Staff Writer
State police are confident that the perpetrator of a Woodland murder which occurred in February will be found and convicted.
“I don’t want this to become a ‘cold case,’” said Maine State Police Det. John Cote last week.
Darrel F. Smith, 56, was shot and killed on Feb. 6 in what police believe was a burglary and theft attempt. Smith was found in his sawmill adjacent to his house on the Thomas Road in Woodland. Smith’s wallet and a safe were missing, according to police.
Cote declined to specify whether one or more persons may be involved.
“Certainly, the MO leaves room for more than one person,” Cote said.
The Smith family has offered a $30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Smith’s death.
“That’s one of the most sizable rewards ever offered,” said Cote, adding that information can be forwarded anonymously to either state police directly or through the Crimestoppers program.
The weapon used in the shooting has not been recovered. Neither have the wallet and the safe been found, Cote said.
It’s not known the safe’s contents or the amount of money that Smith could have carried in his wallet, according to the detective.
Four state police detectives continue to work on the case daily and dozens of interviews have taken place during the investigation. Included in the case was processing several items of evidence, which Cote declined to identify, through the State Police Crime Lab.
“We have shared resources and intelligence with other agencies in the county,” he said.
In addition to local police departments in central Aroostook County, police also have partnered with the U.S. Border Patrol and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency in an effort to find a break in the case.
Investigators also have looked at similar daytime residence burglaries, involving a safe, around Aroostook County.
Cote said that police have not received many calls from the general public regarding this case, which is rare.
“It’s in our best interest to keep it in the public eye,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the case may contact state police at 1-800-924-2261 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-638-8477.
