Arrest Made In Kansas Kidnap-Slay Case

Police Arrest Man, 26, In Abduction And Murder Of 18-Year-Old Kelsey Smith

(CBS/AP)  A man seen on surveillance video leaving a store shortly before a teenager was abducted in the parking lot has been arrested, hours after her body was found in a park, authorities said.

Edwin R. Hall, 26, was expected to be charged Thursday morning with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping, Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said.

Kelsey Smith, 18, had been missing since Saturday night, when she went to a Target store in this Kansas City suburb to buy a gift for her boyfriend.

Surveillance video showed her being forced into her car around 7:10 p.m., and the car drove off. It was found in a nearby mall parking lot about two hours later.

Douglass said Hall appeared to be the same person shown in the video leaving the Target soon after Smith. He was wearing a white T-shirt, sneakers, shorts and a goatee.

"This community has lost a vibrant and promising life and a family has suffered unimaginable tragedy," said Phill Kline, prosecutor for Johnson County, Kan.

Police said Hall's vehicle matched the description of a dark mid-1970s Chevrolet pickup that was seen entering the Target parking lot shortly after Smith's car.

"I want to again express my condolences to the Smith family," Douglass said. "I realize that this is not the preferred conclusion. While we cannot give them their daughter back, we can at least give them justice."

Douglass said police had received more than 500 tips in the case and had questioned numerous people, including Hall, who was arrested at the end of his interview Wednesday.

Douglass said there was no evidence that Hall and Smith knew each other. He declined to offer a motive for the attack or specify whether investigators had determined that Smith was killed in Kansas, where the murder charge was to be filed.

Police found Smith's body in a wooded area near Grandview, Mo., about 20 miles east of the Target store. Authorities did not say how she died.

"As I understand she was found at a wooded area, but I can't say whether she was directly concealed by bushes," Douglass told reporters.

Officers had been searching the lake area since Tuesday after tracing signals from Smith's cell phone. Investigators isolated two signals from an area in south Kansas City, Mo.

Before a memorial service Wednesday evening, Smith's father, Greg Smith, thanked the hundreds of volunteers and everyone else involved in the search for his daughter.

Smith remembered his daughter as a young woman "scrubbed in sunshine," reports CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers.

"She could walk into a room full of strangers and walk out with a room full of friends," Smith told the gathering, fighting tears.

"Her excitement and passion for life was unmatched," he said. "She lived more in 18 years than many people do with a great deal more time."

After his daughter's body was found, Kimberly Kincade, 39, was one of only a few people who remained at the makeshift staging area for searchers in the Target parking lot, surrounded by stacks of fliers and cases of water and soda.

"The person who is going to keep us the strongest is Kelsey," Kincade said, fighting tears. "She's up there looking down and saying, 'I know this is bad, and I know that I'm not there with you anymore. I can't hold you, and I can't hug you. But both of my arms are wrapping around you, and I'm there with you."'

[samthetvcat]

Oh no - that is SO sad. My deepest condolences to the family - they are in my thoughts and prayers . . .

[boston1954]

If it does turn out to be Kelsey, her parents will feel it twice as hard to know that a girl in Connecticut was just found alive after being missing for a year. My prayers are with them.

[aerodog]

oh my God - I was hoping against hope that she would be found alive; although it's not definite this is Kelsey, just doesn't look good. God bless her family, friends and the boyfriend. Just can't imagine what her parents are going thru.

[randalds]

Dam*n.

[newton221]

I was hoping so much that she would be found alive. She had such a big smile. This is so senseless. I hope this guy gets fast tracked to the death chamber, to send a message that our society will not tolerate this senseless killing of our children, period. My condolescenses to the family and friends. God Bless you all.

[last121868]

:(

[davidwayne20]

so sad

[newton221]

Complete Bull****. Bring on the needle for this scumbag.

[dblbar]

so sad when your child can't even go to Target anymore.......

My thoughts and prayers for her family and friends.....

[gunownerdan]

Criminals love easy victims.

"We live in a world where more and more women are unaccompanied at odd hours, or they are vulnerable in dangerous places - a world where restraining orders are often ineffective and the police cannot be counted upon to arrive in time, if at all. In such a world, women must be able to protect themselves. In terms of both deterrence and lethal force, guns are among the most effective tools available for self-defense."
-- Mary Zeiss Stange, "Guns, like abortion, are a matter of choice"

"In being confronted by the reality that government cannot and will not guarantee my personal safety, I am infinitely thankful, both as a woman and an American, that the Bill of Rights still guarantees my right to defend myself with a gun. Any true feminist must support this position. Any woman who claims to be a feminist, but who supports disarmament of law-abiding citizens is simply a dangerous hypocrite."
-- Katherine von Tour, "My Transformation From Anti-Gun Feminist To Armed Feminist"

Self Defense - A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT
http://www.a-human-right.com

Second Amendment Sisters
http://www.2asisters.org/

Women To Arms
http://womentoarms.net/

The Concealed Carry Database
http://www.packing.org

[boston1954]

Bring on the needle for this scumbag.Posted by newton221

The tough thing is, they are going to have to find him and have a trial first. It's a good thing they don't leave it up to me.........I would hang him by his privates.

[bobgee_1999]

If God were going to bless them, it wouldn't have happened in the first place.

[processor2]

This is sad


May the parents have strength & courage

.

[seaslew]

Why does this go on all the time, why, why , why

[newton221]

They already know who he is,Boston and he took her across state lines. That means its gonna be a Federal Death Penalty case.

[gunownerdan]

"I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand."
-- Susan B. Anthony

www.a-human-right.com

[boston1954]

They already know who he is,Boston and he took her across state lines. That means its gonna be a Federal Death Penalty case.
Posted by newton221 at 04:57 PM : Jun 06, 2007

Newton, I said FIND not ID. Do they have him in custody?

[boston1954]

The police, as of 5:11 edt are saying they do not know who the man is. Newton221 must have esp.

[mommabeene]

As the Mom of 6 kids, half grown and on their own the other half still at home, the Grandma of 5 grands. My heart is just breaking for the parents of this beautiful young woman. I fear for the safety of our only daughter as she goes about her daily life with her 3 own baby boys. I know it's silly but then I know reality. My old friends daughter Stacie should be 32 years old this year, she only made it to 11yrs. I fear for my 5 sons who live life to the fullest as they were taught too. But young people are not aware enough of their surroundings. Please look out for all of our children, it's the way the village keeps itself safe. My prayers and thoughts are with the family and friends.

[slikkest]

And people wonder why we do not care that the people who face the death penalty may or may not suffer from the drugs in the needle. Did we forget what they did to us to deserve the death penalty to begin with? Who cares if it hurts them? They're gone and that's the whole point! This poor poor girl and her family. Imagine how terrified she must have been.

[standlee5]

Oh man. I have a neice looks just like this girl that just gradutated from HS. I'm going to be following her and watching over her like a hawk.

[d33pthroat1]

We now keep hearing:

"My thoughts and PRAYERS are with the family"
"May God give them strength"

I appreciate people sympathisizing with the fanily but what's GOD got to do with it.

Why did God allow something horrible to happen in the first place so that the family needs strength to endure it now?

If they deserved it, then let them suffer.

If it is a test of their faith, then let them take the test, and don't help them to cheat in the test by praying for them.

If it was the work of the Devil, then God was obviously not strong enough to prevent the Devil from unleashing this tragedy. What makes you think He can do anything now?

Just some questions that a kid asked me. May be you can help me answer them.

[newton221]

Trust me they know. If hes not in custody right now. He will be by tomorrow. His Identity will be released tonight or by tomorrow afternoon. Mark my words this will be a Federal Death Penalty case.

[gunownerdan]

Until people realize that we are responsible for our own safety, nothing will change.
Criminals love easy victims!

www.a-human-right.com

"I'm secure enough in my self-esteem that I know I cannot handle a 150-pound guy coming at me, but I can handle a firearm to keep that man away from me." -- Maria Heil, CNSNews.com report, 4/30/2003

[previn2]

Mandatory death sentence/no appeals, via firing squad, to any and all who are rightly convicted of murder/molestation/torture/kidnapping/rape PERIOD.

[newton221]

God doesnt allow anything to happen. Freewill is Gods greatest gift to us and it can be used for good or evil.

[gunownerdan]

It is best when dangerous criminals are stopped by their intended victims.

a-human-right.com

packing.org

[passerby2]

you know what's gonna happen to the *** when he gets caught, he's gonna serve his time, say i'm sorry and come out to continue on with his life as a priest. can there ever be justice for someone who has had her life ended so abrubtly?

[tucano2]

A parent's worst nightmare is to have a child abducted by one of the millions of Illegal Aliens criminally in this country.

[tsasso1]

if the person is found who did this murder, they should get death.

[tucano2]

Since "our" government refuses to do a thing to curb this sort of thing the only thing we Americans can and must do is carry concealed weapons and stop these criminals dead in their tracks. It really ought to be a Federal law to require every American citizen over age 17 to carry a concealed weapon and know the basics how to kill predators.

[dtrix2]

Why do women continue to be non-cognizant of their surroundings. One should ALWAYS look around before putting items in your car/trunk, even if you are in front of your own house.

My prayers go out to her family and friends.

[blackbug99]

The difference between this predator and the Komodo Dragon who killed the young boy is simple...This predator knew what it was doing. It's intelligent; it planned and it killed. Now, if one of the two had to be culled from this earth. Who would you pick? Me, I'm giving Mr. Dragon a pass. This guy I hope never sees the courtroom.

[radiob-2009]

The gut wrenching agony of not knowing coupled with the false belief of everything turning out fine or imagining the worst, rollercoasting between the extremes of thought and now the beginning of the final agony. This is the hades as we can possibly imagine it for the parents. The culprit that perpetrated the crime knows none of this agony. May the press not reveal the details and put the family through more.

[tucano2]

newton221 - what or which god have YOU invented?

[dumbfounded5]

Like I taught my kids and especially my daughter who is now 26 years old. Do whatever you have to do even if they have a gun, knife, whatever, just scream, kick, run and go crazy to attract attention. Never Ever go with them if you can get away from the ***. Unfortunately, we will always have sick people running around doing horrible things to women and children until the end of this planet.

[in_san_diego]

The world need some serious reform!!!

[lambofgoth]

tucanofulano -
Good God buddy. What does this have to do with illegal aliens?

[vinepetal904]

' ... @20,000/yrUpaidOVER6,000 inVARIEDtaxesTOfund GETSICKSOONBOMBERSandNONE toGETWELLSOONBOUQEUETETS? howDOyouFEEL? ... ' ... ... ... ' ... a parent of a missing child commented once that it's expected a whole 'army' of personel will show up and canvas everything until the search is over ... but it doesn't happen that way ... ironically, it's more cheap to 'canvas everything' all the time than it is to 'canvas nearly nothing' some of the time ... at least, prestorically speaking ... by investing countless millions and hundreds of millions each per year into a few folk dancing get sick soon tax the world bomb songs and failing to invest at least 33 bucks a day each into a couple hundred million minimum wage folk dancing get well soon feed the world bouquet songs on the trails, the richest three percent *** everybody to a world 'uncanvased' ... '

[cfin5]

newton221 must be a muslim with an unmerciful post like that.

[sasi1-2009]

I wish young girls would become very cognizant of their surroundings. Someone posted about illegal aliens, but no one knows who did this yet, and the probability is that the perpetrator is a home grown monster. May God help her family through this.

[katg21]

This is truly a parents worst nightmare; the family is in my prayers. When I see something like this happen I can't help but blame our culture/society. Just turn on the TV and see women and young girls dressed in skimpy clothes (Brittany, Paris, etc..), has to drive men crazy; some crazy enough to do the unthinkable. I mean just watch that program where they trap child predators; these men are teachers, husbands, pillars of their community...animals all of them.

[witzlaw]

Respectfully, this discussion doesn't have to go off on a religious tangent. It is enough to say that a dispicable, evil act has been committed. Whether God would permit such an act is appropriate for another topic.

That said, I believe that prayer -- regardless of the religion or religious denomination -- is appropriate at a time such as this. I'm sure all others without such beliefs will do what they can. --SJR

[rlt_in_kc]

I live very near where Kelsey was found. In fact I have taken walks with my 5 year old daughter along the very same trails where her body was found. As a woman and a mother this story is greatly disturbing. I am also an advocate of concealed carry laws. I live in Missouri where we have the right to CC but it is against the law in Kansas where Kelsey was abducted.

If you can carry you should. Studies show that states allowing concealed carry show a reduction in violent crimes against people. Offenders think twice when they don't know who may be carrying a weapon.

One further note, if you have a newer model cell phone it probably has GPS tracking. From the details that have been released about the tracking of Kelsey's phone they talked about pinging cell phone towers and they tracked those pings to locate a general vicinity. I of course do not know her or her family but suspect that her cell phone was either an older model that was not GPS enabled. Carry your phone on your body and not in your purse and make sure it is charged. Mine will never leave my side and will always carry a good charge whenever I am out in public. WOMEN take note this is something easy you can do. Maybe if Kelsey had been able to be located immediately through GPS technology her life might have been saved.

[juliemd]

How tragic. Does it sound like he came up behind her and threw her into the trunk or the back seat? If it was the trunk, it would be hard to create noise and a ruckus inside there...

[hootsmun]

I am so very, very sad for this family. How terrible. Hoots.

[toldyouso21]

This is horrible. My prayers and best wishes are with the family of Kelsey. I was at the gas station today and in the strip mall Parking lot was the police. the people in the station said the police was examining a truck believed to be involved in the abduction. To understand how horrendous this is--know that this young lady was supposed to be from Olathe--that is a fast growing and affluent part of Kansas--just outside of Kansas City. The 'burbs'. people flock here to buy houses if they can afford it to get far away from urban crime. The schools are some of the best in Kansas and the communities are mostly exclusive.

That this has hit us here (I live in Overland Park) is very scary because it underlines that we can run and move away from the crime of the city--but it will follow us to the burbs. I was very upset and hope this is NOT Kelsey.

I do not know Kelsey, but I have a daughter similar in age, who is very beautiful and often has guys trying to follow her and get her number. This is a wake up call and a nightmare for any parent.

[johnshaft4]

Whoever did this to her (and others alike), should be the immediate recepient of Dr. Jack Kevorkian's professional services.

[panhandlpete]

Ordinarily, I try to be passive, forgiving and understanding, but when a story like this comes along, my blood boils. What makes one human do this inhumane act to such an innocent young person?

[toldyouso21]

If it was the work of the Devil, then God was obviously not strong enough to prevent the Devil from unleashing this tragedy. What makes you think He can do anything now? Posted by d33pthroat1 at 05:31 PM : Jun 06, 2007

The body is just a shell--a vehicle the soul uses to get around the earth and exist on this plane. God cares and loves the real person (the soul) and it lives forever. This young person's testing is over on this plane and her vehicle (the body was destroyed) but she walked away unscathed. For believers who read scripture, we do not confuse this body (the flesh ) and this world with the true self and eternity. We are all here to learn something and we stay here until we get to that point. Kelsey must have reached that point. For her death to be so violent and at such a young age (in mortal terms) must mean that though her lesson is over, those of us blessed to have learned of her or to be her parents also have a lesson in this.

To believers, death is not the end, it is just another facet on a continual journey--and the testing, though horrendous--has a point. We say may the Lord Bless the parents to give them strength and understanding in this trying time and to allow some good to grow in them despite this act. It is a prayer to wish them peace, comfort and to count even this time--JOY--because (if this is her) then Kelsey has only left this earth --but she still LIVES and now she is beyond the testing grounds.