Disappearing Gavin Smith
Former actor Gavin Smith, executive at 20th Century Fox, disappeared on May 1, 2012. After he failed to pick up their son, his wife Lisa Smith claimed him missing on May 2, 2012. Last seen in black Mercedes leaving a friend's house in Oak Park was Investigators first didn't suspect foul play. Gavin was an adult with free movement ability. But given his obligations as a father, husband, and executive as well as the fact he was away from Lisa, his disappearance seemed odd.
Suggesting that detectives suspected foul play, the Missing Persons Department turned the matter over to homicide after more than a week. Though investigators did not first assume Gavin was dead, the inquiry turned out that his disappearance was most certainly a murder.
Creech John
The inquiry turned detectives toward John Creech, the husband of Chandrika Creech, a woman Gavin had known. Gavin spoke with Chandrika last on a phone call. Witness quotes and phone records linked John Creech to Gavin's disappearance. Other suspects included John Creech. Investigators also found involvement of Reina Lim, Stan McQuay, and Jorge Valles.
Investigating Timeline
The following chronicles the inquiry into Gavin Smith's disappearance:
Gavin Smith vanishes May 1, 2012.
Lisa, Gavin Smith's wife, notes his absence on May 2, 2012.
May 9, 2012: Homicide is assigned to the Missing Persons Department's investigation.
Investigators looking over John Creech's phone records on June 22, 2012 find Jorge Valles.
Investigators find Stan Mcquay involved and bring him in for questions in summer or fall 2012.
Investigators find Reina Lim involved in February 2013, which results in the identification of Gavin's car.
Gavin Smith is declared dead in absentia May 2014.
October 2014: A couple finds Gavin's remains alongside his dog.
John Creech told Valles to throw away Gavin's phone, parked his car in McQuay's garage, and had Lim pay for a storage space where Creech placed the car. The car turned up in February 2013, almost nine months following Gavin's disappearance. Investigators gathered evidence, but they couldn't find Gavin's body until October 2014 when a couple came upon human remains in Palmdale, California. The remains were verified to be Gavin Smith's.
Death Confirmed by Gavin Smith
Gavin Smith was thought dead before his body turned up. Detectives found dried blood in his car, suggesting he was most certainly dead. Gavin was indeed beaten to death, according the autopsy report.
Arrest and Trials of John Creech
Once Gavin Smith's bones were found, researchers had the last piece required to charge John Creech. Former friend and lover of Gavin's Chandrika Creech supplied information that resulted in John's arrest.
In January 2015 John Creech was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney with first-degree murder. Starting in June 2017 and running three weeks, the trial produced an unexpected outcome. Instead of first-degree murder, the jury decided John Creech guilty of involuntary manslaughter. John was sentenced by the judge to eleven years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, the maximum sentence.
Later on, John Creech was prosecuted by the federal government for drug-related offences, adding forty years to his jail term.
The disappearance and murder case involving Gavin Smith exposes the sinister side of Hollywood and the extent people will go to hide their transgressions. Revealing a web of dishonesty and violence, the complex and emotionally charged inquiry and trial was
