GUILTY CA - Gavin Smith, 57, Oak Park, 1 May 2012

[JodyMT]

Hi everyone, I am new and am so excited to finally find a place to discuss this case. I admit I am fascinated with this case. I guess I got that way when Evan deleted his twitter message about Gavin leaving the family, then saying his parents were just going through normal stuff.

Why do they always have to lie?

Anyway, I go back and forth believing Gavin is dead to believing he ran off.

The only thing that makes me think he might be dead is that he had a really good, long term job and three kids. Surely he wouldn't want to leave them, but when you are talking about a man who is going through a midlife crisis, anything is possible.

Why I think he ran off:

He obviously left his wife.
His son wasn't talking to him.
He had a girlfriend.
He was behind on his mortgage…where was he putting the money instead…perhaps squirreling it away for his leaving?

The thing that makes me think that he is alive and has been in contact with his kids is Evan's tweets. He was begging everyone for help in finding his dad for two weeks, then those pleas stopped. Who stops looking for their father after two weeks? All searches were called off, that PR guy was hired and the entire family just doesn't seem frantic any longer. Evan has left cryptic messages like "you are just someone I used to know" which seem to be directed at his father.

Evan didn't even say Happy Father's day to his dad. You would think that since he has a dad out there who might be missing or dead, he would tweet how much he loved him, how heavy his heart was or something.

The sense of urgency just seems to be gone. I have to wonder if the police have told the family that they tracked Gavin down or Gavin called and said he wasn't coming back.

I don't know, but I am glad to be here. I have been reading a lot of posts and you guys are really great.

 

[Libralove]

As many in this thread are new, I'll just say posting rumors is against TOS per many mod posts in many threads... I'm sure a mod will clarify here soon.

I am not a mod. Just trying to help.

Oh, okay, sorry. I do have the email from 2 different GS friends, but if it's against the TOS, I understand.

 

[Seek&Find]

Oh, okay, sorry. I do have the email from 2 different GS friends, but if it's against the TOS, I understand.

Per Kimster, one of our admins here

Sorry peeps, no rumors allowed.

If an insider wants to get verified and explain their source confidentially, they can email [email protected]

I am not a mod. Don't know if your rumor posts need to be edited...you might want to pm a mod about that or about becoming a verified local.

 

[Seek&Find]

:wagon:

To JodyMT and all our new posters!

 

[JodyMT]

My question is, was the woman he planned to marry, the 'family friend' he was sweet with and coming to bed soon in Oak Park OR was it CW in West Hills that he planned to marry? And if it was the Oak Park woman, how did CW feel about that with Johnny headed back to jail for a decade or so?

That whole purple pants thing really has me curious. Why would Gavin borrow a pair of pants from his son to sleep in?

Also, I think it is fair to say that these people were not wealthy. I have seen their house and it isn't anything special. They are trying to sell it for far too much; they will never get anywhere near the asking price.

Why was Gavin spending the night with a female friend? Lisa made it sound like she was a family friend, but who knows, she might have just been trying to save face.

I think Gavin was meeting someone that night and I think that person could have been Chandrika. The husband had warned Gavin before to stay away from his wife, maybe he saw Gavin had contacted her and went to meet Gavin himself along with some friends.

I am just speculating, but I have to wonder if we will ever know what happened to this guy.

 

[Salem]

Hi Peeps!

I'm bumping one of Kimster's previous posts. If you do have inside information and would like to talk about it, please follow the instructions for becoming verified at the link.

Thanks!

Salem


Per Kimster, one of our admins here

Sorry peeps, no rumors allowed.

If an insider wants to get verified and explain their source confidentially, they can email [email protected]

 

[Libralove]

That whole purple pants thing really has me curious. Why would Gavin borrow a pair of pants from his son to sleep in?

Also, I think it is fair to say that these people were not wealthy. I have seen their house and it isn't anything special. They are trying to sell it for far too much; they will never get anywhere near the asking price.

Why was Gavin spending the night with a female friend? Lisa made it sound like she was a family friend, but who knows, she might have just been trying to save face.

I think Gavin was meeting someone that night and I think that person could have been Chandrika. The husband had warned Gavin before to stay away from his wife, maybe he saw Gavin had contacted her and went to meet Gavin himself along with some friends.

I am just speculating, but I have to wonder if we will ever know what happened to this guy.

No, they were not wealthy. They had 3 boys and a stay at home mom. She had turned to religion. The house was for sale and it was mentioned that they owed more on it than it was appraised for. So there were financial issues. He should have been making 6 figures, but who knows and who knows what other hidden expenses there might have been for drugs and/or gambling.

Anyone who runs out in their lounging pants at 10 pm is either headed to the convenience store for cream for morning coffee, a packet of weed from a neighborhood dealer or someone called them in an emotional state and needed to talk.

My guess is it was the later and the cell phone records would have been searched and the last calls would be used as potential evidence and part reason for a search of the home where the calls came from.

”The cover pages of a sealed search warrant affidavit said detectives had probable cause to believe that an unspecified felony had been committed at the residence,” the LAT reported.

It was confirmed that Gavin had "left the family" a couple of weeks previously -- mid April, when his son tweeted that he had left them. The financial problems of both the Smith's AND the Creech's have been reported in the media. So both families were struggling financially. It's possible that the majority of the Creech's income came from Johnny's being a middle man drug seller, so with him going to jail, there may not have been any financial back-up for CW.

It takes a long time to build a murder case without a body. I've been listening to Ann Rule's writing about the Thomas Caprano case on tape where he killed Anne Marie Fahey. He planned the murder weeks in advance and it took 16 months for the LE to pull together enough physical evidence to bring him to trial without a body.

All they had was some blood stains and a styrofoam ice chest with bullet holes that floated up from the Atlantic and testimony of the brother who helped him dispose of the loaded and chain-locked styrofoam chest. Caprano was convicted and sentenced to death, but died in prison before he could be executed.

 

[shana]

A most valuable quality of Websleuths resides in its allowing the entertainment of various opinions, free of ad hominem remarks or entire posts devoted to dissing posters for differing POVs. Free exchange drives a discussion and invites participation: Dialogue over Monologue.

Bonus: The board software provides the Ignore option.

Back on case: Teola owns a home but a stone's throw from CW's house. I wonder if there was a tip-off to the search warrant, and someone high-tailed it out of the backdoor to a near neighbor for the ultimate protection, at the time.

Perhaps said person knew he had other charges pending and a sentencing to face.

Would be a darned good reason to skedaddle, IF he had been staying at the home owned by CW, and doesn't necessarily mean his problems with the law are related to the case of missing Gavin Smith.

~jmo~

Then they came for me...and there was no one left to speak out for me.

 

[shana]

It appears that the home was refinanced over time, and that eventually the owner(s) found itself underwater during difficult economic times.

From the beginning, the family (Lisa) had been very clear about Gavin's staying at a friend's house that night. Although possible, it is to me doubtful that this person was anything more than a family friend.

~jmo~

 

[JodyMT]

The house was on the market in 1998 when the Smith's bought it for over $300,000. Now they are trying to sell it for over double that amount. Never going to get it, imo. I read that there were liens against the house. Other than the mortgage, I wonder if maybe the Smith's were the one's who put in the pool and that is one of the liens.

I guess it really doesn't matter though. I do feel sorry for Lisa. I wonder how she is surviving with no income coming in for the past two months.

 

[Seek&Find]

A most valuable quality of Websleuths resides in its allowing the entertainment of various opinions, free of ad hominem remarks or entire posts devoted to dissing posters for differing POVs. Free exchange drives a discussion and invites participation: Dialogue over Monologue.

Bonus: The board software provides the Ignore option.

Back on case: Teola owns a home but a stone's throw from CW's house. I wonder if there was a tip-off to the search warrant, and someone high-tailed it out of the backdoor to a near neighbor for the ultimate protection, at the time.

Perhaps said person knew he had other charges pending and a sentencing to face.

Would be a darned good reason to skedaddle, IF he had been staying at the home owned by CW, and doesn't necessarily mean his problems with the law are related to the case of missing Gavin Smith.

~jmo~

Then they came for me...and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Haven't seen a single ad hominem remark, i.e. one that attacked a poster's character, instead of addressing facts, data, etc within posts, per the WS rule of address the post, not the poster. If there's a post that's dissing anyone, please use the alert triangle at the top right to alert a mod.

Yes, WS is a discussion board, so we banter, sleuth, analyze data, consider and critique theories, state our own opinions, point out facts that may have been missed or might impact or better hone a theory, etc. We can disagree with others' opinions and state why. But we don't discuss moderation, whether we agree with TOS or mod's decisions. For benefit of all our new posters!

Interesting theory re: Teola living nearby. Did MSM report that? Is there a link? I don't think anyone's stated or implied that John's absence from the home during the execution of the search warrant means his "problems with the law" were Gavin related. LE acknowledged that the two search warrants executed at Creech's home were related to Gavin's disappearance.

 

[Seek&Find]

The house was on the market in 1998 when the Smith's bought it for over $300,000. Now they are trying to sell it for over double that amount. Never going to get it, imo. I read that there were liens against the house. Other than the mortgage, I wonder if maybe the Smith's were the one's who put in the pool and that is one of the liens.

I guess it really doesn't matter though. I do feel sorry for Lisa. I wonder how she is surviving with no income coming in for the past two months.

Hadn't really thought about their home's value as so many these days are underwater. Regarding the Smith's finances, I do imagine at least one or more of the twenty search warrants were for Gavin's bank records so they could check for any activity on cards, etc.

Good point re: Lisa & the kids and the financial toll in addition to all the emotions. Could be her church and friends are helping. I hope so, or that there are investments or funds she has access to liquidate. Can't imagine if one had to face foreclosure while searching for a missing spouse and father. Another reason to keep them in our thoughts & prayers.

Perhaps this also plays a role in their silence. Not only to protect the investigation and the family, but all might have jobs now to help with bills...

 

[Seek&Find]

Just a thought...search warrants may also have been obtained for Creech finances. Sometimes that's how they find the all too familiar perp run to Wal-mart to get disposal/clean-up supplies, find disposal sites, place them near a crime scene, etc. Just mentioning as some have wondered abt 20 search warrants. Many may not be for locations, but instead for information.

 

[JodyMT]

I do hope one day all the puzzle pieces are put together so we understand what happened to him, unlike that soldier who was skyping with is wife and just dropped dead. There hasn't been one word about how he died. Everyone shut up quick about that case.

I can understand the family being embarrassed that Gavin was such a player and was having an affair. I hate it when men start acting like horny teenagers around that age.

 

[Seek&Find]

I do hope one day all the puzzle pieces are put together so we understand what happened to him, unlike that soldier who was skyping with is wife and just dropped dead. There hasn't been one word about how he died. Everyone shut up quick about that case.

I can understand the family being embarrassed that Gavin was such a player and was having an affair. I hate it when men start acting like horny teenagers around that age.

Me too. I'm optimistic LE will solve the case. The MSM links from a month after Gavin disappeared made it appear nothing was known and no movement had occurred. Now we know the first Creech search warrant had been issued a couple weeks prior to those articles, and the second issued shortly after. Seems LE is working diligently in the background.

I'd forgotten about that soldier's case! That was odd and suspicious.

I can understand the embarrassment too, and the protectiveness that some might not think him worth looking for if his issues were revealed. It's very sad how much damage unfaithfulness can do to families. Makes me tear up to think of how Gavin's family must feel. The answers may be painful, but the not knowing would be so hard to deal with.

And, yeah, the son's purple sweats was a head scratcher.

 

[Seek&Find]

Pg 6 & 7 links added to Timeline/Media Thread.

 

[Seek&Find]

At the time, Mrs Smith was taking care of her mother who has cancer.

Found this info again while adding links to the other thread. . Wow. I hope Lisa's mother's treatment is going well. So much on Gavin's wife's plate right now.

'My dad's a good guy, a very responsible man, and it all really took hold for us when he didn't show up for work,' he said.

Family members have since been unable to 'ping' the missing man's cellphone, which appears to be off and that his credit cards have not been used since Tuesday night.

A few more pieces from the same article.

 

[Seek&Find]

The LASD Inmate Information Center confirms John Creech in custody, arrested at 10:45 AM, 6/21/12. No bail. "Visitor Status: N". Wonder if that means he's on restriction/no visitors? Lists DOB 2rose found: 7/22/1972. Black hair, brown eyes, 6'1", 195 lbs. Not a small guy. Anyone found a mugshot??

I can't link directly to the info. If interested, use link, and enter First & Last Name.

Also lists next court date as 8:30 AM, 7/26 and courthouse address.

 

[Seek&Find]

But I know that Gavin really wanted to be with his family and he always had hope that it would work out.”

...he hasn’t used his credit cards or cell phone, or withdrawn money from his bank accounts.

Detectives say that although Smith “was very attached to his kids” and they don’t think he would leave them, they have looked into whether he had a secret bank account, cell phone, or a new life insurance policy.* None of it has panned out.*

After his disappearance, police mounted a massive search of the rugged canyons and hills in the area where Smith lived and worked...

...family and friends have passed out fliers and created a website. In some theaters in Los Angeles, a missing person’s poster has been shown before the previews.

Link

A few things that jumped out from prev linked article

 

[JodyMT]

Well, Patrick McDermott managed to disappear without a trace to Mexico. The private detective finally found him from a large group of the same ISP addresses that came into the website set up to find him. I contacted that PI and asked him if he was going to look into this case, but he said no, not until he was invited to. IE: paid.

Oh, and if what is being said is true, with John and Chandrika living separate lives, it doesn't sound like John is the jealous type. If she is going out on her dates and he is going out on his??? This doesn't sound like he might be inclined to want to kill Gavin for dating his wife again.

Who knows though?