Though Erica Heather Smith died nine years ago, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is still trying to find her killer. The 14-year-old Ashburn resident had met an older guy who had been on a family vacation in Europe right before she disappeared, according to her friends.
On July 29, 2002, she called her boyfriend and told him that the guy who had been in Europe was back and would be take her shopping for clothes that afternoon. After getting another phone call, Smith left home.
She never went back. Her family reported on July 30 that she was missing.
Eleven days later, on Aug. 9, her body was found in a shallow grave in a wooded area in Ashburn near Redskins Park. She was wearing the same clothes as when she left home.
The sheriff’s investigators held hundreds of interviews about the murder, following up on countless leads, said spokesman Kraig Troxell. He said they still hope to find information about a possible suspect who might have been the last person to see Erica before her death.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact sheriff’s investigators at 703-777-0475 or, to remain anonymous, Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
