In 1991, Fran Smith disappeared, leading to the unraveling of dark secrets held by her husband, John Smith. Subsequently, it was revealed that Smith had previously been convicted of killing his first wife in Ohio several years earlier. The murder of his first wife was only discovered by authorities during the investigation into Fran’s disappearance. Despite Fran’s body never being found, John Smith was charged in New Jersey with her murder five years ago. However, the murder charge was later dropped in exchange for information that was deemed unreliable and likely untrue.
One of the key investigators in the case, retired FBI special agent Robert Hilland, criticized the decision made by prosecutors to dismiss the murder charge. The family of Fran Smith and Hilland expressed their disappointment and frustration over the agreement. The prosecutor’s office defended their decision, stating that a judge had prevented them from introducing key evidence that would have proven Smith to be a murderer. Fran’s family was informed of the likely dismissal and the agreement before the charge was dropped in July 2023.
Fran Smith disappeared in 1991, and her husband claimed that she had left to visit relatives. However, authorities discovered that John Smith had a pattern of similar disappearances in his past. He had been previously married to Janice Elaine Hartman, who also vanished after they divorced in 1974. Similar details and narratives provided by Smith in both cases raised suspicions among investigators. It was only years later, through the efforts of FBI special agent Robert Hilland, that sufficient evidence was obtained to link Smith to the disappearance and murder of both women.
After being convicted for the murder of his first wife, John Smith was eventually charged in Fran’s disappearance in 2019. However, due to legal challenges, prosecutors were unable to present evidence from the previous murder case, leading to the dropping of the charges against Smith. The prosecutor’s office entered into an agreement with Smith, where he would reveal what happened to Fran’s body in exchange for the dismissal of the murder charge. The lack of a confession or corroborating evidence in the agreement led to criticism from Fran’s family and Hilland, who believed that Smith’s account was unreliable.
The agreement between John Smith and prosecutors did not require him to admit to the murder of Fran Smith, but rather to disclose the location of her remains. Smith claimed to have wrapped Fran’s body in a blanket and disposed of it in a dumpster at the factory where he worked. However, this information did not provide closure to Fran’s family, who found the details to be an insult. Hilland, who had dedicated years to investigating the case, expressed outrage at the deal, stating that there was substantial circumstantial evidence pointing to Smith’s guilt in Fran’s disappearance.
Despite the lack of concrete evidence and a full confession from John Smith, the non-prosecution agreement was finalized based on Smith’s account of what he did with Fran Smith’s remains. The decision to drop the murder charge without requiring further evidence or a clear confession was met with criticism and disappointment from Fran’s family and investigators involved in the case. The unresolved disappearance of Fran Smith and the controversial agreement with John Smith continue to haunt those who have sought justice for her disappearance for over three decades.
