Eric David Drummond Killed Joette Marie Smith In 1983

In Ben Lomond, California on March 29, 1983, a man walking his dog along the banks of the San Lorenzo River at the two-hundred block of Woodland Drive, spotted a body floating in the water. The deceased was only wearing a single nylon, a black boot, and a pearl necklace. A navy blue cape was also discovered nearby.

Upon reaching the site of the incident, the sheriff's deputies came across multiple other items of evidence. After conducting a thorough investigation, they were able to establish the identity of the deceased woman as Joette Marie Smith, who was thirty-three years old and owned a popular restaurant in the vicinity called Buffalo Gals.

Described as a remarkable woman, Joette was known for her warm hospitality, cheerful disposition, and cordiality. She exuded positive energy and was always available to lend a helping hand to those in need.
The last sighting of Joette was on March 27, 1983, when she closed her restaurant for the day and headed to her studio apartment located across the street.

She shared the apartment with her friend Rachel Devereaux, who used to stay and work with her during the rainy winter months as Joette's forty-six-acre property would be inaccessible during this season.

After returning to the apartment, the two women settled in to watch the television show "Thunderbirds" and enjoy some popcorn. Later, Joette made a few phone calls and mentioned that she was feeling tired before retiring for the night, leaving Rachel to go to bed.

At around 3 AM, Rachel woke up to discover that Joette was not in their apartment. This was not unusual, as Joette had a habit of going to the restaurant late at night.

Through their investigation, detectives discovered that Joette had left her apartment and walked to a nearby bar to purchase cigarettes. When she found that the first shop was closed, she went to Henflings Inn, a bar located in downtown Ben Lomond. A waitress who knew Joette had offered her a ride home, but Joette declined, saying it was a beautiful evening and that she wanted to walk.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be the last time that Joette was seen alive.

Based on their findings, detectives suspected that Joette may have been intercepted on the bridge she would have crossed on her way back home. The autopsy report indicated that she had been strangled to death, and there were indications that a sexual assault may have occurred. Consequently, her death was classified as a homicide.

Despite conducting interviews with everyone who knew Joette and those who had seen her on the night of the incident, authorities had little to go on. None of the people they spoke to believed that Joette had any enemies, and they were unable to obtain any useful leads from their investigation. While there was physical evidence, they did not have anything to compare it to, and DNA testing was not yet available at the time.

Joette had relocated to Ben Lomond ten years prior and was just about to celebrate the eighth anniversary of owning her restaurant. She had been actively planning a grand celebration to mark the milestone.

Before moving to Ben Lomond, Joette had attended college in Kansas and had previously lived in Colorado Springs. She was originally from Omaha, Nebraska, where her family still resided. After her death, her remains were returned to Nebraska, where she was laid to rest.

For five years after Joette's murder, there were no significant leads in the case until detectives finally had a suspect in 1988: a man named Eric David Drummond. He had a criminal record in California and Nevada,

including sexual assault. During the investigation, detectives discovered that Drummond had asked Joette out on a date, but she declined. Soon after the murder, Drummond left California abruptly. Although there was circumstantial evidence linking him to the crime, the lack of physical evidence prevented the authorities from prosecuting him.

In 2022, Joette's case was reopened with the hope of utilizing new DNA technology that wasn't available in 1983.

A male DNA sample was obtained from the evidence collected in 1983. Later that year, in August 2022, investigators were able to collect a DNA sample directly from Eric David Drummond, who is now sixty-four years old. The DNA sample collected from Drummond was an exact match for the evidence sample collected in 1983.

Unfortunately, while detectives were working on obtaining an arrest warrant, Eric David Drummond committed suicide in September before he could be brought to justice for the murder of Joette Marie Smith.
While justice may never be served for Joette Marie Smith, her friends, and family now have closure and answers.

Additionally, Drummond's DNA has been added to CODIS, and authorities are now investigating whether there are any other cold cases linked to him.