Ten-year-old Constance ’Connie’ Smith vanished from Camp Sloane in Salisbury, Connecticut, on the morning of July 16, 1952. She had been at the YMCA camp for a few weeks and was reported homesick; campers said she’d had a minor scuffle that left her with a bloody nose. Connie told tentmates she was going to the dispensary to return an ice pack for a bruised hip, but left the ice pack on her bed and walked away from camp.

A caretaker saw her leaving the property about 8:15 a.m. but assumed she was an older counselor because of her height and did not stop her. Witnesses later saw a girl matching Connie’s description walking along Indian Mountain Road and U.S. Route 44, picking daisies. The last confirmed sighting placed her near U.S. Route 44 and Belgo Road, about 1.5 miles from camp, with her thumb out as if attempting to hitchhike. No trace was found despite an extensive search involving police, mounted volunteers and airplanes.

Investigators have explored many theories over the decades, including accidental death by vehicle, abduction while hitchhiking, and possible links to other cases. Individuals such as carnival worker William Henry Redmond and a man named Frederick Pope were examined, but no charges were ever filed and Pope’s confession was dismissed. Did anyone who knew Connie or spent summers at Camp Sloane in 1952 see her that morning or recall someone offering her a ride?