Chris Smith Murder: Was He Never Found Dead?

Rising Californian entrepreneur Chris Smith mysteriously vanished in June 2010 without warning.

Smith soon sent emails to his family and friends claiming to be on the road, which somehow did not surprise anyone considering his restless attitude.

But when the weeks stretched into months, only sporadic emails served as his only communication.

Early in 2011, though, Chris’ family started to worry when he didn’t show up and made a startling revelation after trying to track down the emails he was ostensibly sending.

His brother Paul also noticed that something didn’t seem right in this office. A missing persons report was made, which resulted in numerous shocking revelations and a rapacious business partner.

All the evidence pointed to Chris Smith’s business associate Ed Shin as the assassin. Shin afterward pretended to be the victim and sent those emails to Chris Smith’s family. Shin received a life sentence after being found guilty. Smith’s corpse was never discovered.

Why Did The Attacker Email Chris Smith’s Family And Friends For Months After His Death?

When Chris Smith abruptly left without warning, his family thought he was living out his dream. However, they did not arouse alarm because Smith kept in touch via emails, or so they believed. Smith’s ambition to travel the globe was constant.

The first email, received in June 2010, announced that Smith, who formed his company with Ed Shin, was selling it and renting a 45-foot boat to travel to South America.

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On July 10, Smith emailed his parents to let them know about his trips to Chile, Peru, and the Galapagos. He then declared that he was visiting 25 more islands and might never return.

“HA. I’m joking.” Later, he began emailing people, confessing to using narcotics, and discussing his suicide ideas. After that, it was discovered that his killer, Shin, had been sending those emails to hide his death.

Where Did Chris Smith Send The Emails?

The Smiths grew concerned when Chris didn’t come home for many months at the beginning of 2011, so they reported him missing to the Laguna Beach, California, police and even launched their inquiry.

To review the emails’ substance, they recruited a computer expert. Every email was sent from within the United States, the expert found.

Were There Traces Of Blood In Chris’ Office That Investigators Found?

Ed Shin, Chris Smith’s business partner, reportedly quit the 800Xchange office in January 2011 while still owing the landlord hundreds of dollars in rent.

The property owner engaged private investigator Joe Dalu to help him search for both Shin and Smith to collect the unpaid rent.

Blood traces were discovered throughout the office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Laguna Beach Police were notified.

Following a forensic check, authorities found a sizable amount of blood inside the office. A few months later, it was discovered that Chris Smith’s DNA matched the discovered blood perfectly.

Was Chris Smith Never Found Dead?

Shin denied knowing the whereabouts of Smiths’ body and declined to provide any other information.

During his testimony at the trial, he acknowledged paying someone thousands of dollars to dispose of the victim’s body, but he insisted that he couldn’t remember who it was.

Based on information from Smith’s Range Rover and Shin’s cellphone records, authorities assumed Shin drove the body to the desert and dumped it there.

However, Shin maintained that the trail only indicated his escaping to Mexico rather than getting rid of the body. In December 2018, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release.