'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Oxygen's latest episode of Exhumed: Killer Revealed delves deep into the death of LaQuinta Smith, who was found dead following a house fire. Subsequent autopsy reports revealed that she wasn't killed by smoke inhalation, but she died before the fire broke out. The episode focuses on unveiling the mystery behind the death of the 36-year-old woman.
Titled Burning Obsession, it's the fifth episode of the second season of Exhumed: Killer Revealed, which focuses on the investigations into numerous murders. Read further ahead to find out about LaQuinta Smith and how she died.
Who was LaQuinta Smith?
LaQuinta Smith, a 36-year-old woman with two kids, worked at a local Bi-Mart in Coos County. Described as ''fun-loving and vivacious,'' Smith met her husband when she was a teenager and the two got along really well. However, life wasn't all that rosy for Smith after marriage and she'd told her colleagues before her death that she'd planned on getting a divorce.
How did LaQuinta Smith die?
In May 1999, Smith was found unresponsive on a waterbed in her bedroom by a police officer who got into the home after noticing smoke coming out of her house. Although she was taken to the hospital, she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her autopsy report revealed that she wasn't killed by smoke inhalation and that she was dead before the fire broke out. There was a bruise with fingermarks on her upper arm. However, the examiner couldn't find any obvious natural cause of death or any clear evidence of foul play.
Numerous suspects emerged in the case, including Smith's estranged husband Alby. Alby claimed the couple were working on their relationship despite being separated at the time. Suspicions on Alby rose further as he had a girlfriend and was also the beneficiary of an insurance claim on the house fire. However, Todd, Alby's son, said his father was with him the night Smith was murdered.
Another suspect was a man Smith met at a party before her death. Subsequent investigations revealed that he'd spent a night with LaQuinta but respected her decision not to get involved in a relationship. He claimed he had nothing to do with her murder. Later, he passed a polygraph test.
Police later found out that Smith always wore two rings, neither of which were found during her postmortem. According to surveillance footage, she'd been wearing them the night she disappeared. One of Smith's friends claimed Alby had both the rings days after LaQuinta Smith's death and that he'd visited her recently. During the visit, she claimed, Alby made Smith a glass of iced tea and spiked it before having s*x with her.
Alby maintained that he did not have anything to do with the murder but failed a polygraph test, further complicating the investigation. He also said he put the rings in her casket. After LaQuinta's body was exhumed, a second autopsy report revealed there were sedatives in her system at the time of death. Authorities theorised that Alby spiked her tea, put her in the bedroom and set fire to the house. Alby was arrested in March 2000 after his son, Todd, claimed he wasn't sure his father didn't leave the house the night LaQuinta was killed.
The episode examines what happened at the subsequent trial and the numerous discoveries made by the authorities after they arrested Alby.
Don't miss Exhumed: Killer Revealed - Burning Obsession on Oxygen on May 29, 2022 at 7 pm ET/PT.
