The true story behind Cindy Smith's mysterious death

In the summer of 1988, Lawrence County, Missouri, was shaken by Cindy Smith's disappearance and brutal murder. The 31-year-old nurse’s aide, who was also a devoted mother of two young boys, vanished after a night out at a local bar on July 28, 1988.

When she failed to show up to pick up her sons, eight-year-old Shawn and four-year-old Jason, Cindy was reported missing. 11 days later, her body was discovered in Dry Valley Cemetery, about 25 minutes from the bar. Her remains were already decomposing, and she had been decapitated.

The gruesome discovery marked the beginning of a decades-long mystery that would haunt both her family and the Lawrence County community. The case has since been covered on Oxygen's Cold Justice, which re-aired yesterday.

---

What happened to Cindy Smith?

Cindy Smith was found brutally murdered in Lawrence County, Missouri, with her remains recovered from Dry Valley Cemetery on August 8, 1988, 11 days after she went missing from a local pub called Checkers. When Cindy’s body was recovered, investigators quickly zeroed in on two potential suspects.

The first was Cindy’s estranged husband, Louis Smith, as the couple was in the midst of a divorce. However, little evidence linked him to the crime. The other was Lawrence (Larry) Timmons, a local laborer with a disturbing criminal history.

In 1976, Timmons was convicted of kidnapping an 11-year-old boy and served four years in prison. His violent background made him a strong suspect in Cindy’s disappearance and murder. Witness accounts also strengthened the case against him.

Cindy Smith's friend, Marilyn Chambers, who had driven her to Checkers that night, described Timmons as aggressive and persistent with women. She also mentioned that Cindy would be hitching a ride with Timmons later that night. Another witness reported seeing Cindy in a pickup truck with a man he couldn’t identify, but the description of the vehicle closely matched Timmons’ truck.

Moreover, Timmons' then-wife, Deborah, who died in 1994, allegedly confided in a friend that she believed her husband had killed a woman and left her body in a cemetery. Deborah described Timmons coming home late one night and immediately washing his clothes and cleaning his truck.

Lawrence Timmons also developed a troubling reputation in Monett, Missouri, where he worked at a YMCA. Multiple women accused him of harassment. One woman even recalled receiving an inappropriate and sexually explicit email from him shortly after signing up at the gym.

---

The mystery behind Cindy Smith's death was solved 30 years later

Cindy Smith's murder was solved three decades later (Image via Getty)

Despite longstanding suspicions, Cindy Smith's murder went unsolved for more than three decades. Her death remained a mystery, and due to the state her body was found in, it became impossible for investigators to determine how exactly Cindy died.

Cindy's sons grew up without answers or closure, left with questions about what happened to their mother. A breakthrough finally came when Cold Justice, Oxygen’s investigative true-crime series, revisited the case.

Host Kelly Siegler and retired homicide investigator Johnny Bonds partnered with Lt. Chris Berry and Sgt. Melissa Phillips of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. Together, they re-examined the evidence and built a circumstantial case that pointed to Timmons. When their findings were presented to the Sheriff's Office, a warrant for Timmons' arrest was issued.

---

Arrest and sentencing

On September 6, 2019, Lawrence Timmons was arrested and charged with Cindy Smith’s murder while already serving time on unrelated charges. For Cindy’s family, especially her sons Shawn and Jason, the arrest brought a long-awaited sense of closure and justice.

However, the outcome was not as hopeful. Represented by attorney Adam Woody, Timmons maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings. In late 2021, the murder charge against him was ultimately dismissed, leaving the case unresolved.

---

Catch more about the case on Oxygen.