The Santa Monica Police Department has officially closed the missing person's case of 20-year Ocean Park resident, Cynthia Smith, known simply as C. They did so after locating Smith at an undisclosed location where she was interviewed and determined to be well and has satisfactory living arrangements, the Daily Press learned this week.
Family and friends of Smith, a disabled stroke survivor with a brain injury, were concerned that she might have been a victim of foul play or had gotten ill and could be in a hospital unable to identify herself. She had not been seen in the area since a sudden and uncharacteristic disappearance on Nov. 26, 2013.
Smith told police that she did not want her whereabouts communicated to her family and friends at this time, a request the police are honoring. Smith's older sister, Sherry Boyd of Colorado, had been spearheading the volunteer networking and search for C. Missing posters had been widely distributed throughout Santa Monica during the past two months.
"As a family we will respect C's wishes for privacy and time to herself. And we do not know C's whereabouts," Boyd said. "Thank you to all who connected here and expressed your concerns for C. Thank you to the churches that prayed for C and distributed flyers about C's disappearance. Thank you to those who phoned, shared their stories of C — and laughed, cried and prayed. Your support helped us through this troubling time."
Boyd added, "The family wishes to thank Detective Karen Thompson of the SMPD for the diligent, persistent and very professional way she pursued the investigation with the greatest sensitivity to both C's interests and our concerns for C's safety and well being. Our fears have been alleviated by the outcome."
