Susan Leigh Smith (née Vaughan) was born on September 26, 1971. She was only six years old when her father took his own life.
The absence of a father figure took a toll on her, and she tried to follow in his footsteps by attempting suicide at the age of 13.
Her attempt failed, and not long after, a father figure was introduced into her life in the form of a stepfather named Beverly C. Russell Jr., who reportedly molested her in her teenage years.
In 1989, she dropped out of high school and attempted to take her life once again over being heart broken by a married man.
After several years of struggle, Susan seemed to have finally met the man of her dreams — David Smith.
The two married and she gave birth to two sons — Michael Daniel and Alexander Tyler.
Soon, she began an extramarital affair with Tom Findlay, who ended their relationship because he did not see a future with someone with children.
Her response occurred on the night of October 25, 1994. Susan, then 23, drove her 1990 Mazda Protégé sedan from their home in Union, South Carolina into the John D. Long Lake with her two sons strapped inside the car.
She watched the full six minutes for the vehicle to fully submerge.
However, what she told the police and the rest of the world was entirely different.
Hailing from Union, South Carolina, David Smith married Susan in 1991. Within two years, they became parents to the brothers.
For nine days after the boys suddenly disappeared, she pleaded with the authorities. She also reached out to the public to help them get her sons back safely. She claimed that she was carjacked by a black man who drove away in her car containing the boys.
David noticed no signs of her ever causing harm to their children.
David didn’t suspect Susan to be the killer even once until November 3, when she confessed to murdering them.
In 1995, Susan was convicted. She was sentenced to two life terms with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years behind bars.
During the trial, David admittedly thought about killing her in the courtroom. He told one outlet that he “used to sit there and look at the back of her head and then look at where the bailiffs were, the officers were and think about killing her. How quick could I get to her? Could I reach her before that officer reaches me or could I get to her before that person would jump in front of me before I got my hands on her?”
In that same year, he divorced Susan and worked on moving on.
Soon after his divorce, David Smith began a new relationship with a woman named Tiffany. They dated and eventually she gave birth to a daughter, Savannah, in 2001. They married in April 2003. However, before tying the knot with Tiffany, he reportedly dated another woman briefly. This resulted in the birth of his son, Nicholas, in January 2003.
When Susan’s parole hearing date approached in November 2024, he was vocal about his opinions.
“I just want to tell that parole board that they can’t let her out — 30 years, it’s just not enough,” he explained. “I mean, this wasn’t an accident, a tragic event where she didn’t mean to do it. She deliberately killed Michael and Alex.”
David believed that his ex-wife could not be rehabilitated after what she did three decades prior. However, he claimed that he had forgiven her. It was necessary for him. He needed to move on with his life.
Today, David Smith lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He has been working as an Assistant Store Manager at Walmart since December 2021.
He is a family man. He is not only a devoted husband but also a doting parent to his two children — Savannah and Nicholas. Supporting them in their endeavors, David and Tiffany make sure they remain devoted to the children.
David misses sons Michael and Alex, especially when listening to certain songs.
“What scares me is that she would get out and then running into her somewhere in the local Walmart or the local store somewhere,” he said. “Because I don’t wanna see her. I don’t ever want to have to face her in public like that.”
IN GOD WE TRUST
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Thank you for sharing this article.
Clever Journeys 
Oh, yes, I remember! That is such an awful story. You did a good job laying it out. I’ve often wondered what happened to the dad.
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This is a tragic story that’s unforgettable. So Susan murdered her sons for Tom Findlay and wasn’t able to continue a relationship with him. According to her history, she should have succumbed to suicidal ideations. Thank you for this thorough follow-up report, Jack.
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I remember when this happened. I was living in Ames, Iowa at the time going to school at Iowa State University. This Catholic priest from a local church wrote a letter to the editor which cause quite a stir in the community.
He basically said, what’s the big deal: a young woman straps her two children in a car and then drowns them. Abortion is LEGAL in this country. You can kill a child legally before its born and nobody cares. A lady kills her two children AFTER they are born and everybody is in an uproar. I think he may have asked, when does a child become a person? After the child is born or before the child is born?
Of course, the child is a human being at conception.
Psalm 139:13-14: “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
God’s DNA versus Satan’s DNA
You are made in God’s image unless you change it with the Covid Jab
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Only Jesus can redeem this tragic situation.
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Almost forgot about this one, Jack. It was tragic and heartbreaking. Good reporting.
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Who cares about that sick human drama crap, that’s why i don’t watch the news or most TV series, it’s mostly about sex, violence and dumb human drama
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Trauma and deep pain, anger and that empty look in her eyes, like all the heart was gone, yes, only Jesus.
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I remember when this horrific crime took place. I was a new mother then, and I couldn’t comprehend a woman doing something like that to their own children – not for love or money or anything else. Let her rot in prison. The last interview I saw with her, she did not seem sincere about her rehabilitation.
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