134 - The Mysterious Death of Donald Smith

Trace Evidence

Steven Pacheco

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.7 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2020

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Fifty-five year old Donald Smith was set to embark on a cross-country road trip. Along the way he planned to visit several family members, but just a day into the trip he was joined by a mysterious companion.

Don showed up in Springfield, Idaho, tracking down his daughter, Brenda. When Don arrived, he was drunk and behaving erratically. Frustrated, Brenda told her father to sober up and contact her the next day. Just twenty-four hours later, Don was murdered.

Three days later, his vehicle was involved in an accident in Denver. The driver fled from the scene, never to be seen again. When police arrived they found a blood soaked car jack handle and the hunt for a killer began.

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Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/donald-smith

Transcript

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0:00.0	55-year-old Donald Smith had been struggling. He was unable to work due to having been diagnosed
0:15.6	with cancer, and this inability to provide for his family was eating away at him. In hopes
0:21.2	of clearing his head, he made plans to go on a cross-country road trip visiting family
0:26.5	along the way. On May 11, 1987, Don drove his truck out of Southern California, heading northeast
0:33.8	into Nevada. The next afternoon, he visited his daughter, who was drunk and in the company
0:39.4	of an unidentified man. Don became belligerent and his daughter left, telling him to call
0:45.2	her when he sobered up. Don would vanish less than 24 hours later. Just five days later,
0:52.5	a man fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident in Denver. When police examined his vehicle,
0:57.9	they found a bloody jackhandle on the floorboard and paperwork showing the vehicle was registered
1:03.4	to Donald Smith. Less than two weeks later, police would discover Don's body and the hunt for
1:09.6	a mysterious killer would begin. This is Trace Evidence, Episode 134, the mysterious death of Donald Smith.
1:22.7	Welcome to Trace Evidence. I'm your host, Steven Pacheco. Today, we examine the mysterious
1:31.6	circumstances surrounding the murder of Donald Smith, before getting into the case just a few notes
1:37.9	about the show. Trace Evidence is a weekly true crime podcast focused on unsolved murders and
1:43.5	disappearances. You can follow the show on social media on Twitter at Trace Ev Pod, Instagram
1:49.9	at Trace Evidence Pod, or by searching Facebook for Trace Evidence. The show is also available on
1:55.8	Mewee and Mines. If you're interested in supporting the show and getting some Trace Evidence merch,
2:01.2	there's a Patreon available at patreon.com slash Trace Evidence, or you can donate via PayPal.
2:08.0	Visit Trace-evidence.com for all social media links, donation options, and contact information.
2:14.6	You can submit case suggestions directly through the website or email me at Trace Evidence Pod at gmail.com.
2:23.4	Donald Smith went on a road trip to visit family. Just days into that trip, he was murdered,
2:29.4	leaving many to wonder who the unknown man was traveling with him and what role he played in his
	...

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