Judy Smith: Found 600 Miles Away, Wearing Stranger's Clothes

On April 10th, 1997, 50-year-old Judy Smith stepped out of her honeymoon hotel in Philadelphia while her husband attended a conference. She never returned.

Five months later, her partial remains were found in a shallow grave deep inside the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, 600 miles away. She was wearing clothing no one recognized. Her own belongings were gone. Items left at the scene may have belonged to the person who killed her.

In this episode, Morgan and Kaelyn follow the clues: a forgotten ID that delayed her trip, sightings of Judy in Asheville days after she vanished, a troubled five-month marriage, a mystery car no one could trace, and the haunting question of who led her into those woods.

No arrests have ever been made.

Head over to our Clues YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@CluesPod

If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Clues to never miss a case! To hear episodes ad-free and released a day early, subscribe to Crime House+. Join at crimehouseplus.com or if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, tap “Try Free” at the top of this show’s page. Clues is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.

🎧 Need More to Binge?

Listen to other Crime House Originals including Crime House 24/7, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts!

Clues is hosted by Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore

Instagram: @morgsyabsher | @itskaelynmoore
TikTok: @twohottakes | @heartstartspounding

Episode Sponsors:

Apply to Year Up United today, and take the first step toward achieving the career you want. Visit https://www.YearUp.org to learn more.

Head to https://www.FactorMeals.com/clues50off and use code clues50off to get 50% off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).

Get started now at ⁠https://www.HelloAlma.com/CLUES

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(83)

Who Wrote the Note? The Case of Faith Hedgepeth

In September 2012, 19-year-old Faith Hedgepeth was found beaten to death in her off-campus apartment outside Chapel Hill, NC, hours after a night out with her roommate. Beside her body was a fast-food...

23 Sep 1h 1min

Not Forgotten: Missing Persons September 2026

Their stories don’t end when the episode does.This bonus episode brings together every Missing Person of the Week featured on CLUES in September 2026, giving these cases another moment of focus and an...

19 Sep 4min

The $12 Million Motive: Who Shot Steven Beard?

In October 1999, retired Austin TV executive Steven Beard woke in his home to a shotgun wound in his stomach. When police traced the bullet, it led somewhere nobody expected: a local bookstore manager...

16 Sep 56min

Brandon Swanson: The Call That Ended in Silence

Just before 2 a.m. on May 14, 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson called his parents from a gravel road in southwestern Minnesota. His car was stuck in a ditch and he needed a ride. His parents drove ou...

9 Sep 1h 10min

She Found Her Own Way Out: The Abduction of Jayme Closs

Around 1 a.m. on October 15, 2018, a 911 call came from a house on a rural stretch outside Barron, Wisconsin. Deputies arrived four minutes later to a kicked-in front door and found James and Denise C...

2 Sep 52min

Not Forgotten: Missing Persons August 2026

Their stories don’t end when the episode does.This bonus episode brings together every Missing Person of the Week featured on CLUES in August 2026, giving these cases another moment of focus and anoth...

29 Aug 4min

Celeste Rivas Hernandez: The Case Against D4VD

In April 2024, 13-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez vanished from Lake Elsinore, California. Seventeen months later, her remains were found in the trunk of an impounded Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard—re...

26 Aug 1h 15min

The Cleveland Kidnappings: Three Women Hidden for 10 Years

Between 2002 and 2004, Ariel Castro abducted three young women — Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus — from neighborhoods near his home in Cleveland, Ohio, and held them captive for nearly...

19 Aug 1h 8min