- 11 hours ago
- #onthecase
- #truecrime
- #paulazahn
- #deception
**Were you fooled? Dive into the chilling tale of a seemingly perfect life shattered by deception.** In this gripping episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn, we unravel the shocking truth behind a family's darkest secret.
Prepare to be captivated as we explore the intricate web of lies and betrayal that led to devastating consequences. Discover the hidden motives and the desperate measures taken, all while the community remained oblivious to the danger lurking beneath the surface.
Can justice prevail when the facade is so carefully constructed? This investigation reveals the critical moments that exposed the devastating reality.
#OnTheCase #TrueCrime #PaulaZahn #Deception
Prepare to be captivated as we explore the intricate web of lies and betrayal that led to devastating consequences. Discover the hidden motives and the desperate measures taken, all while the community remained oblivious to the danger lurking beneath the surface.
Can justice prevail when the facade is so carefully constructed? This investigation reveals the critical moments that exposed the devastating reality.
#OnTheCase #TrueCrime #PaulaZahn #Deception
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FunTranscript
00:00Did your heart sink when you watched the surveillance tape?
00:07Absolutely.
00:09It was unnerving that somebody could disappear in thin air.
00:14You see her just walk into the darkness.
00:17She's never seen again.
00:22I let out a huge scream and I began to cry.
00:26It was unimaginable.
00:28It was overwhelming.
00:29Definitely a life-changing manner.
00:32It makes the hairs on your neck stand up.
00:41We were already way behind the clock on this.
00:44If we move fast enough, we may be able to actually save her.
00:48Detectives brought tracking dogs.
00:51They led us right to two muddy footprints.
00:54Someone was here waiting for the perfect moment to abduct her.
00:58She definitely got in a vehicle.
01:02She was forcefully taken.
01:05How hard was it to maintain any hope that she was still alive?
01:11Very difficult.
01:12My heart sank.
01:14This individual, he's a monster.
01:30Hi, I'm Paula Zahn, and tonight we're on the case in Heathville, Virginia, a small town around 70 miles east
01:39of Richmond.
01:40It's the kind of community where families are connected through churches, schools, and local sports programs.
01:47And that made the troubling disappearance of Ariel Smith a tragedy that hit home for everyone.
01:54The pressure on investigators to solve the case was intense.
01:58And in their hearts, they were all too aware that each moment that passed without finding Ariel might be her
02:07last.
02:13January 13, 2022.
02:17It was just before dawn on a bitterly cold Thursday morning, when the Northumberland County Sheriff's Office received an unusual
02:27call.
02:28A convenience store clerk was on the line, trying to get help with a terrifying situation.
02:35She explained that when she arrived for her morning shift, she found her friend's car idling out front.
02:43But 28-year-old Ariel Smith was nowhere in sight.
02:49The morning store clerk reports to the store and notices Ariel's car there in the parking lot, running and unlocked.
02:58And that's about 4.30 in the morning.
03:00What went through your mind?
03:01This cannot be normal.
03:03The clerk told dispatchers that although Ariel worked at the convenience store, there was no reason for her car to
03:12be there.
03:13Her shift had ended at 9 p.m. the night before.
03:20It had simply been sitting there for six and a half hours?
03:24Yes.
03:24Sitting there unlocked.
03:25The store clerk stated that it didn't appear anything was rummaged through.
03:30Were any of Ariel's personal belongings found inside the car?
03:34Her ID, wallet, with some credit cards, money.
03:38Was there anything out of place, either near the car or inside the store?
03:44Nothing.
03:45The store was closed as normal with the alarm set, lights off, the front door locked, secured.
03:53Police raced to the scene.
03:55When they arrived, they were just as puzzled as the clerk was.
04:00In a small town, cases like this were almost unheard of.
04:05And to make matters worse, some of the investigators actually knew Ariel.
04:11What went through your mind when you heard that it was Ariel who was missing?
04:16It was definitely strange.
04:18I've been knowing her since I was probably 12 or 13 years old.
04:21And I actually worked with Ariel's father for a short period of time.
04:25So it made me take things a little more personal.
04:28It was definitely a life-changing matter.
04:32But despite those deep ties, investigators knew they had to keep their emotions in check.
04:39Their job was to focus on the evidence and to find out what happened to Ariel as quickly as possible.
04:47What were some of the first steps you took in investigating this case?
04:52I had them show me the recording tape of the night before.
04:55We went to the video and just scrolled through from 9 o'clock, right before closing.
05:03The tension in the room was thick as Detective Jones watched the surveillance footage.
05:09He sensed that at any second, he could see something terrible.
05:15Instead, he saw Ariel going through the steps of a normal closing,
05:20including walking outside and starting her car.
05:24Why do you think Ariel started her car that night before she went back into the store to close up?
05:30It was a cold night. I do the same thing.
05:32We'll start our car at night if we're going somewhere early in the morning if it's cold outside.
05:39But police really zeroed in on what happened next.
05:43A Honda Accord pulled up next to Ariel's car, and she walked towards it.
05:49There was a gray four-door car that had pulled up,
05:53and she made her way to the passenger side of the second car.
05:57And it appeared she knew the person. She got in the car with them.
06:02Detectives wondered if the car would suddenly take off with Ariel inside.
06:07But once again, what took place defied their expectations.
06:13The car stays at the store probably 15, 20 minutes, and she gets out and goes back in the store.
06:19And what did it look like as they parted ways?
06:22She was happy, waved to him, and went along with her business.
06:25Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing suspicious.
06:28Was it pretty obvious to you she was going through her normal nighttime routine?
06:33Absolutely. Everything looked like what a night shift clerk would do at a convenience store is to close up.
06:40As Ariel went through those final steps with her car running out front, no other customers arrived.
06:48She was inside the store for maybe five, ten minutes,
06:52and then you see her with a big bag of trash exit the store.
06:59Was the gray car still there when she came out of the store?
07:02She walked to the door to set the alarm and lock it.
07:05The gray car was leaving the parking lot and left and went down the highway.
07:10Ariel walked along the front of the store as the gray car pulled off.
07:15She goes towards the left side of the building where the dumpster is.
07:19And then what happens?
07:21The building has surveillance on every corner of the building except for where the dumpster is.
07:27As she's going toward the dumpster, she just goes out of sight of the last camera.
07:32The investigators patiently waited to see her return from the side of the store.
07:38You see her turn a corner and just walk into the darkness.
07:43She just disappears.
07:48It was just like the movies.
07:52Detectives kept watching the video, but it was like a still frame.
07:58You just never see her come back.
08:00She's never seen again.
08:04What was it like for you to see that portion of the footage?
08:08Ominous.
08:11It makes the hairs on your neck stand up.
08:14Did your heart sink when you simply watched her disappear on the surveillance tape?
08:24Absolutely.
08:25It was a very unnerving feeling that somebody could just disappear in thin air.
08:40Investigators watched Ariel's walk to the dumpster over and over, looking for a subtle clue they may have missed.
08:49But there was nothing.
08:52Where did the investigation go from there?
08:55The first bit of the investigation was really comprised of boots-on-the-ground police work and just see if
09:03we had anything.
09:04In their hearts, police were confident that something disturbing had happened to Ariel after she walked into the darkness.
09:12But without any proof, they felt almost as lost.
09:17This doesn't happen in our small town.
09:20You traced her cell phone to see where it might have gone after she simply disappeared.
09:27What did you find out?
09:28That the last ping on the phone was at the store.
09:33The phone is either off or the battery has died.
09:36Now we're becoming more suspicious.
09:38Did you fear the worst at that point?
09:41I started to, yes.
09:43Something serious had taken place.
09:48I knew it wasn't good.
09:51In fact, everyone on the case was certain they were now in a race against time,
09:57and Ariel Smith's life might hang in the balance.
10:1628-year-old Ariel Smith had vanished just after closing time at the convenience store where she worked.
10:23When police shared the news with her sister, Lydia, she was crushed.
10:29I let out a huge scream, and I began to cry.
10:32It was kind of like, I don't know, the unimaginable at that point.
10:37The details about what police saw in the surveillance video troubled Lydia.
10:43But it was the way they had found Ariel's car that terrified her.
10:48She always drove herself wherever she went.
10:51For the car to be left there, I knew something was wrong.
10:58Lydia was worried, but she wasn't about to sit quietly and wait for help to arrive.
11:06What exactly did you do?
11:09I instantly called Michael Parker, detective in Northumberland, and I wanted to know what I needed to do.
11:14He told us to, you know, go to the sheriff's office and file a missing person report.
11:19Lydia also mobilized those closest to Ariel, including her cousin, Adriel.
11:25I didn't think anything bad happened until I tried to call her.
11:30When her phone was dead, then I just went numb.
11:33I know one thing about Art, she never let her phone die.
11:42For loved ones, it was impossible to imagine that someone as strong and independent as Ariel could be missing.
11:51What was she like?
11:52She was charismatic, energetic, very sassy, full of life, lots of attitude.
12:00It was kind of her way or no way.
12:02She walked to the beat of her own drum.
12:04She would keep me laughing, and she was very outgoing and outspoken.
12:09Ariel's job at the convenience store was just a means to an end.
12:13She had plans for a future in nursing.
12:17Was she in a happy period of her life?
12:20She was in a good space.
12:21She was in the process of transitioning into health care.
12:25She had interviews to work at a nursing home.
12:28She had that job lined up for her.
12:30She was made for stuff like that.
12:32That's where her joy was.
12:37Investigators knew that all of those dreams were now in jeopardy.
12:44Did Ariel have any enemies who you were aware of?
12:47No, ma'am.
12:48None at all.
12:49And immediately just told me that we need to be on alert.
12:51We have someone that's taking advantage of women in our area.
12:55It's scary.
12:57Law enforcement from around the state descended on the small town,
13:01bringing all of their resources with them.
13:05Detectives wanted canine search done.
13:08So Virginia State Police and game wardens both brought tracking dogs.
13:13The dogs tried to follow Ariel's last steps.
13:17We were able to get a scent from an article that was left in her car.
13:23That dog immediately went to the edge of the field, just north of the store.
13:30Investigators and the canines worked their way across the field
13:34and quickly made a critical discovery.
13:39It led us right to two muddy footprints there.
13:44Were there any signs of a struggle?
13:46No signs of struggle, no signs of drag marks.
13:50The shoe impressions were clearly fresh
13:52and had been left by someone traveling from the roadway behind the store
13:57on a direct path to the dumpster.
14:01You were convinced those were linked to the case?
14:05Yes, ma'am.
14:05Seeing them was chilling because it let me know someone was here waiting for her.
14:14Those shoe impressions looked like they would be the only ones police found
14:18in the otherwise hardened dirt.
14:22But the canine team continued to track Ariel's scent.
14:26The dog took us to approximately 75 yards from those two footprints
14:32to another set of footprints on the edge of the ditch.
14:36The ditch near the road was where the dogs lost track of Ariel's scent.
14:42Did that suggest to you that whoever abducted Ariel might have left a car there?
14:47It did.
14:48We saw some tire tracks there.
14:52When you stood in that area where you believed the abductor had parked his vehicle,
14:57could you see the store?
14:58Yes, ma'am.
14:59And how far away would you say that was?
15:02Maybe 80 yards, so very much in view.
15:07It was obvious that someone was here waiting for the perfect moment to abduct her.
15:14A disturbing picture was quickly coming into focus.
15:21What do you think happened when Ariel approached the dumpster?
15:27He made his way from his vehicle to the dumpster and took her by force to his vehicle.
15:35She definitely got in a vehicle.
15:38Very alarming.
15:41The evidence left police convinced that Ariel Smith hadn't simply disappeared.
15:48She was abducted.
15:51And with each second that passed, her life was in greater danger.
15:57We were already way behind the clock on this.
16:01Did you acutely feel a race against time?
16:05Very much so.
16:06It was overwhelming.
16:07I felt that weight on my shoulders.
16:09If we move fast enough, we may be able to actually save her.
16:28More than 24 hours after 28-year-old Ariel Smith had vanished,
16:35the small town of Heathsville, Virginia, was still trapped under a cloud of terror.
16:42You lived in the community.
16:44How fearful was everyone?
16:46There was a huge crowd of people reaching out to the sheriff's office,
16:49wanting to help in any way they can.
16:51People were creating search parties.
16:54They wanted to know where she was.
16:56They wanted law enforcement out working.
16:59The stress level was going up.
17:04Based on the evidence, investigators believe that Ariel's abductor was a local who knew she would be alone and vulnerable
17:14that night.
17:16This was planned out.
17:17They knew what time closing was.
17:19They knew it was dark.
17:20They knew that she dumped the trash.
17:22Knew that there was no security cameras back there.
17:25Would it have been pretty easy to hide behind the dumpster without anybody seeing you?
17:29Yes, ma'am.
17:30Plenty of room to hide and not be seen.
17:33But so far, identifying a potential suspect had been challenging.
17:38Where did the investigation go from there?
17:41We spun tires for the first 24 hours.
17:46Just trying to run down whoever we could.
17:53One of the people they had to find was obvious.
17:58Detectives desperately wanted to speak with the driver of the gray car caught on video in front of the convenience
18:05store.
18:07How important was the vehicle that she was last seen in to the investigation?
18:13Very important.
18:14We wanted to know, first of all, who was driving the car.
18:18And when we caught up with this person, we wanted to know everything that they talked about.
18:21What did she say?
18:23We had a list of questions.
18:25And identifying that driver wouldn't take very long.
18:29Detective Todd Jones suddenly realized he recognized the car.
18:35We do live in a small, rural area.
18:38We know 90% of the people that come and go.
18:40And there was a gentleman named Sean.
18:42I arrested him numerous times.
18:45Detective Jones thought the timing of when the gray car was there was more than a coincidence.
18:55You see this man drive away.
18:58Did you suspect that he came back and possibly had abducted her out of view of the surveillance cameras?
19:05I did.
19:06And that's why I immediately called him and had him come into the office for me to interview him.
19:13Why did he say he visited Ariel that night?
19:15He just told me they were friends and they hung out from time to time.
19:18And he just stopped by, got a beer, and was just hanging out in the car.
19:23Where did he say he went after the gas station?
19:26He went to visit a friend and then he went home.
19:28Detective Jones had interviewed Sean numerous times.
19:33And he had a good feel for when the young man was lying and when he was telling the truth.
19:40Did you believe him?
19:42I did.
19:43He was genuine and came across in a truthful manner.
19:49But on a case this important, investigators couldn't rely on just gut instincts.
19:56They executed a search warrant on Sean's phone and his GPS data backed up his story.
20:05Detective Smith checked his phone records and the towers they pinged off.
20:10Everything checked out as far as his location of his cell phone.
20:15It was clear that Sean and the gray car had nothing to do with Ariel's disappearance.
20:26But as one door closed, a new one opened.
20:30Lydia Smith contacted police with a tip about a man who her sister said had been harassing her at the
20:38store.
20:39A couple of weeks prior, she had said that someone made her uncomfortable.
20:44Ariel's friends added additional details.
20:48They said the customer had continued his unwanted behavior in the days leading up to her abduction.
20:56He was bothering her.
20:58He was inappropriate.
21:00Had sort of been a little stalkerish at times.
21:07Police were now eager to track the customer down.
21:10But all they had was the description of him that Ariel had given to her friends.
21:16She described him as a smaller Hispanic male.
21:19What did you do?
21:20We found surveillance footage that showed us a video of them having an interaction at their register.
21:27On the video footage, we saw him come in that evening and buy beer.
21:31Police wondered if that same man had come back later that night, hid his car on the road behind the
21:38store, and waited for the right moment to strike.
21:44Now they hoped they could identify him and find him in time to save Ariel Smith.
22:04Investigators trying to find Ariel Smith had identified a potential suspect in her abduction.
22:12A man, she said, who had been stalking her at work.
22:17Police discovered surveillance video of him in the store, but they had no idea who he was.
22:24So we released photographs of him and the vehicle he was driving on social media to try to get some
22:30input.
22:33Several people recognized the man and gave detectives a variety of leads on where he might be.
22:40How did you track him down?
22:41We received some tips and we were able to figure out his name.
22:46We immediately sent out detectives to try to gain information.
22:52Investigators obtained the man's address and staked out his home, waiting for him to arrive.
23:00Initially, I'll respond to his residence.
23:02He wasn't even on scene at all.
23:04Shortly after, he did appear.
23:06The man seemed surprised to see the officers.
23:10Then investigators told him why they were there.
23:14How did he explain his repeated visits to the convenience store?
23:19He said he didn't have any issues with her.
23:21She was someone he had conversation with, but at no point would he ever had any thoughts of hurting her.
23:26Did he admit to having a romantic interest in her?
23:30No.
23:31Did he ever threaten her, to your knowledge?
23:33No, ma'am.
23:35In fact, the man denied ever saying anything inappropriate to Ariel.
23:41Investigators were skeptical.
23:43But the man was cooperative and maintained that he had nothing to hide.
23:49He gave us permission to search the property, and we did.
23:52And we did not find Ariel.
23:55The man also had a solid alibi for the night of Ariel's disappearance.
24:02Despite, you know, not finding any evidence, did you still think there was a shot he could have been involved?
24:07No.
24:08We were back to square one with no clue of where she went.
24:12We had nothing.
24:18Still, the confusion made the next step in the investigation clear.
24:24Sheriff Beecham knew it was time to call in the FBI.
24:29And Special Agent Andrew Manson was the man he reached out to.
24:34How did the FBI first get involved in this case?
24:38This is exactly how law enforcement in this country should work.
24:42When they need help, they reach out.
24:44He said, hey, we have a missing person.
24:46We think she was abducted.
24:48I got in the car, started driving down there.
24:50And on the way down there, I started talking to my bosses about the resources I need.
24:56Within hours, a crack team of experts were in Heath's film and hard at work on the case.
25:04At that point, we really started moving into overdrive.
25:08We had profilers from our behavioral analysis unit, cell phone folks, people that do videos, crisis management, SWAT people, evidence
25:19people,
25:19a U.S. attorney in case we needed to get a search warrant.
25:28And their diligence paid off.
25:31The FBI immediately received data from Heath's film's cell phone tower through a process known as a tower dump.
25:40How does a tower dump work?
25:43Every time a phone or any device hits a cellular tower, there's a record of it.
25:47And you'll know that a particular device hit a sector from this direction at this particular time.
25:56The records allowed law enforcement to establish the location of every cell phone close to the convenience store during the
26:04window of time leading up to Ariel's abduction.
26:13What happened once the FBI performed a cell phone dump?
26:16Through incredible police work, the special agent that ran the phone records was able to determine a single phone number
26:23that fit the fact pattern of the crime.
26:27A single phone that was in the area before, during, and just after Ariel disappeared.
26:35They found one cell phone number that came in the area of the store before she closed and left within
26:43minutes after her leaving the camera view.
26:50It would take time to trace the number to its owner.
26:55But experts already had the route the phone traveled.
26:59And a review of footage recorded along that path provided investigators with a critical new lead.
27:06Reviewing the surveillance video, you see a vehicle, dark colored SUV.
27:13We could tell it was a blue SUV.
27:17The blue SUV was on Route 360 in front of the store and made a left, which would then drive
27:24by the store on the same side that the dumpster was on.
27:28Prior to having that phone being isolated through this incredible technology, had anybody ever noticed that SUV before?
27:39No.
27:43Cell phone experts were able to provide officers with a map of where the driver went after he left the
27:50area.
27:51We sent Detective Parker and an FBI special agent to go to where the phone stopped, and they found a
27:58dark colored Dodge Durango parked in the driveway.
28:05Staring out into the night, investigators believe they were sitting outside the home of Ariel's abductor.
28:14And they prepare for the dangerous task ahead of them, confronting a man who may be holding the young woman
28:24captive inside.
28:39A trail of incriminating cell phone data and surveillance clips had led police to the doorstep of a man they
28:49believed to be responsible for the abduction of Ariel Smith.
28:56Each piece of evidence had fallen into place, transforming a jumbled puzzle into a single, unmistakable image.
29:06Who did the cell phone evidence point to as a suspect?
29:11Tyrone Samuel.
29:15It was a name and rap sheet that Sheriff Beecham knew all too well.
29:21Why was he familiar to you?
29:23I remember him being arrested multiple times.
29:26I remember his face clear as day.
29:29Did your heart sink because you knew he was capable of violence?
29:35Yes, but this was the biggest break we were going to have in this case.
29:39This was what we were waiting for.
29:43The moment the search warrants on Samuel's home and vehicle were issued, law enforcement sprang into action.
29:50We contacted the Virginia State Police and requested their tactical team.
29:56And we hit the house.
29:59The team handcuffed their suspect and launched a desperate search for Ariel.
30:07Samuel was arrested, but Ariel wasn't there.
30:13Was there any evidence of a crime having been committed in the house?
30:19Yes.
30:19One of the detectives on the scene noticed a red-brown stain on a wall and a carpet.
30:27I was able to take a sample of that stain, submit a test, and found that it was human blood.
30:35Ultimately, could you link that blood to Ariel?
30:38Yes, ma'am.
30:39It was linked to Ariel Smith.
30:45The blood evidence was a crushing blow for everyone on the case.
30:50What was discovered indicated she might already be dead.
30:56We were all still holding out hope that we would find her in there.
31:00And then when you don't find her, your stomach kind of goes into your throat.
31:04And then when you see blood on the wall, it kind of drops out the bottom.
31:09Were any of Ariel's personal belongings found in the home?
31:12There was evidence we collected.
31:14We found a brassiere.
31:15There was a gold cross that looked like it had been on a necklace.
31:18But none that we were able to forensically trace back to her.
31:24The search of Tyrone Samuel's truck told more of the Grimm story.
31:31What did you learn from processing his SUV?
31:34The front passenger seat appeared to be cleaned.
31:37Some sort of chemical in a cadaver dog hit on the passenger seat.
31:43When you die, your body immediately starts to break down.
31:47And that's what the dogs pick up on.
31:50This is our guy.
31:51Now we just got to make sure that we get all the evidence.
31:55He's going to be done.
31:59Investigators were now convinced that Tyrone Samuel had taken Ariel's life.
32:06But getting a murder conviction would require more.
32:11Detective Michael Parker, Ariel's friend, hoped that he could get those details out of Samuel in the interrogation room.
32:19What was your strategy going into your interview with Tyrone?
32:25This was such a big case.
32:28I was actually shocked that they asked me to conduct it.
32:31I was a little nervous.
32:32At the moment, I did not have a plan at all.
32:36But as soon as he entered the room, Detective Parker began picking up clues to use against Samuel.
32:44What was the first thing you noticed when he sat down for the interview?
32:48Just right off the jump.
32:49He had severe scratches.
32:55Asked him, did he have any more injuries?
32:58Police instructed the prime suspect to remove the blanket he was wrapped in.
33:04And saw unmistakable bite marks all over his body.
33:11Did they look like defensive wounds to you?
33:14They looked like wounds from somebody that was fighting for their life.
33:19How did he explain those away?
33:22His story was he was riding a go-kart and he had a minor accident where he ran into a
33:27tree.
33:28I told him, there's no way that those kind of injuries can come from a go-kart.
33:33Find another store to give us because that's not going to work for us at all.
33:36But the hardened criminal stuck to his story.
33:40Does that look like a bite mark?
33:42Yeah, that's not a bite mark.
33:43It is a bite mark.
33:45She was fighting.
33:47Was she fighting for her life?
33:48Did she lose her life?
33:49I would not say nothing happened.
33:53Samuel did admit he knew Ariel and had talked with her at a party just a few weeks before she
33:59was abducted.
34:00But police had evidence that proved he had seen the young woman more recently than that.
34:07What was his reaction when you confronted him with the fact that his cell phone movement showed you exactly where
34:15he was the night she was abducted?
34:18That it was his vehicle trouble and that he was on the side of the road waiting for his car
34:23to cool down from being overheated.
34:25And that was how he tried to explain his movements that night?
34:28Yes.
34:29I had to keep myself composed.
34:30It was hard knowing that he was lying and he didn't care at all.
34:35It was heartbreaking.
34:38What was it like to sit across from him knowing that he was the one responsible for Ariel's death?
34:44Tough.
34:45But again, I had made a promise to the community and the family as well to finish the job.
34:51And Detective Parker wasn't alone.
34:54Every member of the team was just as determined to bring Ariel home.
35:00Based on the phone records, I pulled up a mapping system and created six areas that we saw.
35:06Suspected she might be.
35:07I called every local law enforcement agency and said, if you have people available, we need them.
35:13We need boots on the ground.
35:14And on January 18, 2022, 10 days after Ariel's disappearance, their massive effort paid off in the worst way possible.
35:31There was an abandoned shallow well on the property that appeared it had been used for household garbage for years.
35:40So we're talking about a depth of about eight feet.
35:45It was there amidst the debris that Ariel's lifeless body was discovered.
35:53She was found nude, head down, and then covered up with leaves and sticks and anything that he could find
36:01to disguise her being there.
36:05It was sickening to see someone's body upside down in a well with objects thrown on top of her, like
36:12she was trash.
36:15Investigators carefully removed Ariel from the well and transported her body to the medical examiner's office.
36:23What was determined at autopsy to be the cause of her death?
36:27Ultimately, the cause of death was determined to be strangulation.
36:34And the report revealed additional evidence that sealed Samuel's fate.
36:40What we found was his DNA evidence that she had been sexually assaulted by Tyrone Samuel.
36:49In all your years of law enforcement, had you ever encountered this kind of depravity and callous disregard for life?
36:58This would have to be the worst in my career.
37:00This was very brutal.
37:02I think that's why it took me a while to figure out what to say to the family.
37:14Lydia Smith can still remember the incredible swing of emotion she felt when she was called to the sheriff's office.
37:22They walked us into a room, and I don't know if it's optimism or delusion, but at that moment, I
37:31thought I was walking down that hallway and my sister was going to be in there.
37:35And once we got in, it was shattering.
37:40Lydia just made this awful scream.
37:43But just to hear the pain in her voice was devastating, and I still hear it every day.
37:48It was very tough to know what this animal did to her sister.
37:58In November of 2023, Tyrone Samuel pled guilty to abduction by force and first-degree murder.
38:08Ariel's loved ones were on board with the plea deal.
38:12Although the 52-year-old Samuel will only serve 27 years, he gave up the ability to appeal or challenge
38:20his conviction in any way.
38:28Was there any evidence that he targeted Ariel, or was this a crime of opportunity?
38:35Seeing the surveillance video of him, we know that he left his house, drove by the gas station where he
38:41lay in wait.
38:45That's premeditated. He had a plan.
38:47Some believe the short meeting Ariel had had with Samuel at that New Year's Eve party triggered the attack.
38:56A lot of those guys, they have an issue with power.
38:59Knowing her, I'm pretty sure I turned them down, put them in his place, and he didn't like that.
39:05Do you believe an obsession grew out of that one encounter?
39:10Yes, ma'am.
39:12A deadly obsession that ultimately scarred a tight-knit community.
39:19What kind of toll did this case take on you?
39:23I shed a lot of tears.
39:25There was a lot of nights waking up out of my sleep from seeing her body being pulled out of
39:29that well.
39:29It changed my life dramatically.
39:39Still, the details of Ariel's death are not the ones her family dwells on.
39:46They have chosen to put the horror behind them and focus on how she lived.
39:54It's a beautiful picture of her on your short.
39:59When you look at that picture, do you think of happier times?
40:02I have my moments.
40:03Sometimes I can look at it and smile, and sometimes I get sad.
40:09She was more than a cousin.
40:11She was my sister.
40:12She was my friend.
40:13It really took a lot out of me, out of all of us.
40:19What do you hope Ariel's legacy will be?
40:23The good memories always outweigh the bad ones.
40:26She was a breath of fresh air, a ray of sunshine.
40:30She would remind me to show and spread as much love as you can when you can.
40:36Live each moment like it's your last one.
40:38And most of all, make sure you tell your family and your friends that you love them.
40:47Investigators are proud of the way that state, local, and federal agencies came together
40:52to bring Ariel Smith's killer to justice.
40:55They see it as a shining example of how law enforcement should work.
41:01Kudos to all on a job well done.
41:04I'm Paula Zahn.
41:06Please join us again next time when we're back on the case.
41:10On the next, on the case.
41:13Just how violent was her death?
41:16She had been severely beaten.
41:19This was a monster of a person that committed this offense.
41:22There were a lot of young women at that time being murdered.
41:26Any case can be solved.
41:27It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.
41:29It's still like this movie after it don't laugh honestly.
41:29It's also like you've watched the storytelling.
41:30Thanks, because I started talking.
41:30I feel like I'm curious to be on what we're going on,
41:30you to be on the next movie.
41:30You've been on a scene Cast my childhood.
41:30I love this world and she's a queen.
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