NC - Chance Douglas Smith, 6, found attacked in pasture, later dies of injuries, Locust, 13 Dec 2003

[aThousandYearsWide]

Chance Douglas Smith

Victim or Case Name and Number: Chance Douglas Smith

Crime Committed or Inflicted: Murder

Crime Date: 12/13/2003

City/County: Locust, Stanly County

State: North Carolina

District: Southern Piedmont

Description:
On Saturday, December 13, 2003 at approximately 3:49 p.m., 6-year-old Chance Douglas Smith was reported missing from his grandfather's residence located in Locust.

Volunteers, police, and firefighters searched for Chance and located him at approximately 11:30 p.m. in a pasture near the residence where he had last been seen. He was transported to Stanly Memorial Hospital. He died in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 14, 2003.

The investigation revealed that Chance was killed in a location other than the horse pasture where his body was found. SBI assistance to the investigation was requested and several SBI agents conducted numerous interviews and continue to pursue leads as they arise.

If you have information about this case, call the Locust Police Department (704) 888-4744. If you have information about this case or any unsolved case in North Carolina, please contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, (800) 334-3000

NCSBI - Chance Douglas Smith

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

"...after almost eight hours of looking, at 11:30 p.m., one of those volunteers — a Charlotte-Mecklenberg police officer — found Chance, face down in a horse pasture along Scout Road.

Chance was badly injured and barely alive, but because he was alive — even just barely — he was transported to Stanly Memorial Hospital, fifteen miles away in Albemarle.

A race against time
I am sure that both on the way to the hospital and once he arrived, every effort was made to save Chance, but despite those efforts, in the early hours of Sunday, December 14, 2003, Chance Douglas Smith was pronounced dead.

The investigation
With Chance’s death, the investigation that had begun when the police were called out to search for the missing boy continued.

The medical examiner performed an autopsy, and the manner of death was determined to be homicide. It also became apparent that the fatal injury, a blow to Chance’s head, had not occurred in the field where he was found, but was inflicted somewhere else, and his near lifeless body was then dumped in the horse pasture.

To the frustration of the Locust Police Department, when he was questioned it became clear that Chance Douglas Smith’s grandfather was unwilling to share what he knew about the circumstances surrounding Chance’s death.

Chance’s death set in motion a series of events that resulted in the demise of his parents’ marriage. This in turn led his father and paternal grandfather to move to Tennessee, while Chance’s mother moved to South Carolina."

"Chance’s grandfather had been brought back to Locust for questioning, but continued to be less than cooperative. Of Chance’s grandfather the police chief said:

“We know he knows who it is, but for what reason he is not willing to cooperate with us.” — Mike Haigler, Police Chief of Locust Police Department"

Chance Douglas Smith

 

[LadyL]

It seems pretty clear that either the grandfather or father killed him IMO. Imagine he was still alive knowing that not only did someone he knew and loved hit him in the head but disposed of him in a field. He must've been so scared.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Chance Douglas Smith

 

[MimosaMornings]

Who is the grandfather protecting?

 

[borndem]

- Does anyone know anything or has anyone said anything personally about this little boy?
- Favorite snack, favorite story, favorite game, or favorite toy?
- Did anyone know him or love him enuff to say what kind of little guy he was?
- Any cousins, aunts, uncles, Sunday School teachers, neighbors, or playmates to tell the world about him?
- Or was he just in the way and needed to be gone?
- At least we know his dog loved him... SMH
- Maybe there were many good words, and they just got lost somewhere.
Damm, this is sad.
So glad he has been at peace for all these years.

 

[StarrChance]

A little about him in this article

Ancestry has a birth record but parents aren’t named, don’t think I have seen that before. There was one newspaper that had a relative named but can’t find it atm, will look again.

 

[StarrChance]

Grandfather name in this article

 

[MimosaMornings]

Heather Braswell

“Special Cousin Chance Smith”

 

[ChatteringBirds]

It's been too many years without justice.

@borndem , you make good points above. Also what about his mother, grandparents, did anyone else in the family ever speak out publically for him?
Maybe the reporting has just been lost to time...

 

[MimosaMornings]

Shirley Jean (Lane) Wallen

 

[StarrChance]

Good job Mimosa, quite the sleuth!

 

[MimosaMornings]

Good job Mimosa, quite the sleuth!

Thank you. There is so little information, it’s very sad.

 

[Julindy]

- Does anyone know anything or has anyone said anything personally about this little boy?
- Favorite snack, favorite story, favorite game, or favorite toy?
- Did anyone know him or love him enuff to say what kind of little guy he was?
- Any cousins, aunts, uncles, Sunday School teachers, neighbors, or playmates to tell the world about him?
- Or was he just in the way and needed to be gone?
- At least we know his dog loved him... SMH
- Maybe there were many good words, and they just got lost somewhere.
Damm, this is sad.
So glad he has been at peace for all these years.

Aww bless him"At least we know his dog loved him" broke my heart,God bless him and his dog

 

[Julindy]

Chance Douglas Smith

Victim or Case Name and Number: Chance Douglas Smith

Crime Committed or Inflicted: Murder

Crime Date: 12/13/2003

City/County: Locust, Stanly County

State: North Carolina

District: Southern Piedmont

Description:
On Saturday, December 13, 2003 at approximately 3:49 p.m., 6-year-old Chance Douglas Smith was reported missing from his grandfather's residence located in Locust.

Volunteers, police, and firefighters searched for Chance and located him at approximately 11:30 p.m. in a pasture near the residence where he had last been seen. He was transported to Stanly Memorial Hospital. He died in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 14, 2003.

The investigation revealed that Chance was killed in a location other than the horse pasture where his body was found. SBI assistance to the investigation was requested and several SBI agents conducted numerous interviews and continue to pursue leads as they arise.

If you have information about this case, call the Locust Police Department (704) 888-4744. If you have information about this case or any unsolved case in North Carolina, please contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, (800) 334-3000

NCSBI - Chance Douglas Smith

 

[Julindy]

That pic of Chance and his dog,chokes me up

 

[Luckyzmom]

Just a shame for this sweet boy and his pup. I bet someone is glad to have that pic.
Rest in Peace Chance it's heartbreaking your life was taken from you when you were just starting out. MOO

 

[borndem]

That pic of Chance and his dog,chokes me up

Same here -- I'm thinking that little boy needed that dog to love him, and maybe the dog needed love, too. So glad Chance had the dog.

 

[Luvbugzmama]

Nothing adds up. How could the grandfather think it was nothing more than an accident? I mean big maybe here but the boy could have fallen hit his head in the woods then staggered to the field but I don’t know the location layout of house, woods to field found. Plus the lack of cooperation by family is fishy. Do we have autopsy details? I’m new here and to this whole online sleuthing.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Welcome to WS @Luvbugzmama .. great post