Edna Laverne Blodgett

• Missing Since 06/02/1993
• Missing From Post, Texas
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 06/22/1917 (107)
• Age 75 years old
• Height and Weight 5'5, 121 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A light-colored blouse, white pants, white sneakers and a family heirloom ring embedded with six stones. A drawing of the ring is posted with this case summary. It's white gold with yellow gold outer edges. Two of the stones are pink, one is green, one is gold, one is blue and one is light blue.
• Medical Conditions Blodgett was diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's Disease prior to her 1993 disappearance. She may have been disoriented as a result of her condition. Blodgett is classified as a disabled missing person.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. All of Blodgett's teeth have been extracted, but she did not wear dentures at the time of her disappearance.

Details of Disappearance

Blodgett resided in Post, Texas in 1993. She lived with her boyfriend, Jerry T. Smith, before receiving an order of protection against him that year. Witnesses said that Smith physically abused Blodgett on several occasions. He continued to visit her at her house regardless of the orders against him.

Blodgett was last seen near her residence on June 2, 1993. A witness told authorities that she was seen walking along a dirt road off of U.S. Highway 84 northwest of Post later during the day. She has never been heard from again.

Several unconfirmed sightings of her in the area afterwards included one account of an elderly woman fitting her description who appeared unkempt and had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The unidentified woman claimed that she was traveling to Amarillo, Texas. It is not known if the individual was Blodgett.

Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation employees were unable to locate Blodgett and reported her as a missing person on June 14, 1993. Her family members said that it is uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning. Blodgett normally tended her garden at home and also walked to several local businesses on a daily basis. No one recalled seeing Blodgett after June 2.

Smith was charged with forgery after he attempted to cash a $100 check from Blodgett's bank account later in June 1993. He was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to ten years in prison. Authorities charged Smith with Blodgett's homicide later in 1995. A witness testified that Smith told him he murdered Blodgett in Texas, then departed for a short trip to Arkansas in early June 1993.

The witness claimed that Smith said he buried her body in a 55-gallon drum, then packed soil around the container. The individual stated that Smith poured high-octane gasoline over the drum and ignited it, claiming he believed the process would destroy Blodgett's bones and any evidence of her murder.

Smith had a history of abuse prior to his relationship with Blodgett. His former wife told authorities that she filed for divorce in the early 1980s after Smith beat her severely. He pleaded guilty to assaulting his father in 1985. He was convicted of Blodgett's murder in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison. He continued to maintain his innocence throughout his trial.

Blodgett's former home was damaged during a fire in January 2000, nearly seven years after her disappearance. A construction worker discovered a bone fragment among the debris during the cleaning process later that summer. Some people speculated that the fragment was part of Blodgett's remains, but investigators stated that it was likely an animal bone.

Blodgett's body has never been recovered.