The disappearance of 12-year-old Friendswood girl Laura Smither
FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- Laura Smither, 12, was the light of her parents' lives. She was a gifted and talented student, scuba diver, ballerina and a Girl Scout. She disappeared in seconds.
The Smithers were making pancakes for breakfast on the morning of April 3, 1997, in their Friendswood home. Laura asked her mother if she could go jogging before eating, and her mother, Gay Smither, said yes.
When Laura didn't return from her jog, her parents called the police, and by evening time, authorities and the community mobilized to find the 12-year-old.
Thousands of volunteers handed out flyers and searched nearby fields. Helicopters criss-crossed the sky while mounted patrols from area prisons searched the rural areas around the house.
After weeks of searching with no results, the dreaded news everyone feared came. Laura's body was found in a muddy area near a retention pond in Pasadena, on April 20.
Laura's memory did not end with the discovery of her body. Her parents founded the Laura Recovery Center in her honor, and it wasn't long before her parents would be called to action.
In August of 1997, Jessica Cain, 17, disappeared after leaving a celebration at a restaurant on the Gulf Freeway. Once again, the Houston community witnessed the disturbing scene of heartbroken parents pleading for the return of their daughter while volunteers canvassed the area for a missing girl.
Gay and Bob Smither knew what the Cains were going through. The Smithers stood with Suzy and C.H. Cain as they held news conferences about their daughter, hoping to get information on her whereabouts.
Police believe the man responsible for the death of Laura Smither and the disappearance of Jessica Cain is William Reece.
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