Found Deceased MS - Leslie Ann Smith, 39, car found near railroad tracks in Purvis, Hattiesburg, 7 Sep 2021

[GuyfromCanada]

The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing person. Leslie Ann Smith was last seen on Charles Lee Circle on September 7th.

She is a 39 year old white female, 5’11”, 370 pounds with brown hair, Hazel eyes. She was last seen driving a grey Toyota Camry, tag # CVB-6152.

The vehicle was found abandoned this morning, September 10th, on Old Okahola School Road near the railroad tracks. Her personal items were still in the vehicle.

If anyone knows of her whereabouts or has any information, please call Disptch at 601-794-8610 or Crime-stoppers. Please share.

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Missing woman’s car found in Lamar County

The distance is about 9.5 miles.

Google Maps

 

[GuyfromCanada]

Doesn't sound good. Why would Leslie park her car near railroad tracks? Why would she leave personal items in the car? Was she visiting someone? Who does she live with? Does she work?

 

[borndem]

No, it doesn't sound good -- if her car was out of gas, or overheated, etc., she would have taken her purse, bag or whatever to get help to get the car going again. If she was sick on her stomach, or worse, and got out of her car, she would have likely already been found nearby. If she had been rescued by EMC, they probably would have tried to find her wallet for id and insurance, IMO, if her car was nearby.
Did she see someone who appeared to need help -- broken leg, arm, etc., get out of her car to help and was kidnapped?
If it was self-harm, I would think she would have already been found.
Whatever, seems to me, would have had to be sudden and unplanned.

 

[realanastasia]

No, it doesn't sound good -- if her car was out of gas, or overheated, etc., she would have taken her purse, bag or whatever to get help to get the car going again. If she was sick on her stomach, or worse, and got out of her car, she would have likely already been found nearby. If she had been rescued by EMC, they probably would have tried to find her wallet for id and insurance, IMO, if her car was nearby.
Did she see someone who appeared to need help -- broken leg, arm, etc., get out of her car to help and was kidnapped?
If it was self-harm, I would think she would have already been found.
Whatever, seems to me, would have had to be sudden and unplanned.

I mean this without any disrespect, but as she is, according to the missing persons report, a woman of large stature, it seems to me there is a somewhat lower likelihood of her being targeted for a random abduction (my presumption is that a would-be abductor on the prowl would be more likely to target a small—and presumably easier-to-overpower—victim). I think it may be the case that she exited the car for whatever reason (physical sickness or mental condition, possibly), walked into a nearby secluded area, and just hasn’t been found yet. Another hypothesis is that perhaps she intentionally ended her life by letting a train hit her, but I would expect that the conductor or engineer of a train that hit someone would’ve reported it. I’m not sure that these tracks are even in use anymore—does anyone on this thread happen to know?

 

[Knox]

The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing person. Leslie Ann Smith was last seen on Charles Lee Circle on September 7th.

She is a 39 year old white female, 5’11”, 370 pounds with brown hair, Hazel eyes. She was last seen driving a grey Toyota Camry, tag # CVB-6152.

The vehicle was found abandoned this morning, September 10th, on Old Okahola School Road near the railroad tracks. Her personal items were still in the vehicle.

If anyone knows of her whereabouts or has any information, please call Disptch at 601-794-8610 or Crime-stoppers. Please share.

Log In or Sign Up to View

Missing woman’s car found in Lamar County

The distance is about 9.5 miles.

Google Maps

The RR tracks are @ Sandy Run & Old Okahola Road. Pretty deserted area to dump a car. Did Leslie Ann know anyone in that area? Would she have been taking a short cut to reach Highway 11?

 

[mlhenn]

I’m not sure that these tracks are even in use anymore—does anyone on this thread happen to know?

http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/planning/maps/Rails Map/Rails Map 2015 Front Side.pdf

This may help.

 

[mlhenn]

So she was last seen Tue, Sept 7 and her car was then found today, Sept 10. And it’s a little under 10 miles from the two locations, correct?

Do we know when she was REPORTED missing?
Was it Tuesday or not until this morning once her car was found?

 

[mlhenn]

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Metro CrimeStoppers Hattiesburg MS

 

[GraceG]

I hope they've thoroughly checked the area around where the car was located. I'm leaning towards a medical event and she left her things and wandered off, confused. Almost 40, she is 200 pounds over a normal weight for her height. I don't say that to shame but medically it puts her at high risk for heart attack or ischemic stroke, even at age 39. When my Dad had his stroke (normal weight but a lifetime of high blood pressure) it didn't manifest itself as you'd think and the rest of the family just thought he was overtired. But he was confused and kept trying to wander off, not something he'd done in his early 70's. I caught him wandering out the door at 2 a.m. in his pajamas, slightly off balance and called EMS. It was a stroke (he survived to live to age 101).

 

[TTF14]

Wonder how deep these three small bodies of water are: Google Maps

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I hope they've thoroughly checked the area around where the car was located. I'm leaning towards a medical event and she left her things and wandered off, confused. Almost 40, she is 200 pounds over a normal weight for her height. I don't say that to shame but medically it puts her at high risk for heart attack or ischemic stroke, even at age 39. When my Dad had his stroke (normal weight but a lifetime of high blood pressure) it didn't manifest itself as you'd think and the rest of the family just thought he was overtired. But he was confused and kept trying to wander off, not something he'd done in his early 70's. I caught him wandering out the door at 2 a.m. in his pajamas, slightly off balance and called EMS. It was a stroke (he survived to live to age 101).

Per WDAM7, “deputies searched the woods surrounding where the car was found but did not find Smith,” so I’m assuming she would’ve been located if she was in the vicinity/hadn’t wandered too far.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

No, it doesn't sound good -- if her car was out of gas, or overheated, etc., she would have taken her purse, bag or whatever to get help to get the car going again. If she was sick on her stomach, or worse, and got out of her car, she would have likely already been found nearby. If she had been rescued by EMC, they probably would have tried to find her wallet for id and insurance, IMO, if her car was nearby.
Did she see someone who appeared to need help -- broken leg, arm, etc., get out of her car to help and was kidnapped?
If it was self-harm, I would think she would have already been found.
Whatever, seems to me, would have had to be sudden and unplanned.

One possibility could be that she got out of her car to help someone else whose vehicle might’ve appeared stalled on the tracks and then been abducted. That would explain the proximity of her vehicle to the railroad tracks as well as why the search of the area failed to turn up clues to her whereabouts. MOO.

 

[mlhenn]

I cannot find any additional media attention concerning Leslie disappearing or any update of any kind.

 

[Deleted member 269000]

I’m blanking, but wasn't there a case or two a while back where the vehicle of a missing woman was found at some RR tracks? In at least one it appeared after she had been reported missing and word started to get out IIRC.

 

[AmandaSkis]

Is there an ex bf or spouse?

 

[Unsolved]

I’m blanking, but wasn't there a case or two a while back where the vehicle of a missing woman was found at some RR tracks? In at least one it appeared after she had been reported missing and word started to get out IIRC.

There's probably more, but this case makes me think of two more - Cieha Taylor (FL) and Bruce Jacobs (OK). Sadly neither of those located yet either.

 

[KsGigi]

I mean this without any disrespect, but as she is, according to the missing persons report, a woman of large stature, it seems to me there is a somewhat lower likelihood of her being targeted for a random abduction (my presumption is that a would-be abductor on the prowl would be more likely to target a small—and presumably easier-to-overpower—victim). I think it may be the case that she exited the car for whatever reason (physical sickness or mental condition, possibly), walked into a nearby secluded area, and just hasn’t been found yet. Another hypothesis is that perhaps she intentionally ended her life by letting a train hit her, but I would expect that the conductor or engineer of a train that hit someone would’ve reported it. I’m not sure that these tracks are even in use anymore—does anyone on this thread happen to know?

I live less than a mile from these tracks. They are still in use. I get held up by a train a couple times a months at least. Leslie’s daughter and my youngest daughter used to be very close friends a couple years ago. Her daughter stayed at my house all the time. But I only ever actually met Leslie once. We lived in the same trailer park just maybe 2 trailers apart. So I seen her in her car all the time when she’d come to tell her daughter something or whatever. I seen her car at the tracks before it was found. But as the tracks are right by a bridge and river where people park and swim all the time I thought nothing about it except that it was parked on the opposite side of where people usually park. But i didn’t know she was missing at the time. Her daughter and my daughter aren’t really friends anymore as we moved outta that trailer park in 2019 when our finances improved some. (It’s not a nice place to live but wasn’t unsafe just we were all pretty poor. As is everyone who lived there) According to someone in leslies family leslies BF reported his gun stolen 4 days before Leslie went missing. Leslie wasn’t the type of person to run off or go places without letting someone know. I know Leslies dad lived with them too so someone always knew when she was leaving and a general idea of where and when she would be back. She was by all accounts a home body. I do not believe she killed herself if she had jumped in front of a train there would be evidence. She is a big woman. The bridge is not high at all and while jumping COULD cause death it wouldn’t be a definite or smart way to try to end it. The water also isn’t very high. And while there are trees and there is a small patch of wooded area it’s not much of one. She would have most definitely been found by now. They were out there searching on sept 11 and that’s how I found out she was missing as I didn’t know til after I wasn’t part of any searching her daughter is only 16 or 17 I can’t remember if she is my daughters age or a year older. I hope she is found soon.

edited to add that the trains are not frequent by any means. So even though the tracks are in use that also wouldn’t be much of a plan as a means of suicide. Bc parking there with hopes in jumping in front of a train would give you possibly a very long wait. And just so people know the trailer park they lived in and the road I live on now (which is the road her car was found on) is about a 10 minute drive from each other. It’s also a very well traveled road with houses all along it. We don’t live in an isolated area where people would go to be alone or anything. Cars drive through all day and night and the car was right by the road.

 

[KsGigi]

The RR tracks are @ Sandy Run & Old Okahola Road. Pretty deserted area to dump a car. Did Leslie Ann know anyone in that area? Would she have been taking a short cut to reach Highway 11?

The road isn’t isolated. I live on old Okahola school road. Her car was found less than a mile from my house. Leslie knew people all over Purvis and the tracks the car was found next to is also a swimming area that cars park at daily. Her car wasn’t hidden or trying to be obstructed in anyway. I seen the car before it was “found” but I didn’t know she was missing or that anyone was. It wasn’t suspicious simply because rarely are there NOT cars parked around there. You know? I found out she was missing on the 11th after passing by seeing a ton of cars and finding out it’s a search party. There are houses within walking distance of the tracks and there is even a some old electrical plant a 1/4 mile away having major work done to it so people are there from 5 am til 5 pm. Traffic is pretty much non stop 24/7 and it’s also a cut off used to get from “old highway 11” to “highway 11” so if she or whoever was driving her car was, in my best guess, using it as a cut off to get to her house maybe. She lives about 10 min drive from here. I just looked it up to be exact. I used to live in the same trailer park as she did. It’s 4.7 miles which is according to google a 7 minute drive. And as she was coming from Hattiesburg it would make sense for her to take Okahola as a cut off. Lots of people do it bc highway 11 tends to have road blocks fairly often. I’m not great with direction but I think it’s quicker also.

 

[KsGigi]

Her fam

Per WDAM7, “deputies searched the woods surrounding where the car was found but did not find Smith,” so I’m assuming she would’ve been located if she was in the vicinity/hadn’t wandered too far.

Her family/friends also searched on the 11th. That’s how I found out she was missing. I would think they would have found her if she was in the area. It is not a densely wooded area.

 

[KsGigi]

I cannot find any additional media attention concerning Leslie disappearing or any update of any kind.

Me either! So much coverage on Gabby petito and I’m glad that is getting coverage but non on Leslie. It’s sad and ridiculous.