Robert Lawrence Smith Jr was 39 when his body was found on June 20, 1992, on the ramp connecting South Street to Interstate 264 in Portsmouth, Virginia. He had been shot to death. Smith was an African-American educator and artist — a Hampton University graduate who studied at the Medical College of Virginia and taught art at institutions including Virginia Union University.

The murder remains unsolved. Early investigators did not publicly identify significant suspects, the case went cold, and no arrests or publicly named suspects have been reported. The Virginia State Police list the homicide as an active investigation and the case has been included in cold case initiatives seeking new leads.

If anyone has information about Robert Smith’s movements or contacts in June 1992, please come forward to the Virginia State Police.