Suvechha Sarkar
Betty Gladden Smith, lovingly known as Fran, was a 49-year-old mother of three and a compassionate individual. In October 1991, she unexpectedly went missing from her home in West Windsor, New Jersey. Over time, the missing person’s case evolved into a homicide investigation that exposed a string of mysteries. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Chameleon’ sheds light on the heartbreaking case and delves deeper into another woman’s disappearance back in 1974. Additionally, the episode features interviews with Fran’s loved ones and law enforcement officials who tried tirelessly to solve the crime.
Fran Smith’s Remains Have Not Been Found Even After Three Decades
Betty Gladden Smith, affectionately known as Fran, was welcomed into the world on August 4, 1942. While growing up, she received immense love and attention from her parents, Thornley Thomas Jr. and Margaret Marion Gladden. Fran had always maintained a very close bond with her sister, Sherrie Davis. Her loved ones described her as a humorous and energetic individual who always motivated others to chase their dreams. After completing her formal education, she began working as a paralegal. In adulthood, she entered a relationship that led to her marriage. Over the next few years, Fran welcomed her three children, including her daughter, Deanna “Dedy” Childers.
Sadly, Fran’s marriage ended in a divorce, but she thought she had found love again when she met John David Smith. As their relationship blossomed, they exchanged vows in March 1990. Initially, they were living in Florida before John took a job in San Francisco, California. They eventually relocated to West Windsor, New Jersey. In 1991, they took a trip to the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, but there she unfortunately broke her hip when she accidentally fell in the bathroom. After receiving treatment, Fran was recovering at home when her family suddenly lost contact with her after she was last seen on September 28, 1991.
As Fran’s family grew concerned, John reported her missing on October 4, 1991. According to reports, he claimed that Fran had taken her yellow suitcase and favorite clothes before leaving. Reports state that John also claimed he could not find Fran’s car keys, even though she had left her car behind. When authorities initially searched their home, they reportedly found nothing amiss except the 49-year-old’s suitcase and clothes missing. Although they searched for her for several years, they were unable to find her. Fran was reportedly presumed dead, and her remains have not been recovered to this day.
Conflicting Statements of the Suspect Raised Questions About Fran’s Disappearance
During the early investigation, reports state that John claimed Fran had left him a note saying she was going to visit family in Florida. However, he was unable to show them the note since he allegedly threw it away. When officials could not determine her whereabouts from any of her loved ones, they questioned John again. As per reports, he claimed that he and Fran had no problems in their marriage. According to Dedy, she and her aunt, Sherrie, eventually informed authorities that Fran had learned that John owned a home in Connecticut and was adamant about visiting the property, but her husband claimed that his sister was living there. Meanwhile, detectives reportedly found out about John’s first wife, Janice Elaine Hartman.
As per Dedy and Sherrie’s statements on the show, John had never told Fran or her family about Janice. When they confronted him, he told them he didn’t know Janice’s whereabouts but remembered that she had a brother, Gary Hartman, as per Dedy and Sherrie. According to official reports, Sherrie and Dedy began searching for Gary, and when they found him, they discovered that Janice had been missing since November 17, 1974, three days after she and John got divorced. Court records indicate that when law enforcement discovered that Janice had been legally declared dead, they brought John in for a polygraph test, which he reportedly failed.
According to one of the detectives, investigators then executed a search warrant at John’s home, where they found Fran’s car keys in his briefcase, contradicting his initial statements. In a storage closet attached to the condo, they reportedly found the 49-year-old’s yellow suitcase, refuting John’s earlier claims that she had gone on a trip. As per court records, when authorities dug deeper into the person residing at his Connecticut home, they discovered that it was a woman named Sheila Sautter. When Sheila was interrogated, she reportedly revealed that she and John had been dating for almost 8 years, which was long before he married Fran.
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The Civil Court Found Fran’s Husband Responsible For Her Untimely Demise
Reports state that when Sheila called John with officials listening nearby, he admitted on the call that he had lied during the polygraph test. On the recorded call, he said that he believed Fran might have hurt herself. As years passed, the case gradually went cold due to a lack of leads. By 1998, John got married for the third time to a woman named Diane Susan Bertalan and was residing in Escondido, California. Things changed in May 1999, when his brother, Michael Smith, was granted immunity in exchange for providing information. Court records indicate that Michael stated that, in 1974, he had seen John making a long plywood box and crying as he did so.
In his statements, Michael told officials that when he and his grandfather opened the box in June 1979, they discovered Janice’s remains inside but did not report it to the authorities, per records. According to police reports, law enforcement then learned a similar box containing a woman’s remains was found in rural Indiana in April 1980. In April 2000, the remains were identified as Janice’s. Ultimately, John was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated murder in connection with Janice’s murder in October 2000. His jury trial began in July 2001, and he was convicted of the lesser charge of murder in the same month. John was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
In 2001, Fran’s daughter, Dedy, filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against him. On December 21, 2001, the Civil Court reportedly found John responsible for the death of Fran and awarded Fran’s family $1 million in damages. In November 2019, a grand jury indicted him on one count each of first-degree murder and fourth-degree tampering with evidence. The prosecution’s office eventually dismissed the charges against him in July 2023. Court records specify that as part of an agreement with the prosecution, John claimed to them that he had wrapped Fran’s remains in a blanket and disposed of it in an industrial dumpster at the plant where he worked. It is worth noting that authorities were unable to verify his account, and Fran’s remains were never recovered.
