Smith Homicide Update

I am writing again as I promised about the murder of the little girl in Ashburn, Va. . Please do not read further if you are not prepared for sadness. Prepare to read it with some prayer. Someone on our e-mail list or on your private e-mail list may be in a position to assist this situation and may not know it. Please foreward it on as soon as possible and do not delay sending it to someone who is even a casual acquaintence. Do not assume that person may object to this information. I have found that this particular situation requires some quick action and that few people object to being told about it.

One more thing, there will be an amber alert system put in place soon in Loudoun. But up to now there has been no use for it. Repeat: I am assured that there have been no cases in Loudoun that would have been an "amber alert". This case did not rise to that status. Our situation at present is that someone, a monster, killed a child and now must be rooted out.

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
Directly from the Sheriff's Office

Smith Homicide Update

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is continuing to vigorously investigate the July 29, 2002 disappearance of Erica Smith, which culminated in her death. While the Criminal Investigations Division has received a tremendous response from the public, and numerous leads have been called in and followed to their logical conclusion, investigators are requesting the public's continued assistance. The Sheriff's Office is extremely interested in speaking with everyone who saw or was with Erica Smith anytime of July 29, 2002(Monday) or later.

We have reason to believe that there may be individual(s) who have/has information pertinent to this investigation that for unknown reasons, have/has yet to come forward. We are making an appeal to these persons to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office as soon as possible. The investigators will continue to aggressively pursue all public intelligence that is obtained, and, eventually, everyone with knowledge of this incident will be identified and interviewed. We urge parents and others in the Loudoun County community to talk to your children about this incident and ensure that all information relevant to Erica's death is immediately provided to the Criminal Investigations Division.

Information about suspicious persons or unusual vehicles in the area of this disappearance/homicide could be extremely important to this investigation. Even if you think that your information is unimportant, or that someone else may have already reported what you know, please contact Crime Solvers. Your call may be the one that provides us with the information needed to solve this case.

Additionally we are asking the public's assistance in identifying the offender of this matter. Often, someone in the community will unknowingly be associated with the offender of a crime, and may be in a position to observe behavioral changes in that person and possibly note a change or change's in this person's behavior patterns. They will recognize the changes and may even question them about it, but will not relate the changes to that person's involvement in a crime.

Person's close to the individual responsible for the death of Erica Smith may have noticed one or more of the following changes/scenarios, especially since July 29, 2002(Monday) and July 30, 2002(Tuesday):

• Unexpectedly leaving the area for a plausible sounding reason (work related, school related, visit a distant relative or friend, etc.)
• Changes in the 'normal' consumption of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes,
• Missing work or other routine engagement(s), particularly on July 30, 2002(Tuesday) or July 31, 2002(Wednesday), on anytime during the week of July 29, 2002,
• An unnatural, for this individual, interest in the status of this investigation, paying close attention to the media, initiating discussion about this case with friends or co-workers, etc.,
• A noted display of nervousness or irritably,
• Unexplained injuries, i.e.- scratches/bruises/cuts, particularly on hands, arms, or legs,
• Changes in routine sleep patterns,
• A noted increase or decrease in religious activities,

It is important to note that the exhibition of one or more of these behavioral changes alone is not indicative of one's involvement in a crime. These behavioral characteristics of changes are being shared so the public may be sensitive to them, and may bring forth-possible helpful information.

If you would like to remain anonymous and you or someone you know has any information that may be important to the successful resolution of this tragic disappearance please immediately contact Crime Solvers at

703-777-1919

Additionally, a post office box, dedicated to this case has been established for members of the community who are more comfortable writing than calling or speaking. You can send your information to the Criminal Investigations Division at

Post Office Box 1234
Leesburg, VA 20177

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office would like to once again thank the public for all their continued assistance in this investigation.