The Murder of Mandy Lemaire
For this case, I watched an episode of Ice Cold Killers. It’s season 2 episode 2, titled ‘Fear Thy Neighbor.’
An 11-year-old disappears while walking to a friend’s house.
Background
Mandy Lemaire was born on July 19, 1980. She lived in the small Alaskan town of Tazlina, with her parents David and Valerie, and two brothers.
Mandy loved to solve mysteries with her friends, and enjoyed bear hunting with her dad.
Mandy Lemaire
The Disappearance
On August 22, 1991, Mandy had planned to walk to the halfway point to meet her friend, Erin. Mandy’s mom, Valerie, watched Mandy leave the house, and walk down the village airstrip.
Erin and her sister made it to their halfway point. After about 10-15 minutes, they decided to walk to Mandy’s, since she hadn’t shown up.
David, Mandy’s father, said he last saw Mandy that morning, after he got home from his late night shift. Valerie woke David up a little after 3pm, and told him that something was wrong.
Within hours, a large team of volunteers and the Alaska State Troopers were out looking for Mandy.
Possible Theories
The first theory was that something had caught Mandy’s attention as she walked towards Erin’s house. Many thought that Mandy could have made a wrong turn. However, David taught his children how to get home, and about the vast wilderness that surrounded them.
The second theory was that Mandy had run into a wild animal or fallen into the Copper River. Again, this was a dead end. There were no signs that a wild animal had hurt her, or that she had fallen into the river.
It soon was apparent that Mandy was most likely abducted by someone from the community. Mandy had been walking on a desolate road, that only a local would have known about. Rumors and gossip spread throughout the small town, about who could have been involved.
The Discovery
Just 10 days after Mandy disappeared, her body was found in an already searched area. Mandy was found not wearing any pants or shoes. The police decided to keep this a secret, in hopes that the killer would implicate themselves.
Mandy’s autopsy determined that she had a cut on her lip that had happened about 12 hours before she died. Mandy had fought back against her killer, as she had defensive wounds.
Mandy had been shot in the face and top of the head with a .22 caliber gun. It was believed that she had been abducted, held for about a day and a half, and then killed.
Luckily, the killer did leave behind some evidence. Small red and blue fibers, and metallic particles from industrial equipment were collected off of Mandy’s body.
After the discovery of Mandy’s body, there was a lot of talk about vilagnte justice. Many turned to David, Mandy’s father, to lead the charge. David said he was tempted, but had a friend collect all of his guns.
A Well-Respected Family
One week after the discovery of Mandy’s body, a truck driver named Dave DeForest came forward. He said on the day of Mandy’s abduction, he saw a man named Charles Smithart, driving his pickup truck on the road where Mandy had been walking.
The Smithart family was well-respected. Charles was a retired mechanic, who lived in a garage next to his mother’s home. Many of the local kids knew him, as he would often fix up their bicycles.
The residents of the small town turned on Dave DeForest. They believed Charles would never have been involved, and that Dave was the true killer.
Dave had an alibi. He had been at work, hauling mud from the plant that he worked at.
Charles was questioned about his alibi. He claimed not to have known Mandy, and said he was at home watching a game show on the day that she was abducted.
The police soon narrowed in on Charles. They were told Charles had suggested that a helicopter search be done to look for Mandy’s missing clothes. The police had kept this a secret, and were now convinced that he killed Mandy.
The Evidence
The police also learned that Charles had attempted to abduct two young girls prior to Mandy’s death. The other two girls also had long blonde hair, just like Mandy.
A judge approved the search warrant for Charles’ home and shop. Two .22 caliber rifles were collect, but a handgun suspected of being the murder weapon wasn’t found. The police also collected metallic particles from the floor of Charles’ shop.
Charles’ truck was seized. Inside, metallic particles, red and blue fibers, and some of Mandy’s hairs were found.
Charles was arrested on November 26, 1991, and was charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and murder.
A Devastating Blow
At Charles’ trial, the defense blamed Mandy’s murder on Dave DeForest.
Charles’ mom tried to say that Charles was in fact at home around 3pm on the day of Mandy’s abduction. However, she had been out at several stores around 3:17pm. The police were able to collect receipts to prove it.
Charles’ cousin testified for the prosecution. She said she had also seen Charles driving in his pickup truck on the road where Mandy was abducted.
On July 22, 1993, Charles was convicted on all charges. He was sentenced to 114 years in prison.
In 1999, the verdict was overturned on a technicality. Charles would never go on trial again, as he died in prison on December 16, 2000, from lung cancer.
Charles Smithart
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mandy’s mom was so reluctant to have her walk the short way from their home to meet her friend. But, she gave in, and thought that her daughter would be safe.
Charles will forever be remembered as a monster that preyed on young girls. Charles deserved to rot in prison forever, but instead, he was given the easy way out. I would never wish cancer on anyone, but he deserved it.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tazlina,_Alaska
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166611043/amanda-lynn-lemaire
https://thecinemaholic.com/mandy-lemaire-murder-is-charles-smithart-dead-or-alive/
