Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Unseen Danger’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘On the Case With Paula Zahn,’ the primary focus is on the untimely and tragic killing of 28-year-old Ahrea’l Smith in Claraville, Virginia. After eliminating multiple suspects and going through surveillance footage, the detectives landed on a suspect with an extensive rap sheet with the help of cell phone dump technology. The documentary also features insightful and emotional interviews with Ahrea’l’s sister and officials who worked hard to solve the homicide.
Ahrea’l Smith Was Found Days After Disappearing From Her Workplace
Born on July 1, 1993, Ahrea’l La’Shae Smith was a resident of Hague in Westmoreland County, Virginia. She grew up amid the support of her sister, Lydia Smith. Ahrea’l was a free-spirited young woman determined to build a bright future for herself. She aspired to make a name for herself in the nursing field and had already started taking steps towards that goal by interviewing for positions at nursing homes. Eager to kickstart her journey in health care, the 28-year-old was hopeful about bagging the opportunities that lie ahead. While waiting for things to fall in place, she secured employment at Little Sue Store in Claraville, Virginia. Sadly, Ahrea’l’s life was tragically cut short before she could realize her dreams.
On January 12, 2022, Ahrea’l left home for work as usual. After completing her shift, she left the convenience store at 9 pm. However, she never reached home. On the early morning of January 13, around 4:30 am, a store clerk called the police, reporting that she had found Ahrea’l’s car in the parking lot, with the door unlocked and the engine running. While her ID card, purse and credit cards were recovered from inside the vehicle, the young woman was nowhere to be seen. The authorities swiftly began scouring the area for any signs of Ahrea’l.
The search ended days later, on January 18, when they recovered a set of remains amid the debris on an abandoned shallow well on a property in Healthsville. Upon inspection, the remains were identified as belonging to Ahrea’l. The authorities also learned that the site had apparently been used as a dumping spot for household garbage for a long time. The remains were transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Richmond for further examination and autopsy. Ultimately, Ahrea’l La’Shae Smith’s cause of death was determined to be strangulation.
Ahrea’l Smith’s Killer Had Scratches and Bite Marks Across His Body
In order to search for Ahrea’l Smith, the authorities checked the surveillance footage of the Little Sue Store, where she was last seen alive. They noticed that minutes before closing shop, she interacted with the driver of a Honda Accord that had pulled up next to her car. She talked with them for quite a while and got out of the car unharmed as the car drove off. A few minutes later, she closed the shop and took out the trash. She was seen walking towards the dumpster, after which she never appeared on any of the security cameras. To better track her last moments, they brought in a cadaver dog, which pointed them to muddy footprints and tire marks on the edge of the field, just north of the store.
Meanwhile, the detectives also questioned the driver of the Honda Accord with whom Ahrea’l had talked moments before her disappearance. After he presented a solid alibi, they dug deeper into his phone and GPS data, which backed up his story. He was then eliminated as a potential suspect. The investigators looked into another possible suspect, but it also turned out to be a dead end as he had a solid alibi for the night of the disappearance. After the FBI got involved, they utilized the cell phone dump technology and shortlisted a single cell phone that was near the convenience store before, during, and after Ahrea’l’s disappearance. Cross-referencing the phone’s GPS and the surveillance footage, the detectives identified a blue SUV as the possible suspect’s car, registered to Tyrone Samuel, who had a rap sheet.
Further investigation into the car led them to his house, where they took him into custody on January 15, 2022. Meanwhile, they also executed a search warrant at his home, where they found a red-brown stain on a wall and carpet. After submitting the sample of the stain to the crime lab, the authorities determined that it was human blood belonging to Ahrea’l Smith. His DNA also matched the unknown DNA found on her remains, indicating that he sexually assaulted her, too. During his interrogation, the detectives noticed that he had severe scratch marks and bite marks all over his body. He admitted that he had met Ahrea’l at a party a few weeks earlier but denied kidnapping or killing her. Since there was enough evidence against him, he was charged with first-degree murder.
Tyrone Samuel is Currently Incarcerated at a Virginia Prison
A few months later, on November 9, 2022, Tyrone Samuel was deemed fit to stand trial after a thorough mental examination. Initially, he planned to plead not guilty to the charges against him. However, in November 2023, Tyrone eventually pleaded guilty to abduction by force and first-degree murder in connection with the death of Ahrea’l Smith. As a result, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison on the condition that he could not appeal or challenge his conviction in any way. As of today, the 54-year-old killer is serving his sentence at Greensville Correctional Center in Greensville County, Virginia, with his release date scheduled for May 2046.
