Fredonia Smith was 18 when she vanished from her Washington Avenue home in Macon, Georgia, in the summer of 1982 after leaving for a local store. A missing person report was filed on July 10, 1982. On August 19, 1982, skeletal remains were found in the backyard of a Magnolia Street home; the new homeowners discovered the bones while clearing overgrowth. Investigators tentatively identified the remains as Smith’s based on clothing and jewelry recovered at the scene, and the initial investigation concluded she had been strangled.

This case remained unsolved for decades, a continuing tragedy for Smith’s family and the Macon community. In 2018 investigators interviewed Samuel Little, then imprisoned in California; he provided specific details about the 1982 killing that led authorities to conclude he was responsible for Smith’s strangulation. The confession closed the long-unsolved homicide and brought answers to her surviving relatives and the community.

If anyone knew Fredonia Smith, her habits, or movements in Macon in 1982, please share information that could add to the record.