Los Angeles police search for missing movie studio executive, Gavin Smith / Wife now believes her husband is dead/Smith's vehicle found in storage facility/Investigators now say this is a homicide case

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles police are searching for a movie studio executive who was last seen Tuesday driving through his neighborhood, MyFoxLA reports.
57-year-old Gavin Smith disappeared after being spotted driving his Mercedes through his neighborhood in Oak Park, which is about 35 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.
Smith works in the distribution department at 20th Century Fox, MyFoxLA reported citing The Hollywood Reporter. Smith's son Evan Smith plays basketball at the nearby University of Southern California.
"We are very concerned about Gavin," Fox distribution president Chris Aronson told The Hollywood Reporter according to MyFoxLA. "We are actively doing what we can to assist the L.A. Sheriff's department."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/06/los-angeles-police-search-for-missing-movie-studio-executive/#ixzz1u96sOQ8b

Son of missing Hollywood executive says few clues so far
Reuters | 02:22 AM,May 08,2012
By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The son of a Hollywood studio executive who has been missing for a week said Monday that his father had not used his cellphone or credit cards, leaving no clues to his disappearance. Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, was last seen on Tuesday night driving away from a friends house in the community of Oak Park, north of Los Angeles, in his black Mercedes. Police have issued a missing person bulletin for Smith - also known for playing on UCLAs 1975 national championship basketball team under legendary coach John Wooden - and asked for the publics help in finding him. 'Were just doing our best to get as many people looking as possible,' Evan Smith, a forward for the University of Southern California basketball team, said in an interview. 'Were trying to find my dad. We need our father.' The younger Smith has also taken to Twitter to get the word out, tweeting such messages as: 'I will not stop until I find my father' and 'A son never gives up on his father.' Smith said that family members first became concerned when his dad failed to turn up at the film studio, a job he loves. 'My dads a good guy, a very responsible man, and it all really took hold for us when he didnt show up for work,' he said. He added that his father, who stands 6 foot, 6 inches tall, with an athletic build and 'looks like a movie star' should be easy to spot. He said family members have since been unable to 'ping' the missing mans cellphone, which appears to be off, and that his credit cards have not been used since Tuesday night. 'We are extremely worried about our friend and colleague Gavin Smith and are actively doing what we can to assist the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department in their search for him,' Chris Aronson, vice president of domestic distribution for Fox, said in a statement. Police have said that Gavin Smith was last seen wearing purple pants and black and gray shoes and has gray hair and wears a goatee. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb)
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/son-of-missing-hollywood-executive-says-few-clues-so-far/995776.html

Police probe mysterious disappearance of Hollywood executive Gavin Smith
Published May 10, 2012

Suspicious circumstances cannot be ruled out in the mysterious disappearance of a Hollywood executive who was last seen more than a week ago driving his Mercedes-Benz away from a pal's home.
Gavin Smith, 57, who played basketball for legendary Coach John Wooden at UCLA in the 1970s, is a 20th Century Fox movie executive who lives in West Hills. Smith, whose son Evan, plays for USC, was last seen May 1 leaving a family friend's home in Oak Park, about 35 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, police said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whittmore told FoxNews.com that the disappearance is classified a "missing persons case," but said investigators have not ruled out foul play.
"We have no evidence of it" at this time, he said.
Whittmore also said that authorities have not located Smith's black Mercedes with tinted windows. Smith was last seen driving away from his friend's home in the vehicle at around 10 p.m. the night he disappeared.
Smith's family has since issued a desperate plea for his return, creating a website and Facebook page with constant updates on the search for him.
Evan Smith is using his Twitter page to ask for the public's help.
"SOMEBODY has to know something. Seen him. Anything. I need my Dad. Help me bring him home," Evan Smith tweeted Tuesday.
Smith's wife, Lisa, reported her husband missing after he failed to pick up his youngest son to take him to school the next morning, according to local media reports.
Smith was reportedly staying with a friend at the time of his disappearance -- not far from his family's home in an affluent community of West Hills -- but the reason remains unclear.
Smith worked in the movie industry for 18 years and helped distribute blockbuster hits such as "Avatar" and the "Star Wars" trilogy. The executive, who is 6 feet, 6 inches tall, was also a member of UCLA's 1975 national championship men's basketball team.
"We are extremely worried about our friend and colleague Gavin Smith and are actively doing what we can to assist the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in their search for him," 20th Century Fox executive vice president Chris Aronson said in a statement.
Smith is described by police as having gray hair with blond highlights, green eyes and a goatee. He was last seen wearing purple pants and black and gray shoes.
His black 2000 Mercedes 420E has tinted windows and padded storage racks on its roof, with California license plate 6EKT044, according to authorities. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is being urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or visit the website lacrimestoppers.org.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/10/police-probe-mysterious-disappearance-hollywood-executive-gavin-smith/#ixzz1uV2zzUY2

Police investigate reported sighting of missing Hollywood executive Gavin Smith
Published May 25, 2012

Los Angeles authorities are investigating a man's claim that he spotted missing Hollywood executive Gavin Smith at a restaurant some 200 miles north from where Smith was last seen.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whittmore told FoxNews.com that investigators interviewed the witness, identified as David Brill, on Thursday.
Brill, who is from Madison, Wis., told NBC News that he thinks he saw Smith dining at a restaurant May 7 in Morro Bay, located on California's central coast and about 200 miles from Los Angeles, where Smith lives. Brill was on a business trip at the time, according to NBC.
Smith, 57, who played basketball for legendary coach John Wooden at UCLA in the 1970s, is a 20th Century Fox movie executive who lives in West Hills. Smith, whose son Evan, plays for USC, was last seen May 1 leaving a family friend's home in Oak Park, about 35 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, police said.
Brill said in the TV interview that he saw Smith and a woman eating at a restaurant called Taco Temple.
"The next morning in the office, I noticed on the Yahoo main page that there was a news link to a missing Hollywood executive. I happened to click on the link, saw the photo and said, 'Oh boy, that's the guy I saw in the restaurant the previous night,'" Brill told NBC.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/25/police-investigate-reported-sighting-missing-hollywood-executive-gavin-smith/#ixzz1vw7nWbSr

The search for missing Hollywood executive Gavin Smith took a twist today as detectives searched the home of a family in the San Fernando Valley in connection to his disappearance.
Smith, a 57-year-old father and husband who worked in film distribution in Hollywood, went missing on May 2 from the house of a female friend around 10 p.m.
Today’s search of a house in the San Fernando Valley began around 7:30 a.m. as authorities served a search warrant on the home.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the home belonged to a family of four on a quiet cul-de-sac. When SWAT cars arrived this morning, a woman and two children emerged from the home to allow the search to be completed. The family was not identified.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore confirmed the details of the search to ABC News today but would not say what authorities found .
“Our hope is that we find him safe and sound,” Whitmore said. “There is no indication of any wrongdoing, but we are not ruling anything out.”
Smith’s family has not said why Smith was staying with the friend on the night he disappeared, but was adamant that he would not have left the family without saying a word.
“He would never do anything like that. He’s a great father. My dad had no reason to leave. No reason at all,” Evan Smith, Gavin’s eldest son and a star basketball player at USC, told ABC News.
Smith allegedly left his female friend’s home on the night of May 2 wearing purple exercise pants and driving a black Mercedes. He left his belongings at the friend’s house, and promised his wife he would drive their youngest son to school the following morning. When he did not show up, they notified police.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/06/l-a-home-searched-for-missing-studio-exec-gavin-smith/

A man who lives at the West Hills home searched in connection with the disappearance of Gavin Smith said Thursday he had never met the missing 20th Century Fox executive.

John Creech lives at the home along with his wife, Chandrika Creech, who is listed in public records as the property owner. Chandrika Creech met Smith in therapy, according to a source familiar with the case who did not want to be named because the investigation is ongoing.

Detectives have long emphasized that their probe of Smith's disappearance is a missing person investigation and that there are few clues in the case.

But the tone of the investigation appeared, at least from the outside, to change June 8 when a SWAT team searched the West Hills home belonging to the Creeches.

The cover pages of a sealed search warrant affidavit that referenced the address of the home, signed by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge on May 21, said detectives had probable cause that an unspecified felony had been committed at the residence.

Investigators left the home, located in the 8600 block of Santa Susana Place, with boxes, a computer and a black Audi SUV, but no arrests were made.

When asked Thursday why his home was searched earlier this month, John Creech said: "I would love to tell you but I can't. I am told I cannot make any comments."

He added that he has "never met" Smith.

John Creech made the statements to Times reporters at Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he was scheduled to be sentenced on a single count of selling and transporting drugs. Instead, Judge Clifford Klein ordered that Creech remain in custody without bail pending a new sentencing date of July 26.

Creech faces up to 10 years in state prison.
Authorities have not divulged how the Creeches relate to the Smith case.

When the search of the home was conducted, Lt. Dave Dolson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide division said the warrant was one of several that have been served in the hunt for Smith.

Daniel Teola, an attorney for the Creeches, said this was the second time in a month that deputies had searched the house, but refused to discuss the case.

Smith, a former UCLA basketball player who works in Fox's movie distribution department, left a friend's home in Ventura County's Oak Park neighborhood the night of May 1. Wearing purple athletic pants belonging to one of his sons, Smith drove away in his Mercedes, leaving behind his cellphone charger, shaving kit and other items.

"It doesn't sound like he was going anywhere," his eldest son, Evan, told "Good Morning America."

Search teams have combed the areas where Smith was last seen, and his family spread word of his disappearance online and on local movie screens. He was reportedly spotted at a Morro Bay restaurant in May, but Dolson later said it proved “not to be a credible sighting.”

Smith's family — wife Lisa and sons Evan, Austin and Dylan — have offered a $20,000 reward for information about Smith. In interviews last month, they declined to elaborate on why Smith was staying with the friend instead of at the family home in West Hills, but Evan Smith had previously tweeted that his father had left the family.

"Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz," he wrote in an April 14 message. "My dad decided to leave the family last nite. Real family sticks together."

The tweet was later deleted, but Evan Smith told E! News his parents were not separated and were “just going through normal stuff couples go through.”

Lisa Smith called her husband "the love of my life” at a June 5 news conference.

"It's imperative we find him," she said.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/06/gavin-smith-missing-fox-executive-1.html

More questions than answers 3 months after Fox movie executive Gavin Smith disappears

In the three months since a Hollywood executive drove away from a friend's home never to be seen again, the mystery into his disappearance has only deepened.
Gavin Smith, a 20th Century Fox movie executive and former UCLA basketball player from West Hills, disappeared May 1 after driving away from a friend's Los Angeles-area home in his black Mercedes-Benz.
Authorities call Smith's disappearance an "ongoing missing persons investigation," and have said little about what, if any, evidence that they have uncovered in their search for him.
No suspects have been named in the case and police have not publicly said foul play is suspected. But Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, including a SWAT team and homicide detectives, raided the gated West Hills home of John and Chandrika Creech in June, looking for clues in their investigation, according to local press reports.
A source close to the case told the Los Angeles Times that Smith, a 57-year-old married father of three, was having an affair with Chandrika Creech, whom he allegedly met while in therapy.
John Creech, an admitted drug dealer, is now in police custody, though he has not been called a suspect in Smith's disappearance, NBC News reported. Creech, 39, was arrested by Glendale Police in 2010 for making a drug drop and pleaded guilty. At a court appearance in June, he was reportedly remanded into custody by the judge. His sentencing hearing, which was set to happen last week, has been rescheduled for Aug. 29, according to reports.
During their raid of the Creech home, authorities seized boxes, a computer and a black SUV belonging to John Creech, who reportedly told police he had never met Smith.
Smith's family has also remained largely silent, except for occasional tweets from Smith's oldest son, Evan, a forward for USC men's basketball team.
"I miss my family," read his last tweet about his father on July 24.
Phone numbers for Smith's wife, Lisa, appear to have been disconnected, and a call made to Smith's sister in Nevada went unanswered.
Smith worked in the movie industry for 18 years and helped distribute blockbuster hits such as "Avatar" and the "Star Wars" trilogy. The executive, who is 6 feet, 6 inches tall, was also a member of UCLA's 1975 national championship men's basketball team.
He was staying with a friend at the time of his disappearance, but the reason remains unclear.
A $20,000 reward is being offered for any tips leading to Smith. Anyone with information on the case is being urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at 323-890-5500.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/01/more-questions-than-answers-3-months-after-fox-movie-executive-gavin-smith/?test=latestnews#ixzz22Lr81Qu7

A convicted drug dealer named John Creech was back in jail Thursday evening, arrested on a warrant issued in 2010. But it's his wife that investigators may be more interested in.

Chandrika Creech was reportedly having an affair with 20th Century Fox Executive Gavin Smith before he went missing May 1, according to E! News sources.

The pair met in 2008 while they were in therapy, the source said to E! News, and when Creech's husband found out about the affair, he asked her to put an end to it. But the affair soon heated up again.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/gavin-smiths-relationship_n_1619094.html

Wow I think the husband killed him over the affair.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7426480

In the video above, CBS2/KCAL9 questions Smith's sister about her knowledge of his alleged affair:

The Gavin Smith disappearance plot thickens.


Two weeks ago, homicide investigators and crime-lab analysts from the L.A. Sheriff's Department searched the home of John and Chandrika Creech in connection with the case of the Fox executive, whose family reported him missing early last month.
And now we know more about Smith's connection to the Creeches.Sources tell E! News that Smith, who has been missing since May 1 and is married with three children, had been having an affair with Chandrika.
"Chandrika and Gavin first met in 2008 in therapy," a source tells E! News. "They had a relationship and in 2008, when Mr. Creech found out about it, he told his wife to stop it." However, the source says Gavin and Chandrika started their relationship up again.
Sources said that Gavin's wife, Lisa, and her sons knew about Gavin's relationship with Chandrika, who, according to to public records, is listed as the owner of the Canoga Park home she shares with her husband.
A source adds, "Mr. Creech has never met Gavin Smith and has never seen Gavin Smith, but they did have an email exchange in 2008."
Sheriff's authorities have been to the Creeches' house twice, where authorities have seized cell phones, computers and other files. They are still looking at evidence and there have been more than 20 search warrants issued in the case, one source says.
Even though John and Chandrika are still technically married and live together, a source says the Creeches "are separated." The insider adds that John lives on the bottom floor of the house and Chandrika lives on the second floor with the children, while a grandparent also shares the home.
"In early 2011, John would see his girl[friend]s and go on dates and Chandrika would go on her dates," a source tells E! News. "The only rule they had is that they don't bring their dates back to the house. The arrangement was, 'You do whatever you want and I'll do whatever I want.'"
But John Creech has other troubles.
A decade ago, the Ohio native served 63 months in federal prison in southern Indiana for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 100 grams of methamphetamine. He was released in 2003.
And just this morning, Creech was remanded into custody in a case stemming from an arrest in 2010, after which he was charged with one count of sale or transportation of a controlled substance. He faces up to 10 years in state prison if convicted.
Meanwhile, authorities still consider Gavin Smith's disappearance to be a missing persons case, despite the involvement of homicide detectives.
Smith's family has offered a $20,000 reward for information regarding his whereabouts.
E! News obtained an image of a tweet posted April 14 by Gavin's son, Evan, a student at USC, which read, "Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz. My dad decided to leave the family last nite. Real family sticks together."
The tweet was ultimately deleted, and Evan later told E! News that his parents were "just going through normal stuff couples go through."http://www.eonline.com/news/325213/sources-missing-fox-exec-gavin-smith-had-affair-with-woman-whose-house-was-searched-by-police

Intrigue Surrounds Felon Caught Up in Probe of Missing Gavin Smith
Sentencing for John Creech, 39, caught up in the investigation of the missing Fox executive, has been delayed, according to a video report from NBC4.

Sentencing in a two-year-old drug case has been delayed for a West Hills man caught up in the current probe into the disappearance of a Fox film executive Gavin Smith, according to a video report from NBC4.

Currently in custody, defendant John Creech, 39, was free on his own recognizance at the time Smith disappeared in early May, said the report.

Authorities investigating the Smith case executed a search warrant at Creech's home on June 8.

Creech has not been charged with any crime in connection with Smith but at a court appearance in late June, he was remanded into custody by Superior Court Judge Clifford Klein, said the television station.

Creech has said he's never met Smith but his wife Chandrika met Smith in therapy, according to an unnamed source cited by the Los Angeles Times, said the report.

According to NBC4, sheriff's search warrant affidavit and return for the Creech house have been sealed; however, a cover page referred to probable cause for suspicion a felony had been committed at the house.

Sheriff's investigators have not divulged what they learned from the search, said the report.

The Smith case is still being investigated as a disappearance and at this point has not been determined to be a homicide, according to Steve Whitmore, spokesman for LA County Sheriff’s Department, said the report.

Creech had originally been arrested by Glendale Police, who alleged that a 2010 surveillance operation observed Creech making a drug drop at a unit in a Chatsworth business park.

If convicted, Creech faces up to 10 years in the drug case which has become enmeshed in intrigue.

Click here to read the full story and watch the video.

Smith's family has offered a $20,000 reward for information that will lead to the missing executive, who was last seen May 1 in Oak Park.

The 57-year-old was driving a 2000 black Mercedes-Benz 420 E with tinted windows, a roof rack and California license 6EKT044.

Smith is white, about 6 feet 6 inches tall and has graying blond hair and green eyes.

Smith has a goatee, a roughly 4-inch scar on his right inner wrist and a 5-inch scar on one of his calves, according to the sheriff's detectives.

In 1975, Smith was a member of legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden's last national championship team.

Smith's three sons have searched along canyon roads for their father's car to no avail.

Smith, who lives in West Hills, is a long-time Fox distribution executive who worked in Calabasas. He was last seen driving away from a friend's home in the 500 block of Kellwood Court, where he had been staying.

Smith's family has set up a website -- findgavinsmith.com.

His son, Evan Smith, is a forward on the USC basketball team and has turned to Twitter in an attempt to find his father.

Anyone with more information as to his whereabouts was asked to call detectives at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS. Anonymous tips can be submitted to http://lacrimestoppers.org.

http://agourahills.patch.com/articles/intrigue-surrounds-felon-caught-up-in-probe-of-missing-gavin-smith

If Smith is alive, I think he's a POS for not contacting either his family or LE so they can let the family know he's OK!

In late August, the personal effects of missing 20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith were quietly removed from his Calabasas, Calif., office and delivered by the studio to his West Hills home. But the 57-year-old Smith's wife, Lisa, says the boxes, which contain such items as framed family photos and golf trophies -- "everything the sheriffs didn't take" -- remain on her porch. More than four months after Smith disappeared May 1, the distribution executive's belongings are a painful reminder that he still is gone.
"It's been tough to bring them into the house," says Smith.
There had been some cause for hope. The case appeared to take a dramatic turn in early June, when authorities searched the residence of Chandrika Creech, a woman with whom Smith is alleged to have had an affair, and her husband, John Creech, an admitted middleman in Los Angeles' illicit drug world. But Smith's sister, Tara Addeo, and John Creech's attorney, Daniel Teola, tell THR that it's their understanding that nothing has come of the search.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department still considers the Smith investigation a missing person's case and not a homicide probe, according to department spokesman Steve Whitmore. But Addeo says that while she has hope, her optimism is waning. "Where could he possibly be?" she asks. "I know that Gavin would not hurt himself, and I have a hard time believing that Gavin would ever walk away from his sons. The only other alternative is that there would have been foul play."
Smith was last seen on the night of May 1 at a friend's residence in Oak Park, a Ventura County community not far from his office. He departed from the property in his black Mercedes-Benz E420 sedan between 9 and 10 p.m.; the 6-foot-6 Smith, who played basketball for UCLA during the mid-1970s, was last seen wearing purple pants and black and gray shoes.
Forensic pathologist Michael Baden says that even though investigators have not publicly named a suspect, they could have people in their sights -- assuming foul play was involved. "The police are waiting to get some information," he says. "Pieces of clothing, somebody who saw him walk into the woods and never come out -- and that might be sufficient to bring charges."
Although no suspects have been named, on June 8, investigators and a SWAT team swooped into the West Hills house where the Creeches reside, searching it for several hours and leaving with boxes, a computer and a black Audi Q7 SUV in tow. But no arrests were made, investigators have not said how the Creeches relate to the Smith case, and Smith never met John Creech, according to Teola. A June 21 E! News report that cited an unnamed source said that Smith had met Chandrika Creech in therapy in 2008 and began an on-and-off affair with her. "I believe Chandrika and Gavin Smith had a prior relationship, and so that is the reason for the search," Teola tells THR.
Baden says that an affair would catch investigators' attention, "but that doesn't prove anything," he adds. According to Addeo, who says that she speaks with detectives on the case regularly, the search of the Creech residence didn't reveal anything. "That was very frustrating," she says. Lisa Smith, who has sons Evan, Austin and Dylan with her husband, declined to discuss the Creeches.
Whitmore would not confirm Addeo's account of detectives' investigation of the Creeches. "They wouldn't release that [information] if indeed that were true because it is an ongoing investigation," says Whitmore.
Teola notes that his client was not questioned by police and has not been contacted by the investigators since his house was searched. "I'm just letting sleeping dogs lie; they haven't asked me anything, requested anything," says Teola. John Creech, however, has other legal issues. On Sept. 25, he will be sentenced in a drug case that stems from a 2010 bust in Glendale. Teola, a criminal defense attorney, says Creech has admitted to police that he was a middleman between drug dealers and producers and pleaded no contest to one count of selling and transporting cocaine. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
An 18-year veteran of Fox's distribution department, Smith was the branch manager for theaters in Dallas and Oklahoma City, serving as a liaison between the studio and theaters. A source with knowledge of the situation says the studio plans to fill Smith's position (co-workers have been divvying up his duties) but has yet to do so. Fox declined comment.
Smith and Addeo say they remain confident investigators will solve the case, and the family's $20,000 reward remains in place. But apparent breakthroughs -- such as a reported sighting of the Fox exec on May 7 in Morro Bay -- have turned out to be false. "We are devastated," says Smith. "My sons, they can barely talk. We can't even have a memorial service for my husband."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gavin-smith-missing-fox-exec-369719

RENO, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) -- News 4 brings has uncovered details about Gavin Smith, the Fox executive who vanished back in May, after speaking with his sister in an exclusive interview.

"Being his flesh and blood, I have hope, but I have nobody," says Tara Addeo, the sister of Smith. "I have no car and I have no cell phone, but the reality is, I think he's gone."

It's been five months, and still not trace of Smith, an 18 year veteran of 20th Century Fox. Smith worked on distributing big Hollywood films, like Titanic and Avatar. The 57-year-old married father of three left a friend's home on the evening of May 1 in his black Mercedes Benz without telling anyone where he was going. He hasn't been seen or heard from since.

"There are a lot of scenarios out there," Addeo says. "None of them look good, though."

Addeo lives in Minden. She says in the months leading up to his disappearance, her brother was going through some turmoil in his marriage. She spoke with Smith the night before he vanished.

"He was upset," Addeo says. "The two of them were separated, and he was upset about how the relationship was going with his children. He was concerned, he was just a concerned dad. He could have walked away. I don't believe he did. He loved his sons way too much."

In what seems like a final plea for help, the crime/news program America's Most Wanted is working on a piece in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Smith's family is hoping the episode will bring some help in finding him. That will air this Friday, Oct. 12. New details in the investigation are expected to be unveiled.
http://www.mynews4.com/news/local/story/ONLY-ON-4-Sister-of-missing-Fox-executive-speaks/gc_P1toSQUSb406PvlHthw.cspx

The wife of Fox executive Gavin Smith, who went missing last May, recently told the reality crime show America's Most Wanted that she believes her husband is dead, but Smith’s sister disputes those comments, according to a video report from NBCLA.

"Being his flesh and blood, I have hope, because they have no body, and they have no car," Smith's sister Tara Addeo said in the video. "It's sad reading the comments that people make."

It's been five months since the former UCLA basketball player went missing from a friend's home in Oak Park.

A possible scenario to Smith's disappearance is linked to one of the extra-marital affairs he was reportedly having, said the report.

Las June, detectives searched the home of Chandrika Creech, with whom Smith is alleged to have had an affair. Creech's husband, John, is currently awaiting sentencing for being a middleman in an illegal drug trade, said the report.

Smith's personal life, along with a past history of drug abuse, will be revealed in an upcoming episode of the crime-news program, said NBCLA. The show will feature an interview with Smith's wife, Lisa, from whom he was separated at the time of his disappearance, said the report.

"We want to find out what happened to him," Lisa Smith said in the interview. "We'd love it to be some good ending, but I don't think that's possible.”

Click here for the full report and video.
http://agourahills.patch.com/articles/wife-of-missing-gavin-smith-believes-he-is-dead
Video at link

Police plan to search a gray SUV in connection with the disappearance of 20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith.
Back in May of last year, Smith went missing after he failed to pick up one of his children from school.
Wednesday, police found the SUV at a marijuana grow house in Granada Hills, according to Los Angeles radio station KFI.
"We believe that this truck, it's possible this truck, may have been involved, but we don't know yet," L.A. County Sheriffs homicide detective Ty Labbe told reporters.
The vehicle belongs to suspected drug dealer, John Creech, the husband of a woman who authorities believe Smith may have been having an affair.
Creech's wife, Chandrika, had met Smith prior to his disappearance at counseling sessions, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Back in June, authorities searched Chandrika Creech's home in connection with Smith's case.
The last time Smith was seen was leaving a friend's home in Oak Park in his 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E. The car hasn't been found.
HIs family set up the website findgavinsmith.com to aid in the search for Smith.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/car-tied-to-gavin-smith-found-at-drug-house-2013-1#ixzz2IxHNxcwJ

BREAKING NEWS | ABC7 LOS ANGELES

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Investigators have found the car of missing Fox executive Gavin Smith. The case is now being investigated as a homicide. A body has not yet been found.

Smith was last seen at a friend's residence in the Oak Park area on May 1, 2012.

Obviously this is from ABC.com but don't have a link since it was in my mail. I just heard on the news that Smith's car was actually found a month ago in a storage facility. No wonder it's now a homicide investigation!

Investigators have identified a possible motive in the alleged killing of Fox executive Gavin Smith, sheriff's officials said, but declined to elaborate further because of the ongoing investigation.

On Thursday, authorities announced a major development in Smith's mysterious disappearance. The Sheriff's Department said it had found Smith's Mercedes Benz last month at a Simi Valley storage facility linked to convicted drug dealer John Creech.

The condition of the car and other witness statements led authorities to conclude Smith had been killed. His body has not been found.

Sheriff's Lt. Dave Dolson told The Times that Smith was not believed to be involved in any drug transactions. They declined to disclose the nature of the relationship between Smith and Creech.

Officials have only said Smith and Chandrika Creech knew each other and met in rehab. When asked whether their relationship was romantic in nature, Dolson declined to comment.

"They knew each other," he said.

Chandrika Creech's husband, John Creech, has not spoken to investigators while serving time at Men's Central Jail for a drug conviction from last year, Dolson said. But Chandrika Creech has spoken with investigators on many occasions, he said.

Dolson declined to say what information Chandrika Creech has provided.

Investigators have "a good idea" of a motive, Dolson said, "but we're not going to discuss it."

Smith, a former UCLA basketball player who worked in Fox's movie distribution department, left a friend's home in Ventura County's Oak Park neighborhood the night of May 1. Wearing purple athletic pants belonging to one of his sons, Smith drove away in his Mercedes, leaving behind his cellphone charger, shaving kit and other items.

Numerous searches of the area were conducted after Smith disappeared and his family posted a $20,000 reward.
Authorities said they have served 25 to 30 search warrants in connection with Smith's disappearance, including searches of the home and vehicle belonging to Creech, who was identified Thursday as a "person of interest."

Sheriff's officials would not elaborate on the details of the warrants served, including what they were looking for and from whom. But officials previously told The Times that a June 2012 search of Creech's West Hills home was connected to the Smith case.
Investigators left the home, in the 8600 block of Santa Susana Place, with boxes, a computer and a black Audi SUV, but no arrests were made.

The cover pages of a sealed search warrant affidavit said detectives had probable cause to believe that an unspecified felony had been committed at the residence.

Daniel Teola, an attorney for the Creeches, said that was the second time in a month that deputies had searched the house, but he refused to provide any details.

In January, investigators searched Creech's Hummer, which was found outside a marijuana grow house in Granada Hills. Officials said authorities have been looking for the Hummer since the search of Creech's home and believe it may be tied to Smith's disappearance.

In an interview with a Times reporter at the time of his sentencing on an unrelated drug charge, John Creech said he had never met Smith.

When asked why his property was searched, he said: "I would love to tell you but I can't. I am told I cannot make any comments."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/gavin-smith-case-motive.html
Video at link

Gavin Smith's wife said she and her sons are "devastated" by news from homicide investigators that they believe the Fox executive was killed.

"My sons and I are devastated and this has been the hardest 10 and a half months of our life -- being without him," Lisa Smith said in a tearful telephone interview with The Times. "We love him dearly. He's the love of my life and the father of my children and he is gone. It's a tragedy."

On Thursday, authorities announced a major development in Smith's mysterious disappearance. The Sheriff's Department said it had found Smith's Mercedes-Benz last month at a Simi Valley storage facility linked to convicted drug dealer John Creech.

The condition of the car and other witness statements led authorities to conclude Smith had been killed. His body has not been found. He was first reported missing in May.

Lisa Smith said the discovery confirms her family's worst suspicions.

"Truly, truly this is what my sons and I thought happened all along," she said. "For the rest of the world to know that he didn't leave us is huge. He would have never done that. We knew from the get-go that something horrible had happened because he just wouldn't do this."

Rumors had circulated that Smith may have simply left his family. The couple had been having marital problems, according to a Twitter message published -- then later deleted -- by one of the Smith sons.

Lisa Smith said she's hopeful that detectives will find out "exactly what happened" to her husband and "bring it to justice."

"I can't believe they got this huge piece of evidence and I am so thrilled," she said. "We were just waiting and now we are so much closer to closure."

Investigators have identified a possible motive in the alleged killing, but declined to elaborate further because of the ongoing investigation. John Creech, whose wife had met Gavin Smith in rehab, has been identified as a "person of interest" in the investigation. The storage facility where the car was found has been linked to Creech, a convicted drug dealer.

Sheriff's Lt. Dave Dolson told The Times that Smith was not believed to be involved in any drug transactions.

Investigators believe Smith had already been killed by the time his Mercedes-Benz was moved from Porter Ranch to a Simi Valley storage facility on May 8 or 9, one week after his disappearance.

Sheriff's investigators asked the public for help in identifying anyone who moved the vehicle.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/gavin-smiths-wife-family-devastated-worst-suspicions-confirmed.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/gavin-smith-homicide.html

After nearly a year of speculation over the whereabouts of missing 20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith – Did he accidentally drive into a ravine? Did he run away with a lover? – L.A. County Sheriff's deputies finally got a chilling break in the case.

Smith's black 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E was found in a Simi Valley, Calif., storage facility last month. After the car was inspected, police announced that the case had taken a new turn.

"The condition of the vehicle in conjunction with cooperating witness statements indicates he was killed," Lt. Dave Dolson said in a press conference. "At this time, the evidence leads us to believe he was murdered." His body has yet to be found.

For the first time, police also named a person of interest in the case: John Creech, 40, a convicted drug dealer currently serving time at L.A. County Men's Central Jail, who detectives have yet to interview. The storage facility was rented to a friend of Creech.

Police also confirmed that the married Smith, 57, had met Creech's wife, Chandrika, 39, in rehab in 2009.

"They had a relationship," L.A. Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore confirms to PEOPLE, "but we're not going to characterize what kind it was."

Asked if this was a revenge killing for an affair, Whitmore would only say: "Our detectives have a good idea what the motive is, but we're not going to say at this time."

Smith, involved in distributing Avatar and the Star Wars films, vanished the evening of May 1, 2012 after driving away from a friend's L.A.-area home where he'd been staying, leaving behind his shaving kit, cell phone charger and other belongings.

According to a source close to the family, Smith had been having marital problems at the time, which his son, Evan, alluded to in a April 14 Tweet: "Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz," Evan wrote. "My dad decided to leave the family last nite. Real family sticks together."

But the Smith family later downplayed the marital drama, saying it wasn't anything out of the ordinary that the couple couldn't work out, the source said.

Meanwhile, Chandrika Creech has spoken to detectives on many occasions about the disappearance, police added, but they declined to elaborate. Approached by a reporter at his drug sentencing last year, John Creech denied that he ever met Smith.

Regarding the discovery of her husband's car, Lisa Smith said in a statement: "We are both saddened and heartened by the discovery of this crucial evidence, and know that the sheriff's department will help us acquire a measure of justice."

Lisa Smith also told the Los Angeles Times that murder was what she and their three sons had suspected all along.

"For the rest of the world to know that he didn't leave us is huge," she said. "He would have never done that. We knew from the get-go that something horrible had happened because he just wouldn't do this."
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20684716,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+people%2Fheadlines+%28PEOPLE.com%3A+Top+Headlines%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo