- 2 days ago
Police watch the disturbing video of a young woman closing up after her shift at a gas station convenience store. Everything seems normal until, in one moment, she is there and, in the next, she is gone, never to be seen again.
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00:00Did your heart sink when you watched the surveillance tape?
00:07Absolutely.
00:09It was nerving 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.
00:40We 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.
01:13This 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.
02:57And 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, sitting 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?
04:51I 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.
05:31I 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.
05:38But 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, and she made her way to the passenger side
05:55of the second car.
05:57And it appeared she knew the person.
05:59She got in the car with them.
06:02Detectives wondered if the car would suddenly take off with Ariel inside.
06:06But 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.
06:34Everything looked like what a night shift clerk would do at a convenience store is to close up.
06:39As 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, and then you see her with a big bag of
06:54trash 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.
07:09Ariel 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.
07:26As she's going towards the dumpster, she just goes out of sight of the last camera.
07:33The 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?
08:23Absolutely.
08:24It 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.
09:16This doesn't happen in our small town.
09:20You traced her cell phone to see where it might have gone.
09:25After she simply disappeared, what did you find out?
09:28That the last ping on the phone was at the store.
09:32The 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, and Ariel Smith's life
10:00might hang in the balance.
10:1528-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.
10:42But 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?
11:08I 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.
12:27She 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.
12:49It 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.
12:56Law enforcement from around the state descended on the small town, bringing all of their resources with them.
13:05Detectives wanted a 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 and 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.
13:49The shoe impressions were clearly fresh and had been left by someone traveling from the roadway behind the store on
13:58a direct path to the dumpster.
14:01You were convinced those were linked to the case?
14:04Yes, 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 in the otherwise hardened dirt.
14:21But the canine team continued to track Ariel's scent.
14:25The dog took us to approximately 75 yards from those two footprints to another set of footprints on the edge
14:34of 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, could 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.
15:06It 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?
16:04Very 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.
16:27More 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
17:10who knew she would be alone and vulnerable that 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, knew 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.
17:32But 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.
18:22What 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.
18:37We knew 90% of the people that come and go.
18:40And there was a gentleman named Sean.
18:42I arrested him numerous times.
18:44Detective 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.
19:29Detective Jones had interviewed Sean numerous times.
19:34And 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.
20:00And his GPS data backed up his story.
20:05Detective Smith checked his phone records and the towers they pinged off.
20:09Everything 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
20:37store.
20:38A 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.
21:06Police 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 interaction at their register.
21:26On 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.
21:43Now 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.
22:39How 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.
22:59Initially, I responded 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 officer.
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.
23:22But at no point would he ever have 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.
23:33In 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.
24:01Despite, 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?
24:37This 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 crap 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, a 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.
25:39How does a tower dump work?
25:42Every 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.
26:12What 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.
26:34They found one cell phone number that came in the area of the store right before she closed and left
26:43within minutes after her leaving the camera view.
26:50It would take time to trace the number to its owner.
26:54But experts already had the route the phone traveled.
26:58And a review of footage reported 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.
27:29Prior 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 believed they were sitting outside the home of Ariel's abductor.
28:14And they prepared for the dangerous task ahead of them, confronting a man who may be holding the young woman
28:23captive 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.
29:38This 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.
29:51We contacted the Virginia State Police and requested their tactical team.
29:56And we hit the house.
29:58The 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?
30:18Yes, one of the detectives on the scene noticed a red-brown stain on a wall and a carpet.
30:26I was able to take a sample of that stain, submit a test, and found that it was human blood.
30:34Ultimately, could you link that blood to Ariel?
30:37Yes, 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.
31:03And 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,
31:17but 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.
31:30What did you learn from processing his SUV?
31:34The front passenger seat appeared to be cleaned with some sort of chemical,
31:38and 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.
31:58Investigators were now convinced that Tyrone Samuel had taken Ariel's life.
32:05But getting a murder conviction would require more.
32:11Detective Michael Parker, Ariel's friend,
32:14hoped that he could get those details out of Samuel in the interrogation room.
32:20What was your strategy going into your interview with Tyrone?
32:26This 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,
32:38Detective 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, he had severe scratches.
32:54Asked him, did he have any more injuries?
32:58Police instructed the prime suspect to remove the blanket he was wrapped in
33:03and saw unmistakable bite marks all over his body.
33:10Did 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 story to give us because that's not going to work for us at all.
33:35But the hardened criminals stuck to a story.
33:53Samuel did admit he knew Ariel and had a talk with her at a party just a few weeks before
33:59she was abducted.
34:00What 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.
34:44But 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 suspected she might
35:06be.
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 18th, 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 removed 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.
37:01I 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.
38:11Although 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.
38:44That's premeditated.
38:45He 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 it 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
39:28that 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.
40:08She 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.
41:18This 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.
41:29But it's not a matter of when.
41:29It's not a matter of when, it could go out.
41:29Thank you, Shallow�.
41:30You're welcome.
41:30And here to do it.
41:30You're welcome.
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