Carlie Jane Brucia was walking home from her friend’s house in February 2004 when she suddenly disappeared. It shook up the quiet community of Sarasota, Florida, and left her family searching for answers. It was followed by a swift investigation that led to the discovery of her remains four days later and brought the killer to light. Investigation Discovery’s ‘See No Evil: Come Home Carlie’ focuses on this case and how CCTV footage helped the authorities to bring the killer to justice. It also features interviews with her loved ones and the officials closely related to the case.
Carlie Brucia’s Remains Were Discovered Behind a Church in Florida
Carlie Jane Brucia was born on March 16, 1992, in Nassau County in Oyster Bay, New York. She arrived as a beacon of light in the lives of her parents, Susan Nancy Schorpen and Joseph Brucia Jr. Shortly after, her parents got a divorce, and Susan moved on to marry Steven Kansler. She moved to their home in Sarasota, Florida, with her mother and stepfather and grew up surrounded by their love and support. During the holidays, Carlie often spent time with her father and grandparents at their Long Island, New York home. She considered Christmas one of her favorite holidays and always possessed a cheerful spirit. At the end of the holidays in 2003, Carlie returned to Florida to her home with Susan and Steven.
Everything seemed perfect until Carlie’s life turned upside down on February 1, 2004. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and she had decided to walk back home from her friend’s house, where she had a sleepover. She left her friend’s home around 6:10 pm on foot when her friend’s mother, Connie, called Susan to inform her that Carlie was on her way home alone. When her mother asked Steven to pick her up, he drove around the route but could not find her anywhere. After checking at her friend’s house again, Susan finally called 911 at around 7:30 pm to report Carlie missing. Officials wasted no time in launching a missing persons investigation. Despite searching multiple locations and contacting her friends, no leads surfaced.
Investigators brought bloodhounds to track Carlie’s scent. It led them to a car wash on Bee Ridge Road. However, the canines lost her scent on a side street, which was a shortcut to her home. Upon checking the CCTV footage from the car wash service, officials horrifically discovered Carlie being abducted by an unidentified man. As the investigation progressed and the search intensified, a shocking tip led to the discovery of her remains behind Central Church of Christ on Proctor Road, Florida, on February 5, 2004. Detectives found marks on her wrists consistent with her hands being tied and ligature marks on her neck. The autopsy reportedly determined Carlie’s cause of death to be strangulation and revealed that she was sexually assaulted.
CCTV Footage Led to the Identification of Carlie’s Killer
During the missing persons investigation, detectives found CCTV footage from the rear-end camera of the car wash service. It captured an unidentified man approaching Carlie, who was wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and had a pink backpack. The man then grabbed her arm and abducted her around 6:21 pm. Officials noted that he was a “white male” with a “stocky” figure, average height, and dark hair. They also observed he was wearing a gray mechanic’s uniform with a single yellow name patch, but the footage was too blurry to read the name. When Steven was questioned, he mentioned how he was at home when Susan asked him to drive Carlie home safely. He also mentioned a red tow truck around the car wash area, which pulled into its parking lot several times.

Steven added that the man, Ron Choquette, who was driving the truck, had been at Carlie’s friend’s house the previous evening and even lived there. However, when the police followed up on the lead and checked Ron’s alibi, it checked out, ruling him out as a suspect. They further confirmed Steven’s alibi through the cell phone records. As the leads began drying up, officials released the CCTV footage to the public for more tips. A breakthrough arrived when a call from a tipster identified the man in the video as Joseph Peter Smith. The tipster also recognized the name tag that read his name, “Joo.” A background check revealed that Joseph was on probation and drove a brown vehicle. However, upon checking the footage, detectives found no such car.
Carlie’s Killer Came to Light When His Brother Came Forward to the Officials
Investigators noticed a light-tinted station wagon passing the area around 6:18 pm and entering an adjacent road to the car wash. When they visited his home, Joseph claimed that he was at home watching the Super Bowl on February 1. His accounts were further confirmed by his landlord, Jeff Pincus’ wife. After getting consent to check his room and cars, detectives found two grey uniforms with a yellow “Joo” name tag in his closet. While checking his car, detectives found the drug paraphernalia, which violated his parole. Hence, Joseph was arrested on February 3, 2004. His alibi also turned out to be false when Jeff arrived at the police station the same day in a light-tinted station wagon.
Jeff revealed that his wife was confused regarding the timeline. He informed the police how Joseph had borrowed his car that day and didn’t return until February 2, around 7:30 am, and was wearing his grey mechanic uniform when he left home. He also reportedly mentioned how he acted strangely, and the things inside the car were out of place. When Joseph was questioned again, he refused to speak. However, things changed when his brother, John Smith, called the officials to inform them that he had confessed to him about kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and killing Carlie. He also added how Joseph described where he had left her, ultimately leading detectives to her remains. He was officially indicted on first-degree murder, kidnapping, and capital sexual battery on February 20, 2004.
Joseph Smith Passed Away on Death Row at a Prison Facility in Florida
The trial of Joseph Peter Smith began on November 7, 2005. The prosecution presented the DNA, hair, and fiber evidence that tied him to the crime before the court. They also highlighted that there was overwhelming evidence in the form of CCTV footage and his recorded statements from his conversation with his brother, John. On the other hand, although the defense agreed about his role in the murder of Carlie, they claimed that it was not premeditated. They also reportedly claimed that it was a drug-induced sexual assault since he was under the influence.
Ultimately, on November 17, 2005, the jury convicted Joseph on the charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and capital sexual battery. On December 1, 2005, the jury voted 10-2 in favor of the death penalty. Joseph was sentenced on March 15, 2006, to death by lethal injection for the first-degree murder. He was sentenced to two life imprisonment terms for kidnapping and sexual battery charges. Although he had appealed, the Supreme Court of Florida upheld both the conviction and the death sentence on December 17, 2009. In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Joseph relief on right-to-confront-witness claims involving DNA testimony.
On April 5, 2018, based on another ruling, the Florida Supreme Court vacated Joseph’s death sentence since the jury’s death recommendation wasn’t unanimous. He was set to face another resentencing trial, which was postponed in June 2019 due to a delay in rescheduling requirements. Ultimately, the death penalty sentencing was reinstated in April 2020, as the Florida Supreme Court found it supported by evidence that the jury would likely reach the same conclusion unanimously. Joseph was on death row at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, when he passed away in custody on July 26, 2021, at the age of 55.
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