‘We Need Closure’: $25,000 Reward Offered in Cold Case Murder of 6-Year-Old Chance Smith

LOCUST, N.C. — A $25,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed 6-year-old Chance Smith in Stanly County more than two decades ago — a cold case that still haunts investigators and the child’s family.

Governor Issues Reward for 2003 Cold Case

Governor Josh Stein announced the new reward this week in an effort to bring closure to the unsolved 2003 homicide, the only murder in the history of the small North Carolina town of Locust.
Smith was reported missing on December 13, 2003, after being dropped off at his grandfather’s home off Scout Road. Hours later, search teams discovered him unconscious in a nearby pasture. He was rushed to Stanly Memorial Hospital, where he died early the next morning from a traumatic head injury.

“It’s horrible to think of the moment that Chance was assaulted and then left in a cold and wet horse pasture to die,” said Locust Police Chief Jeff Shew. “It’s equally tragic that 22 years have passed, knowing there is someone or multiple individuals who know what happened.”

Family Pleads for Answers

Smith’s mother, Pamela Martin, says her family has been living in heartbreak ever since. “I just can’t tell you the hole this has left in my heart,” Martin said. “I don’t think I’ll ever be the same person I was before this.”

Martin initially believed her son’s death may have been an accident, but she now feels certain that it wasn’t. “I know in my bones. I would be shocked if it came out any other way,” she said.

Smith’s grandmother, Vickie Eudy, described the boy as energetic, fearless, and outgoing. “He was rambunctious, not scared of anything at all,” she said. “He wasn’t scared to try something new.”

Autopsy Revealed Foul Play

According to the autopsy, Chance’s injuries were consistent with being struck by an object with both blunt and curved surfaces, likely delivered by someone he knew. Investigators believe his body was moved after the assault, as there was no blood at the scene and his clothes had been changed.

Former Locust Police Chief Mike Haigler, who helped lead the original search, remains convinced that someone close to the family had knowledge of the killing. “To get close enough with a blunt instrument — it had to be somebody that he knew, somebody he wasn’t afraid of,” Haigler said.

Police Reopen Investigation

After years of silence, Locust Police and the State Bureau of Investigation have reopened the case, reexamining evidence, re-interviewing witnesses across multiple states, and reviewing every lead. Detectives believe someone in the community still has critical information that could finally solve the case.

Chief Shew pleaded for anyone with knowledge to step forward: “Those that know something and have never said it — please contact investigators in this case. Give Chance and his family both closure and justice.”

How to Submit Information

Anyone with information about Chance Smith’s murder is urged to call the Locust Police Department at 704-888-4744 or reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously.

The Saluda Standard-Sentinel invites readers to share their reflections on the case and support efforts to help families still seeking justice for unsolved crimes across the Carolinas at SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.