12/07/2010
Easley may be in North Carolina
NEWS 7 has confirmed Easley was arrested in 1996 for assault with a deadly weapon against a government official.
This corrects an earlier edition with information on the resolution of the weapons charge.
The earliest we can trace Jeffrey Easley is to Ayden, North Carolina, just south of Greenville. In 1996, two months shy of his 18th birthday, Easley dropped out of high school after being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon against a government official. He eventually pled to a lesser charge in the case.
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Slide show of missing girl
Missing 12 year old in extreme danger
She was 41. He was 32.
They flirted over the Internet. He sent online kisses and declared her "hot." She thanked him for his patience with her.
Jeff Easley moved into Tina Smith's house in Roanoke County, just across Salem's western border, a few months ago, a neighbor said.
Their love story dissolved Monday with a terrible discovery. A co-worker found Tina Smith slain in her home after she failed to show up at her nursing home job for two days. Her 12-year-old daughter, Brittany Mae Smith, was gone, presumed abducted by Easley and "in extreme danger," according to a state police Amber Alert.
Mother and daughter were last seen alive on Friday, police said.
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Police don't know if missing girl went with man willingly
A missing 12-year-old Virginia girl -- whose mother was found dead inside their home -- is believed to be with a 32-year-old man the mother met on the Internet, authorities said Tuesday, but they don't know whether she went with him willingly.
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Community waits, holds hope as search continues for missing girl
As the massive search continued Tuesday for missing 12-year-old Brittany Mae Smith of Salem, and an autopsy was being conducted on her mother, Tina Louise Dyer Smith, relatives and friends in South Boston prayed fervently for the young girls safe return and questioned whether this tragic turn of events somehow could have been prevented.
Roanoke County Police found the body of the 41-year-old former Halifax County resident Monday when they were called to her Fort Lewis Circle home in Salem.
While at the scene, police obtained information indicating Smiths 12-year-old daughter was missing.
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Mom of missing 12 year old leaves chilling final status updates
Police are still searching for 12-year-old Brittany Mae Smith. Tina and Brittany Smith had ties to the Southside. They lived in South Boston before moving to Roanoke several years ago.
Tina's friends say she was too trusting, but that they never expected someone as kind as she was to be murdered. They say now the focus is on finding her daughter.
Lisa Ennemoser and Mark Lankford have known Tina Smith since they were kids.
"She would give you the shirt off her back, she would do anything to make you laugh," said Ennemoser.
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