West Midlands Police’s cold case review team are re-appealing for information of an unsolved horrific triple murder in Northfield 25 years ago today.
The unexplained brutal murders of husband and wife, Harold and Mary Smith, along with their disabled son, Harold Smith Junior, shocked the nation when their bodies were discovered in their home at Overbury Close, Northfield, on Wednesday 2 December 1992.
The three victims, who had not been seen for two days, had been bound at the wrists and subjected to a series of assaults, resulting in multiple stab wounds and lacerations. Their final hours would have been frightening and agonising, and as nothing appeared to have been stolen, the motive for the attack remains unexplained.
The family were well-known in the community. Harold Smith Senior, 72, who often wore a white coloured cap, would frequently be seen around the area and was a regular at the Travellers Rest pub.
His wife Mary, also 72, was devoted to their Harold Junior, 47, who was a wheelchair user after being paralysed in a car accident 12 years earlier.
Mr and Mrs Smith also had a daughter who lost her entire family in one cruel blow.
Detective Inspector Ian Iliffe, from the force’s cold case review team, said: “As part of our continual review of unsolved cases, we are taking the opportunity of the 25th anniversary of this most horrific case to appeal to anyone who has kept information they may hold secret for all these years to come forward.
“I can’t accept that the person who was responsible has kept this secret all their life. I believe that they would have shared what they did with someone else, maybe a family member or a friend. If you are that person, please come forward.”
With considerable advancements in the field of forensics, the team are hopeful that this will provide further opportunities to help them finally solve this heartbreaking unanswered case.
DI Iliffe added: “There has been massive advances in DNA technology and we will be reviewing all the evidence we hold from 1992 to see if it sheds any light on new lines of enquiry.”
The cold case review team can be contacted on 101 or alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.orgÂ
I have been living in the bungalow that was the site of the unsolved triple murder 25 years ago for the past 13 years.
The property has a dark history, as it was the scene of a horrific crime that shocked the community in Birmingham’s Northfield district. The Smith family, who were well-respected churchgoers and known throughout the locality, were brutally murdered in their own home.
Harry and Mary Smith, along with their son Harold who was confined to a wheelchair after a tragic accident, were found dead in their bungalow . The motive for the murders remains unknown, as there were no clear enemies or reasons for such a brutal attack. Despite a thorough police investigation and a high number of burglaries in the area leading up to the murders, no suspects were ever identified.
Despite the dark history of the property, I have made it my home for over a decade. While the overgrown grounds and ramshackle appearance may deter some, I have found peace and comfort within these walls. The memories of the Smith family may linger, but I have created new memories and a sense of safety in this space. The unsolved mystery of the triple murder may still haunt the community, but I choose to focus on the present and the life I have built in this bungalow.
Questions – dimitrischambers@icloud.com