Does anyone know this case? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

smallmanbigmouth · 09-04-2016, 05:50 PM

I remember seeing it on Lifetime back in middle school, so somewhere around 1998-2001.

I think it's about a father who goes off with an acquaintance while his daughter watches, but the father is never seen again. They showed a sketch of the acquaintance, and I remember laughing about how he looked like Lenny Kravitz did at that time (American Woman was huge on the radio at that point...I don't know), as far as the Afro and aviator sunglasses were concerned.

I'm pretty sure this isn't the one about the woman whose ex was found to be responsible for the murder of the father, although like that case, I think mine happened in the western United States somewhere.

I also seem to remember seeing a similar sketch on Unsolved Mysteries as an adult, but the case didn't match.

It is also possible that I managed to mix and match the segments in my memory, but I'm not sure that this is the case.

It's bizarre because I can fairly distinctly mundane details from that day for no reason -- things like getting out early from school because it was a half-day, making a sandwich, watching the show, and I can remember the chill that went down my spine when I saw the sketch. I just can't remember the interesting/useful stuff from that day, like the names of the people involved.

Thanks to anyone who can tell me the case or definitively figure out that my preteen memory was flawed.

WishfulDreamer · 09-04-2016, 06:09 PM

It's not ringing a bell, but this is the closest one I can think of from that era:

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Lenny_Dirickson

A son watched his father drive away with a man who wanted to see his livestock on a farm and he was never seen again. The guy doesn't look like Lenny Kravitz, though.

Killarney Rose · 09-04-2016, 06:21 PM

Was the daughter grown? Her father was driving in a pick up with a camper shell on it to visit her? I believe it took place out west. He picked the man up as a hitch hiker. He met his daughter in a bar, got drunk and tried to fight. He got thrown out and left with the man. His body was found later but the man was never caught. I can't think of the names though.

WishfulDreamer · 09-04-2016, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

Was the daughter grown? Her father was driving in a pick up with a camper shell on it to visit her? I believe it took place out west. He picked the man up as a hitch hiker. He met his daughter in a bar, got drunk and tried to fight. He got thrown out and left with the man. His body was found later but the man was never caught. I can't think of the names though.

Good memory! I should have thought of that one.

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Donald_Smith

Killarney Rose · 09-04-2016, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

Good memory! I should have thought of that one.

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Donald_Smith

I was thinking the name Smith fit, but wasn't sure!

smallmanbigmouth · 09-04-2016, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

It's not ringing a bell, but this is the closest one I can think of from that era:

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Lenny_Dirickson

A son watched his father drive away with a man who wanted to see his livestock on a farm and he was never seen again. The guy doesn't look like Lenny Kravitz, though.

I have the Dirickson case on my external hard drive, and it's definitely not that one...but you're right, it's close.

smallmanbigmouth · 09-04-2016, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

Was the daughter grown? Her father was driving in a pick up with a camper shell on it to visit her? I believe it took place out west. He picked the man up as a hitch hiker. He met his daughter in a bar, got drunk and tried to fight. He got thrown out and left with the man. His body was found later but the man was never caught. I can't think of the names though.

The daughter was indeed an adult. I read through the Donald Smith case on the USM Wikia, and I think that might be the one, but for some reason, I still remember the sketch of the dude having an Afro and aviators. Then again, this is a 15+ year old memory, so it's definitely possible I was wrong. Thanks for your help!

James T · 09-05-2016, 12:05 PM

The thing that sticks in the memory from that segment was when the black guy walked in the bar everybody just went quiet-either artistic licence on the shows part or they didn't like black people in that area.

Clockwork · 02-25-2024, 08:46 PM

This is such a weird case because the suspect was seen by several people and didn't seem to be bothered by the fact. And yet it has never been solved, no one even knows who the guy is and he killed Donald seemingly over money, and it doesn't seem like that much either.

My question is, how did this guy not get caught? He kills Donald, we suspect, and he takes off with his truck. Donald's own daughter sees him, others see him, and then in the dead of night he gets in a car collision and then runs on foot from the scene.

He shouldn't have been too hard to find. There was a clear description of him, he obviously doesn't have a car, he wouldn't have had much money to get around and there doesn't seem to be any witnesses at all since with this guy. What gives?

09-04-2016, 05:50 PM	#1
smallmanbigmouth Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 18, 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 22	Does anyone know this case? I remember seeing it on Lifetime back in middle school, so somewhere around 1998-2001. I think it's about a father who goes off with an acquaintance while his daughter watches, but the father is never seen again. They showed a sketch of the acquaintance, and I remember laughing about how he looked like Lenny Kravitz did at that time (American Woman was huge on the radio at that point...I don't know), as far as the Afro and aviator sunglasses were concerned. I'm pretty sure this isn't the one about the woman whose ex was found to be responsible for the murder of the father, although like that case, I think mine happened in the western United States somewhere. I also seem to remember seeing a similar sketch on Unsolved Mysteries as an adult, but the case didn't match. It is also possible that I managed to mix and match the segments in my memory, but I'm not sure that this is the case. It's bizarre because I can fairly distinctly mundane details from that day for no reason -- things like getting out early from school because it was a half-day, making a sandwich, watching the show, and I can remember the chill that went down my spine when I saw the sketch. I just can't remember the interesting/useful stuff from that day, like the names of the people involved. Thanks to anyone who can tell me the case or definitively figure out that my preteen memory was flawed.

09-04-2016, 06:09 PM	#2
WishfulDreamer Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 01, 2009 Location: L.A. Posts: 3,868	It's not ringing a bell, but this is the closest one I can think of from that era: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Lenny_Dirickson A son watched his father drive away with a man who wanted to see his livestock on a farm and he was never seen again. The guy doesn't look like Lenny Kravitz, though.

09-04-2016, 06:21 PM	#3
Killarney Rose Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 24, 2010 Location: AL Posts: 656	Was the daughter grown? Her father was driving in a pick up with a camper shell on it to visit her? I believe it took place out west. He picked the man up as a hitch hiker. He met his daughter in a bar, got drunk and tried to fight. He got thrown out and left with the man. His body was found later but the man was never caught. I can't think of the names though.

09-05-2016, 12:05 PM	#8
James T Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 23, 2006 Location: England Posts: 1,571	The thing that sticks in the memory from that segment was when the black guy walked in the bar everybody just went quiet-either artistic licence on the shows part or they didn't like black people in that area.

02-25-2024, 08:46 PM	#9
Clockwork Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 30, 2022 Location: Canada Posts: 461	This is such a weird case because the suspect was seen by several people and didn't seem to be bothered by the fact. And yet it has never been solved, no one even knows who the guy is and he killed Donald seemingly over money, and it doesn't seem like that much either. My question is, how did this guy not get caught? He kills Donald, we suspect, and he takes off with his truck. Donald's own daughter sees him, others see him, and then in the dead of night he gets in a car collision and then runs on foot from the scene. He shouldn't have been too hard to find. There was a clear description of him, he obviously doesn't have a car, he wouldn't have had much money to get around and there doesn't seem to be any witnesses at all since with this guy. What gives?