WEBVTT 1 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:34.880 Welcome back to the Path Went Chili. I'm Robin, I'm Jules. 2 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:38.640 And I'm Ashley. Let's dive right into this week's case. 3 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:46.600 July sixteenth, nineteen fifty two, Salisbury, Connecticut, while attending summer camp, 4 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:50.240 ten year old Connie Smith skips breakfast and leaves a campground. 5 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.200 Numerous witnesses see Connie walking down the road and attempting 6 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:57.520 to hitchhike, but before she reaches the nearest town, she 7 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:01.000 vanishes without a trace. Over the years, there are a 8 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:04.920 number of promising leads, including an anonymous letter stating that 9 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:08.920 Connie is an unidentified murder victim from Arizona named little 10 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:12.319 Miss X, but the investigation fails to turn up any 11 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:12.920 trace of her. 12 00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:17.519 After that, the Path Went Chiley. So today we're going 13 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:20.079 to be chronicling an older missing children's case which took 14 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:24.120 place over seventy years ago, the nineteen fifty two disappearance 15 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:27.439 of ten year old Connie Smith. This is the tragic 16 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:30.079 story of a girl who was attending summer camp but 17 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:33.439 then made the inexplicable decision to walk away from the campground, 18 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:37.200 possibly after an altercation with our fellow campers, and she 19 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:40.640 was never seen again. At the time, this case was 20 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:43.680 a pretty big deal because Connie hailed from a wealthy, 21 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:47.319 affluent family and her paternal grandfather just happened to be 22 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:50.799 the former governor of Wyoming, so no expense was spared 23 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:53.840 in the search efforts. For What adds an extra level 24 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:56.280 of intrigue to this case is that it also contains 25 00:01:56.319 --> 00:02:00.319 an unusual mystery within a mystery. A decade after Connie 26 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:04.000 went missing, police received an anonymous letter claiming that Connie 27 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.079 was an unidentified murder victim known as Little Miss X, 28 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:10.840 whose Skelton remains were found in Arizona in nineteen fifty eight. 29 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:14.879 You'd bethink that proving or disproving that Connie and Little 30 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:17.919 Miss X were the same person would be relatively simple, 31 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:21.120 but there have been numerous complications, and even if the 32 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.479 two cases aren't connected, the story of Little Miss X 33 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.039 is quite a rabbit hole on its own. So on 34 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:30.719 today's episode, we're going to explore Connie's misths, disappearance and 35 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:33.360 the numerous twists and turns which have ensued from it. 36 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:38.199 What a heartbreaking case from the start. This is really 37 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:40.360 really fascinating because it is one of the older cases 38 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.000 that we've talked about but here you have little Connie 39 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:46.599 whose parents drop her off at summer camp and she 40 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:50.120 ends up just going missing, and no one. 41 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:51.520 Knows what happens, and what's so sad? 42 00:02:51.560 --> 00:02:53.639 This is like, you know, the same concept as when 43 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:56.319 parents drop their kids off at college or a parent 44 00:02:56.360 --> 00:02:59.400 drops their kiddo off at daycare. You're taking your child 45 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:02.039 to a place where they're supposed to have an experience. 46 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:05.280 They're supposed to be learning, making new friends, all of 47 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:09.319 these life skills that you're anticipating that your child's going 48 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:12.719 to get as a benefit and so giving them opportunities. 49 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:16.719 And then the very people who are supposed to be 50 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:20.479 taking care of her are unable to find Connie. And 51 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.800 so my heart absolutely shatters because I'm a mom and 52 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.360 I drop my babies off of people every single day, 53 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.439 knowing that I'm going to go and pick them up 54 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:32.159 after school or after daycare after summer camp gets out, 55 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:36.400 and here Connie is nowhere to be found. Like you said, 56 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.039 it's very very possible that she got in an altercation 57 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:43.840 with somebody, that she's homesick, that she got her feelings hurt, right, 58 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:45.240 I didn't feel like she fit in. 59 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.120 And then you see reports that maybe she. 60 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:50.080 Was even trying to hitchhike. Was she trying to get 61 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:51.080 home to her parents? 62 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:53.560 It makes it so sad. 63 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:56.560 I want to know more, particularly about this idea that 64 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:00.159 it really should be easy at this point to if 65 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:01.960 I have Connie and little miss X are the same, 66 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:03.759 but I would love. 67 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:04.680 To know more. 68 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:09.080 Our central figure is ten year old Connie Smith, who 69 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:12.080 hails from an affluent family and lives on a sizeable 70 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:16.680 horse ranch in Sundance, Wyoming. Connie's parents are Peter Smith 71 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.560 and Helen Jensen, and she is a thirteen year old 72 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:23.800 brother named Nels, who was named after their paternal grandfather, NELLS. 73 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:27.360 Hanson Smith, who served as governor of Wyoming from nineteen 74 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:30.959 thirty nine until nineteen forty three. Peter and Helen have 75 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:34.600 been divorced since nineteen forty nine, but the separation was 76 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:37.639 a pretty amicable one, as Helen was allowed to live 77 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:40.800 in a separate home on the Smith's family ranch, and 78 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:44.360 while Helen had primary custody of Connie, both parents played 79 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.959 a significant role in her life. During the summers, Helen 80 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:51.639 usually took Connie to visit her maternal grandmother in Greenwich, Connecticut, 81 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:55.519 but on this particular year, Connie would instead be attending 82 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:59.160 summer camp for the first time. The location in question 83 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:03.040 was Camp's Law, a two hundred and fifty acre YMCA 84 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:06.360 camp located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, just 85 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:10.680 over three miles outside the town of Salisbury. Connie would 86 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.920 spend her time there inside a platform tent with bunk beds, 87 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:18.360 alongside seven other girls. By the morning of Wednesday, July sixteenth, 88 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.720 Connie had been at the camp for three weeks. At 89 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:24.560 around seven fifty am, the campers were ready to go 90 00:05:24.600 --> 00:05:27.560 to the mess hall for breakfast, but Connie told her 91 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:29.879 tent mates that she was going to the infirmary to 92 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:32.680 return an ice pack. She had been using the ice 93 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:36.079 pack on her bruised hip, which was supposedly caused by 94 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:39.240 a fall off the elevated tent platform the previous evening. 95 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:43.079 The other campers went to breakfast as planned, but Connie 96 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:46.160 never showed up. When they returned to the tent at 97 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:49.079 around eight forty five, they discovered that the ice pack 98 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:52.600 was still on Connie's bunk, but Connie herself was nowhere 99 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:56.480 to be found. The camp director, Ernest Roberts, was soon 100 00:05:56.519 --> 00:06:00.000 informed about Connie's absence and in search of the camp 101 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:03.560 ground was performed for her. By eleven thirty, she'd still 102 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:07.160 not been found, so the Connecticut State Police were notified 103 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:12.279 and Connie was officially reported missing. Once word reached Connie's grandfather, 104 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:16.600 former Governor Nel Smith, he used his influence to ensure 105 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:19.920 that a full scale search operation, both on the ground 106 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:22.800 and in the air, would be conducted. This turned out 107 00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:25.879 to be one of the very first missing persons cases 108 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:29.360 in which posters of the victim were circulated offering a 109 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:33.319 reward for information, this time for three thousand dollars. 110 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:36.279 And remember this is back in nineteen fifty two, so 111 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:39.480 I had to quickly look this up of how much 112 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:42.720 money that would be today, that three thousand dollars would 113 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.279 be about thirty seven thousand dollars. And you know, when 114 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:48.439 you think about it and you look at reward posters 115 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:51.839 even today, even today, you'll see things that say, you know, 116 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:55.639 five thousand dollars, seventy five hundred dollars, and back in 117 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:59.759 nineteen fifty two, they're offering, you know, the today's equivalent 118 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:03.600 of thirty seven thousand dollars from the start. 119 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:04.720 To find this child. 120 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:07.600 And it's fascinating, as just a side fact that one 121 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:10.120 of the very first times you're sitting there with these 122 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:14.360 posters coming out with a reward. Is there any chance 123 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:18.959 that her grandfather, being the governor would have drawn attention 124 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:22.639 to her specifically? I don't feel like it would because 125 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:24.720 of the fact that she just so oddly was at 126 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.040 this camp for the first time. It's not as if 127 00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:29.240 this was a routine that someone could follow and know. 128 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:32.519 But is it possible Have they ever looked into if 129 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:35.800 grandfather's roots had something to do with her being targeted? 130 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:38.959 I don't think so, because he was governor of Wyoming, 131 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.800 and this camp was in Connecticut, and he had not 132 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:45.079 been governor for nearly a decade at that point, and 133 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:47.439 so I don't even know how many people there knew 134 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:50.399 that her grandfather had been the governor of an entirely 135 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:53.360 different estate, and also the fact that she had been 136 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:55.399 in the camp for a couple weeks at that point. 137 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:58.079 And I'm thinking that if someone was targeting her, figuring 138 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:00.639 that she's alone, that they would have gone after her 139 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:03.720 much earlier. But no, it seems like something happened to 140 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.240 her because she made the decision to walk away from 141 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:09.040 the camp on that particular morning. And I've always had 142 00:08:09.079 --> 00:08:10.920 the feeling it was just kind of a wrong time, 143 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.439 wrong place thing where she just crossed paths with the 144 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:14.079 wrong person. 145 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:17.680 And you often see that with children who go missing. 146 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:21.319 It's either someone incredibly close to them, like an estranged 147 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:25.839 parent or uncle or something like that, and or more commonly, 148 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:28.680 it's an opportunistic type of crime, and that was where 149 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:31.319 my default went. Here, you have a camp where if 150 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:33.919 someone's looking for a child, they know that a camp 151 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:38.399 area has potential to have children, and or there's going 152 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:41.120 to be very little supervision of a child hitchhiking, and 153 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:43.720 so someone drives by and sees a young child all 154 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:46.440 by themselves and they think, wow, no one else is 155 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.559 even around here, right, and they pull over and take her. 156 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:53.519 So I'm leaning towards this as an opportunistic crime, and 157 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:58.120 this is just a very vulnerable child who is desperate 158 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:00.399 to get out of there for some reason, makes this 159 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:02.080 decision to try to hitchhike home. 160 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:05.879 Yeah, it kind of reminds me of the Asia degree case, 161 00:09:05.960 --> 00:09:11.360 where she is this young girl unprotected walking on this highway, 162 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:15.440 and there's a parallel there with Connie's case, where she's 163 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:18.559 this ten year old girl who is walking along the 164 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:23.000 side of the road, potentially hitchhiking, which is like inconceivable 165 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.600 for a ten year old child. We know that she's 166 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:30.159 taller and appears more mature, which just adds more layers 167 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:34.519 and more complexity to it because somebody who is wanting 168 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:38.679 to approach her or predate on her may assume that 169 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:40.559 she is older than she actually is. 170 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.200 Yeah, I've always felt thought of the Asia degree case 171 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:46.480 while I was researching this episode, and I'll be making 172 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.120 a direct reference to it later on in our series 173 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:52.720 of episodes. But it's essentially two mysteries rolled into one, 174 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:56.000 where you wonder what happened to the victim and why 175 00:09:56.039 --> 00:09:58.360 did they feel compelled to leave the comfort of their 176 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.759 own space to go walking a lot and could they 177 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:04.559 have been meeting someone and what was their ultimate destination. 178 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:08.759 So it soon became a parent that Connie had willingly 179 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:11.080 left the campground on her own and walked a half 180 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:14.200 mile down the driveway to Indian Mountain Road, as no 181 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:17.639 fewer than nine witnesses reported seeing her shortly after she 182 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:21.240 separated from her tentmates. The first of these witnesses was 183 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:24.240 the camp's caretaker, who claimed he saw Connie emerging from 184 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:27.600 the driveway and turning right on Indian Mountain Road and 185 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:31.320 stopping to pick some daisies at eight fifteen am. Now 186 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:33.799 it should be mentioned that Connie was already five feet 187 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:36.879 tall and had developed earlier than normal, so she looked 188 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:39.879 older than the age of ten. The caretaker would state 189 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:42.279 that since Conye looked tall enough and old enough to 190 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:44.759 be one of the camp counselors, he did not have 191 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:47.440 any concern about her leaving the camp and walking down 192 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:50.679 the road alone. After this, a couple out for a 193 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:53.720 morning walk claimed they passed Connie about a quarter mile 194 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:56.240 from the camp's entrance, but they didn't speak to her. 195 00:10:56.919 --> 00:10:59.039 It wasn't long before Connie knocked on the door of 196 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:01.639 a nearby house, which was answered by a woman named 197 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:05.799 Alice Walsh. She claimed that Kanye asked for directions to Lakeville, 198 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:08.039 a small village which was part of the town of 199 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:11.879 Salisbury and located just under two miles northeast of the camp. 200 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:15.639 Walsh provided the directions, but said that Conie looked like 201 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:19.159 she had recently been crying. A few minutes later, a 202 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:21.919 pair of maids sitting outside of servant's cottage at another 203 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.600 residence on Indian Mountain Road also said that Kanye approached 204 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:29.039 them and asked for directions to Lakeville. The maids told 205 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:31.759 her to keep walking and turn right on Route forty four. 206 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:35.039 The next sighting of Conyie took place on Route forty 207 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.600 four when a couple drove past her. They said she 208 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:40.360 appeared to be sticking out her thumb and attempting to hitchhike, 209 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:43.679 but they did not stop for at around eight forty 210 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:47.000 five am, a neither motorists would see Conye walking along 211 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:50.639 Route forty four near the intersection of Belgo Road, but 212 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:52.799 this would turn out to be the last time she 213 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.080 was confirmed to be alive. The location was about a 214 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:59.120 half mile outside of Lakeville, but even though residents and 215 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:02.600 business owners from the village were extensively questioned, none of 216 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:05.879 them are called seeing Connie that morning. It seemed a 217 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.600 parent that something happened to Connie before she made it 218 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.559 to Lakeville, but even though Route forty four usually at 219 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:13.720 heavy traffic, no one saw anything. 220 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:16.480 Okay, A couple of things that I want to ask about. 221 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:20.480 The first just a statement. Miss Reagan is eleven and 222 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:24.240 she's five three, and so when you just started describing Connie, 223 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:27.120 you know, I forget when I hear about a ten 224 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:27.480 year old. 225 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:28.559 I'm like, oh, that's a little girl. 226 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:30.919 And then I got to remember, I have one who 227 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:34.039 looks like a sixteen seventeen year old and she's only 228 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:36.919 eleven years old, and so I'm trying to put Connie 229 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:39.080 into that perspective where I go, wait, I have one 230 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:42.000 of those types of kids, and so people treat her 231 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:45.159 like they're talking to a high schooler. Right, They're like, Okay, 232 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:47.320 she's going to go walk to a friend's house, or oh, okay, 233 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.120 she's going to go into town. 234 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:50.919 It is what it is. But this is a baby. 235 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:54.679 Connie's ten years old and she's running into person after 236 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:59.399 person asking for directions to the town of Lakeville. We 237 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:02.879 talk about it all the time about eyewitnesses and witnesses 238 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:05.600 to these kinds of things are not always reliable. But 239 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:11.240 when we have so many consistent stories of her appearance, 240 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:14.440 of where she's asking directions to that it looks like 241 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:17.039 she had been crying, you have many people who are 242 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:20.320 telling the police the same story. Back then, their media 243 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.759 wouldn't have been as significant as it is now, and 244 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:27.799 so I think that's pretty reliable, which means Connie had 245 00:13:27.799 --> 00:13:30.759 her mind made up to go to this place called Lakeville. 246 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:34.559 Did she have familiarity with it? Does someone live there? 247 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:38.240 Is it possible that camp took fild trips into Lakeville? 248 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:42.159 How does a ten year old remember that I want 249 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:44.679 to get to this city if there's nothing significant in it. 250 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:48.240 Yeah, we still don't know if Connie had been to 251 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:51.519 Lakeville on any previous occasions, or how much familiarity she 252 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:54.039 had with the town. As we're going to talk about. 253 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:56.080 One of the prominent theories is that maybe she was 254 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.679 just looking for a payphone somewhere in order to call 255 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:02.440 her family. But you mentioned Connie being tall for her age. 256 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:05.440 If you look at photographs of her that are available online, 257 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.480 she definitely looks older than ten years old. So you 258 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:11.120 can understand why the caretaker and all these other witnesses 259 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:13.720 were not concerned about the idea for walking down the 260 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.720 road alone, because they figured she was just a teenager 261 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:19.399 and knew where she was going. And like you said, 262 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.080 this is one case where I completely believe all the 263 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:25.080 eyewitness accounts, even though, as we've talked about, in a 264 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:28.879 lot of other missing persons cases, eyewitnesses can often be mistaken, 265 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.799 but here they could tell such consistent stories that each corroborate, 266 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:35.519 each other that I can totally believe that all of 267 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:37.919 them really did see Connie on the road that morning, 268 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:41.039 and that's how we're able to pinpoint a specific point 269 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:44.639 where she just happened to go missing before she reached Lakevil. 270 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:49.080 It can be a weird experience when you're young and 271 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:51.879 people think you're a lot older. Like when I was ten, 272 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:55.600 I was probably about five four. I stopped growing by 273 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:57.720 the time I was thirteen and a hit five nine, 274 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.679 but people always assumed that I was older than I 275 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:03.639 was when I was a kid because I. 276 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:04.360 Was so tall. 277 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:07.279 And I remember being even like seven or eight and 278 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:09.600 going trigger treating and having people think that I was 279 00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:12.240 like too old to be trigger treating because I was tall. 280 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:16.879 It's a very odd feeling having adults assume a certain 281 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:20.159 thing about you because of your appearance, but your maturity 282 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:24.600 isn't there yet. So I can only imagine what type 283 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:27.360 of experience Connie could have had with any of the 284 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:31.080 adults that she interacted with if she wasn't volunteering her 285 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:33.799 age upfront and being like, Hey, I'm a ten year 286 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.279 old kid and I need help. They're just looking at 287 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:38.919 her and they're assuming like she's a teenager. She's got 288 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:41.879 this and they're not really thinking about the danger that 289 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:43.799 could be out there lurking. 290 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:46.840 And pretty much and if she was abducted by a predator, 291 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:49.039 it could have been someone who decided to target her 292 00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:51.639 because they assumed she was a teenager and didn't even 293 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:54.159 realize that she was ten years old until after they 294 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:56.559 took her. 295 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:01.320 So upon learning of Connie's disappearance, her parents, Peter Smith 296 00:16:01.399 --> 00:16:05.879 and Helen Jensen, immediately traveled to Salisbury and were actively 297 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:09.240 involved in the search efforts for her. In spite of 298 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:12.240 their divorce. There was no reason to suspect that either 299 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:16.039 parent had any knowledge or involvement in their daughter's disappearance. 300 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:21.000 Given the family's wealth, there was some speculation that Connie's 301 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:24.759 disappearance may have been around some kidnapping, but no ransom 302 00:16:24.919 --> 00:16:29.360 demand ever arrived. Peter personally chartered and flew a plane 303 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:32.279 over the area to search for Connie, and the locals 304 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:35.879 often called him the Marlborough Man since he was a 305 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.919 six foot seven cowboy with a ten gallon hat who 306 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:41.799 also rode horses through the forest to look for his daughter. 307 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:46.080 The one thing which no one could understand is why 308 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.519 Connie walked away from camp sloane to begin with, as 309 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:52.480 she was not carrying any money and had left behind 310 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:57.399 her extra clothing and belongings. Since July eleventh happened to 311 00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:00.799 be Connie's tenth birthday, her mother in matun Cornal grandmother 312 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:03.360 had gone to visit her at the camp two days later. 313 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:06.720 According to Helen, Connie appeared to be in good spirits 314 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:10.039 and was looking forward to the upcoming weekend because there 315 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:12.279 was a square dance in horse show that she wanted 316 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:15.319 to attend. Connie even asked her mother if she could 317 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:18.039 stay at the camp a little longer than planned. Helen 318 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:21.279 said no because she had already arranged Connie's trip back 319 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:25.240 home to Wyoming, and Connie didn't seem to mind. Since 320 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:27.640 the children at camp were not allowed to carry money, 321 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:31.640 Helen deposited five dollars in Connie's camp account, which could 322 00:17:31.640 --> 00:17:35.359 be used for future purchases. A half written letter was 323 00:17:35.400 --> 00:17:38.720 also found in Connie's belongings, where she described what was 324 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:41.559 a wonderful time she was having at camp, but it 325 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:45.920 was unfinished. However, one camp official would recall seeing Connie 326 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:49.400 crying right after her mother and grandmother left, and there 327 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:52.599 were hints that she was very homesick and things were 328 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:54.240 not as good for her at the camp as she 329 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:54.680 let on. 330 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:58.400 Well, that's incredibly sad. I feel like a ten year old. 331 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:00.240 Why would she hide it? Why would she ad ask 332 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:03.960 for more time at the camp if she wasn't enjoying herself. 333 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:07.319 I wonder if there could have been somebody coercing her 334 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:11.000 or manipulating her at the camp that was also a 335 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:14.160 predator and then ends up apprehending her away from camp. 336 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:17.440 But I just don't see a ten year old who 337 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:22.000 has access to their grandmother saying oh, I'm loving it, 338 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:24.880 Oh I need to stay here longer, all of these 339 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:29.440 other things, because in any grandma even superseding a mom's expectations, 340 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:32.039 if a grandmother thought their baby was struggling, right, they 341 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:34.680 would say, oh, I'm taking my grandbaby home. And so 342 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:37.519 wouldn't you think that she just closed that if she 343 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:38.279 wasn't happy. 344 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:42.200 I guess it's possible that she was genuinely enjoying her 345 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.559 time at the camp at that moment, but then something 346 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:48.119 happened in the next few days which suddenly changed her 347 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:52.799 whole outlook, and that's why she decided to leave. So, 348 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:55.160 in addition to her bruised hit from the night before. 349 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:58.640 Connie suffered another injury on the morning of her disappearance, 350 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:01.480 which left her with a bloody noe and broke her eyeglasses. 351 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:04.799 Since Connie was very nearsighted, she really could not see 352 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:08.279 much at all without her glasses. The official story was 353 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.319 that Connie's bloody nose and broken glasses were a cos 354 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.640 when one of her tentmates accidentally kicked her in the 355 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:16.599 face while climbing out of her bunk. However, there were 356 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:18.720 rumors that this may have actually been the result of 357 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:21.839 a violent altercation, and that Connie did not get along 358 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:25.119 well with most of her tentmates. Since Connie was raised 359 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:27.480 on a horse ranch and was known for being a tomboy, 360 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:30.279 and many of the other girls hailed from New York City, 361 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:33.039 there could have been a cultural divide which caused them 362 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:36.799 to clash. Camp Sloan did have a telephone, but officials 363 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:40.400 discouraged the children from using it, so this created speculation 364 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:44.079 that a violent altercation may have prompted Kannie to decide 365 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:46.480 she wanted to go home. She then decided to walk 366 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:49.119 away from the camp and was heading towards Lakeville in 367 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:51.440 order to find a payphone to call her mother to 368 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:52.200 come pick her up. 369 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:57.160 Okay, it's definitely possible. She's clearly presenting with physical harm 370 00:19:57.240 --> 00:19:57.880 to her body. 371 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:00.839 But if these are these city. 372 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:04.039 Slicker girls from New York City and she's a country girl, 373 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.880 isn't it possible too that those New York girls would 374 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:08.119 be like. 375 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:11.759 Oh, Connie hit me. Connie's rough housing with me. 376 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.680 I wonder if they would really allow themselves to just be, 377 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.839 you know, in a violent altercation and then not then 378 00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:22.880 go tattle on Connie, right, or people wouldn't tell that 379 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:24.920 something was going on if they're not used to this 380 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:28.319 rough housing and tomboy attitude. So it's almost like Connie 381 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:30.200 would be someone who was like, I don't care that 382 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:33.160 there was a fight, versus these city type girls who 383 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:35.720 might be like, what the heck there's violence at summer camp. 384 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:39.480 But I'm wondering, is there any potential that someone older, 385 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:42.599 even like an older counselor but not an adult, could 386 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:46.400 have been maybe trying to do something to Connie, you know, 387 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:50.279 take advantage of her. She does present as an older girl, 388 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:55.160 and you have these you know, you have predators, even 389 00:20:55.240 --> 00:20:59.319 teenage predators, who are looking for someone who's vulnerable. Is 390 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:02.119 it possible that some of the physical injuries could have 391 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:05.279 come from maybe her getting into an altercation where she 392 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:08.559 was about to be assaulted or being abused, and then 393 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:10.839 once that happened, she says, I got to get out 394 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:11.519 of here somehow. 395 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:15.759 That is a possibility, but investigators never found any evidence 396 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:18.559 to support it. I do think it could be plausible 397 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:21.200 that even if Conye decided to leave, that if there 398 00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:23.799 was some other counselor at the camp who had access 399 00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:26.079 to a vehicle or something, they could have followed her 400 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:28.880 and picked her up, and that's why she vanished without 401 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:31.799