CT CT - Connie Smith, 10, Salisbury, 16 July 1952

[docwho3]

Pardon me for asking what may seem a silly question but :Was Connie her complete name or only a nickname for Constance or Consuela etc.? And did she have a middle name?

 

[talelights]

Interesting that you asked that, the official poster published by the family in 1952 said only Connie Smith, age 10. I but I have heard her that she might have been named Constance. She was born in Newcastle, WY.

 

[docwho3]

Interesting that you asked that, the official poster published by the family in 1952 said only Connie Smith, age 10. I but I have heard her that she might have been named Constance. She was born in Newcastle, WY.

I was running a simple web search on the name Connie Smith and I kept finding people with that name that used Connie only as a nickname. Then it dawned on me that there might be more info somewhere under the correct name if it was other than just Connie.

Example of a Connie Smith with the name of Consuelo:
(That seems to be her married name unless she would choose to keep her maiden name. I don't at all think this example is the Connie Smith but it is an example of names as I spoke of above.)
http://resource.realtor.com/display/?id=15658299&

While I am on the subject of this missing lady:I realize that it may not seem likely that a 10 yr. old young lady would survive out on her own like that, but without a body I suppose we ought to keep that possibility in mind.

I don't suppose there was ever any SS# activity either?

 

[shadowangel]

I was running a simple web search on the name Connie Smith and I kept finding people with that name that used Connie only as a nickname. Then it dawned on me that there might be more info somewhere under the correct name if it was other than just Connie.

While I am on the subject of this missing lady:I realize that it may not seem likely that a 10 yr. old young lady would survive out on her own like that, but without a body I suppose we ought to keep that possibility in mind.

I don't suppose there was ever any SS# activity either?

Other than some unsubstantiated reports, Connie just walked off the planet, seemingly. As she was the granddaughter of the former governor of Wyoming, this was huge news at the time. There are dozens of reports about Connie's disappearance in the news archives. Among the first reports are of a girl who claimed to be Connie found in the mid-west, but who was proven to be a "mentally disturbed" runaway.
It was often said that though Connie was only 10, she easily passed for a girl in her mid- to late-teens.

 

[shadowangel]

I do have a connection at the local paper here, she wrote a fifty-year anniversary piece on the Connie Smith case. I'll contact AZ papers to see if we can get some interest going. Might be worth a shot. Also, I think that girl, who was reported to be in the car with Pope when "they" picked up Connie might have been from Rhode Island. Lets check for any missing girls in the same time frame in Rhode Island.

Checking my notes, I found a report of a girl who went missing from Newport Rhode Island in August of '52. 17 year-old Dianne Butler was reportedly friendly with a military member from Newport, but no definite connection could be established. She packed her things and left home. Her mother reported she was a redhead but may have dyed her hair black. LE sent out a 13-state alert for her. In my notes I have "mid-west", but can't remember why. I found the original report in NewspaperArchives this morning, but there is no mention of what state(s) she was thought to be travelling to.
Interestingly enough, I had forwarded this girl's report to S. Pettem as a possible Boulder Jane Doe match.

 

[talelights]

Wow, now what a connection with Miss X in AZ that could be. Is there any information or discription of what the missing girld looked like besides the red hair? Height? weight?

Family memebers left?

 

[shadowangel]

Wow, now what a connection with Miss X in AZ that could be. Is there any information or discription of what the missing girld looked like besides the red hair? Height? weight?

Family memebers left?

5' 4", about 110 pounds, with brown eyes. Mother is mentioned by name, Chamah Butler, of 3 Bull St, and a step-father, Paul. She was believed to be wearing pearl earrings and a silver "friendship" ring. It was noted that she frequently wore "small bandages on her feet". (?)
The article has a picture, I'll e-mail you.

 

[shadowangel]

If Pope stated in his confession that the other girl in the car, known to him as Wilma Simms, had a husband in the military, then Dianne still fits with what we know...She may have been following her boyfriend who was in the military and originally from the same town as her. It would be interesting to find out where he was stationed....

 

[shadowangel]

Two interesting things I found today...An article from August of '53, in which the father of Connie, Peter F. Smith, comments on the search for Connie. He states, "...all trails lead to Los Angeles". At this point, I can't find any obvious reason for this statement. Seems something may have been known at the time which was never publicly released (?)

I found an article from July 31st, 1952 about Connie's disappearance. Next to the article was another article about a young girl who was found dead in Oklahoma. The girl, believed to be a brunette (and thus named "Brunette X") was believed to be 13 or 14 years old. She had been decapitated, her hands and one foot severed, and the letters "R A T" crudely carved into her chest. Her body was located in a dry creek bed near the town of Yukon. I haven't been able to find anything else as of yet about this unfortunate young lady.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Two interesting things I found today...An article from August of '53, in which the father of Connie, Peter F. Smith, comments on the search for Connie. He states, "...all trails lead to Los Angeles". At this point, I can't find any obvious reason for this statement. Seems something may have been known at the time which was never publicly released (?)

I found an article from July 31st, 1952 about Connie's disappearance. Next to the article was another article about a young girl who was found dead in Oklahoma. The girl, believed to be a brunette (and thus named "Brunette X") was believed to be 13 or 14 years old. She had been decapitated, her hands and one foot severed, and the letters "R A T" crudely carved into her chest. Her body was located in a dry creek bed near the town of Yukon. I haven't been able to find anything else as of yet about this unfortunate young lady.

I remember just recently reading something about the girl with RAT carved into her chest. I'll see if I can go back through some notes and see what I have.

As to why Connie's father said all trails lead to Los Angeles, I haven't a clue. Perhaps at the time he was interviewed, the police were focusing on a possible suspect with ties to LA?

 

[talelights]

Two interesting things I found today...An article from August of '53, in which the father of Connie, Peter F. Smith, comments on the search for Connie. He states, "...all trails lead to Los Angeles". At this point, I can't find any obvious reason for this statement. Seems something may have been known at the time which was never publicly released (?)

Peter Smith went to Los Angeles to appeared on the popular daytime TV show, The Art Linkletter Show, where he was able to get the story of his missing daughter national exposure in hopes of having people come forward with information on the case. I think she might have been one of the first few to have that type of coverage. Some tips did came forth from the show and all the printed posters that were sent around the country, but it did little to help find the missing ten-year-old Connie Smith.

Mr. Smith was also in California to speak to someone who had worked at the summer camp where his daughter was last seen hoping for some additional clues to her case.

 

[talelights]

I can not help but wonder, why a girl would leave her summer camp so early in the morning before breakfast and head towards a town she did not know?

Her grandparents and mother were located more than two hours away by car, and her father back in WY. It would be a while before she would eat since she missed breakfast if she were going to be picked up by her mother or grandparents.

Even if she were homesick, would she know how to call home using a payphone? Why not ask at one of the houses she stopped at to get direction to town why not ask to use the phone to call home? I think I read she had no money with her, but does that mean no change? And since the town did not have rail or bus service, what then?

Maybe a tentmate of her or even someone who has had some childhood camping experiences will read this and fill us in. I don't get it.

I know she liked horses and did ride at camp. Her father said she liked to ride go off by herself and spend the night back home on the ranch. But in a place she did not know? Certainly more town than she came from.

And I think there was to be a horse show in town within the next few days or week, I even think the camp was involved with the show. Could she be looking to go out riding instead of playing nice with her tentmates?

Or was she on a mission of some kind to tell something to someone?

 

[shadowangel]

The implication from the various websites where Connie is listed is that she was unhappy with her campmates and was homesick. I agree, though, it seems unlikely that a 10 year-old would walk away into the unknown for those reasons.

That she was allowed to walk away while being observed by a member of the camp staff raises serious questions. Could something have been going on that caused her to leave?

The flowers have me thinking a different direction. She is always spoken of as being mature for her age...Maybe she was supposed to meet someone?

 

[smile22]

maybe someone visiting the camp befrended her and said meet me at this place maybe that person saw how lonsome she was and knew she was an easy target. that person then decided after meeting her to grab her and do whatever with her. anything could have happend btw did connie have any other siblings or cousins or was she an only child

 

[talelights]

The person who saw her walk away was not a staff member for the camp but a groundskeeper, not that that makes a difference, maybe. Often Counselors would walk to town on their day off and maybe that is where Connie got the idea, but did not know how far or where it was.

She certainly was on a mission, having nothing to eat, no money and left early before anyone would find her missing. Wonder if her tent mates reported her missing or???

The weekend before was Connie's tenth birthday. Maybe homesick is what was happening. She was to be in camp for another week or so, a month in total. The camp discouraged calls from the girls to home even though a phone was available given permission. There is no report of her asking to use the phone, however.

The camp wanted to seem safe to parents so as not to discourage them from sending their children to the camp. Even now "they" are very protective of the camp and what happened that day in 1952.

I wonder too, if her tent mates, many from a big city like New York and she from a small town out the West, could they have made fun of her?

While a report says she was mature for her age, did they mean body wise?

Connie she wore glasses that were found broken in her tent. Sounds like some kind of an altercation that may have gotten out of control. A little rougher than needed to be, but no one wants to admit to it. Maybe the camp staff didn't know... and the tent mates made a pact. Could the tent mates have felt they would really be in trouble, if the reason Connie left and got lost were because of what they did to her? Remembering they were ten-year-olds, on their own, and away from parents. Tricks were pulled, and some not being nice either. Feeling could and would have been hurt, misunderstandings especially for an outsider.

Or was it an adult that ???

 

[shadowangel]

Tricks were pulled, and some not being nice either. Feeling could and would have been hurt, misunderstandings especially for an outsider.

Or was it an adult that ???

As you informed me, the camp director stated he saw Connie the night before she left, going to the nurse's office---He saw she was upset, and put his arms around her to comfort her.
This part of the story chills me...Why say this? To explain why someone may have seen him with her?

 

[2sisters]

On charleyproject it says she was well developed and looked older than her age.

 

[shadowangel]

On charleyproject it says she was well developed and looked older than her age.

Precisely. I found a pic of her today in the archives which looks nothing like the Doe Network pic. She looks to be in her teens. Makes one wonder...And, I think these girl camps had to attract pedophiles like fllies to honey. No one really thought of such things in this time frame. There were always staff and maintenance positions to fill...OMG, had to be like a pedophile's dream.

 

[docwho3]

The person who saw her walk away was not a staff member for the camp but a groundskeeper, not that that makes a difference, maybe. Often Counselors would walk to town on their day off and maybe that is where Connie got the idea, but did not know how far or where it was. . .

Who was it that saw her when she "asked several people how she could get to Lakeville, Connecticut . . ."?
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_connie.html

I wonder if anyone took names of those witnesses and followed up on them over the years. Maybe one of them has developed a record of bad behavior over the years that might indicate a second look. Or maybe someones story has changed since then.

. . .There is no report of her asking to use the phone, however. . .

Maybe she just wanted to call from town rather than spend another minute in the camp. Or maybe she was angry for having been sent to camp and especially after having that horrid fight with the other girls there. And maybe she thought that a phone call would just give someone a chance to tell her to stay put.

. . .I wonder too, if her tent mates, many from a big city like New York and she from a small town out the West, could they have made fun of her? . . .

"She had an altercation with a group of female campers during the morning of July 16, 1952 and her nose was bloodied from the incident."
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_connie.html
I tend to agree. If her nose was bloodied then it could be she was pretty much rejected by the other kids for some reason.

. . .While a report says she was mature for her age, did they mean body wise? . . .

". . . Smith was well-developed in 1952 and looked older than her age."
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_connie.html
I guess someone thought that was the case.

. . .Or was it an adult that ???

Meaning an adult might have broken the glasses? Any indication of that?

"Smith was seen picking daisies along the roadside and asked several people how she could get to Lakeville,. . ." I wonder who she spoke to? It sounds as if she was basically sound physically other than a sore nose and being without her glasses.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_connie.html

If it had been just those same girls that hurt her before that were the ones that "saw her alongside the road picking flowers" then I would have been asking if they might in fact have done something to her themselves and then used the story of her having left and walked along the road to cause people to look elsewhere instead of really searching the camp area for a body. Since that does not appear to have been the case then I doubt the girls did more than be cruel & cause a young girl to place herself in danger.

 

[talelights]

Yes the neighbor’s names were recorded and questioned. They were women, mostly who were at home (homemakers). Their homes were close to the roadway and not far from the camp entry where Connie had just left; she needed the correct directions to town, as there was a four way stop ahead. She stopped at a second house when once again there was a need to know which way to turn to get to town.

I'd love to get the story from her tent mates now, it's possible they could tell a different story of what happened that night. Was she homesick? It was her birthday a few days before and both her mother and grandmother visited her at the camp that weekend. Her mother said Connie was excited about being in a local horse show, and wanted to stay until then. Or so the story goes. She came from a place where horses were a way of life, and something she may have done daily back home. Could she be heading to where the camp horses were kept so she could get out and ride to clear her head? Something to think about if you're from the West and now stuck in a camp in the Northwest hills of Connecticut.

The glasses may have gotten broken in the tent either in the roughhousing or when she fell and hurt her hip. She went to the nurse tent for an ice bag and was to return it the next morning, but failed to do so. It was found in her tent.

The story of her picking flowers somehow took on a life of it’s own. There was never any indication she was picking flowers. She was seen crying and upset. Her mother told reporter or the police that Connie had been known to pick flowers and make daisy-flower necklaces like young girls will do in summer. That is the only mention of her with flowers. A newspaper wrote that and now it has become part of the myth of her last days.

There were known pedophiles working in area camps. Don’t know if any were at this camp, no mention of it that I saw. However other camps personnel were questioned. This camp was very concerned about its reputation with the well-to-do parents who sent their children to this camp.

It could be possible that she meet someone on that road, a main artery to New York State. The camp is a little more than one hundred miles from NY City. Many camp workers were from NY and brought were happy to work in the cooler slower paced country.

It has been relatively recent that LE has taken an interest in the missing and runaways. In the late fifties, only five or six years after the end of WWII, cops job was to investigate and stop crime, patrol towns and rural areas that were without their own police departments. Runaways or missing people were considered "family matters" nothing LE needed to get involved they would come home when they were ready.

Lucky this girl’s family had strong political connection, her grandfather was a former Governor of WY and he pulled out all the stops for assistance from the military, LE and the Connecticut Governor. Her father spent days, weeks and months searching the woodlands, fields, lakes and streams by plane and horseback. The State Police ordered special patrols just to look for her, at least until the weather turned ugly in winter.

Connie Smith was one of the first “poster children” thousands of printed posters were sent across the country to LE, forest rangers and anyone who would request some. A $3000.00 reward, by her parents, for finding her dead or alive stood for the first year, her grandfather renewed the reward the next year.