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

[Seek&Find]

Wow. That is a lot of coke. Also 75,000 dollars ain't too shabby either. Why was Gavin (family man despite recent troubles as well as a professional person in a long time job) involved with these people?

Seek&Find: Did they say where Johnny C.'s warehouse is for shipping? If it is by other warehouses THOSE warehouses should have cameras and may catch certain cars going in and out.

Honestly, it sounds like JC would have a bunch of connections, possibly dozens and dozens, who could disappear a car within a few hours. One of his associates could have driven it to a chop shop, dismantled it, scattered the pieces in a junk yard or dump...

That article said they'd searched his biz, but didn't specify a location or if it was a warehouse. Wish we knew! Back when we located John's businesses that were listed online, 2rose found the address all had in common was a postal center, like a mailboxes, etc.

 

[Seek&Find]

If anyone wants to grab screenshots from the vids, that'd be awesome! There's a pic of his car with rack on it in one.

 

[2rose]

I think there's only been one potential sighting of Gavin, though, and LE appears to have debunked it.

There has only been one sighting of Gavin that the media has written about. But this article says ...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...-missing-fox-movie-executive-gavin-SMITH.html

"Police have received hundreds of calls about SMITH's whereabouts, with
reports of sightings in Canada, Hawaii & Mexico"

 

[2rose]

If Gavin was killed at the house, it didn't have to be particularly messy, i.e. strangulation

At least one police dog helped in the search of the Creech residence
... but that could have been a drug sniffer or cadaver sniffer or both.
From a previously linked article ...
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_20...break-chatsworth-search-missing-fox-executive

"Sheriff's officials declined to disclose what they were searching for"

The same article says ... "Sheriff's officials said the decision to search the house on Santa Susana Place was a result of their investigation, not a tip from the public"

So I think the info about Gavin's girlfriend (Mrs. Creech) came from his phone records &/or the Smith family.

The unspecified felony at the Creech house could refer to a murder but could also refer to a drug crime. Absolutely no mention is made of what the dogs may or may not have sniffed out. Are police withholding info or can we assume that police didn't find any drugs or signs of a cadaver ?

 

[JodyMT]

If Gavin was killed anywhere, it would take more than one person to dispose of his body. So whoever may have killed him had to have help getting rid of it.

 

[Seek&Find]

There has only been one sighting of Gavin that the media has written about. But this article says ...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...-missing-fox-movie-executive-gavin-SMITH.html

"Police have received hundreds of calls about SMITH's whereabouts, with
reports of sightings in Canada, Hawaii & Mexico"

Yes, only one the media ran with and it was later debunked. Per LE, all reports have been cleared, meaning not found to be credible.

Your link's broken, but it looks like this is the article:

Police have received hundreds of calls about Smith’s whereabouts, with reports of sightings in Canada, Hawaii, and Mexico. But “it was obviously not him,” O’Brien says

link

 

[Seek&Find]

If Gavin was killed anywhere, it would take more than one person to dispose of his body. So whoever may have killed him had to have help getting rid of it.

They were pretty evenly matched in size, and most of the cases here involve one killer who handles disposal alone. He didn't have to have help, but he may have had help. If so, I hope LE finds any and all involved.

 

[Seek&Find]

At least one police dog helped in the search of the Creech residence
... but that could have been a drug sniffer or cadaver sniffer or both.
From a previously linked article ...
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_20...break-chatsworth-search-missing-fox-executive

"Sheriff's officials declined to disclose what they were searching for"

The same article says ... "Sheriff's officials said the decision to search the house on Santa Susana Place was a result of their investigation, not a tip from the public"

So I think the info about Gavin's girlfriend (Mrs. Creech) came from his phone records &/or the Smith family.

The unspecified felony at the Creech house could refer to a murder but could also refer to a drug crime. Absolutely no mention is made of what the dogs may or may not have sniffed out. Are police withholding info or can we assume that police didn't find any drugs or signs of a cadaver ?

Yes, so far I haven't seen anything to indicate what kind of dog/dogs were used. The sealed search warrant did indicate a felony, and there are a range of felony crimes, but Lt. Dolson did say at the search that it was related to Gavin's disappearance. So if it was a drug felony, murder, or any other felony, they suspect it relates to Gavin.

I don't think they'd spend eight hours searching in the house if it was solely a drug-related felony. With a sealed search warrant, not identifying what led them to the Creech home, or what was removed from it, they're clearly keeping the investigation close to their vests. I don't think we can assume anything. If it was a cadaver dog, for example, even if they found a suspicious spot, they'd collect samples and send them for analysis before they concluded anything.

Moo

 

[JodyMT]

Reading over an old article again this quote from one of Gavin's friends jumped out at me.
The last day Smith was seen he had told his son, Evan that he had decided to leave the family, reports the Daily Beast.

“Evan stopped talking to his dad,” D. Gordon Van Tassell, a long-time friend of Smith's said. “He was pissed at him and didn’t want to talk to him, and that really hurt Gavin’s feelings. That was really painful. Now, was he heart-broken enough to drive off a cliff? No way. He was hurt; he was concerned. All of the things we feel when our kids are mad at us. But I know that Gavin really wanted to be with his family and he always had hope that it would work out.”

It sounds like Gavin spoke to this friend about Evan not talking to him. When was this? I thought Gavin just got back from Vegas and went to the person's home where he was staying?

It also sounds like he and Lisa were separated for awhile. Evan did tweet about Gavin leaving the family on April 14th, so why would he inform Evan on the last day he was seen that he was leaving the family if he had already left two weeks prior?

It just seems like a lot happened the last day he was seen. I hope this friend has spoke to police and told them everything he can remember about everything Gavin said to him.

 

[Seek&Find]

Reading over an old article again this quote from one of Gavin's friends jumped out at me.
The last day Smith was seen he had told his son, Evan that he had decided to leave the family, reports the Daily Beast.

“Evan stopped talking to his dad,” D. Gordon Van Tassell, a long-time friend of Smith's said. “He was pissed at him and didn’t want to talk to him, and that really hurt Gavin’s feelings. That was really painful. Now, was he heart-broken enough to drive off a cliff? No way. He was hurt; he was concerned. All of the things we feel when our kids are mad at us. But I know that Gavin really wanted to be with his family and he always had hope that it would work out.”

It sounds like Gavin spoke to this friend about Evan not talking to him. When was this? I thought Gavin just got back from Vegas and went to the person's home where he was staying?

It also sounds like he and Lisa were separated for awhile. Evan did tweet about Gavin leaving the family on April 14th, so why would he inform Evan on the last day he was seen that he was leaving the family if he had already left two weeks prior?

It just seems like a lot happened the last day he was seen. I hope this friend has spoke to police and told them everything he can remember about everything Gavin said to him.

Which article is this from?? I can't find that first quote anywhere?? For copyright & TOS when we quote an article, we have to post a link to the article. Helps your fellow posters too.

There's certainly been conflicting reports re: the days prior to Gavin's disappearance. Hard to tell if it's sloppy reporting or what.

Smith had been staying with his friend for several days, [ Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide division’s Sgt. John] O’Brien said...

Smith attended the film industry convention, CinemaCon, which ended April 18, and he returned to Los Angeles one or two days later, O’Brien said. Instead of going home to West Hills, Smith went 15 miles northeast—to the house of a female friend in a well-manicured cul-de-sac in Oak Park. “They were kind of friends and he was hanging out there for a few days,” O’Brien said. “There was no romance in that at all. Just hanging out with a friend for a couple of days.”

link

On April 22, the last time his buddies saw him, Smith was looking forward to a work trip to Las Vegas the next day.

In the days before he disappeared, Smith stayed at a female colleague’s house in the swanky suburb of Oak Park, 15 miles away. On April 30 and May 1, he worked at the movie studio’s Calabasas office, where he served as a branch manager in charge of distribution in the Oklahoma City and Dallas markets.

link

Ok, per the 2012 CinemaCon schedule, it started April 23 and ran til 11 PM April 26, so it looks like the second article has a more accurate timeline.

Ironically, the conflicting links above are both also DailyBeast. :doh:

 

[2rose]

The last day Smith was seen he had told his son, Evan that he had decided to leave the family, reports the Daily Beast. “Evan stopped talking to his dad,” D. Gordon Van Tassell, a long-time friend of Smith's said ... It sounds like Gavin spoke to this friend about Evan not talking to him. When was this?

This refers to the last day that the son saw Gavin (April 14) ... not the last day that anybody saw Gavin (May 1).

The old time friend was one of Gavin's teammate at Van Nuys High School from 1971 to 1973 & at UCLA in 1973-1974. He was also the one who organized the search that was cancelled in mid May.

This previously posed article ...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...-missing-fox-movie-executive-gavin-smith.html
explains that for the past 5 years Gavin & this friend used to meet with some others TWICE A WEEK for coffee. The article indicates that Gavin and this friend last talked NINE days (April 22) before he went missing (May 1) ... so Gavin's regular routine was changed because he was out of town on a business trip.

I thought Gavin just got back from Vegas and went to the person's home where he was staying?

This is a misconception that was written about early on ... Gavin left the family home April 14 (per son's tweet). Gavin then attended CinemaCon (the annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners) held 23-26 April 2012 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Then he returned to a friend's Oak Park house (not the Smith family home in West Hills) for a few days and went missing the night of May 1 to May 2. LE has confirmed that he was staying for a number of days at a friend's house. I believe the exact statement was quoted here .... so if you search previous messages you should find it.

 

[2rose]

2rose, do you have the date of John & CW's wedding? Just curious how long they've been together

No I do not have an exact date. He was first married in Indiana and then did 5 years jail time, so I think he married CW after 2003. I have wondered which marriage the children in the Creech home originate from, but I don't know their ages.

 

[JodyMT]

Which article is this from?? I can't find that first quote anywhere?? For copyright & TOS when we quote an article, we have to post a link to the article. Helps your fellow posters too.

There's certainly been conflicting reports re: the days prior to Gavin's disappearance. Hard to tell if it's sloppy reporting or what.

link



link

Ok, per the 2012 CinemaCon schedule, it started April 23 and ran til 11 PM April 26, so it looks like the second article has a more accurate timeline.

Ironically, the conflicting links above are both also DailyBeast. :doh:

Sorry, here is the link to the quote: http://www.examiner.com/article/sea...ction-with-missing-20th-century-fox-executive

 

[Salem]

Sorry, here is the link to the quote: http://www.examiner.com/article/sea...ction-with-missing-20th-century-fox-executive

I'm going to let this link stand for now, but I'm going to run it by Admin, so be prepared that it may disappear.

The "examiner" is a hodgepodge of writers and typically we only allow Isabelle here at WS. Occasionally other writers are allowed if it appears they do their homework and don't try to hard to incite the emotions of their readers, kwim?

In any event, the articles are not considered factual and posters are cautioned to read carefully and weigh the articles against what is already known, released by LE or available through MSM. If there are discrepancies, LE and MSM win.

Salem

 

[JBean]

It doesn't really matter if you want to link it for reading-for the heck of it- but don't use it as a backup for factual information, well for that matter don't use it as any kind of source for actual information. Pick apart the inaccuracies if you like and use it as an example of bad reporting if that is what it is.
If the information contained in the article is accurate we should be able to find an MSM article with the same info.
HTH

 

[JodyMT]

Sunday, July 08, 2012
Missing Executive


SYLMAR (CNS) - Acting on information from Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators, the family of missing Fox executive Gavin Smith will canvass a large area of Sylmar Sunday, according to Smith's wife Lisa.

"He's still missing and we're still looking,'' Lisa Smith said. Immediate family, friends and others who join the search will meet at 7a.m. (Sunday July 8) in the parking lot of the Denny's restaurant in the 12000 block of Encinitas Avenue to fan out and hand out fliers in the area of Encinitas Avenue and Roxford Street.

"This is an area where he probably last was and we're going to hit it hard,'' Smith said. "We'll knock on doors and talk to people in Spanish and English, showing them pictures of his car and face, looking for help.''


The 57-year-old former UCLA basketball player left a friend's home in Oak Park between 9 and 10 p.m. on May 1, in his black, 2000 Mercedes 420 E. Gavin Smith is 6 feet, 6 inches tall, with gray hair with blonde highlights, green eyes and a goatee. His family is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to his return. Posted by Ronnie Loaiza

http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/NEWS.html?article=10252602

 

[deca]

Wasn't one of his last pings from the Sylmar area?

Anyway, for those that aren't familiar with Sylmar: It is a suburb of LA and just adjacent (or considered part of) the SF Valley. IIRC, more of a working class type area but the thing that would be most relevant to the case is that it backs up to the mountains on 2-3 sides. There used to be or are also a lot of properties with bigger lots for horses/ shops/ junked cars. I would not be surprised if there was a chop shop in that area.

The mountains in that area are "open space" and typical there are a lot of little trails marked and unmarked that you can use to access the area. Because there aren't a lot of trees and undergrowth people can get easy access. A big drawback is that there are a lot of little canyons, folds and hollows in the mountains that would be good to hide something or someone.

I honestly am surprised they are searching there unless they have more info from LE that we don't have. It is a huge area to be searching when they really don't have much of a direction.

 

[2rose]

note: Wow Sylmar synchronicity ... I had prepared this message early this morning, but then got distracted by work. Now when I come back to post it, I see that other posterss found info about Sylmar too!

This is the explanation given for the search cancellation

I know about the official explanation, I just think it is a weak argument ... if Gavin went off a cliff, then searching some areas is better than searching no areas. If the cliff theory were true, then the reason why the cell phone stopped pinging off towers, would be that it was damaged in the car accident. Cell phone triangulation would give a relatively small area to search.

I think LE has done their due diligence and performed some helicopter searches, but ultimately they have discounted the theory that Gavin went off a cliff. And I think that where the cell phone last pinged led them to that conclusion. LE have not release ANY info about Gavin's cell phone records.

Gavin's sister once made a comment about his "last GPS location" being in Sylmar, CA around 4:30am on the morning of Wednesday 2 May 2012. This was pretty precise info ... but the remark was soon discounted as erroneous. I think the sister made 2 errors:

1-she let slip info that the police did not want released to the the public
2-she confused cell phone pings with a GPS system (which Gavin's car did not have).

My personal opinion is that his obviously distraught sister, perhaps not technically inclined, would place more importance on Gavin's last location, rather than the technical system providing that info ...so the location and time are correct.

Most of Sylmar is generally flat, except for the north section. Sylmar averages about 5500 people per square mile with a 70% Latino population [per wikipedia].

So if the cliff accident theory is discounted by LE, we are left with 2 possibilities:
1-Gavin voluntarily disappeared
2-Gavin was murdered.

While both options are undesirable, I try to keep #1 in mind ... because it would mean that Gavin is still alive and there is hope that the family situation can mend.

 

[Seek&Find]

Sorry, here is the link to the quote: http://www.examiner.com/article/sea...ction-with-missing-20th-century-fox-executive

Thanks, Jody! This links expains why that quote couldn't be found anywhere else. As the mods posted, Examiner.com is not considered reliable due to just this sort of thing. This article says, "The last day Smith was seen he had told his son, Evan that he had decided to leave the family, reports the Daily Beast." If you read the DailyBeast article it's supposedly citing, linked both there and here, it does not say anything like that. It misquotes the examiner's supposed source. It's a significant error. Smith was last seen 5/1. Gavin left the fam & Evan tweeted abt it 4/14. Not the same day.

Given all that, I think we can ignore that info as false. As the mods said, don't take anything at examiner as fact unless it matches with MSM or LE info. Bad reporting is so annoying in these cases!

 

[Seek&Find]

This is the explanation given for the search cancellation from a previously linked article :

Without a specific area to comb for missing*20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith, volunteers have called off a search they had hoped to conduct this weekend.

"After consultations between the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the Gavin Smith family, it has been decided that there will be NO search this weekend," family spokesman Howard Bragman said in a statement to the media. "There is not a specific area of defined interest to make this effort productive at this time."

Per this article:

Daniel J. Teola, an attorney who represents the family, said John Creech was not home at the time of the search, but his wife and children and an elderly woman were there. He said the house had been previously searched about three weeks ago, by a smaller group of deputies.

As the second search warrant for Creech was served Friday, June 8, and the attorney said the previous search was 3 weeks prior, that'd place the first search around May 18. The Gavin search was cancelled May 17. Looks like LE was looking at Creech then. As he was already convicted of the new drug charge at that time, I'm thinking he already had Teola as his attorney. In addition to not having a specific area to search, LE may also be cautious about having info released and citizens searching to protect the case.

<snipped>

So, they cancelled the large, organized search after consultations with LE, and have now organized this large canvass (not a search) of the community of Sylmar with info from LE.

Family and friends of missing 20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith spent Sunday morning passing out fliers in Sylmar as part of their latest push to find the 57-year-old.

Smith's wife, Lisa, told CBS-2 that volunteers were posting fliers showing Smith and his missing Mercedes based on information from detectives...

Smith's sister, Tara Addeo, told the television station that investigators said the last ping from her brother's cellphone came from the area.

"The police have led us specifically to this area," she said.

link

&#8220;We&#8217;re hoping to get information in this very area to lead us to some tips to find Gavin,&#8221; Lisa Smith, Gavin&#8217;s wife, told CBS2&#8242;s Bobby Kaple.

&#8220;We&#8217;ve been working closely with the Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department and our detectives. We wanted to find out what we could do hands-on. And obviously we can&#8217;t search for Gavin but they told us that we could put posters up. They directed us to a good area and this is it. And we&#8217;re gonna branch out. We&#8217;re gonna have a team and we&#8217;re gonna try and get some information,&#8221; she said.

link

Praying the work LE and Gavin's family are doing leads to Gavin.