CA CA - Vanessa Dawn Smith, 15, Winton, 31 May 1997

[CherylAoife]

Source & photos: Merced County Sheriff's Office https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/46519-merced-county-sheriff-asks-for-public-s-help-with-the-1997-cold-case-of-missing-15-year-old-winton-girl-vanessa-dawn-smith

June 1, 2023 – Merced County Sheriff's Office officials report that on May 31, 1997, at 7:00 p.m., Vanessa Dawn Smith left her home in
Winton for a walk and never returned. The search for Vanessa remains ongoing, and her family, friends, and the authorities are desperate for any information that could help solve this long-standing investigation.

Vanessa was 15 years old when she disappeared, and any information related to her case could be of utmost importance.

If you have any information, please contact our Investigations Bureau at (209) 385-7472. Let us join the community to support the investigation and bring closure to Vanessa's Mother and loved ones.

 

[legalpyro74]

Hello, I am from Merced and have been doing alot of research into Vanessa's disappearance. Would you have any information to provide to add? I am trying to get a group together to compare notes to see if we can't bring Vanessa home! My name is Sara White

 

[CherylAoife]

Hello, I am from Merced and have been doing alot of research into Vanessa's disappearance. Would you have any information to provide to add? I am trying to get a group together to compare notes to see if we can't bring Vanessa home! My name is Sara White

Hi Sara, I don't have any more info - looks like I just shared a press release that had been posted to our local online newsfeed. I don't have any more information that what is in that post.

That said, I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

Cheryl Johnson
Mariposa, CA

 

[legalpyro74]

Hi Sara, I don't have any more info - looks like I just shared a press release that had been posted to our local online newsfeed. I don't have any more information that what is in that post.

That said, I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

Cheryl Johnson
Mariposa, CA

Hi Cheryl! Nice to meet you! I have been collecting notes and comments from multiple websites and this evening I am speaking with a reporter who interviewed the witnesses and he is going to share with me what the witnesses saw. I am hoping I get some decent information. I am also going through Namus and multiple pages on facebook that lists unidentified remains to see if I can get any leads. There are sooo many theories on this case!

 

[CherylAoife]

Hi Cheryl! Nice to meet you! I have been collecting notes and comments from multiple websites and this evening I am speaking with a reporter who interviewed the witnesses and he is going to share with me what the witnesses saw. I am hoping I get some decent information. I am also going through Namus and multiple pages on facebook that lists unidentified remains to see if I can get any leads. There are sooo many theories on this case!

Wow, now I'm getting more interested! I'm from Atwater and still have a lot of friends in the Atwater/Winton area. I have a background in genetic genealogy - DNA - so I'm always looking for a way to tie into that. I wonder what, if any, evidence they collected back then.

 

[Caring1]

A small detail listed in the following article may mark the exact point where Vanessa may have been abducted or possibly even accepted a ride from someone. Seems very rural with many almond tree groves if this map is pinpointing the exact location.

“The walking stick she carried was found at the side of Mercedes Avenue about 200 yards east of Winton Way.”

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 1, 2024

Merced County Sheriff Seeks Any Information from the Public in 1997 Cold Case of Missing 15-Year-Old Winton Girl Vanessa Dawn Smith

Merced County Sheriff Seeks Any Information from the Public in 1997 Cold Case of Missing 15-Year-Old Winton Girl Vanessa Dawn Smith

goldrushcam.com

[...]

There is a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to solving this case. Please help us bring closure to Vanessa's friends and family.

 

[jordanmburke]

Hello, I am from Merced and have been doing alot of research into Vanessa's disappearance. Would you have any information to provide to add? I am trying to get a group together to compare notes to see if we can't bring Vanessa home! My name is Sara White

Hi Sara, my name is Jordan Burke, and my mom and Vanessa’s mom are first cousins. My side of our family was super involved in the investigation from the time of her disappearance onward. My aunt especially. I would love to connect and see if we have comparable information to share!

 

[Benthic Depths]

Hi Sara, my name is Jordan Burke, and my mom and Vanessa’s mom are first cousins. My side of our family was super involved in the investigation from the time of her disappearance onward. My aunt especially. I would love to connect and see if we have comparable information to share!

Jordan,
While you are not listed as an insider I am going to take you at your word and ask this- Had Vanessa's family moved recently prior to the disappearance? Say, within a year?

It was something which appeared in another forum, and I am looking for confirmation either way.

 

[Luce2842]

I'm not sure if you guys have seen this article, where an elderly couple stated they saw Vanessa walking alone that day, no one else was in the area when they drove down it, to look at a vehicle that was listed for sale, however they took a different route back and encountered "suspicious activity" and didn't say anything because they feared retribution etc.

"We saw Vanessa Dawn Smith walking alone that day", Winton residents say - Merced Daily

It’s been 22 years since 15-year-old Vanessa Smith vanished after going for her regular evening walk on Mercedes Avenue in Winton. Vanessa Smith would always go walking with her mother for their evening walk outside of their home on Winton Way along Mercedes Avenue. They both would walk along...

merceddaily.com

 

[Aurora90]

Have the specifics of the “suspicious activity” ever been released? I am so curious.

I also would love to know if this “activity” is why law enforcement is of the belief that she was taken from someone she knew and was familiar with.

 

[spartanx]

This sounds like the neighbor's doing... He knows her routine, capable of catching her on the one day she's alone...
Also, the elderly couple in the neighborhood saw "suspicious activity" that they didn't report immediately for "fear of retaliation"... they think they ran into an opportunistic person who was familiar with her walks with her mom... It could be a neighbor, it could be someone who works in the area, or someone in that area at the time of her walks for whatever reason...
whatever it is
Rest in peace, Vanessa

 

[jordanmburke]

Jordan,
While you are not listed as an insider I am going to take you at your word and ask this- Had Vanessa's family moved recently prior to the disappearance? Say, within a year?

It was something which appeared in another forum, and I am looking for confirmation either way.

Hello, I am new to WebSleuths and just submitted my information to become an insider - stay tuned!

I just spoke to my aunt, and Vanessa and her family were living on the farm in that farmhouse for years before she went missing. They did move several years after her disappearance, but they had been at the property for some time before she disappeared. Vanessa's grandfather was the caretaker of the property, responsible for working the farm, and Vanessa's family helped care for the land and lived in the house.

 

[Benthic Depths]

Hello, I am new to WebSleuths and just submitted my information to become an insider - stay tuned!

I just spoke to my aunt, and Vanessa and her family were living on the farm in that farmhouse for years before she went missing. They did move several years after her disappearance, but they had been at the property for some time before she disappeared. Vanessa's grandfather was the caretaker of the property, responsible for working the farm, and Vanessa's family helped care for the land and lived in the house.

Thank you so much, both for initiating the insider process (and getting the respect your participation deserves), and for answering the original question.

That she had lived there for a significant period prior to her abduction means we can lower the the Run-Away probability to less than 1-2%, and save the time and energy of looking for phantom suspects (boyfriends, groomers, stalkers from the old neighborhood.) It also gives us solid ground in assessing the motives of the people making that assertion in other forums. *

*I am staring at this- and I can't tell if my tone is appropriate, or at odds with my deeply felt appreciation. I will nuke every part of it but Thank you if the latter, but leaving this up for now.

 

[jordanmburke]

I understand!

I can say from what I know as a family member close to the case, with 100% certainty, Vanessa did not run away. She was shy, sheltered, incredibly close to her mother, and she was afraid of the dark. With all of the evidence the family has in context with the situation, it’s just not possible.

There are rumors my family has been approached with over the years, with one predominant theory of what happened to her that night. There is a suspect that police were aware of years ago, someone who lived in the area and had been investigated for crimes against young women in the past. From what my family was told, the police just didn’t have enough evidence to pursue an arrest. Unacceptable and infuriating from what I have come to learn.

I’m continuing my quest for justice for Vanessa in the new year, and will keep you updated on new findings/any movement of the case forward.