Oklahoma had the highest population of Smika families in 1920. Smika's family says the last time they heard from him was in 1986, when he said he was leaving town. How can a district attorney actually handle his grand jury in such a manner? . Johnson won the primary and then was elected in November in an uncontested race. What Happened To Nia From Real World Portland? I hope its solved, he said. First Name: Thayne Alan. and 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. But authorities could not find him. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. However, Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time, Alex Hunter, declined to take the case. 7 0 obj I believe its possible that he still is out there.. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at http://www.crimeshurt.com. Missing. Furnished living room. Or, keep up-to-date by following Denver7 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The following week, Smika's mother posts a $100,000 bond, and. In 2022 Hayes was a Democratic primary candidate for Sheriff in Boulder County running against Curtis Johnson, a division chief with the Boulder County Sheriffs Office. A broken hearted Shauna later left the university. stream But I hope its solved with the criminal who did it, not with my son being convicted of something he didnt do.. 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. When asked by the Camera on Wednesday whether she knows where her son is, she said, Would I tell you?. . Boom, were going to get the rest of the story now and really find out what happened to Sid, his brother Rob Wells said. For a list of Offices and access to their websites, either select "Directory of District Attorney Offices" or select a location on the map. Hayes never gave up on getting justice for the Wells family and, in 1997, Boulder police reopened the case. <> Police and prosecutors know their suspect and have a warrant out for his arrest. I knew at that point nothing was ever going to come from that grand jury, Neitzel said. 1 0 obj Currently Reading. After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in the case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. Discovery Company. His sister, Tava Smika, currently lives in Vaughn, MT. but it can also be stressful. Boulder police have given The ENQUIRER sketches of Smika's possible age-enhanced appearance. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Im still hopeful. Associated Press, June Menger, the mother of murdered 22-year-old college student Sid Wells, hasn't given up hope police will find his killer, 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 Redford's daughter, Shauna, for three years, Police believe Smika, Well's ex-roommate, has been living under alias, 'Did the HPV vaccine kill my daughter': Mother demands answers after healthy and active daughter, 12, collapses and dies after getting vaccine, Murder charges could be brought against gunman who tried to assassinate Reagan after coroner rules death this week of press secretary paralyzed in attack is homicide, Pupils take to TikTok as they stage protest at Shenfield High School, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Shocking video shows machete fight playing out in broad daylight, Cops smashes window and rescue two kids from a parked car, Moment pastor FOILS armed robbery after praying for gunmen, TikTok video shows Unity Academy Blackpool pupils protesting, Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout, Dramatic moment police cars chase driver moments before smash. 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They also found a box of shells with three missing. In August 1983, Hunter was publicly criticized for his failure to file charges against Thayne Smika in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Sid Wells. A Boulder County grand jury was convened to investigate the homicide but failed to issue an indictment in 1985 after Hunter made a secret agreement with Smika's public . But Sid and a friend confronted him about the missing drugs, andSmika blamed their disappearance on another man. After years of consulting with the manufacturer of the shotgun shells used in Sids murder and the ones found in Smikas closet in Akron, investigators were eventually able to learn that the three shells were uniquely old when they were used, had all been loaded into Smikas shotgun, and all had the same chemical makeup. A year later he joined the Boulder Police Department where he worked for 36 years before returning to the Louisville Police Department in 2014 to serve as their Chief of Police. A nearby chair had been overturned, and the coffee table was moved aside. People had to be evacuated from the fires path. 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. When she came back around 12:15 p.m., her boyfriend was dead. This was about 33% of all the recorded Smika's in USA. Sid was killed by a single gunshot wound to the back of the head from a .20-gauge shotgun shell shot at a near-horizontal, but slightly downward trajectory, the coroners office found, deeming Sids death a homicide. [But Im] optimistic that something is going to happen.. We are continually working to identify anyone who may be in contact with Thayne Smika, police spokeswoman Kim Kobel said. There was just no sign of life whatsoever, Wells said. MDAA is an independent state agency whose mission is to support the eleven elected Massachusetts District Attorneys and their staff, including approximately 785 prosecutors and 260 victim-witness advocates. Wells had been shot in the back of the head at close range. But Smika was still off the radar, and nobody had looked at any of the new evidence hard enough to pursue new charges. Smika's mother) Thayne Alan Smika, a white male, DOB February 27, 1959, and then described as being 5-11, 140 pounds with Brown Hair and Brown Eyes, was at the residence and the detectives notified him of the murder. Lakewood, Ohio. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. An abandoned car registered to his father, who said he gave the car to Smika before he left town, was found in Beverly Hills, California in 1986, but there was no sign of Smika. Why? he wonders. He had a warrant for his arrest for the charge of Forgery and he was also the suspect in a 1983 Boulder, CO Homicide. endobj Things were going as planned for Smika, according to the documents, late on July 31. Sids mom could not believe it. Smika was also profiled in the January 23, 2019 episode of the Investigation Discovery series In Pursuit with John Walsh. He also had some small-time involvement in the use and sale of cocaine, according to police documents. But that day fire roared through unincorporated Boulder County, and the communities of Superior and Louisville, Colo., destroying more than 1,000 homes and seven commercial structures. BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Thursday will mark 30 years since a murder on the University of Colorado Boulder campus and police are still asking for help to track the killer down. Thayne Alan Smika is wanted for a murder which occurred on August 1, 1983. . <> My dad helped review medical charts to screen for possible suspects, said Hayes. - DNA Not from a Single Intruder: In 2016 Boulder's Daily Camera and Denver's 9News obtained the crime scene DNA report and their undisputed analysis found that in two of the three DNA specimens, the "a 3rd person's . Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. Walking anywhere including the Red Light District is fine. Were following up on all leads as to what his location may be, and this includes checking cell phone records of people who may be in touch with him.. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. The only problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika since 1986 or even called him by that name. 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. Wind gusts were clocked at 70 to 100 mph. He had a warrant for his arrest for the charge of Forgery and he was also the suspect in a 1983 Boulder, CO Homicide. Hunter said he agreed not to pursue an indictment of Smika in October 1983, before the grand jury began its investigation, in exchange for keeping Smikas expiring $100,000 bond in force for two more weeks. July 31, 2013 / 9:40 PM "Thayne Smika escaped a first-degree murder charge, and has likely been living a life of . 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. 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 Sid Wells, who was 22 at the time, was found shot to death in his condo in August of 1983. 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. . Looking out the windows at the Louisville Police Station, Hayes saw flames consuming nearby bushes. The DA's office "did not think there was enough evidence to file charges"., prompting criticism of Hunter from the victim's grieving mother. 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 police department felt that way, his friends and roommates felt that way. He may also be living in California, the FBI said. One man who lived across the street from Spanish Towers told detectives he was certain hed seen Smika walking quickly and strangely across the parking lot with something long and stiff shoved up his sleeve. The state or Arizona has until January 4, 2019, to respond. 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. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. For nearly five decades as a police officer, Hayes has been on the helping side in situations of crisis and tragedy. I dont know why the grand jury was handled the way it was. Sam Wells still struggles with talking about that day. I have not been in touch with him, and I have no intentions of trying to do so. 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. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. The case was presented to a grand jury but the District Attorney at. 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. A. Greg Sid didnt learn until later that Shauna was the daughter of actor Robert Redford. Please enable JavaScript on your browser and try again. But part of his story didnt add up from the beginning: His mother was away on a trip to Fort Collins all week. Investigators pay a visit to Smika's mother's home. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. Were revictimized on a daily basis because our loved one is not there to share that moment with us. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Smika surname lived. Detective Tom Dowd may be reached at 303-441-3385. DENVER In August 1983, Sid Wells was 22 years old and about to enter his senior year at CU Boulder with dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist. 2023 Cable News Network. Prefer C.U. Wells was dating Shauna Jean Redford, the daughter of actor Robert Redford, and this brought attention to the case on a global scale. 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. But he had plenty of other friends and acquaintances. He didnt deserve being murdered.. He started reviewing the case, its evidence and how it had progressed through the new analyses. Smika left the area and in 1986, his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, CA. 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