The Murdered Sheila Smith

The Murdered
Sheila Smith
Edison, New Jersey

Sheila D. Smith was 22 years old when she was reported missing by her mother after she was last seen leaving her home at 37 Schuyler Drive on February 4, 1973 in Edison, New Jersey. She had been missing for over two weeks before her body was located along the edge of the north embankment of the Raritan River in Edison on Tuesday, February 20 at 4:00 p.m. This place is about one mile from her home. She was fully clothed and sprawled face down over a large rock near Player Avenue and the Raritan Boat Club. The north embankment is 12 feet high.
An autopsy showed that Sheila had a fractured neck and a cerebral hemorrhage. These injuries could have resulted from being attacked or from falling from the embankment and landing where she was found. She had bruises on her abdomen, face, hands and arms. She also had a lacerated liver. Although it is said that the bruising could have occurred after she already died, her death is considered suspicious. 
Sheila had a history of being hospitalized for an unspecified mental illness and was supposed to be on medication at the time. A toxicology report was done, but the results were not made public.
Acquaintances described her as a loner. After Sheila graduated high school, she was employed at a hamburger stand in Edison, and after that, she worked at a place called Maidenform Co. 
Sheila’s murder remains unsolved.

If you have any further information, please contact the Middlesex County Crimestoppers hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Sources: 

http://www.middlesextips.com/sitemenu.aspx?P=misc&D=1&ID=924&PageNum=3 
https://spotcrime.com/NJ/Jackson/cold-cases