“I Did It Because I Liked Her Legs” | True Crime Documentary –
Kelsey Smith, 18, went to Target to do some shopping and then disappeared without a trace. These are the last known images of Kelsey Smith, an 18-year-old who had finished high school just 9 days before. That day he went to the local Target to buy a gift. At first glance, everything seems normal, but if you look closely, something doesn’t add up.
A figure follows her almost imperceptibly through the corridors and shadows of the parking lot. Minutes later, when Kelsey returns to her car, the everyday turns into a nightmare. That same night, Kelsey Smith disappeared without a trace. Authorities in Overland Park are searching for a missing 18-year-old girl , Kelsey Smith.
Kelsey left Target last night around 7 p.m., but never returned home. There is no concrete evidence that a crime has been committed, she is simply missing. I knew it was important to be able to present the missing person to the public through the media, newspapers, radio, television, however we could. And that was my goal, to call different news stations and try to get it promoted.
Keep her in your prayers, KS, if you’re out there watching us, come on, we’re not going to stop until you’re home. Nothing will stop us from bringing her back to us. It was a weekend like any other for Greg Smith, an off-duty police officer, his wife Missy, and their 18-year-old daughter, Kelsey, who had just graduated from high school.
That afternoon Kelsey took the car keys and headed towards the nearest target. She just needed to buy a gift for her boyfriend, John. They had been together for 6 months. I thought it would be a quick and unimportant exit. go, shop and return home. Nothing could go wrong, but that short journey would become the last trip of his life.
He was supposed to meet John at her house around 7:30 in the evening, but when he arrived, she had not yet returned. At first she thought that perhaps traffic or a last-minute stop had delayed her, but the minutes began to feel like an eternity. Half an hour later, with no sign of her and the phone ringing in vain, John felt unease settling in his chest.
Greg, her father, also began to worry that she never stopped answering. Not a call, not a message, just silence. And that silence began to sound too loud. Seward and now the kind of teenager, unlike most, who even if he was a few minutes late would call to let us know because he didn’t want us to worry. 30 minutes and she’s late.
I was calling different police departments in the area saying, “Hey, have you had any contact with this car? This license plate number, has there been an accident?” That wasn’t something to report her as missing, that was me being a police officer. That’s what it was. Another half hour passes before the family decides to go to Target.
thinking that maybe Kelsey was stranded in the parking lot and couldn’t communicate. But when we arrive the place is empty, no trace of her or the car. Anxiety is starting to gain ground. Greg takes the wheel and they begin to drive around the nearby streets desperately looking for any sign, any clue, anything.
At one of the turns they go past the shopping center that is right in front and then they see it. Kelsey’s car is there, parked silently under a streetlight, but Kelsey, Kelsey is not there. Well, that was a bad sign for me that the car was in a different place. A clear sign that this could be a crime scene. And then I said, “Okay, everyone back away from that.
Let me call the police.” Four hours after Kelsey was last seen, the police finally intervene. The detectives cautiously circle the car, aware that every inch could hold an answer. With flashlights and gloves, they check every corner, every loose thread, every mark. They are looking for any clue, however small , that will bring them closer to her.
Or was it one of those moments where you look at yourself and say, “This might not be good.” There are no signs of a struggle inside the car . Everything seems strangely orderly, as if nothing had happened there. But something outside stops one of the investigators. Through the crack in the trunk, a small piece of fabric peeked out, barely moved by the wind, and he hoped she was there, but prayed that she wasn’t.
When the forensic team opens the trunk, Kelsey is not there. I was literally holding my breath because I thought maybe that’s where she was. Kelsiy had graduated from high school just 9 days ago. When you don’t see her, I let myself fall to the ground. Like you just knew this was serious.
This isn’t just, you know, she’s delayed or something. So where is my son? Kelsey was an exemplary student, [musician] full of energy, intelligent and determined. It had that light that makes people want to be near it. A mixture of kindness and joy that was contagious to everyone. Those who knew her not only loved her, they admired her.
Very extroverted, fun to be around, very stubborn, and did everything possible to make you feel loved. The most loving girl. Kels was one of those people who didn’t leave anyone behind. She was a friend to everyone. She loved social media. You put balloons in a friend’s locker and stuff like that.
You’re going to post things like that, you know? You share everything with everyone. And now that responsible 18- year-old, the girl everyone described as bright and reliable, disappears without a trace. The police continue searching, but the car reveals nothing. There are no footprints, no signs of violence, not a single clue to indicate a crime.
It’s as if someone drove him there and then just abandoned him. Kelsey Smith’s disappearance becomes a complete mystery until detectives find a possible witness in the parking lot, someone who may have seen everything. The officers notice a security camera pointing towards the location, but it is too late and no one with access to the footage will be able to assist them until the following morning.
PART 2 :
While they wait, investigators begin questioning Kelsey’s family and friends. Greg, his father, also a police officer, and his wife Messi, are taken to an interrogation room. For the time being, that officially makes them persons of interest in the case. I mean, they put us in an interrogation room and left us there for a while, and there’s a camera in the corner, you know? And I looked at Missy and said, “You know we’re being watched, right? Do you realize we’re both suspects right now?” No.
She says, “Yes.” And I said, “So we’re going to answer the questions so they can rule us out and look for the right person, but it’s just routine, they have to do this.” It was all part of standard procedure. The usual protocol that police follow in missing persons cases . The questioning doesn’t last long, and it soon becomes clear that Greg and Missy aren’t suspects.
Still, the emotional damage had already been done. Going from desperate parents to potential culprits leaves a life difficult to erase. Typically, investigators focus their attention on the last person the victim saw or had contact with before disappearing. In Kelsey’s case, that person was her boyfriend, John, with whom she had spent most of the last few days.
He was the last person to see her alive. When it came to suspects, I wasn’t thinking about John. He’s such an upstanding guy that You’d never think of something like this. But the detectives saw things differently. The key question was simple, yet crucial: Where was John before he drove to Kelsey’s house ? In most missing persons cases, the romantic partner is usually the first suspect, and this time was no exception.
The officers began to pressure him, repeating the same questions over and over, using different words, with calculated pauses, observing his every gesture, every breath. They wanted to see if the truth wavered. It was like tearing my mind apart. Why were they doing this? Despite the pressure, John remained calm and coherent.
His answers didn’t change, his gaze didn’t break. It soon became clear: he was telling the truth. He didn’t know where Kelsey was or why she disappeared. Eight hours had passed since the investigation began, and the police still hadn’t a single lead. Frustration turned to despair, and Kelsey’s family decided to take matters into their own hands.
They began a parallel search, driven by fear and love. The statistics are grim. The first 48 hours are crucial. After that time, the The odds of finding her alive plummet. Greg, Missy, and John organize. Hundreds of people split into groups, scouring streets, parks, and parking lots. They carry stacks of flyers with Kelsey’s picture.
They knock on doors. They ask strangers, praying for an answer. We did n’t really know what kind of community we lived in until this happened. Hundreds of people appeared out of nowhere to come and look for my sister, and I don’t know any of these people, but now all these people are family. More than 12 hours have passed since Kelsey disappeared when the family finally gets access to the parking lot camera footage .
The police review hours and hours of video. At 9:17 p.m., two hours after the last contact with Kelsey, a car slowly pulls into the parking lot. Someone calmly gets out of the vehicle , but the image is too blurry to identify them. For the police, it’s another dead end . For the family, however, a glimmer of hope emerges.
A security camera from a nearby restaurant shows a young woman who It matches Kelsey’s description. When the Smiths arrive to watch the video, their hearts pound. There’s a female figure sitting with her back to the camera. It could be her. Do you hope it is because you’re waiting for any clue, any glimmer of hope for your child? No, it wasn’t her.
Time is running out, and the police are clinging to their last hope. Before disappearing, Kelsey had been at Target, a store monitored by dozens of security cameras. If she was really there, the recordings would confirm it. They just needed one image, one instant, proof of life. But what they discover surpasses all expectations.
The store’s 40 cameras recorded her entire route. At 6:54 p.m., Kelsey’s car pulls into the parking lot. She gets out calmly, walks toward the entrance, and disappears from view for a few seconds until another camera captures her entering the building. The detectives follow her every step. Watching the video closely, Kelsey moves slowly, browsing aisles, choosing what she needs.
She smiles briefly at the cashier, pays for her purchases, and leaves. From the store. Ten minutes after arriving, she gets into her car, backs up, and drives away from the parking lot. It all seems like an ordinary outing, a harmless routine, but the tension is palpable. Every passing minute weighs heavier, and the police still have no leads.
We have no further clues as to what might have happened to her. We’re in the dark. The next day, 24 hours after Kelsey’s disappearance, the police review the recordings again at headquarters, this time with a team of specialists. Ten sergeants go over the videos again and again, frame by frame, looking for anything they might have missed. At first, everything seems perfectly normal.
Kelsey doesn’t speak to anyone, no one approaches her, she pays for her purchases, leaves the store smoothly, walks around to her car, gets behind the wheel, and starts the engine. But then one of the investigators notices something, a quick, almost imperceptible movement, just as she opens the door. The camera doesn’t show the full angle, but a silhouette is visible.
Someone is running behind the vehicle on the left side. 12-15 seconds There was absolute silence , and then the car reversed and disappeared from the frame. I think for a moment you could probably have heard a pin drop in that room. Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Oh my God, did you see that? We just stood there in silence. We just, you know, looked at each other and said, “It’s a kidnapping.” The detectives didn’t want to do it, but they had no choice. They had to look the Smith family in the eye and tell them the unthinkable. Their daughter had been taken by force. What? That feeling of powerlessness comes back, and it’s like, I can’t do anything to help her.
Even though the police already had the recordings, the assailant’s identity was still unclear. Still, one thing was obvious. That man had been following her. The officers reviewed the video again, this time with a different objective: to look for anyone who mimicked Kelsey’s movements. And then the truth began to unravel.
Every time she appeared in the frame, so did a young man in a light-colored shirt and dark pants. Eyes follow her, his footsteps follow, he walks behind her, calmly, as if he knows exactly what she’s going to do. When Kelsey approaches the checkout, he moves ahead, heading for the exit. He clearly planned to wait for her outside.
The police need a face, a clear image, and finally they get it. In the exit corridor between the two doors, a downward-tilted camera captures his face with chilling clarity. 25 hours after Kelsey Smith disappeared, authorities intensify the search for the suspect, a thin, white man with short hair.
His photo is circulated through all media outlets in the hope that someone will recognize him. But the result is not relief, but chaos. Calls pour in, so many that the system collapses under the avalanche of leads. Kansas police are searching for an 18-year-old girl who was kidnapped and abducted on Saturday. Authorities now have surveillance video from outside a department store showing Kelsey Smith being forced into her own car.
The department receives Nearly 2,000 possible leads. Following up on each one would take at least two weeks, time they simply don’t have. The investigators decide to revisit the recordings, and now the picture is clear. The suspect runs after Kelsey and forcefully shoves her into a vehicle.
It all happens in a matter of seconds. No one could have helped her. Another clip shows Kelsey’s car pulling into the Meis parking lot at 9:17 p.m., right in front of the Target. Someone calmly gets out of the car as if nothing happened and walks away . That scene changes the course of the investigation. The detectives look at each other, processing a new possibility.
Could the suspect have left Kelsey’s car there intending to return later for his own? Starting from that 9:17 p.m. timestamp, we went back to the Target store. We reviewed the Target parking lot video again to see if anything happened after 9:17 p.m. At 9:22 p.m., the detectives notice a dark SUV leaving the parking lot.
The connection to the crime is still unclear. It’s not solid, but if that vehicle belongs to the kidnapper, the cameras should have captured him arriving at the target. They review the previous hours. Kelsey Smith enters the store at 6:54 p.m., and just a minute later, a dark blue SUV appears on screen. The recording offers another glimpse of the suspect’s face.
Blurry, but enough to confirm the description. White man, short hair, white T-shirt, driving a blue SUV. That small detail changes everything. The investigation, once immense and confusing, begins to focus. Three and a half days after Kelsey Smith’s disappearance, the authorities finally have a concrete suspect. Uh, I answered the phone and spoke with someone who, uh, told me, “I know who the guy in the video is.
” The name she gave me on the phone was Edwin Hall.” The police receive calls from two people who identify the man in the photographs with absolute certainty. One claims to be his coworker, the other a friend. Both agree without hesitation. It’s Edwin Hall, the owner of the blue pickup truck. But there’s a problem. After seeing his face published in all the local newspapers, he’s likely to try to flee. And that’s exactly what happens.
When the officers arrive at his house, they find him with a woman, later identified as his wife, loading boxes, bags, and belongings into another vehicle, ready to leave. Still , Edwin Hall. Immediately, his fingerprints are taken, and the interrogation begins. The detectives have only one question on their minds: Where is Ky Smith? During the interrogation, Edwin denies knowing her.
He admits to being the man in the security footage but claims he only followed her because he found her attractive and liked her legs. He insists he had no contact with her after she left the store. Meanwhile, the lab returns the fingerprint results. One of them matches one found on Kelsey’s car seatbelt. What proof that he was there.
The blurry figure in the video we saw was him, and there’s no denying it. Confronted with the evidence, Edwin Hall can no longer deny the truth. He admits that he had been following Kelsey, watching her every move, waiting for her in the parking lot until she left the store. When she approached her car, he acted, armed with a gun.
He forced her to drive away while the world kept turning, unaware that at that moment a life was being taken. Two hours later, Edwin returns alone. He abandons Kelsey’s car in the Meis parking lot , calmly crosses the street, gets into his own truck, and drives home as if nothing had happened. Four days after the disappearance, the police finally obtain Kelsey’s phone records.
Following the signals from the cell towers, they trace the messages she had sent to her boyfriend that night. Each signal brings them a little closer. Finally, we receive a call from the searchers saying they have Kelsey was found. She ‘s not alive. Authorities immediately launch a search in Longw Lake, a wooded park about 20 minutes east of the Target.
Rescue teams comb the area, wading through mud, trees, and silence. 45 minutes later, Detective Bob Miller gets a call from the head of the search team. He only hears three words on the other end of the line. We found her. We were at the end of our driveway when they told us Kels was gone, that they’d found her, and all I remember is screaming, “No Mikels, no, Mels!” [laughs] She had been assaulted and strangled to death.
A life full of promise extinguished in a matter of minutes. The woods held her last breath and the silence became witness. I pull up right in front of my parents’ house and I see them sitting in the back of Dad’s truck, and they’re crying, and seeing my dad cry like that and they gave us that look and I just fell to the ground and yelled, “No!” I said, “No.” And then I couldn’t walk.
Edwin Hall was formally charged with the murder of Kelsey Smith. He initially faced the death penalty, but eventually pleaded guilty, confessing to every detail of the crime. The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Mr.
H, how do you plead to that charge? We asked Evan Hall about other murders in the Midwest that he might be responsible for , and his response was, “No, I’m not responsible for any of them.” This is the first time I’ve ever killed someone. My police instincts tell me it’s a lie. The key evidence in the case was the security camera footage.
The images that led to the arrest of the perpetrator, but tragically couldn’t save the life of an innocent 18-year-old. The video revealed the truth, but it was too late to protect her. It was incredible to have known her. If I could text her right now, I’d say, “I’m sorry.” Like, this is definitely cool for me, which sucks.
So yeah, it would probably just be, “I’m sorry.” She wanted to be remembered for the way she made people feel. It’s not about how she left this earth, but how she lived. And that’s what matters most.
