Trying to piece together Jared’s disappearance was frustrating for his father, Willie Smith. These circumstances paint a grim picture, leaving Jared’s family fearing the worst. Their quest for truth faces challenges, including conflicting accounts from Jared’s acquaintances and the family’s feeling that law enforcement has been reluctant rather than actively pursuing the case.
After conflicting reports from Jared’s friends, it was later explained to Willie that the car had reportedly been involved in a robbery and that’s why Jared might be missing. Willie believes Jared wouldn’t intentionally abandon his car, especially after police told his family Jared was supposedly on the run.
“If he was on the run, why would he leave his car? He probably would’ve come back to Louisiana,” Willie explained. “I’m always saying, he would’ve told his mama. Jared would’ve called his mama and told her what was going on.”
Two weeks later, Jared’s credit card was used at a store. Willie attempted to obtain surveillance footage but was unsuccessful. By the time police attempted to get the footage a month later, it had already been erased.
After initially treating the case with skepticism, HPD eventually classified it as a homicide.
“What made me so upset with them is how much information I was able to get and relay back to them. I was getting information myself to relay back to what was going on like one of the suspects that was involved I found out where he was staying and that he had moved back to Austin,” Willie shared. “At that time, I was becoming a hazard to myself because I didn’t know what I would’ve done to those guys at the time. (HPD) told me to let them do their job. But if they had jumped on the credit card situation and found out who had been using the card, that would have been a big help.”
Six years ago, Jared Chavis went missing under mysterious circumstances in Houston. His family has been tirelessly searching for answers.
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