Narrator: when a small child
disappeared in alaska,
Investigators were initially
unsure whether the cause was a
Grizzly bear or an abduction.
The discovery of a fiber, a
piece of molten steel, and a
Chip of yellow, glossy paint
pointed police in the direction
Of a human.
But others weren't so sure.
Narrator: as the alaskan
summer drew to a close in 1991,
Children in the small town of
tazlina spent as much time
Outside as possible.
They knew that in just a few
short weeks, school would start,
And along with it, the cold
alaskan winter.
The lemaire family enjoyed life
in the alaska wilderness with
Hunting, fishing, and riding
four-wheel vehicles.
The oldest child.
She was a real interesting
mix between a tomboy and a
Pretty little girl.
She could be just as comfortable
in a frilly dress at a social
Event as she could in hip boots,
standing on a river fishing.
Narrator: the town of
tazlina has only 241 residents,
So the homes are situated some
distance apart.
Mandy and her best friend,
april, often walked a mile or
More to meet their friends to
play.
That was the plan on august 22,
Mandy and I took off.
We got about down to the
wheelbarrow down there.
I had a big fanny pack on, and I
had tripped and skinned up my
Leg.
I came back to the store.
They helped me out.
I got all cleaned up.
Mandy was supposed to wait for
me.
Narrator: but mandy may have
grown impatient.
I ran back down, didn't find
mandy.
Mandy always played pranks, so
we thought she was hiding in the
Bushes, was gonna come out and
scare us or something.
Um, she never did.
Narrator: two hours later,
mandy's father called police.
Within hours, 75 friends and
neighbors passed out fliers and
Searched the heavily wooded area
from the ground and from the
Air.
I knew that there was
something wrong and that there
Was no way that she could have
got lost.
Narrator: alaskan state
trooper jim mccann drove five
Hours from fairbanks to join the
search.
I came down here with the
opinion that there's more to
This than certainly a grizzly
attack or a child lost in the
Woods just from what I read in
the paper and from what I'd been
Told over the telephone.
This is the poster they hung
out when they found out mandy
Was missing.
It says, "missing.
Mandy lemaire.
Long blonde hair, straight.
Weighs 105-110 pounds.
Age 11."
I wrote, "she was my best
friend."
Narrator: the search lasted
for days.
Search dogs were used, but they
weren't able to track mandy's
Scent.
I've never seen such
community action.
I've been on and headed up a lot
of searches.
This community was just
marvelous.
Everybody from the valley got
together.
Narrator: tragically, 10 days
after she disappeared, searchers
Found her body.
She had been shot to death.
She was found about a mile
from her home off of
Tazlina terrace road.
Back a side road in a new
subdivision there, her body was
Found off that road that went
down to the river from that
Area.
Without you have living
something like this, you
Probably will never have a clue.
And I don't know that I can
describe it.
My wife, at the time, she
ultimately couldn't handle it.
I don't think, no matter what
you do, you always feel some
Kind of guilt.
And that was the big thing.
If I hadn't tripped, what would
have happened?
And I remember asking my mom
that.
What would have happened if I
hadn't tripped?
Narrator: complicating
matters, there had been heavy
Rains a few days before the body
was discovered, washing away
Possible trace evidence as well
as foot and tire impressions.
It was clear to us that she
had been alive when she was down
In that wash and had been
struggling to climb back up out
Of that wash.
Her little fingernails were
broken and filled with dirt.
Narrator: police knew they'd
have to work harder than usual
To find necessary clues.
Narrator: mandy lemaire's
autopsy revealed she had been
Shot twice at close range with a
.22 caliber r*fle.
There were signs of sexual
as*ault.
In a search for suspects, an
informant told police that
Construction worker
david deforest showed an unusual
Interest in the case and spoke
of it constantly at work.
Convicted of a car theft in
New york state and had some
recent brushes with the law.
He had been in some trouble
recently when he went out of
State, and he was a suspect in a
death out of state, too.
Narrator: deforest denied any
involvement in mandy's m*rder.
His employer confirmed he was at
work on the day mandy
Disappeared, so he wasn't
considered a suspect.
But deforest had some
information of his own.
He saw another local man,
charlie smithart, driving his
Pickup truck on the road where
mandy was last seen.
He was described as a good
guy to the kids, that all the
Copper center kids would come to
his shop, and he would fix
Their bicycles, give them
candy -- certainly interesting
To us.
Narrator: 61-year-old
smithart was a retired
Steelworker, had been divorced
twice, and lived in a makeshift
Workshop behind his mother's
home.
Coincidentally, smithart had
assisted in the search for
Mandy.
He never put his name down on
the search roster at the fire
Station to say that "I am a
member of this search team.
I will search."
But he would show up there and
stand around, and then he would
Go off on his own.
Uh...we found that strange.
Narrator: smithart denied
deforest's claim that he was
Near the crime scene on the day
mandy disappeared and said he
Had an alibi.
He said he was watching
television with his mother, an
Alibi his mother confirmed.
God knows he didn't do it.
And the person who committed
this crime knows that charles
Didn't do it.
Narrator: in a town the
size of tazlina, checking an
Alibi is easier than in most
larger towns, and it helped
Investigators get their first
break.
They learned that smithart's
mother, lucille, had gone
Shopping at the copper river
cash grocery store on the day of
Mandy's disappearance and paid
for the items with a check.
The time and date on
the register tape was the same.
And the time was 3:17 when lucy
said that she was home with her
Son.
She wasn't home.
She was at the grocery store
buying groceries at that time.
Suddenly, that blew a hole in
charlie's alibi because it meant
That his mother was at the
grocery store at 3:17, that she
Was not at home when smithart
said she was at home to bolster
His alibi, and that, frankly, he
had no alibi for the two hours
When mandy disappeared.
Narrator: 200 miles away in
anchorage, criminalists used a
Gel adhesive tape to gather any
trace evidence left behind by
The k*ller.
The tape lifts the evidence, but
the adhesive isn't so strong
That the trace elements can't be
removed for later analysis.
Investigators noticed what was
perhaps their first clue.
I looked at him, and he
looked at me, and I said, "did
You see that?
There's something shiny."
And we kept moving around at
different angles until we could
See something.
Narrator: the spheres were no
larger than the head of a pin.
Under a fiber-optic microscope,
the spheres looked like metal.
They also found several red and
blue fibers and a yellow paint
Chip.
Could these few microscopic
items help investigators find
A k*ller?
This is an 11-year-old girl
who had her life savagely taken
From her, who was brutally
k*lled, and her body was left in
The woods for animals to find.
I think that made it hard on
everybody that dealt with this
Case, and myself included.
Narrator: in the weeks
following mandy lemaire's
m*rder, investigators had a very
promising lead.
A witness placed
charlie smithart near mandy's
Home on the day of the
abduction.
And some young girls in town had
even more damaging information
To report.
In the weeks before mandy's
disappearance, charlie smithart,
A 60-year-old man, had been seen
offering rides to other young
Girls who bore a striking
resemblance to mandy lemaire --
Such that, one of the young
girls, when her mother saw the
Sketch in the newspaper of
mandy -- mandy was missing --
That she thought she was looking
at a sketch of her own daughter.
Narrator: armed with a search
warrant, investigators
Confiscated smithart's pickup
truck for forensic analysis.
With a gel adhesive,
criminalists lifted microscopic
Particles from the truck's
interior.
During questioning,
investigators noticed something
Else about smithart.
I couldn't take my eyes of
his shirt because he had little
Sparkly things on his shirt.
And I finally asked him.
I said, "what are those sparkly
things on your shirt, charlie?"
He says, "I don't know -- brass,
aluminum.
I'm grinding stuff all the
time."
Narrator: that clue led
investigators to the workshop
Behind smithart's mother's
home.
There, criminalists collected
paint samples, hair, fibers, and
All of the metal fragments they
could find.
They also confiscated a pair of
smithart's overalls.
All of the evidence was shipped
to chicago, illinois, to
Skip palenik, a research
microscopist.
Palenik began by looking at the
small, yellow paint chip found
On mandy's clothing.
Using x-ray spectroscopy,
palenik noticed something
Unique.
Glossy layers, with no other
layers behind it, in a variety
Of colors.
That's quite unusual.
And children's bicycles,
of course, are painted with
Single layers of glossy paint.
Narrator: in the samples
collected from smithart's
Workshop, palenik found a paint
chip identical in elemental and
Polymer composition to the paint
chip on mandy's clothing.
We found one paint chip,
where the paint chip was in
Every aspect we could measure,
was the same as one of the
Yellow paint chips from his
workshop.
Narrator: next were the red
and blue fibers.
Again, palenik found they, too,
were unusual.
It turns out these fibers had
a very unusual cross section.
The fibers were also very
brittle.
Narrator: they were brittle
because of degradation due to
Age and exposure.
The fibers were triangular in
shape, or trilobal.
Using an infrared spectrometer,
palenik discovered the fibers
Were polypropylene, a synthetic
manufactured by the phillips
Fiber company for carpeting.
Palenik then analyzed the fibers
gathered from smithart's truck
And clothing.
We find in smithart's
environment, exactly the same
Kinds of fibers.
Not only do they have the same
cross-sectional shape, the same
Size, they have the same
pigments that are used to color
Them.
Everything is there.
Narrator: the fibers in
smithart's truck were
Manufactured by the same
company and had the same degree
Of environmental damage as those
found on mandy's clothing.
Finally, palenik examined the
most unusual evidence, the
Metallic spheres found all over
mandy's skin and clothing.
The scanning electron microscope
identified the spheres as carbon
Steel.
From his experience, palenik
knew precisely what had shaped
The metal in this way.
If you're using a high-speed
cutting tool to cut through
Steel, you'll produce these
little spheres.
A metal particle is raised to a
height of temperature that
Actually melts and assumes a
spherical form.
Narrator: the metal spheres
from mandy's clothing were
Compared to metal fragments
found on the seat of smithart's
Truck.
These particles on mandy's
body were consistent in all
Respects with having originated
from mr. Smithart's environment.
Based on my knowledge of the
particles, it would be extremely
Unlikely to have all those
particles come together just by
Chance somewhere else.
Narrator: now armed with
forensic evidence, investigators
Wanted to learn as much as they
could about smithart's
Background, so they flew to
california to interview one of
His daughters.
There, they found evidence that
mandy lemaire wasn't his first
Victim.
We walked around out in her
front yard and down her road for
A couple of hours until she
trusted me, and with tears in
Her eyes said that her father
had started molesting her,
Interestingly, at the age of
Mandy lemaire was when she was
m*rder*d -- and that all her
Sisters had also been molested.
Narrator: after a three-month
investigation, charlie smithart
Was arrested for the kidnapping,
sexual as*ault, and m*rder of
Mandy lemaire.
It wasn't soon enough for
mandy's family.
I can tell you the temptation
was strong to take matters in my
Own hands.
I won't lie to you.
But I told myself...
That I could never explain it to
two boys.
Narrator: many residents of
tazlina found it difficult to
Believe that a neighbor could
commit such a heinous crime.
The community was very split
up there.
It's a very half-native,
half-white community.
And mandy was white, and charlie
was native.
And you had the split down the
center, essentially, that the
White community felt that he was
involved, and the native
Community felt that he was not
involved.
Narrator: charlie smithart's
trial began in 1993, two years
After the crime.
Mandy's parents and her two
little brothers sat in the first
Row every day of the trial.
Smithart insisted he was
innocent.
Mr. Smithart, you're gonna
have to be quiet at this time.
What are you gonna do --
put me in jail?
You gonna throw me in jail?
I've been in jail 20 [bleep]
months, falsely arrested for a
Crime I did not commit.
Mr. Smithart, I'm gonna
have to have you removed from
The courtroom.
That's fine.
Throw me in jail.
I've been in there for 20
[bleep] months, falsely
Arrested for a crime I did not
commit.
Narrator: prosecutors believe
that molten steel from
Smithart's metalwork formed the
tiny spheres that were attached
To his shirt.
Smithart was wearing that same
shirt when he saw mandy walking
To meet her friends.
It's unclear whether mandy
accepted smithart's offer of a
Ride or whether he forced her
into his vehicle.
The forensic evidence suggests
the tiny metal spheres attached
To smithart's shirt were
transferred onto the seat of his
Truck and later onto mandy's
clothing during the abduction.
The same red and blue
synthetic, trilobal carpet
Fibers were in the truck and on
mandy's clothing.
A single yellow speck of glossy
paint from smithart's workshop
Was also found on mandy lemaire.
Even after two weeks in the
woods, and after heavy rains,
Trace elements were still there.
The m*rder w*apon was never
recovered.
Prosecutors believe smithart
may have dumped it in the
Tazlina river.
This type of k*ller will do
this again...and hopefully, I'll
Still be locked up.
And then what are you people
gonna say?
If it happens, my way of
thinking, you're an accessory to
Him, you're an accessory to him,
and the troopers that
Investigated this case.
Because I know I'm innocent.
Narrator: skip palenik's
testimony was particularly
Persuasive.
My role is to come in and
report factually on what I found
And then be an advocate not for
one side or the other, but for
My opinion.
And I stated my opinion in
court, and then hopefully, gave
The jury something useful to
base their deliberations on and
Finally their verdict.
I felt like they did a really
good job of explaining it.
I'd ask our oldest son what he
heard, and he could explain it.
Adults should be able to
understand it.
Narrator: charles smithart
was found guilty of m*rder,
Kidnapping, and sexual as*ault,
and he was sentenced to 114
Years in prison.
Mr. Lemaire introduced me to
his son, who he said was
Somewhat interested in forensic
science.
And what he handed me was a
courtroom sketch he had made --
Hand-drawn picture with the
words written on it -- "thank
You for helping catch my
sister's k*ller."
That kind of thing does tug at
your heartstrings.
Narrator: this crime affected
everyone in tazlina in different
Ways.
Now that I live in her old
house, it haunts me.
My memories come back.
Certain smells bring back
memories.
Um, my son sleeps in her old
bedroom, and there's a sticker
On the window that she and I had
stuck there when we were little
Girls.
Some people think it ought to
be over.
It's never over.
I went through awful days,
leading up to when mandy's
Graduation would have been.
For years prior, I couldn't go
to graduations.
I...then several years after
that, when girls that would have
Been mandy's age were being
Married...or getting married, I
Couldn't go to those.
It's a whole lifelong...she's
not here, I'm missing this time
Of her life.
Narrator: six years later,
alaska supreme court overturned
Smithart's conviction because
some evidence the defense team
Had planned to introduce had
been denied.
Smithart died of lung cancer
in an alaska prison while
Awaiting a retrial.
08x23 - Sphere of Influence
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Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.
Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.