A photo that accompanied a 1983 Associated Press article about Wells funeral showed the weeping young woman being comforted by her father on their way to the service. Prosecutors at the time of the killing lacked the evidence techniques that have since allowed detectives to link shotgun pellets recovered from Wells' body to shells found at the Smika family residence in Akron, Menger said. Smika moved to Denver then eventually left for California. As a Catholic kid from a large family in South Denver, Hayes fell in love with Estes Park during summers at Camp St. Malo. The suspect in this case is a man named Thayne Smika, a roommate of Wells' in 1983. Darlene Smika the mother of the missing suspect, who vanished in 1986 refused to speak with detectives, police reported. They felt like he was a good candidate for a roommate, the brothers mother June Menger recalled. Sids murder happened a mile from where he lived in 1983, and the grand jury incident happened just as he was getting out of law school at CU. He had a warrant for his arrest for the charge of Forgery and he was also the suspect in a 1983 Boulder, CO Homicide. Sid really seemed like he was a victim that should never have been. FBI investigators also said they connected three shotgun shells found in Smikas mothers home in eastern Colorado with the one that killed Wells test results that have since been questioned. Shortly after, his roommate, Thayne Smika, 24, was arrested in connection with the murder of Wells; however, the Boulder District Attorney decided not to file charges, and Smika was released. Smika, who was often late with rent, was supposed to pay Wells the day he was killed, investigators said. And though Robert Wells remains cautious because of the cases handling over the years, he says hes hopeful that the renewed warrant will turn Smika up somewhere. This goes back a long way to when I was 9 or 10 years old, and I am still in touch with Jim today, 56 years later.. To date, the trail has been cold, but Boulder police said they have not given up. Hayes worked on many cocaine cases in the 1970s and 1980s and was an investigator in the 1983 homicide of Sid Wells a University of Colorado student who was dating Robert Redfords daughter Shauna. Following the murder, Shauna went on to marry university professor Eric Schlosser, the best-selling author of Fast Food Nation. "Smika's relatives have not provided any helpful information to the Boulder Police Department," police spokesperson Kim Kobel said in a statement. endstream Following his release from detention, they claimed it's conceivable Thayne spent a significant amount of time living in Yelapa, Mexico. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He also had a fondness for cocaine, according to police interviews with friends, a habit he could not afford. In the summer of 1983, 22-year-old Sid Wells was living with his older brother in their familys Boulder, Colorado, condominium and studying journalism at the University of Colorado. By Vicky Collins, Dateline NBCIt's an unsolved mystery involving a beautiful college town, a picture-perfect young couple and even a movie star.It all started with this classified ad in the Boulder Daily Camera, January, 1983.SPANISH Towers Luxury Condominiums. It kind of rips you to the core, Robert said. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, Calif. Robert Redford said in 1997 that Wells' murder still haunted him. It's been 31 years since Sid Wells was shot execution-style in his own home in Boulder, Colorado and his terminally ill mother has yet to see his killer locked up. Circumstances: Smika moved out of his Denver, CO home in 1986. Thayne Smika has been missing since 1986 after his mother posted a bond for the 1983 murder of his roommate Sid Wells. In 1920 there were 2 Smika families living in Oklahoma. After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in the case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. Smika left the area and in 1986, his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, CA. An advocate of mental health co-responders working alongside police officers, Hayes said, We want to be the people that people in the community call when they have a problem., Dave is just a natural, said Hayes long-time mentor, Burkhalter. We are continually working to identify anyone who may be in contact with Thayne Smika, police spokeswoman Kim Kobel said. www.officer.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. Stories worth watching 16 videos. [KGOV updated this report on Oct. 28, 2019.] Got a tip? Detective Tom Dowd may be reached at 303-441-3385. Stories worth watching (13 Videos) Roommate missing after killing Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. News. Also Read: Did Bbg Tyler Snatched JayDaYoungan? A short time later, his roommate, 24-year-old Thayne Smika, was arrested in connection with Wells' murder, but the Boulder District Attorney declined to file charges and Smika was let go. It's an unsolved mystery involving a beautiful college town, a picture-perfect young couple and even a movie star. endobj That summer, Sid was living with one of his brothers, Sam, and Smika in the Spanish Towers condos on 29th Street just east of campus. The rent was due that day. Finding Smika is especially urgent because June Menger is now battling stage four cancer and would like closure and justice for her son in her lifetime. After a cold case investigation in December 2010 an arrest warrant for the murder was issued. A Warner Bros. Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. . Boulder police release new sketches of Smika. Several other rounds of DNA testing at labs across the country, including the FBI Laboratory, turned up scant evidence directly linking Smika to Sids murder, though they did find some circumstantial blood evidence. Authorities said Smika may be working in the real estate or financial industry. Sam Carlson Port Protection Singer Son Kelly Carlson Makes An Appearance On The Show, Jason Segel Siblings Are Sister Alison Segel and Brother Adam Segel, DB Woodside And Golden Brooks Daughter Dakota Tao Brooks-Woodside, Deena Nicole Cortese Sister Joanie Maiorella Works As A Science Teacher, Khary Payton Parents Victor Payton And Gwendolyn Middleton Payton Raised Him With His Other Siblings, Ritchie Coster Wife Jan Conklin Is Operations Consultant With A Lot Of Experience, Stefania Spampinato Wished Her Sister Daniela Spampinato On Her New Journey, Was Thayne Smika Found? His longtime girlfriend, Shauna, was the daughter of actor Robert Redford, which was a major reason the story attracted so much attention when Wells was murdered. $300 monthly. Some of us have expressed not criticism but surprise Smika is getting another airing considering he's a cold case the previous most recent John Walsh show already did (as opposed to a new cold case and/or unused . For the past three years, Wells had been dating Shauna Redford, daughter of actor Robert Redford, and she had seen him just a few hours before he was killed. Smika told the detectives that a possible suspect was Craig Evans, a man Smika said had been stealing cocaine from the victim. The comments below have not been moderated, By But, after Smika moved in, they realized he wasnt very sociable and, Menger said, I think he was having trouble coming up with the rent money.. Massachusetts District Attorneys Association (MDAA) Massachusetts District Attorneys Association. 100 posts. Sid told his mom his new roommate was kind of weird and unsocial but, since he came from a small, neighboring town near the Wells family, Sid thoughthe must be OK. Smika rented the room. When she came back around 12:15 p.m., her boyfriend was dead. 5:59 PM EDT, Fri July 10, 2015. Thayne Smika, now 54, is being sought in 1983 murder of 22-year-old Sid Wells Wells was found dead from 20-gauge shotgun blast to the back of the head in his home Well had been dating Robert. Another man who lived next door to the Wells brothers told investigators that hed heard a loud bang, similar to a gunshot, at the time the coroner determined Sid had died. . District Attorney Susan L. Opper. The first grand jury did not issue an indictment for murder believed to be a result of misconduct by the district attorney. The only problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika since 1986 or even called him by that name. Robert Redford stopped production of his film The Natural so he and his family could attend Sids funeral. A Denver district attorney has called parts of Colorado, "the Wild West of weed." Sales across state lines have pitted one legal jurisdiction against another, as marijuana laws differ widely around the country. Another connection with Burkhalter came in 1977. Theyll find nothing, he said. Subscribe The former DA, Hunter, served as the Boulder County District Attorney from 1973 to 2001, when Mary Lacy became head of the office. Boulder police have given The ENQUIRER sketches of Smika's possible age-enhanced appearance. Marshal Walsh shines a light on the current search for Jihad Ramadan, who is . Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. In 1986 his abandoned car, a Dodge Aries, was found in Beverly Hills wiped clean of prints. Smika concocted an elaborate plan in which he said he planned to stake out their apartment and wait for the alleged thief to come in and steal the rest of the drugs. Shauna went back to her place, which was also in Spanish Towers, and Sid, Smika and the other man stayed back and did more cocaine into the early morning hours. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. A grand jury convened to investigate the homicide, but failed issue an indictment in 1985 after Hunter made a clandestine deal with Smikas public defender. Call 1-866-THE-HUNT (In Mexico: 0188000990546) or click here. Deputy District Attorney Lesli S. Boese Ted S. Szczupakiewicz Michael D. Thurston. My brother is dead, and Im angry that the system didnt work better then. He spent a little over half an hour airing out his sleeping bag and cleaning out his car before going upstairs to his apartment. The case was presented to a grand jury but the District Attorney at. But Sid and a friend confronted him about the missing drugs, andSmika blamed their disappearance on another man. but it can also be stressful. Pic Credit: U.S. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Smika surname lived. Smika allegedly stole around 7 grams of cocaine from Sid on two different occasions, according to the court documents. However, then-district attorney Alex Hunter -- well. Fred Neitzel, now retired, was one of the Boulder Police Department detectives on the case at the time, and says that a host of evidence played into the decision to arrest Smika, but his note saying he was leaving town may have been the biggest factor. and She said Redford initially decided not to attend the funeral, worried it would become a media circus. My view is the warrant couldve been approved long ago, and had it been, its possible that Mr. Smika mightve been found more quickly, Garnett said. He is passionate about what he calls constitutional policing. Most of what we do is not police work, it is community safety. I believe the motive was the money and the cocaine, and that Thayne got found out from Sid that he was not being up and up, Neitzel added. In 2011, the. , updated You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. Police and prosecutors know their suspect and have a warrant out for his arrest. It didnt make sense to me when I first heard about it, Garnett said. Shauna quit college. %PDF-1.7 I believe its possible that he still is out there.. 11 reviews. Over the years, Hayes has worked as a patrol officer, detective, sergeant, commander, and deputy chief. endobj And his car melted in the driveway. Level Contributor . District attorneys are assigned to Arkansas's 23 judicial circuits. She was devastated, June Menger recalled. Trujillo said if Smika is still alive, he's confident he'll eventually be caught and prosecuted and the case will finally be solved. Wind gusts were clocked at 70 to 100 mph. The story made headlines across Boulder County when Smika was tabbed as a suspect, though a friend was quoted in the paper as saying hed said the other man whom Smika had allegedly stolen the drugs and money from was to blame. appreciated. But in 2009, Stan Garnett took over as district attorney, with a newfound interest in the case. Hayes graduated from a joint Boulder Police Department-Boulder Sheriffs Office Academy and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology and political science from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Sids mom could not believe it. /MarkInfo <> Thayne Alan Smika, photo taken in 1983, courtesy of fbi.gov Smika was known around town as a college dropout and drifter. Police arrested Wells roommate Thayne Smika but the Boulder County District Attorney at the time did not think there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial. 2023 Cable News Network. But I hope its solved with the criminal who did it, not with my son being convicted of something he didnt do.. For 30 years hes been doggedly trying to solve this cold case. The FBI speculated that Thyane Smika might also reside in California. This past February, when Estes Parks Police Chief Wes Kufeld announced that he would be stepping down in May after 34 years with department, 14 as chief, David Hayes threw his hat in the ring for the job. Darryl Smika said hes unfazed by the police request for his phone records. Smika was chosen by Sid and his brother as a roommate even though they weren't particularly close. Colo. police seek help with high-profile cold case. Darryl Smika said he thinks authorities are wasting their time and money looking for his son. The case went cold and remained closed for years until Boulder police Deputy Chief David Hayes and Detective Melissa Kampf reopened it in 1997 when a new witness offered information about Smikas actions around the time of the homicide. His vehicle was recovered in Hollywood, CA in 1986. Prefer C.U. He said it had turned into his nightmare too, she said. Thayne, WY Attorney (307) 883-9972 Duke University School of Law University of Wyoming California, Wyoming and U.S. Supreme Court Wyoming State Bar and Member, State Bar of California According to court documents, he told his family members to get passports in order to be able to visit him, implying that he would be leaving the country, but his family claims they havent heard from him since either. He had a warrant for his arrest for the charge of Forgery and he was also the suspect in a 1983 Boulder, CO Homicide. He loved the way her hair fell over her eyes. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. I dont know why the grand jury was handled the way it was. Sid, it turns out, had a decent amount of the drug reportedly spending around $2,000 for an ounce at one point, though it wasnt clear how he got the money. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. The DA's office "did not think there was enough evidence to file charges"., prompting criticism of Hunter from the victim's grieving mother. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. He is a people person and very supportive of his officers. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, Calif. Robert Redford said in 1997 that Wells' murder still haunted him. One of the most high-profile murders in Colorado's history remains unsolved after nearly 34 years, but police and prosecutors know who their suspect is and have an active warrant for his arrest. In 1997, a police officer posing as a journalism student talked to Smika's mother, who said her son had changed his name because he was afraid for his life because he knew who the real killer was. In December 2012, a judge signed an arrest warrant for Smika after Boulder police developed more evidence in the case. An autopsy showed Wells was shot execution-style at point-blank range in the back of the head with a 20-gauge shotgun. A Boulder Daily Camera piece on this development notes that Smika was suspect number one in the execution-style slaying from the jump. Wells was dating Shauna Jean Redford, the daughter of actor Robert Redford, and this brought attention to the case on a global scale. The following week, Smika's mother posts a $100,000 bond, and. Currently Reading. Judicial Circuit County(ies) Prosecuting Attorney 1st Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis, Woodruff: Todd Murray A warrant for his arrest on forgery charges was issued out of Denver in early 1986, but he was never arrested and the warrant was eventually dropped. TRAITS & CHARACTERISTICS: Height: 5 feet 11 inches Weight: 140 pounds at the time of the incident Sex: Male Race: White Eyes: Hazel Place of Birth: North Dakota Hair: Brown, could be sun-bleached All Rights Reserved. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, California. <> in 2011 the Boulder County District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and approved an arrest affidavit for Smika, but they still haven't been able to find him. Sid Wells in 1983 (credit: Boulder Police Department).
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