The bizarre disappearance of Eric Smith from Cedar Bluff in Virginia

Eric Smith, Cedar Bluff disappearance

Eric Grady Smith, disappeared November 8, 2013, Cedar Bluff, Virginia. 

Revised and expanded April 2021

On Friday, November 8th, 2013, Eric Grady Smith left his home on West Hurt buggy Road in Cedar Bluff in Virginia to go hunting on his 40-acre property. That was the last time he was seen and he remains missing.

Who was Eric Smith?

Eric Smith worked for the Consol Coal Company and he was general foreman of the Buchanan No. 1 mine, in charge of over 500 people. He was described as a careful and conscientious person who was respected by the workers at the mine.

In late October 2013, Eric had gone on a business trip to Atlanta, Georgia for a week. He was supposed to go to work the day after arriving home, but his wife called in sick for him, and he stayed absent on sick leave for the next five days. He also didn't check on how things were going at the mine or talk to any staff there during that period, which was uncharacteristic of his normal behavior, especially as a mine foreman is supposed to be on call at all times for safety reasons.

On Thursday, November 6, Smith emailed the Consol coal to say he was feeling better, but would go hunting on Friday, and would report to work on Saturday.

Eric smith disappears

That evening Eric hadn't returned and with temperatures dropping, his wife first went to see his mother at a local church with her concerns. The congregation of the church then sprang into action to begin the informal search and subsequently authorities were notified.

Eric was a foreman at a local Consol Energy owned Buchanan No. 1 coal mine, in charge of over 500 people. Unusually for him, his wife had called in sick on his behalf for several days before his disappearance saying he had flu-like symptoms. He was also blind in one eye. 

He was wearing camouflage-print hunting clothes and a titanium Timex watch and carrying a Thompson Center .50 caliber muzzle-loading gun with a stainless steel barrel and a camouflage-print stock. Unusually,  he left his cellphone behind at his house. 

The search

A Virginia state police helicopter with FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) was used that night and the next day, November 8th, a search began using sniffer dogs.  Several scents leading from the Smith residence were detected but went nowhere. At least one of these trails appeared to head back to the home but could have been some days old. 

Cedar Bluff Police Chief David Mills said “Smith carried a muzzleloader with him, with one shot likely already loaded so search coordinators brought explosive detection dogs into the search yesterday from the Virginia State Police and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. These dogs are trained to detect material that goes into explosive devices with includes gun powder.”

By Sunday afternoon, November 10th, around 60 people were involved including trained search and rescue teams from across the region, coworkers from Consol Energy, fire department members, and other members of the community. Six air scent dogs were also used.

Cedar Bluff Police Chief David Mills, coordinator of the search said with Smith wearing high-tech camouflage the search was much more difficult. “He can be lying down and he would be impossible to see,” Mills said. The terrain was also a big problem in the search. With thick underbrush and steep hills, it was necessary to cover an area multiple times to be thorough and sure that Smith wasn’t obscured by foliage.

Despite a $20,000 reward for information leading to his location and or recovery nothing was found or reported.

What happened to Eric Smith?

Succumbed to illness or accident - Did he fall into a sinkhole or cave and that is the reason that neither his firearm nor bones have turned up?

Eric hunted on his property year after year and knew them inside out. His tree stand was less than a mile from his home so if he was overcome by illness or weakness it would have been expected he would have been found quickly. Yet there has never been any sign of Eric, his clothing or his weapon despite extensive searches.

Started a new life - Some believe Smith was never on the property and may have run off, but this seems unlikely as he was close to his family. He didn’t have any obvious personal or work problems at the time of his disappearance, and his loved ones don't believe he would have walked out of his life and abandoned his wife, daughters, and career.

Foul play -Others have speculated that his wife may have been involved or accidentally shot by someone hunting in the area where his stand was and hid his body Perhaps he came across illegal hunters or meth producers who may have harmed him?

Was he intentionally removed from the area?

eric smith virginia missing

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Sources

http://charleyproject.org/case/eric-grady-smith

http://www.bdtonline.com/news/no-trace-years-later-tazewell-county-resident-still-missing-after/article_afc7cfca-9d9e-11e7-aa2d-43b3a3cd0bd5.html

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?228348-VA-Eric-Smith-42-Cedar-Bluff-8-Nov-2013

http://www.swvatoday.com/news/richlands_clinch_valley/article_7e3b248c-6433-11e3-b4fb-0019bb30f31a.html