Dateline: Dark Valley - Full breakdown of Gavin Smith’s disappearance and murder case

Dateline: Dark Valley brings forth the tragic death of Gavin Smith. Gavin Smith had the dream of becoming an actor. He took on small roles but eventually joined the distribution department of 20th Century Fox.

Gavin was 57 when he disappeared on May 1, 2012. He has three children and was married to Lisa. Dateline: Dark Valley unveils the gruesome details of Gavin Smith’s disappearance and murder.

Full breakdown of Gavin Smith’s disappearance and murder case revisited in Dateline: Dark Valley

1) Gavin Smith’s disappearance

Gavin Smith in Dateline: Dark Valley (Image Via YouTube/@Dateline NBC)

Gavin's failure to pick up his son from school was the first warning sign for Lisa. In the Dateline: Dark Valley episode, it is revealed that Gavin was supposed to pick up his son on the day of his disappearance, but failed to do so. Lisa soon filed a missing persons report.

Around 10 pm on the day of Smith’s disappearance, he left his friend’s property wearing a workout outfit in his black Mercedes-Benz car. He did not take his belongings with him, which did not raise any alarm, as his family thought that he must not have gone far from the property.

2) Dateline: Dark Valley unveils details of Gavin’s affair

Before Gavin Smith’s disappearance on May 1, 2012, Smith’s wife knew about his extramarital affairs. Their marriage had been facing difficulties for many years.

After meeting Chandrika in 2008, while he was getting treatment for his addiction to painkillers, they became involved in an affair. Chandrika Cade’s husband, John Creech, also knew about the affair. It is revealed that Smith’s son, Evan, spoke to Creech regarding the issue and apologized on his father’s behalf.

3) Phone location traced

In the Dateline: Dark Valley episode, it is revealed that the phone records of Gavin Smith were traced after his disappearance.

Smith did not use his credit card on that day. His GPS signal pointed out that on May 2, 2012, at 4:30 AM, he was in Sylmar, Calif. The location is thirty minutes away from his house.

4) Start of the investigation of Gavin Smith’s disappearance

Dateline: Dark Valley (Image Via YouTube/@Dateline NBC)

After multiple online campaigns where Gavin Smith’s family urged Smith to return, along with combing through the location to find clues, no trace of Smith could be found.

However, the investigation took a turn when the focus shifted to Chandrika Cade and John Creech. In June 2012, Cade and Creech’s house was thoroughly searched for links to the case.

5) First breakthrough in the Gavin Smith disappearance case

Dateline: Dark Valley unveiled the first breakthrough in the case, which happened in February 2013. The car that Smith took on the night of his disappearance was found in a storage facility in Calif.

This led to a devastating turn in Smith’s case, as it was ruled that there was a possibility that Smith might have been murdered. The condition of the vehicle indicated the possibility.

6) John Creech’s involvement in Gavin Smith’s murder

Right after the car was found, Creech was named as the person of interest in Gavin Smith’s case. In May 2014, Gavin Smith was declared dead by a judge. The date of death was noted to be May 1, 2012. Tragedy struck the Smith family as further details of the case also unfolded.

7) Discovery of Gavin Smith’s dead body

Gavin Smith’s body was finally found after years of his disappearance. A group of hikers on their way found Gavin’s body, which was buried in a shallow grave.

His body was found on October 26, 2014, in Angeles National Forest.

8) Gruesome details of John Creech’s actions

Chandrika unveiled that on the day of Smith’s disappearance, Smith came to meet him. John Creech tracked Chandrika Cade’s location and also reached the location. Creech then attacked Smith while Chandrika Cade tried to stop Creech. However, she eventually escaped from the location.

John Creech then crushed Gavin Smith’s skull on both sides. He then took Smith’s body and buried it in the desert after hiding Smith’s car in his friend’s garage. He later moved the car to the storage unit, from where it was eventually found by the authorities.