Found Deceased VA - Ahrea'l Smith 28, Car abandoned w/engine running @ store in Heathsville, 12 Jan 2022 *Arrest*

[Allabouttrial]

Northumberland County Sheriff's Office - Johnny Beauchamp Sheriff

***MISSING*** The Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a 28-year-old female. Ahrea'l Smith was last seen at approximately 9:00 p.m. on January 12, 2022, at the Claraville Little Sue Food Store in Heathsville, VA. Her vehicle was found at the store with the engine running. She was last seen wearing a black Nike hoodie, blue jeans, and brown Ugg boots. Ahrea’l has multiple tattoos, including a rose going up her right thigh. If anyone has any information on Ahrea’l’s whereabouts, please contact Detective Jones with the Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 804-580-5221.

 

[Allabouttrial]

Store Ahrea'l was last seen.

Street view.

Google Maps

 

[swanniee11]

Her FB Log into Facebook
deleted. My error There is a FB group but not by family.

 

[swanniee11]

I wonder if there is CCTV there? We don't know if she drove that car to the food store, it could have been dumped there with the car running and someone took off. Any family talking about where she was prior? IMO

 

[Allabouttrial]

Northumberland County Sheriff's Office - Johnny Beauchamp Sheriff

Vehicle of interest:

This is a stock image but if anyone knows of a similar vehicle in the area (Crown Vic with blacked out windows) please contact our office at 804-580-5221

At this time this is the only Vehicle of Interest.

 

[Allabouttrial]

I wonder if there is CCTV there? We don't know if she drove that car to the food store, it could have been dumped there with the car running and someone took off. Any family talking about where she was prior? IMO

Not that I've seen so far. There is CCTV on the inside for definite.

Northumberland County Sheriff's Office - Johnny Beauchamp Sheriff

THIS SUBJECT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED.
HE IS NOT A SUSPECT AT THIS TIME.
We would like to thank the public in their response.
Help Identify.
We are trying to identify the person of interest in this photograph.
If you think you may know him please contact Detective Jones at 804-580-5221.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Officials say Ahreal Smith was last seen around 9 p.m. on Wednesday at the Claraville Little Sue Store in Heathsville.

Her sister said surveillance footage shows her sister leaving the store, getting into her car. However, all police found were footprints.

"That's my sister. That's all I got. If anybody knows anything, just let her go," Lydia Smith, Ahreal's sister, said.

Police are searching for a Crown Vick car with blacked-out windows that is considered to be a vehicle of interest.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Northumberland County Sheriff's Office at (804) 580-5221.
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/family-searching-for-ahreal-smith-northumberland-county

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Northumberland County deputies look for missing woman | 13newsnow.com

Northumberland County woman reported missing

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Ahrea’l Smith was leaving work at the Little Sue Store in Claraville at around 9 p.m. on Jan. 12 when she started her car, then returned to lock the door to the store and bring a bag of trash to the dumpster, out of view of the store’s security camera.

That security camera footage is the last known sighting of Smith. Her car was found still running outside the store when workers arrived at 4:30 the next morning.

“Please come forward with any information you may have, no matter how significant or insignificant you think it is,” said Beauchamp. “If you drove past the store on the night of the 12th between 9:18 and 4:30 the next morning, and noticed anything at all, please call the sheriff’s office with information.”
FBI getting involved in search for missing Northumberland woman | 8News

 

[Allabouttrial]

Ahrea’l Smith was leaving work at the Little Sue Store in Claraville at around 9 p.m. on Jan. 12 when she started her car, then returned to lock the door to the store and bring a bag of trash to the dumpster, out of view of the store’s security camera.

That security camera footage is the last known sighting of Smith. Her car was found still running outside the store when workers arrived at 4:30 the next morning.

“Please come forward with any information you may have, no matter how significant or insignificant you think it is,” said Beauchamp. “If you drove past the store on the night of the 12th between 9:18 and 4:30 the next morning, and noticed anything at all, please call the sheriff’s office with information.”
FBI getting involved in search for missing Northumberland woman | 8News

That's an even worse scenario than if she'd just popped to the store. IMO.

 

[Allabouttrial]

Ex-boyfriend perhaps? Looks like a rural area so less chance of a stranger abduction, I imagine.

 

[Nadir]

Store Ahrea'l was last seen.

View attachment 329866

Street view.

View attachment 329867

Google Maps

Just a quick correction, that location is in Mathews, Va.
The location Ahrea'l was last seen was in Northumberland county at what is being called a Little Sue, it's also called the Claraville Handy Store located in Heathsville, Va

Google Maps

and an additional image showing it with the Little Sue sign:
Google Maps

 

[imstilla.grandma]

At 9:18 she got briefly into a different car that was in the parking lot. Police said they questioned that driver and do not consider them a suspect.

After that Smith went back to the store, locked it up and turned on the alarm.

The video next showed Smith picking up a trash bag and walking out of the view of the camera. She has not been seen since. A co-worker found her car empty and still idling in the parking lot the next morning.

A state police K-9 unit tracked Smith’s scent for about 50 yards, from the dumpsters to Walnut Point Road.

We believe she got into a vehicle at that point," Beauchamp said during a news briefing Friday.

Investigators said the stretch between 9:18 p.m. on Jan. 12 and 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 13 is of interest.

Smith’s sister, Lydia Smith, also pleaded for anyone with information to come forward during the briefing.

"If anybody knows anything, big, small, whatever, then let us know," she said. "Let us know something. It’s getting cold. My sister’s been gone for almost two days

“If this was your family what would you want somebody to do? Share it on Facebook, every post you see, just keep it moving, every social media," Lydia Smith said. "Somebody knows something. Please help us."
Virginia woman goes missing under suspicious circumstances while taking trash out after work: sheriff

 

[GraceG]

FBI has gotten involved in the investigation. This appears from the wording in the article to have been done at the request of local LE. This is not uncommon if the FBI can offer forensic capability or lab testing of evidence not available. It does not necessarily imply a crime of violence (i.e. a kidnapping) occurred. Not saying it's not a possibility but often they are just called on to offer resources the locals don't have.

 

[Allabouttrial]

Just a quick correction, that location is in Mathews, Va.
The location Ahrea'l was last seen was in Northumberland county at what is being called a Little Sue, it's also called the Claraville Handy Store located in Heathsville, Va

Google Maps

and an additional image showing it with the Little Sue sign:
Google Maps

Thank you!

 

[Allabouttrial]

Yesterdays press conference.

Missing Person Update

 

[Allabouttrial]

Going off @Nadir map and @imstilla.grandma info. I'm going to make an assumption that this is the dumpster Ahrea'l was seen heading towards. Google image is from 2016.

Google Maps

Close up of dumpsters.

Not gonna lie, my eyesight is shocking so can't tell, but could that be a camera above the black car?

 

[Allabouttrial]

Northumberland County Sheriff's Office - Johnny Beauchamp Sheriff

The community has been very supportive of Ahreal Smith's family and some have been physically searching areas. However, please realize the posting of information not vetted by law enforcement and showing up at individuals' homes can hinder our investigation more than it helps. You may inadvertently tip off a person of interest before we can conduct interviews. Please let law enforcement handle the investigation and have faith that we are following every lead and we have many resources being used in this case. Any information you have, please call the Sheriff's office at (804) 580-5221.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sheriff Johnny Beauchamp

 

[JnRyan]

Heathsville is on the sparsely populated Northern Neck of VA. Watermen (oysters and crabs) and vineyards are the only businesses that come to mind outside of farming. US Hwy 360 runs through there and the rest is mostly rural roads. I can't see Heathsville or Northumberland County having an experienced LE presence when it comes to cases like this so having the FBI and VSP help is a good thing to see.

Looking at the store on Google Maps, per post #16 above, there is nothing but open fields behind the store. If she was abducted from there (and I believe she was) that person had to approach over an open field in the dark or someone dropped them off earlier. If I remember correctly it was really cold that night so someone was really desperate to get her if they stayed out there for any length of time. (The person she talked to in the parking lot didn't see anyone at the dumpster?) Sheriff Beauchamp stated that dog teams from VSP tracked her from the dumpster for about 100 yards to a 'Warner Point Road' or similar name. I can't see a road with that name on the Google Maps.

Not a lot of ground options to get off Northern Neck. Over the 360 bridge into Tappahannock is one, south over the Rt 3 bridge to the Middle Peninsula and the other is north to Colonial Beach or Northern VA area. The down side is I doubt there are many cameras in the area even if LE had a description of the vehicle. I'm hoping someone driving down Warner Pt Rd saw something between 9 PM and 9:30 PM.

 

[Unsolved]

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[JnRyan]

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Her profile lists her as 'being from Westmoreland VA'. Her HS was Washington & Lee in Montross (Westmoreland County). Westmoreland County is the next county up from Northumberland. But it shows her residence as Dallas TX. I wonder if that last post in May of this year was when she was still in Dallas. If that is the case she likely hasn't been up here a year. That's a very short period of time to develop an enemy or stalker. If this was someone known to her who all knew she was back?