MUS-2026-0106
Archive card
MUS-2026-0106
Homicide
- Incident
- 1997
- Indexed
- Oct 5, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- Unclear
- Location
- Philadelphia PA
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.
Judy Smith, 50, a newlywed, vanished from a Philadelphia hotel on April 10, 1997, while her husband attended a conference. Her stabbed skeletal remains were found five months later in Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, 600 miles away, with no explanation of how she got there. She was identified by dental records after an ER physician connected a newspaper article to her flyer. There have been no arrests.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- 1997
Smith, 50, is last seen alive at a Philadelphia hotel on April 10, 1997.
- 1997
On September 7 hunters find skeletal remains in Pisgah National Forest.
- 1997
She is identified via dental records after an ER physician connected a newspaper article to her flyer.
- 2001
The case is profiled on Unsolved Mysteries on August 1, 2001. No arrests have been made.
Key people
The people in the file.
50, newlywed. Vanished in Philadelphia on April 10, 1997; remains found in North Carolina that September.
The investigating agency is unconfirmed in public reporting. See coverage below.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
The investigating agency is unconfirmed in public reporting. See coverage below for the documented reporting on this case.
Coverage
Coverage and further reading.
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