On this day, Oct. 25, in 1994, a South Carolina mother claimed she was carjacked by a black man who kidnapped her two young children. But in reality, she locked her two young sons in a car and let the car slide into a lake. Smith made tearful pleas on television for the return of her 3-year-old and 1-year-old sons. The case gained worldwide attention. For nine days, police went on a wild goose chase looking for the boys, but found no trace of them or the car. But under the intense gaze of the media, Smith confessed to driving her Mazda into a lake, drowning her children inside. At the time, she was dating a wealthy man who did not want children.
Smith was sentenced to life in prison.
— Scott McCabe
