CAUGHT

Halloween Homicide Mystery Finally Solved 41 Years Later

Clifford Smith, 24, was found dead by animal trappers in December 1982.

After exactly 41 years, Indiana State Police made an arrest on Tuesday in connection to the Halloween cold case murder of a 24-year-old man. According to a police news release obtained by WHAS11, Ronald J. Anderson, 61, was arrested and charged with the murder of Clifford Smith, 24, in Jackson County. In December 1982, Smith, who had a gunshot wound to the head, was discovered by two animal trappers after he had been reported missing by his wife on Nov. 4 of that year. The case stalled for decades until it reached Sgt. Kip Main in 2015. Main found that Anderson was at a home with Smith and others on the night of Oct. 30, 1982, and obtained evidence that he grabbed a shotgun from the house and left in a vehicle with Smith, who was never seen alive again. Anderson then allegedly took the shotgun back to the residence and returned to the crime scene. A report from WANE15 said the suspect was taken to Jackson County Jail where he will await a first appearance at the county’s circuit court.