Mother Arrested and Charged with Murder of Two Sons She Claimed Were Abducted

The small mill town of Union, South Carolina, was shaken to its core as Susan V. Smith, 23, a woman who had been at the center of a nationwide manhunt for her abducted sons, was arrested and charged with their murder. The investigation that began on October 25, when Smith reported her two young sons, Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months, were abducted by a carjacker, ended in tragedy when two decomposed bodies were found in her car at the bottom of John D. Long Lake. Smith's story, which had captivated the nation, was revealed to be a hoax as she confessed to the murders in the arrest warrant.

Key Takeaways:

• Susan V. Smith, 23, reported her two sons, Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months, abducted by a carjacker on October 25.
• The investigation, which drew national attention, ended with Smith's arrest and the discovery of the two decomposed bodies in her car at the bottom of John D. Long Lake.
• Smith claimed a black man between 20 and 30 years old had taken her children, but the investigation suggest this may have been a ruse to deflect suspicion.
• The police used lie detector tests on Smith, which showed she was trying to deceive, but the Sheriff, Howard Wells, had not ruled her out as a suspect.
• Smith had filed for divorce and had full custody of the children, but there was no custody battle.
• The case bore similarities to the 1989 Charles Stuart murder case in Boston, in which a white man claimed a black man had shot his pregnant wife.
• The discovery of the bodies and Smith's arrest came a few hours after she made a tearful appeal to have her children returned to her in front of television cameras.