Almost 20 years later, missing Winton girl would be 35

As Beverly Smith was driving through Delhi earlier this month, the image of her daughter, who has been missing for almost 20 years, appeared on a digital billboard along Highway 99.

“I saw her there and I just screamed in the car,” Smith, 62, said. “I was so shocked.”

Smith had been working to have Vanessa’s image displayed on the billboard but hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, she said. She’s glad that it came ahead of Vanessa’s 35th birthday, which is Monday, Smith said.

Vanessa, a strawberry blonde with a freckled face, was 15 years old when she went missing on May 31, 1997. She had been on a walk, which she commonly did. A walking stick was found about 200 yards from her Winton home.

“Vanessa was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Smith said. “ It just happened.”

Smith said she and her husband, Art, noticed their daughter wasn’t home shortly after 8 p.m. and that’s when the search began.

Merced County sheriff’s Detective Clinten Landrum said he’s been on the case for more than a year now.

“This case is different than any other case: People call in about the case to ask questions,” he said.

“I think it was somebody she knew,” Landrum said. “There are few abductions where it’s a complete stranger. Typically it would be a familiar face.”

Landrum has reviewed and repackaged every piece of evidence, he said, and described the case as being in “good shape,” but was unable to give many details because they are sensitive to the development of the case.

“There’s some things we’ve done that I can’t disclose, that put the case in a better spot than it’s been in a long, long time,” Landrum said.

Smith said she continues to raise money for the search to keep Vanessa’s information on billboards, costing her $500 or more for six to seven weeks.

Having posters on windows and trucks is another way Smith tries to find her daughter.

“I know she’s out there,” Smith said. “I can’t explain why. I’ve always felt Vanessa is out there. Anybody on the outside looking in, that doesn’t have a missing child, doesn’t know what it feels like.”

Right now, Smith said she has baskets for sale, filled with items including crystal glasses, candles, books, Christmas CDs and baked goods. The baskets range from $30 to $55, she said, and all the money goes to pay for digital billboards and posters.

Smith said she continually tries to make sure Vanessa isn’t forgotten because she’s the only one who can be a voice for her. The billboards help remind people that Vanessa is still missing, Smith said, because most would forget.

“I just miss her so much,” Smith said. “I do so much for her and she is simply worth it all. She’s priceless. If you have children, there is no price tag on it.”

On Vanessa’s birthday, Smith said, they used to have friends and family over to their home, but now she and her husband just light a candle, reminisce and talk about her.

“We go back to when she was 15 and think what she might be like now,” Smith said.

When Vanessa was still with her parents, Smith said, they would throw her a birthday party or go out to dinner. Before she disappeared she was learning how to sew and cook, and enjoyed going to school and shopping around Walmart.

Smith said Vanessa liked eating food from Taco Bell, Little Caesars Pizza and was a “people person who liked helping others.”

Smith has set up a trust fund for her daughter that helps to pay for billboard expenses and posters. Individuals can go to Travis Credit Union at 981 Bellevue Road in Atwater to donate money.

To purchase baskets, individuals can call Smith at 209-664-9042.

Landrum urges anybody with information on Vanessa’s case to come forward and speak to him. He assures anybody who has information will remain confidential. Individuals can call 209-385-7472.

“There’s people out there that have been torn between picking up a phone and calling us or not doing it at all,” Landrum said. “And, so far, the not doing it at all has won out. It’s time and it’s overdue.”

This story was originally published December 25, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Almost 20 years later, missing Winton girl would be 35."