TN TN - Valerie Elder Smiley, 43, mom of four, wife, entrepreneur, Chattanooga, 28 Jun 2024

[Knox]

This is such a strange case! I honestly don’t know what to think, how could a person with such a mental condition, evade being found?

 

[Knox]

Any updates?

 

[Marfe]

I can't find any updates, I hope she has returned home safe and sound, but cannot find any info anywhere.

 

[Knox]

Any updates from family on Valerie?

 

[GraceG]

Any updates from family on Valerie?

No, as is often the case IF the missing event was due to a mental health issue the family usually wants to keep it quiet once the person is determined to be safe. Since we've not heard any updates that she is still missing I'm hoping this is the case and she is home, getting help and care as needed.

 

[Cagle]

No, as is often the case IF the missing event was due to a mental health issue the family usually wants to keep it quiet once the person is determined to be safe. Since we've not heard any updates that she is still missing I'm hoping this is the case and she is home, getting help and care as needed.

If you search her name on FB there are posts as recent as five days ago about her still missing. I'm guessing her phone eventually quit pinging since there's no updates about it.

 

[JenaTaoson]

She's still missing.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Son of missing Chattanooga woman speaks out on her birthday, 5 mos. after disappearance

It's been nearly six months since a Chattanooga woman went missing, and there have been no signs since her disappearance. Today was her birthday, and a day that’s typically filled

www.local3news.com

December 18, 2024

*****
Today, she turned 42-years-old. A day that’s typically filled with laughter and celebration was instead a long and quiet day for the Smiley family. For her eldest son, Timetrius Smiley, the days have gone by slowly.

“Time has basically stopped,” he says. “When she left, my world just kind of crumbled.”

*****
Valerie's family hasn't stopped searching for her, and they refuse to give up, waiting for the day she comes home.

"When you get back, we're gonna celebrate,” he says.

*****

 

[CuriousCricket]

From article above: Valerie Elder Smiley was last seen leaving her home Friday, June 18 in a red 2004 Ford Expedition with a Tennessee license plate of 079 BFQD. Nearly half a year later, her family continues to search for her and anxiously awaits the day she comes home.

June 18 was a Tuesday.

 

[mlhenn]

Missing Person / NamUs #MP127923

View NamUs missing persons case MP127923, for Valerie M Elder Smiley, missing from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Date of last contact: Jun 28, 2024. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

Unable to find a recent update

 

[Knox]

Missing Person / NamUs #MP127923

View NamUs missing persons case MP127923, for Valerie M Elder Smiley, missing from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Date of last contact: Jun 28, 2024. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

Unable to find a recent update

Valerie and her car seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. Undiscovered car accident?

 

[Knox]

Bumping for Valerie, any updates from her family?

 

[Knox]

The family has expressed frustration over how the case has been handled by the Chattanooga Police Department.

“It shouldn’t be, ‘Oh well, she’s an adult, she’s fine,’” Lansden added. “No — she’s missing, and we need her home and safe because we don’t know where she is.”

“You’ve got a person that’s out here confused at that time,” said Patrick. “We just needed her located and stopped.”

In the year since Valerie disappeared, her family has tirelessly distributed flyers, followed leads across Georgia and the Tennessee Valley, and used every resource they could to bring her home.

Valerie Elder Smiley has been missing for one year, and her family wants answers

On June 28, 2024, the 41-year-old got into her 2004 red Ford Expedition, planning to attend her twin sons’ baseball game.

www.local3news.com

 

[jillolantern]

Valerie and her car seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. Undiscovered car accident?

Seems like a good bet. If they don't have any better ideas, which they must not, then this is the best hunch to follow. Search in dense brush and waterways. Look for signs of disturbance between the road and the area of interest. IMO

 

[mlhenn]

Valerie M. Elder Smiley – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

Casefile added.

Valerie M. Elder Smiley​

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Details of Disappearance​

Smily was last seen in Chattanooga, Tennessee on June 28, 2024. She left home at about 2:00 p.m. driving her red 2004 Ford Expedition, which has the Tennessee license plate number 079BFQD and a "TSU Mom" sticker on the passenger side door. A photo of the car is posted with this case summary.

She planned to attend her twin sons' baseball game, but never arrived there. Her husband spoke to her on the phone that day and she said she was on her way home, but she never came back home. She has never been heard from again. Her husband called the police to report her disappearance late that evening.

The next day, police tracked the location of Smiley's cellular phone; it was in Fayetteville, Georgia. A day after that, the phone was thirt minutes away from Union City, Georgia. Her family said she might have gone to Georgia to go shopping but wouldn't have traveled as far into the state as this, and that she rarely traveled that far away from home.

Smiley's family doesn't think she would have abandoned her family, which includes four sons, or Sak's Wing Shak, the restaurant business she co-owned. They believe she may be confused because of the medication she was taking, and may not know how to get home. Her case remains unsolved.

 

[bombardier]

Valerie M. Elder Smiley – The Charley Project

charleyproject.org

Casefile added.

"Shortly before her disappearance, Smiley started taking a medication for vertigo and an ear infection. Her family stated the medicine altered her behavior: she was sleeping more, didn't have as much energy, repeated herself a lot and didn't seem like herself."
Anyone with a medical background know what type of medication may be prescribed for inner ear issues that could alter ones behavior?? @BeginnerSleuther if i remember correctly youre an MD, does this sound legit to you?

 

[cujenn81]

"Shortly before her disappearance, Smiley started taking a medication for vertigo and an ear infection. Her family stated the medicine altered her behavior: she was sleeping more, didn't have as much energy, repeated herself a lot and didn't seem like herself."
Anyone with a medical background know what type of medication may be prescribed for inner ear issues that could alter ones behavior?? @BeginnerSleuther if i remember correctly youre an MD, does this sound legit to you?

I had vertigo caused by an inner ear infection in the past year and I was prescribed meclizine. It’s available by prescription, as well as over the counter. It didn’t alter my behavior AFAIK, but it made me a bit drowsy.

I will say there’s no way I could’ve driven when I had vertigo because I felt like I was tilting to the side whenever I sat upright or stood up. It’s a terrible feeling.

 

[killarney rose]

Most likely meclazine. (Sp) It is available over the counter at Dollar General stores as their store brand of Less Drowsy Dramamine. Doctors also prescribe it in prescription form for vertigo. It can make you sleepy.

 

[CuriousCricket]

Most likely meclazine. (Sp) It is available over the counter at Dollar General stores as their store brand of Less Drowsy Dramamine. Doctors also prescribe it in prescription form for vertigo. It can make you sleepy.

I agree with others on here who say they can't drive with vertigo. Since bodies react differently to medications, who can say how hers might have responded to something that is perfectly safe for most people. However, to me, her telephone being used suggests foul play. Perhaps with vertigo, she had to pull over and stop. She may have been wobbly and unsteady - an easy victim for someone.

 

[Centaurus]

There was likely another medication involved. She probably had one medication for the effects of vertigo and one medication for the ear infection. I wonder if she had some sort of reaction?