The Kidnapping
Jul 7, 2026 · 30 min · 8 segments
When a talented, vibrant young woman is abducted from her apartment in Maryville, Tennessee, time is of the essence to find her. When the worst is revealed, authorities discover that the human…
Jul 7, 2026 · 30 min · 8 segments
When a talented, vibrant young woman is abducted from her apartment in Maryville, Tennessee, time is of the essence to find her. When the worst is revealed, authorities discover that the human…
[gentle music] Early in the morning on Wednesday, May 7th, 2003, Angelia Jeffers Smith was at home in Scott County, Tennessee when she received a startling phone call from her older sister, Vicky.
After getting over the initial shock of the news, Angelia asked her sister for more information, but Vicky couldn't really provide much.
You see, the only thing the Jeffers and Maryville police knew at that time was that several hours earlier, around 11:30 PM the night before, which would've been Tuesday, May 6th, some of Sandy's neighbors, including this guy named Herbie Ward, who all lived at Big Oak Apartments, had heard a woman screaming for help.
Either Herbie or one of the other residents had gotten up and looked out their window to see what all the fuss was about, and that's when they saw a red colored car quickly backing out of a parking space and speed away.
Concerned something untoward might have happened, neighbors went downstairs to the ground level and knocked on Sandy's door, but there was no answer.
Within minutes, someone called the Maryville Police Department, which quickly dispatched officers to the scene.
When those officers got to Sandy's door, they realized it was unlocked, and after going inside, they saw that Sandy was missing, but a lot of her personal belongings weren't.
Her car keys, wallet, and credit cards were all still sitting on her table, and several packages were even laying on the floor near her doorway.
Just outside her unit, her Honda Civic was parked in a spot and had been left unlocked.
Unsure what exactly they were dealing with, police worked quickly to get as much information from her neighbors as well as other people who knew her.
They also issued a missing persons bulletin for Sandy, which described her as between five feet and five feet three inches tall, about 130 pounds, and had green eyes and long, dark brown hair.
Sandy's neighbors told officers that they believed the red car they'd seen speeding away from their apartment building was a red 1980s Dodge Shadow, and they described the vehicle's color as somewhat faded.
They said that it had a primer spot on the passenger side, almost as if it hadn't been painted in that area or needed touch-up work.
With that information in hand, authorities issued a BOLO for the car and asked the public to report if they spotted it.
By the following morning, after Angelia and her family members drove to meet with detectives at Maryville PD, everyone was racking their brains, trying to figure out who could have wanted to take Sandy.
Angelia told me in our interview that because there were so few details to go on, law enforcement had an uphill battle making quick headway.
Investigators interviewed everyone in their family to figure out if Sandy had any known enemies or had complained of any recent problems in her life.
But according to Angelia, no one could think of an explanation that made any sense.
She lived by herself at her apartment and was just a few days away from graduating with a degree in forensic anthropology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Growing up, Sandy was described as a super sweet child who loved to read and was a great blend of an introverted extrovert.
She was also considered a reliable person who, when she put her mind to something, would always follow through.
Her sister told me that most of the time Sandy was shy, but once you got to know her, she was quite funny.
[gentle music] Early in the morning on Wednesday, May 7th, 2003, Angelia Jeffers Smith was at home in Scott County, Tennessee when she received a startling phone call from her older sister, Vicky.
After getting over the initial shock of the news, Angelia asked her sister for more information, but Vicky couldn't really provide much.
You see, the only thing the Jeffers and Maryville police knew at that time was that several hours earlier, around 11:30 PM the night before, which would've been Tuesday, May 6th, some of Sandy's neighbors, including this guy named Herbie Ward, who all lived at Big Oak Apartments, had heard a woman screaming for help.
Either Herbie or one of the other residents had gotten up and looked out their window to see what all the fuss was about, and that's when they saw a red colored car quickly backing out of a parking space and speed away.
Concerned something untoward might have happened, neighbors went downstairs to the ground level and knocked on Sandy's door, but there was no answer.
Within minutes, someone called the Maryville Police Department, which quickly dispatched officers to the scene.
When those officers got to Sandy's door, they realized it was unlocked, and after going inside, they saw that Sandy was missing, but a lot of her personal belongings weren't.
Her car keys, wallet, and credit cards were all still sitting on her table, and several packages were even laying on the floor near her doorway.
Just outside her unit, her Honda Civic was parked in a spot and had been left unlocked.
Unsure what exactly they were dealing with, police worked quickly to get as much information from her neighbors as well as other people who knew her.
They also issued a missing persons bulletin for Sandy, which described her as between five feet and five feet three inches tall, about 130 pounds, and had green eyes and long, dark brown hair.
Sandy's neighbors told officers that they believed the red car they'd seen speeding away from their apartment building was a red 1980s Dodge Shadow, and they described the vehicle's color as somewhat faded.
They said that it had a primer spot on the passenger side, almost as if it hadn't been painted in that area or needed touch-up work.
With that information in hand, authorities issued a BOLO for the car and asked the public to report if they spotted it.
By the following morning, after Angelia and her family members drove to meet with detectives at Maryville PD, everyone was racking their brains, trying to figure out who could have wanted to take Sandy.
Angelia told me in our interview that because there were so few details to go on, law enforcement had an uphill battle making quick headway.
Investigators interviewed everyone in their family to figure out if Sandy had any known enemies or had complained of any recent problems in her life.
But according to Angelia, no one could think of an explanation that made any sense.
She lived by herself at her apartment and was just a few days away from graduating with a degree in forensic anthropology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Growing up, Sandy was described as a super sweet child who loved to read and was a great blend of an introverted extrovert.
She was also considered a reliable person who, when she put her mind to something, would always follow through.
Her sister told me that most of the time Sandy was shy, but once you got to know her, she was quite funny.
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