Episode 92 Taunted By A Killer

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 July 2021

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

17 year old Shari Faye Smith and 9 year old Debra May Helmick were kidnapped and murdered in neighboring South Carolina counties in the summer of 1985. Their killer taunted the Smith family and police until a piece of evidence Shari Smith left behind led police to her killer. Want more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show. Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect with Southern MysteriesWebsite: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com Episode MusicOrganic Meditations, Despair and Triumph, Almost in F Tranquility, Reawakening, Ambient, March of the Mind by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com; Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallagher and God Be With You Til We Meet Again by Chris Zabriske Licensed under Creative Commons.Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use. Episode Sources State v. Bell. South Carolina Supreme Court Decisions. February 26, 1990 We May Never Find Missing Woman. UPI. October 7, 1996. Larry Gene Bell. Murderpedia The Genesis of a Murderer. The Herald. October 20, 2007 Keep on believing: Dawn Smith Jordan on hope after tragedy. South Carolina United Methodist Advocate. March 26, 2019 The Summer of Shari. The Chrysalis Chapters. May 21, 2019 Kidnapper Forces Victim to Write Last Will and Testament Before Killing Her. The True Crime Edition. November 11, 2020 Larry Gene Bell: The Murders of Shari Smith and Debra Helmick. Talk Murder With Me. December 27, 2020 Denise Newsom Porch. The Charley Project.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're going to be here. In the summer of 1985, 17-year-old Sherry Faye Smith and 9-year-old Deborah May Helmick were kidnapped and murdered in neighboring South Carolina counties.
0:40.1	Their killer, taunted police and the Smith family for weeks. He called the Smith's to share details of Sherry's abduction and eventually gave them directions to the remains of Sherry and Deborah May.
0:50.1	FBI profilers knew this man would continue to kill if he wasn't stopped.
0:57.8	In the end, a piece of evidence Sherry Smith left behind led police to her killer.
1:05.7	Welcome to Southern Mysteries, exploring history and mysteries of the American South.
1:12.2	I'm your host Shannon Ballard. This is the mystery of the murders of
1:17.2	Sherry Fay Smith and Deborah May Helmick. 17 year old Sherry Faye Smith was born in Columbia, the capital of South
1:30.8	Carolina on June 25th, 1967.
1:35.0	Her parents, Bob and Hilda, described Sherry as consistently happy.
1:41.0	The kid who was like the glue holding their family together.
1:46.0	Sherry was close to her parents and younger brother Robert Jr.
1:51.0	but she shared a special bond with her older sister Dawn.
1:55.3	They had similar features with beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes.
2:01.2	Church and Faith were foundational for the smiths.
2:04.0	Whenever the sisters sang in their church choir or at local nursing homes,
2:09.0	people referred to them as angels,
2:12.0	because they had this beautiful glow about them.
2:16.6	The Smith family seemed to have it all.
2:19.5	The dream home, children they adored, a supportive and loving circle of friends.
2:27.0	Robert often worked from his home office and Hilda loved being a full-time stay-at-home mom.
2:33.7	They were a loving family with a stable home life,
2:37.0	and Robert's success afforded them financial security.
	...

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