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1997 Smith, Vanessa 5-31-1997; Winton
Topic Started: Oct 22 2006, 10:37 AM (563 Views)
100PercentFound
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http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_vanessa.html

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: May 31, 1997 from Winton, California
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: December 26, 1981
Age: 15 years old
Height and Weight: 5'6, 130 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes. Smith has a large birthmark on her right arm which extends from her shoulder to her elbow. She has a fair, freckled complexion and a scar on her left ear. Smith has Duane's Syndrome in her right eye; as a result, the eye drifts toward the inside.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A light blue dress with silver buttons, a white belt, and an elastic waist; white hurache sandals (sandals with flat heels and uppers of woven leather straps); and a black head cover.


Details of Disappearance

Smith was last seen leaving her family's residence on Winton Way in Winton, California at approximately 7:00 p.m. on May 31, 1997. She was planning to take her usual walk through the neighborhood at the time. Smith was carrying her walking stick at the time of her disappearance. Smith has never been heard from again.
Smith's walking stick was discovered along the side of Mercedes Avenue in Winton shortly after she failed to return home that evening. The location was along Smith's normal route and was approximately 200 yards east of her residence. There was no sign of her at the scene. Smith left her purse behind; it contained her savings. She also left a cherished watch at her home.

Smith does not have a history of running away and is described as being close to her family members. Authorities do not believe she left of her own accord. Smith's case remains unsolved.



Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Merced County Sheriff's Department
209-385-7444
OR
209-385-7551



Source Information
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
America's Most Wanted
Merced County Sheriff's Department
Vanished Children's Alliance
Vanessa D. Smith Has Vanished
California Attorney General's Office
Child CyberSearch
Child Protection Education Of America



Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004.

Last updated August 4, 2005.

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After 9 years, mother isn't giving up hope

Almost a decade after her daughter Vanessa disappeared, Winton resident Beverly Smith has not given up hope of finding her.

By Doane Yawger
DYAWGER@MERCEDSUN-STAR.COM

Last Updated: October 21, 2006, 02:52:09 AM PDT

More than nine years after Vanessa Dawn Smith disappeared, her mother Beverly believes she is still alive.
She continues to work to keep her daughter's name fresh in the public's mind, with the hope someone will provide the clue that will unravel the mystery.

Vanessa Smith was 15 years old when she vanished May 31, 1997 while on a walk near her Winton home. There have been no conclusive leads in the case since then.

"I have to keep on going; I don't have a choice. It's been so long I have a lot of mixed feelings. I know people get tired hearing about it. Other people go through trials, too, but it's the worst not knowing where your kids are at," Beverly Smith said.

Deputy Tim McCann, with the Merced County Sheriff's Department Major Crimes Unit, has been working on Smith's disappearance since he joined the unit a year ago.

"We like to refer to it as an open, active investigation and we look into every lead and take each one seriously. If the right person came forward and if we get the right information, we could break open the case," McCann said.

Smith praised the detectives' diligence in pursuing the case. She said at this point there aren't any solid clues about Vanessa's whereabouts.

Seeing other mothers out shopping with their daughters is very painful for Smith. She believes her daughter was at the wrong place at the wrong time when she was abducted near her Winton home.

Smith's friend Debby Koehn, 36, helps her pass out laminated fliers about Vanessa at local truck stops. Married and the mother of four children, ages 12, 13, 15 and 16, Koehn has empathy for Smith.

Koehn said her youngest child wandered off as a 3-year-old but was found soon. She said she was there the night Vanessa disappeared and never thought nine years would elapse.

Smith calls Koehn her "right-hand woman" and said it's difficult keeping the case fresh in people's minds and soliciting help from local businesses to pay for the posters she circulates about her daughter.

"People tend to forget; they don't mean to but that's just how it is. I'm not asking for self-pity. It eats on you health-wise," Smith said.

Undersheriff Bill Blake said he talks to Smith every week. He said the sheriff's department picks up tips but they haven't panned out. He hopes the case is solved before it's time for him to retire.

"It's a major priority with the guys. We spend a tremendous amount of time on it; it's the No. 1 priority. It (disappearance) remains a mystery," Blake said.

Smith, 52, said her daughter has been profiled 50 to 60 times on the nationally syndicated television program "America's Most Wanted."

She said she operates on her own in the quest to bring her daughter home and relies on contributions from the public to keep going.

Area church members continue to pray for Vanessa and her family, Smith said, which means everything to her. She said she would appreciate more volunteers to help get fliers out.

Smith is having a come-and-go Tupperware fundraiser today from 2 to 5 p.m. at Grace Mennonite School, 7200 Central Ave., Winton. Forty percent of the proceeds will go to Vanessa's trust fund at County Bank, Smith said.

McCann said people can remain anonymous in providing any information about Smith's disappearance. He said the department gets letters and telephone calls several times a month.

McCann said Smith works very hard on behalf of her daughter. He said people should call him even if they think a piece of information sounds ridiculous. McCann can be reached at 725-3880, ext. 12.

Smith said she recently had a vision that showed Vanessa being held against her own will, chained in a cellar, not too far from home.

"She simply vanished, in a split second. These are the questions I'd like to have answered," Smith said.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/story/1...-13578273c.html

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family website

http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/VanessaDSmith/
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The Plight of the Missing and Unidentified

When Vanessa Dawn Smith went missing from Winton, California on May 31, 1997, she was only 15 years old.

Last seen leaving her house on Winton Way for a walk at about 7 pm, Vanessa was wearing a blue denim-like dress, white sandals and a black head cover. Vanessa is of the Mennonite faith. Her walking stick was found 200 yards from her home on Mercedes Avenue but no further trace of Vanessa has ever been found.

Vanessa is considered to be endangered and it is not thought she is a runaway.

She very close to her family, especially her mother. She took no money or valuables or personal items with her.

Vanessa was 5'6" tall and 130 lbs at the time she went missing. She has sandy hair and blue eyes.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Vanessa Dawn Smith, please click on the Merced County Sheriff's link above. You may remain anonymous. Or you may contact me. Vanessa is a relative of my sister's husband's family and I will get word to the proper authorities.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Posted: 7:49 PM, 17/6/2006

http://www.livehouse.com.au/PL4theMissing/2531


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http://www.mercedsheriff.com/missingvsmith.html

Vanessa Dawn Smith
Case #: 97-15625
Age: 17
DOB: December 26, 1981
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 130
Sex: Female
Race: White
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Sandy Blonde
Last Seen
Wearing: Blue denim dress, white sandals, black head cover
Missing Since: May 31, 1997

Vanessa was last seen leaving her Winton Way home in Winton, California, on Saturday, May 31, 1997, for a walk at 7 p.m. Vanessa's walking stick was found along the roadside on Mercedes Avenue, approximately 200 yards East of Winton Way.

If you have any information regarding this missing person, Case #97-15625, please contact the Merced County Sheriff's Department by e-mail or telephone at (209) 385-7444. You may remain anonymous.


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http://www.modbee.com/local/story/3688890p-4714754c.html

'97 disappearance featured

By DARYL FARNSWORTH
BEE STAFF WRITER


Last Updated: July 24, 2002, 06:37:47 AM PDT

The disappearance of 15-year-old Vanessa Dawn Smith of Winton is being reviewed in a repeat showing of the "Victim's Voice" cable television show.

Smith, a student at Winton Middle School, disappeared the evening of May 31, 1997, went she went for a walk along a favorite path.

Found along the path was the walking stick that she carried for protection from dogs. The stick was found at the side of Mercedes Road a few hundred yards off Winton Way, Merced County sheriff's deputies said.

The case is more than 5 years old, but investigators continue to work on it when they get leads or information, Detective Keith McClain said.

Assistant Sheriff Mark Pazin said there are few leads and no suspects in the case.

"We believe that someone does know something about Vanessa's disappearance and they should come forward," Pazin said Thursday.

Vanessa's mother, Beverly Smith, said a $40,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the return of Vanessa and the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for her disappearance.

"I'm a desperate mother, and Vanessa's alive unless I know differently," Smith said Friday.

"People forget about missing children cases as the years pass by, and that's why I need to keep passing out posters and keeping Vanessa's case in the public's eye," she said.

"Victim's Voice," hosted by Jacque MacDonald, is presented three times a week in Modesto on AT&T Broadband Channel 8: today, 3:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 6 p.m.; and Friday, 7 p.m.

The program also is presented in several other communities:

Manteca and Stockton, Channel 30: Tuesday, 1 p.m.

Merced, Channel 11: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Sonora, Channel 8: Monday, 6 p.m.

Tracy, Channel 21: Monday, 8 p.m.

Turlock, Channel 14: Monday, 9 p.m.
The program is presented on Radio Merced on the second Sunday of the month, and sometimes the third Sunday of the month, at 7 a.m.

Officials ask anyone with information on Vanessa's disappearance or her whereabouts to call Detective Keith McClain, 385-7551, or Child Quest International, (800) 818-4673.


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VANESSA DAWN SMITH

Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Dec 26, 1981
Sex: Female
Missing Date: May 31, 1997
Race: White
Age Now: 24
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Missing City: WINTON
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)
Missing State : CA
Hair Color: Blonde
Missing Country: United States
Eye Color: Blue

Case Number: NCMC833448

Circumstances: On May 31, 1997 at 7:00 pm, Vanessa left her home to go for a walk and never returned home. Her walking stick was found along the path she normally takes. She was wearing a light blue dress and has a birthmark from her shoulder to her elbow on her right arm.

Print a poster: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/ser...earchLang=en_US

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/ser...earchLang=en_US

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http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/North...xQ.cspx?rss=153
North Valley Family Not Giving Up Hope

Last Update: 5/27 3:39 pm

Print Story | Share this Story

A determined North Valley family continues to search for their missing girl, who vanished twelve years ago.

Merced Sheriff's Deputies and family members gathered in Livingston to look for Vanessa Smith who disappeared back in 1997 when she was 15 ˝.

Relatives and investigators want to keep Vanessa fresh in people's minds so they’re passing out flyers and offering a reward. Vanessa vanished on May 31st, 1997, which is almost exactly 12 years ago.

Vanessa Smith would be 27-years-old now. The flyer her family is passing out shows her photo at the time she went missing and an age enhanced photo of what she might look like today.

Vanessa went for an evening walk back in 1997 and never came home. Her walking stick was found near Mercedes Avenue and Winton Way, which is a path she normally walked.

Now her family is passing out missing posters to truckers at area truck stops and asking them to tape them to the back of their trailers so people on the highways can see Vanessa.

CBS47 spoke to Vanessa’s mother who says she still has hope after all these years. Beverly Smith said, “I believe she's alive with all my heart, nobody can take that away from me, nobody. It is a lot of hard work, but it's worth it, it's rewarding, it's an experience.”

When Vanessa Smith was 15-years-old, she was 5’ 6” tall, 130 pounds with sandy blonde hair and was wearing a light blue denim dress.

Beverly said she is visits the truck stop every Wednesday but made a bigger deal out of this one because it's so close to the 12-year anniversary of her disappearance.

There is a $50,000 reward for information that leads to Vanessa Smith's whereabouts and the apprehension of her abductor.
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Merced County Sheriff's Department
Missing Persons Unit
209-385-7444
Email
DetectivesDivision@co.merced.ca.us
Agency Case Number: 97-15625

NCMEC #: NCMC833448

NCIC Number: M-033264093
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