful the remains can be identified through DNA.

Johnson County Sheriff Terry McLaughlin recently declined to provide any details about shoes located near the shallow grave.

http://www.shelbynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=93&ArticleID=55431&TM=52627.26

 

[dreamweaver]

Walter 'Tom' Smith Jr:
His birthday will be in May.
Maybe it is time for another vigil?

I hope he is found.

In reading over all the online information:
It appears nothing disturbed in his home. He left in his car, appears driving to Franklin, In. There was a sighting of him in a bar there.
Family and friends say that although Walter did drink, he was a kind, caring man.
Across from that bar, is a boat landing area.
Searches were done of the 3 lakes there.
His car found 2 months later at an apartment complex in Franklin.
His car impounded.

Questions:
Did the police search his car? Did they search for blood evidence, foul play?
Did the police do a soil analysis of dirt in undercarriage or tires?

Did the bar have a security camera inside the bar and outside the bar? Was it ever confirmed that Walter Smith was there?

Did Walter Smith's daughter live in Franklin with her mother?

Did Walter see his daughter around the time he went missing?

Was the financing of his restaurant all in order?

Did he have a partner in the restaurant? A silent partner?

Information says Walter Smith was prone to seizures, heart problems.
Could he have collapsed in Franklin?

 

[dreamweaver]

Topix, Indianapolis forum suggests that a person forged a check on Walter's account and cashed it in Ohio..
Police did not consider this enough evidence, per this poster.
http://www.topix.com/forum/indy/TNKNBHC4A5GDDNE9J/p2
post 29.

 

[bam]

I had talked with Tom's sister and she has a walk called REMEMBER ME WALK FOR THE MISSING on Saturday May 15th at 4:00 p.m. to raise money for IN HOPE in honor of Tom's birthday and they will also be lighting a birthday candle for him. This will take place at Flat Rock church in Flat Rock, In.

 

[bam]

I just read about the person who forged a check of Tom's. I'm surprised he was not looked at closer. Also this person hung out in Franklin.

 

[dreamweaver]

http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Family_keeps_hope_alive_of_fin_1303823968/

ON May 11, the family of Walter Smith Jr. will observe his 47th birthday.

and.....

“I just keep going back to all that area between Franklin and Edinburgh, pulling off onto back roads and walking the fields,” she said. “Trouble is that there are a lot of back roads between Edinburgh and Franklin.”

 

[summer_breeze]

http://shelbynews.com/articles/2011/09/04/news/doc4e61425659181755102933.txt

Staff report
Published: Sunday, September 4, 2011 7:11 AM US/eastern

Today, Walter "Tom" Smith, of Flat Rock will have been missing for five years.

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.wthr.com/story/26175679/...ngs-hope-to-families-of-other-missing-persons

The excitement of one tip solving the Shelbyville cold case has caused a lot of excitement all across the state. It is having ripple effects for people who have missing loved ones, including in Edinburgh where Walter of Walter's Family Restaurant has been missing now since September 2006.

"It sure did renew a whole lot of hope for the rest of us," said Alice Guy.

Alice Guy has never given up hope of finding her brother. Walter Smith, Jr. disappeared three days before his downtown Edinburgh restaurant was scheduled to open. The doors have never opened. It's like his dream is waiting for him to come back. Alice says the years have taken away any chance of closure but it has not robbed her of the hope for resolution.

 

[KateB]

Search continues for Flat Rock man who disappeared eight years ago
Posted: Saturday, September 6, 2014 2:53 pm | Updated: 2:58 pm, Sat Sep 6, 2014.

Police have hinted money was the motive for Smtih's disappearance.
In 2013, Shelby County Detective Roger Clark told The Shelbyville News, "We have a very good idea of what happened, and who is responsible."
However, an arrest has not been made, despite the fact that police traced down a person of interest.

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.town...1e4-8005-001a4bcf887a/540b594a8154a.image.jpg

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.shelbynews.com/news/article_59a16b2c-8881-11e4-9f61-276eefcc9f14.html

As police search for clues into remains found in the southwestern part of the county, Alice Guy continues to search for answers.

For Guy, the best Christmas present she could receive this holiday season would be a tip from someone who knows what happened to her brother eight years ago.

 

[ElemenohP]

Detectives continue to investigate 2006 disappearance of Edinburgh restaurant owner
POSTED 5:10 PM, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015, BY RUSS MCQUAID

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Edinburgh woman continues search for missing brother 10 years later

http://www.wthr.com/article/edinburgh-woman-continues-search-for-missing-brother-10-years-later

"I am never going to stop. I am going to find my brother. I will find my brother. I am not letting go. I am not letting Tom go. Not until I can tell him goodbye," she shared.

The case remains open. Alice is still out there working, putting signs up everywhere, telling others about the vigil, about her brother, because as the church sign next to her homemade one says, "There is no such thing as too much hope."

The "Please Come Remember Me" candlelight vigil for Tom Smith will start Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Flat Rock Fire Department on State Road 252 in Shelby County.

 

[tlcya]

DELETED - nevermind, old old story. not sure why it showed up on my facebook feed as something new.

 

[Pennysmom1]

5472DMIN - Walter Smith Jr.

<<He disappeared two days before he was going to open a new restaurant in Edinburgh. Police believe Walter, who had inherited some money shortly before his disappearance, was a victim of foul play.>>



Jan 2, 2018

Families of missing persons keep searching — for their loved ones as well as for closure - Daily Journal

When the snow melts each year in the spring, Alice Guy’s attention turns to news stories about bodies being uncovered by the thaw. More than a decade ago, Guy’s brother, Walter Smith, went missing. Since then, the Flat Rock resident has made about a dozen trips to central Indiana sites where...

dailyjournal.net

Walter F. Smith Jr. – The Charley Project

<<Smith was in the process of starting a business, called Walter's Family Restaurant, in downtown Edinburgh at the time of his disappearance. It was scheduled to open in three days. All of his personal belongings were left behind. His case remains unsolved.>>

 

[Caring1]

3 Unidentified Person Exclusions

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 22, 2024

Decades later, what happened to these Indiana missing persons cases?

Mista Louks said she stopped caring about justice years ago. She just wanted to find her sister.

www.indystar.com

Walter's case is not cold. Guy said she continues to receive tips about where he might be and that police continue to search, although there have not been any recent updates. Just a few weeks ago, detectives with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office found remains from a different missing person and reached out to Guy to let her know that it wasn't Walter.

Guy said she always feels some disappointment when it's not her brother, but she's glad that for someone, the nightmare is over.