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Smith,Austin Jay March 23,1993; California
Topic Started: Feb 13 2008, 02:07 PM (553 Views)
oldies4mari2004
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Austin Jay Smith
Missing since March 23, 1993 from El Monte, Los Angeles County, California
Classification: Endangered Missing



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Vital Statistics

Age at Time of Disappearance: 23 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'6"; 140 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; blue eyes.
AKA: Jay


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Circumstances of Disappearance
Austin Smith was reported missing by his family on March 23rd, 1993.
An investigation revealed that he was last seen at the Rosemead High School Auditorium, where he met with the Auditorium Manager.
Jay was reportedly last seen leaving the Auditorium between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on March 23rd, 1993.
Jay’s 1992 Mazda pick-up truck was found abandoned a short distance from the Auditorium.
Jay was unmarried, had an outgoing and friendly personality, and lived at home with his widowed mother, whose care he assumed responsibility for after the untimely death of his father a few years prior to Jay’s disappearance.
All who knew Jay affirmed that his disappearance could not have been voluntary. Investigators believe he met with foul play on that March evening in 1993, and Jay’s disappearance is being investigated as a Homicide.



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Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

El Monte Police Department
626-580-2100

Source Information:
El Monte Police Department
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oldies4mari2004
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oldies4mari2004
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monkalup
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_12067211
16 years later: family, police seek answers in cold case
By Brian Day, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/03/2009 05:43:21 PM PDT


ROSEMEAD - More than sixteen years have passed since 23-year-old Austin Jay Smith of El Monte disappeared without a trace, but his family and police have not stopped looking for answers.

Smith, known as Jay to his friends and family, went to see about a possible job opportunity at Rosemead High School on March 23, 1993, and hasn't been seen since, according to the El Monte Police Department, which is handling the investigation.

Though a body was never found, family members and police believe Smith is dead.

Smith's older sister, Teddie Cazier, said her brother, who worked at Home Savings and Loan, decided to seek a second job as a dance DJ following the death of their father in 1992. The job was a way to help his

Austin Jay Smith, 23, of El Monte disapperared without a trace on March 23, 1993. His disappearance is being investigated as a homicide, though no body was ever found. (Courtesy Photo)mother make ends meet, Cazier said.
"He was a good kid," she said. "He was just looking for extra income to help our mother. He wanted to take care of my mom."

The case has been handed down through three teams of investigators over the years, El Monte police Investigator Ed Pawasarat said.

"It's almost like an internal part of the department," he said. "We as a department have pursued just about every possible lead."

Pawasarat is a retired detective bureau lieutenant from the department who now works part time on unsolved cases.

When Smith left his El Monte home for the last time, he was intending to meet with an auditorium manager at Rosemead High School to see about a possible job, Cazier and police said.

The auditorium manager could not be reached for comment for this story.

Police consider the auditorium manager a "person of interest" in the case, Pawasarat said.

"The (Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office) won't file the case because we haven't found the remains," he said.

Nonetheless, investigators are confident Austin Smith is dead.

"Do I absolutely believe it's a homicide? Yes," he added. "We just have no proof that there was a homicide."

Smith's truck was found in a parking lot within walking distance of Rosemead High School, police said.

"All who knew Jay affirmed that his disappearance could not have been voluntary," police said in a written statement. "Investigators believe he met with foul play on that March evening in 1993, and Jay's disappearance is being investigated as a homicide."

Authorities have searched the Rosemead High School auditorium with special blood-detecting lasers and other forensic tools, sent the case to the FBI for a personality profile and even enlisted the help of a psychic, all to no avail, Pawasarat said.

The investigation remains active and officials are still hoping for a break in the case, he added.

For weeks after Smith's disappearance, Cazier said she and other family members posted flyers with his picture in the area.

Even shortly after Smith went missing, however, "I had this feeling that something terrible had happened," she said.

Smith was the youngest of five children, Cazier said.

Cazier wants justice for her brother and the closure of knowing what happened to him but does not want to know all the details.

"For me, personally, I take comfort in not knowing what happened," she said.

brian.day@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2718



Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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monkalup
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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El Monte Police Department
626-580-2100
Email
UnsolvedCases@elmontepd.org
Agency Case Number: 93CR2409
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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monkalup
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
Austin Jay Smith AKA: “Jay”

Description: Male Caucasian, 5’-06”, 140 lbs, Brown Hair, Blue Eyes,
23 years old when last seen on March 23, 1993

Austin Jay Smith, known as “Jay” to his friends, was reported missing by his family on March 23rd, 1993. An investigation revealed that he was last seen at the Rosemead High School Auditorium, where he met with Alexander Malinowski, the Auditorium Manager. Jay was reportedly last seen leaving the Auditorium between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on March 23rd, 1993. Jay’s 1992 Mazda pick-up truck was found abandoned a short distance from the Auditorium.

Jay was unmarried, had an outgoing and friendly personality, and lived at home with his widowed mother, whose care he assumed responsibility for after the untimely death of his father a few years prior to Jay’s disappearance. All who knew Jay affirmed that his disappearance could not have been voluntary. Investigators believe he met with foul play on that March evening in 1993, and Jay’s disappearance is being investigated as a Homicide.

Anyone who has any information regarding the disappearance of Austin “Jay” Smith is urged to contact the El Monte Police Department at (626) 580-2100, or send an email to the Unsolved Cases Investigations Unit at unsolvedcases@elmontepd.org or if you wish to remain anonymous call WeTip at 800-78-CRIME (800-782-7463), or go to the WeTip Web Site at http://www.wetip.com

Your information may be the crucial key which will help to bring closure to Jay’s family after many years of suffering with the uncertainty of what happened to their beloved family member.
http://www.empd.org/mpwh/asmith.html
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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monkalup
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
# Missing Since: March 23, 1993 from El Monte, California
# Classification: Endangered Missing
# Date of Birth: August 13, 1969
# Age: 23 years old
# Height and Weight: 5'6, 140 pounds
# Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Smith goes by his middle name, Jay.



Details of Disappearance
Smith was last seen on March 23, 1993. He left his home in El Monte, California to keep an appointment with the manager at the Rosemead High School auditorium. He did disc jockey gigs for extra money, and was going to see a man about a possible deejay job at a church dance on April 24. The man was supposed to give him some money. Smith was last seen by the auditorium manager, leaving the auditorium between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. that day. He has never been heard from again. His 1992 Mazda pickup truck was later found abandoned a short distance from the school.

At the time of his disappearance, Smith lived with his mother. He had taken care of her since his father's death a few years earlier. He was a student at Citrus College and was working at the Home Savings and Loan in Irwindale, California. He is described as a friendly, outgoing, responsible young man. Smith did not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol in 1993, and he was never tardy at work. He is a car enthusiast and talented at mathematics.

Smith is not believed to have left of his own accord. He left all of his personal belongings and money behind, and it is uncharacteristic of him to leave without warning. Police believe he was murdered, probably the same day he disappeared, and the auditorium manager is a person of interest in his disappearance. His case remains unsolved.



Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
El Monte Police Department
626-580-2100



Source Information
El Monte Police Department
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune
California Attorney General's Office



Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004.

Last updated June 22, 2009; date of birth added.

Charley Project Home
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_austin.html
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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tatertot
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http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_22853502...s-el-monte-mans

Cold case investigators seek clues in El Monte man's disappearance 20 years ago
Investigators believe Austin Jay Smith is dead, but seek clues to solve crime
By Brian Day, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/22/2013 07:38:53 PM PDT
Updated: 03/22/2013 07:41:21 PM PDT

ROSEMEAD -- Twenty years ago today, 23-year-old Austin Jay Smith of El Monte went to Rosemead High School to see about a job and was never heard from again.

And though two decades have passed without answers, investigators and family members refuse to give up hope that the truth about Smith's fate will be known, and justice finally served.

"The case is still open and we are actively investigating," said Detective Rich Lopez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Unsolved Unit.

He added that even after all this time, an important piece of information that might help solve the case may still have yet to emerge. That's why detectives are asking for the public's help.

"There's no such thing as too small of a clue," Lopez said.

Though no body has ever been found, Lopez said, detectives firmly believe that Smith was slain when he vanished on March 23, 1993.

Smith, who worked at a bank, had been working a second job as a DJ to help his the family following the death of his father in 1992, sister Teddy Cazier said.

Cazier said she doesn't want her brother to be forgotten.

Smith went to Rosemead High School the day of his disappearance to see the auditorium manager about possible work, investigators said. His truck was found in a parking lot a short distance away.

The auditorium manager Smith had gone to meet - possibly the last person to see him alive - has been known to detectives since early on and was deemed "a person of interest." But sufficient evidence has not been developed to obtain a criminal filing from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Lopez said.

"He's never been cleared," Lopez said of the auditorium manager, an Arcadia man. "He cannot be eliminated as a suspect."

The former auditorium manager could not be reached for comment. A younger man contacted at the man's home Thursday said the former auditorium manager was not available for comment.

"We've dealt with this thing long enough. We don't want anything to do with it," said the younger man.

Though initially a missing persons case, detectives believed early in the investigation that Smith was a homicide victim.

"As the investigation progressed, it was obvious there was some foul play," Lopez explained.

Detectives, with help from the FBI, have performed thorough searches of the Rosemead High School auditorium, but found no sign of Smith.

The lack of a body presented a major hurdle to detectives, Lopez said. But a criminal filing without a body is no longer unheard of in Los Angeles County, as it was 20 years ago.

"In 1993, the D.A.'s Office hadn't yet done a no-body case," the sergeant said. "Since then, there's been a few."

Cold case investigators with the Sheriff's Department and El Monte Police Department continue to work the case, hoping for that one clue that might help solve the crime.

Lopez has been involved in cases that were solved after more than 20 years. He was part of a team that last year jailed two men in connection with the fatal 1982 stabbing and beating death of Richard Hernandez, 20, of Valinda. Gilbert Leal, 52, and Marcelino Corona, 50, are awaiting trial.

Anyone with information on the Austin Smith case was asked to contact the Sheriff's Unsolved Unit at 323-890-5500.
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