Missing
Tera Lynn Smith
Tera, approximately 1998; Age at the time of disappearance: -progression at Age at the time of disappearance: 23 (approximately 2005); Troy Zink, approximately 1998
Date and time person was reported missing : 08/22/1998
Missing location (approx) :
Redding, California
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 01/06/1982 (39)
Age at the time of disappearance: 16 years old
Height / Weight : 5'7, 135 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A white sports top, shorts and multi-colored sneakers.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes. Tera's ears are pierced. She has a scar on her left calf. Her first name may be spelled "Terra."
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Tera was last seen leaving her family's residence on Tarcy Way in rural Redding, California to go for a jog between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. on August 22, 1998. She never returned home and has not been seen again.
The last person to possibly see Tera was her former martial arts instructor and boyfriend, Troy Zink. A photo of Zink is posted with this case summary. He told authorities that Tera called him during the evening hours of August 22 and asked him to meet her near her home at 6:30 p.m. Zink claimed that Tera requested $2,000 from him during the meeting. He said he refused to give her the money and she became angry.
Zink said that Tera asked him to drop her off at the intersection of Old Alturas Road and Old Oregon Trail in Redding. He stated that he drove to Hang Glider Hill by himself to pray afterwards and returned to his house at approximately 11:30 p.m.
Zink was 29 years old and married with a young son at the time of his Gender : ual relationship with Tera. He pleaded guilty to a rape charge in 1993 and spent a year in jail. He has always denied he was involved with Tera's disappearance. He said that he received a letter from Tera, which allegedly stated that she was planning to leave her home.
Tera's family has maintained that she was a typical teenAge at the time of disappearance: r who had some problems with her life, but nothing that would have led her to run away. Her family said that they discovered she was planning to end her Gender : ual relationship with Zink from several journal entries Tera wrote prior to her disappearance. They believe that Tera contacted Zink and tried to end the affair on the day she was last seen, as opposed to Zink's version of events.
After his initial police interview, Zink has refused to cooperate any further with authorities regarding Tera's case. After her disappearance, he served a four-year prison sentence for weapons charges.
There was an unconfirmed sighting of Tera on the evening of her disappearance in Redding. A witness told investigators that someone matching Tera's description was spotted inside a full-size dark blue 1976 Ford pickup truck with mag wheels and a yellow tailgate. The girl was accompanied by an unidentified Caucasian male. It has not been established if this sighting is related to Tera's case.
Tera was a junior at Central Valley High School at the time of her disappearance. She has three siblings. Her parents are still living in Redding. No arrests have been made in connection with her disappearance and her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
