MUS-2026-0037
Archive card
MUS-2026-0037
Missing person
- Incident
- 2004
- Indexed
- Oct 2, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- Waterbury Police Department
- Location
- Waterbury CT
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
Billy Smolinski, 31, asked a neighbor to watch his dog while he went 'up north' to look at a car in 2004. His truck, wallet, and keys were left behind at his Waterbury, Connecticut, home. He was never found, and for four years he was never even entered into NamUs. His family's fight over that failure drove the passage of 'Billy's Law,' the Help Find the Missing Act, signed in 2022. The case has a Charley Project profile, a NamUs entry, a True Crime Garage two-parter, Hartford Courant and NBC Connecticut archives, and a congressional record.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- 2004
Billy Smolinski, 31, asks a neighbor to watch his dog and heads 'up north' to look at a car. His truck, wallet, and keys are left behind.
- 2004-2008
He is never entered into NamUs, a failure his family later exposes.
- 2022
'Billy's Law,' the Help Find the Missing Act, is signed into law.
- 2026
He was never found. The case remains unsolved.
Key people
The people in the file.
31, of Waterbury, Connecticut. Went 'up north' to look at a car in 2004; his truck, wallet, and keys were left behind.
Their fight over Billy's four-year absence from NamUs drove the passage of 'Billy's Law,' the Help Find the Missing Act, signed in 2022.
Contact details change over time; confirm the current assignee before publishing.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
This case is with the Waterbury Police Department. If you know something, say something to them. For public-record leads for our researchers, use the tip line on any open file.
Coverage
Coverage and further reading.
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