The Missing
Valerie Elder Smiley
Chattanooga, Tennessee
🚨 Missing: Valerie Elder Smiley 💔
On June 28, 2024, 41-year-old Valerie Elder Smiley vanished from Chattanooga, Tennessee under circumstances that continue to trouble her loved ones. In the days leading up to her disappearance, Valerie appeared to be acting normally, though her family had ongoing concerns about her health. She had been experiencing blood pressure issues and memory loss, which were later believed to be side effects of medication she was taking for vertigo and an ear infection. Her family, including her husband, Patrick, and their four sons, had been closely monitoring her condition and supporting her as best they could.
On the afternoon of June 28, around 2:00 p.m., Valerie left home driving her red 2004 Ford Expedition with Tennessee license plate 079BFQD and a distinctive “TSU MOM” sticker on the passenger-side door. She was expected to attend her twin sons’ baseball game and would normally have ridden there with her family. Earlier that day, she spoke with her husband by phone and told him she was on her way home, but she never arrived. After the game, when she still hadn’t returned, her husband reported her missing to the Chattanooga Police Department later that night.
According to authorities, Valerie’s phone last pinged in Fayetteville on June 29 and in Union City on June 30, more than two hours away from Chattanooga. Her family says she had no known connections to that area and rarely traveled that far from home. Loved ones also noted that her Life360 app showed her going in circles shortly after she disappeared, as if she were trying to find her way back. Despite extensive searches across Tennessee and into Georgia, with community members organizing search parties, distributing flyers, and saturating areas with volunteers, no trace of Valerie or her vehicle has been found.
Valerie, a mother and co-owner of a local restaurant, has not accessed her bank accounts, credit cards, or social media since the day she vanished. Her family firmly believes she would never willingly abandon her children or her business and fears she may have been disoriented due to her medication. Standing 5’5” and weighing approximately 210 pounds, Valerie has black hair, brown eyes, and a cursive “Valerie” tattoo on the outside of her right calf. She was last seen wearing a yellow or beige polo shirt and jean shorts. Her case is classified as endangered missing and remains unsolved more than a year later.
Anyone with information about Valerie Elder Smiley’s disappearance is asked to contact the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525. Her loved ones are still searching for answers and praying for her safe return. 🙏💛
Sources:
Valerie Elder Smiley vanished from Chattanooga, Tennessee, in June 2024 | Dateline
The Disappearance of Valerie Elder Smiley – Disappeared
UPDATE: Missing Chattanooga mother featured in Dateline NBC’s “Missing In America” series | Local News | local3news.com
Valerie M. Elder Smiley – The Charley Project
Phone Of Missing Chattanooga Woman Pinged In 2 Georgia Cities – Chattanoogan.com
(8) Chattanooga Police Department’s… – Chattanooga Police Department | Facebook
“We want her home today!” Service held for Chattanooga woman believed missing since Friday
Son of missing Chattanooga woman speaks out on her birthday, 5 mos. after disappearance | Local News | local3news.com
The Lost & The Taken 
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