DNA helps solve case 39 years after woman’s body found in river, CA officials say
Thirty nine years ago, Joette Marie Smith’s body was found in a California river.
The 33-year-old Ben Lomond resident owned a restaurant in town, Buffalo Gals, according to a Sept. 14 Facebook post from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Smith was last seen on March 27, 1983, leaving Henflings Bar, two days before her body was found in the San Lorenzo River.
“For the next several years, Sheriff’s Detectives interviewed dozens of people and investigated several leads and tips, but no viable suspect was identified,” the sheriff’s office said.
But this year, with the help of new technology that was able to get a DNA profile from Smith’s clothing, detectives identified a suspect in her death: Eric David Drummond, according to the sheriff’s office.
In August, a DNA sample was collected from Drummond, the sheriff’s office said, and that sample matched the DNA profile from Smith’s clothing.
Drummond, however, died by suicide as detectives were working to get a warrant for his arrest, the sheriff’s office said.
“While Drummond will never face criminal charges or a jury of his peers, the Sheriff’s Office is confident that the evidence in this case would support a conviction of Drummond for the murder of Joette Smith,” the sheriff’s office said.
A woman who said she was Smith’s sister commented on the sheriff office’s post, thanking it for the effort, while also offering condolences to Drummond’s family.
“It’s difficult to lose a loved one, but these circumstances will be trying for his family,” the woman wrote.
Drummond, who “had an extensive history of violent crimes that included sexual assault convictions in California and Nevada,” had been on detectives’ radar since 1988, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives also learned Smith had declined a date with Drummond when he asked at her restaurant, the sheriff’s office said.
Despite “circumstantial information tying Drummond to the crime,” detectives did not have enough physical evidence to bring a criminal case against him, the sheriff’s office said.
Shortly after her death in 1983, friends described Smith as a generous perfectionist, the Valley Press reported at the time.
“The orange slices on the plate had to be just right,” said her friend, Jan Burke.
Another friend, Barry Reid, said when the sun shined, Smith “danced with it,” according to the newspaper.
This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 3:28 PM with the headline "DNA helps solve case 39 years after woman’s body found in river, CA officials say."
