12-07-2010, 07:59 PM
the murdered woman's mother and aunt's comments:
from The Gazette-Virginian
As the massive search continued Tuesday for missing 12-year-old Brittany Mae Smith of Salem, and an autopsy was being conducted on her mother, Tina Louise Dyer Smith, relatives and friends in South Boston prayed fervently for the young girl’s safe return and questioned whether this tragic turn of events somehow could have been prevented.
Roanoke County Police found the body of the 41-year-old former Halifax County resident Monday when they were called to her Fort Lewis Circle home in Salem.
While at the scene, police obtained information indicating Smith’s 12-year-old daughter was missing.
An Amber Alert was issued Monday afternoon for the young girl who had called South Boston home up until four years ago prior to her parents’ divorce.
Her father, Benjamin H. Smith, is a South Boston Police officer.
The series of tragic events have left the community reeling as relatives and friends of the family anxiously await any word of Brittany’s whereabouts.
The victim’s mother and missing girl’s grandmother, Liz Dyer of South Boston, said Tuesday she continues to wait for any information on her granddaughter’s safety.
“Police have not told us anything,” she said speaking from her Eastover Drive home.
“We know she was beaten, and they’re doing an autopsy,” she said of speaking her late daughter, Tina.
Dyer said she only met Brittany’s suspected abductor, Jeffrey Scott Easley, one time.
But she was quick to add, “We didn’t like what we saw.”
The worried grandmother said she had been unaware Easley was living with her daughter and granddaughter until two weeks ago when they came home for Thanksgiving.
“I saw him for the first time Thanksgiving,” and Dyer said what the family saw that day concerned members enough to prompt them to contact Social Services.
Dyer’s sister, who asked not to be identified, said she hosted the family’s Thanksgiving gathering attended by Tina, Brittany and Easley at her home in the county.
“He kept touching her (Brittany’s) hair, caressing her, touching her hand and consuming her with his eyes,” she said. “Normally I would have said something then and there, but the house was full of people.”
The aunt, who was contacted by Headline News’ Nancy Grace for her Monday night program on the missing girl, explained several days after the Thanksgiving dinner she called her niece (Tina) in Salem to express her concerns.
“I called Tina, and she said ‘he’s leaving right away.’ I told her to call me when he left. After she said he was leaving, I thought things were ok,” the aunt continued.
Social Services contacted
The concerned relative said she attempted to report her concerns to Social Services in Halifax County because “she didn’t know where to start.”
She also dialed an 800 number for child abuse to provide information about her concerns.
“The lady said she would relay the information to Salem Social Services but told me it would be better if I called them directly. I called Salem Social Services and gave them this information Friday, but by that time it was too late,” she said.
The last time the aunt said she talked with Tina was the week after Thanksgiving on either Monday or Tuesday.
“She was to call me when he left, but she never called,” she reiterated.
Although family members said they were unclear how Smith and Easley met, authorities confirmed Tuesday it was through an online Internet relationship.
The aunt described Brittany as a child who always has loved attention.
“And he was paying her a lot of attention,” she said.
here's a pic that warms the heart.
from The Gazette-Virginian
As the massive search continued Tuesday for missing 12-year-old Brittany Mae Smith of Salem, and an autopsy was being conducted on her mother, Tina Louise Dyer Smith, relatives and friends in South Boston prayed fervently for the young girl’s safe return and questioned whether this tragic turn of events somehow could have been prevented.
Roanoke County Police found the body of the 41-year-old former Halifax County resident Monday when they were called to her Fort Lewis Circle home in Salem.
While at the scene, police obtained information indicating Smith’s 12-year-old daughter was missing.
An Amber Alert was issued Monday afternoon for the young girl who had called South Boston home up until four years ago prior to her parents’ divorce.
Her father, Benjamin H. Smith, is a South Boston Police officer.
The series of tragic events have left the community reeling as relatives and friends of the family anxiously await any word of Brittany’s whereabouts.
The victim’s mother and missing girl’s grandmother, Liz Dyer of South Boston, said Tuesday she continues to wait for any information on her granddaughter’s safety.
“Police have not told us anything,” she said speaking from her Eastover Drive home.
“We know she was beaten, and they’re doing an autopsy,” she said of speaking her late daughter, Tina.
Dyer said she only met Brittany’s suspected abductor, Jeffrey Scott Easley, one time.
But she was quick to add, “We didn’t like what we saw.”
The worried grandmother said she had been unaware Easley was living with her daughter and granddaughter until two weeks ago when they came home for Thanksgiving.
“I saw him for the first time Thanksgiving,” and Dyer said what the family saw that day concerned members enough to prompt them to contact Social Services.
Dyer’s sister, who asked not to be identified, said she hosted the family’s Thanksgiving gathering attended by Tina, Brittany and Easley at her home in the county.
“He kept touching her (Brittany’s) hair, caressing her, touching her hand and consuming her with his eyes,” she said. “Normally I would have said something then and there, but the house was full of people.”
The aunt, who was contacted by Headline News’ Nancy Grace for her Monday night program on the missing girl, explained several days after the Thanksgiving dinner she called her niece (Tina) in Salem to express her concerns.
“I called Tina, and she said ‘he’s leaving right away.’ I told her to call me when he left. After she said he was leaving, I thought things were ok,” the aunt continued.
Social Services contacted
The concerned relative said she attempted to report her concerns to Social Services in Halifax County because “she didn’t know where to start.”
She also dialed an 800 number for child abuse to provide information about her concerns.
“The lady said she would relay the information to Salem Social Services but told me it would be better if I called them directly. I called Salem Social Services and gave them this information Friday, but by that time it was too late,” she said.
The last time the aunt said she talked with Tina was the week after Thanksgiving on either Monday or Tuesday.
“She was to call me when he left, but she never called,” she reiterated.
Although family members said they were unclear how Smith and Easley met, authorities confirmed Tuesday it was through an online Internet relationship.
The aunt described Brittany as a child who always has loved attention.
“And he was paying her a lot of attention,” she said.
here's a pic that warms the heart.