The Murder Police Podcast
The Murder Police Podcast
Never Forget Little Timmy | Part 6
Unraveling Friendship: The Disappearance of Little Timmy Sterner
What if the friends you cherished from childhood suddenly disappeared into thin air? This episode, we sit with Randall Smith, a close friend of Little Timmy Sterner, to unravel the layers of friendship that withstand years of change and adversity. Randall shares colorful tales of laughter and adventure, from the quirky start of their friendship on the basketball court to their cherished school-time escapades. But as adulthood takes its toll, we face the bittersweet challenge of maintaining these bonds amidst life's demands, exploring the guilt and regret that come when opportunities to reconnect slip through our fingers.
As we journey through the memories, the narrative takes an unexpected and emotional turn. Timmy's troubled past reemerges, with brushes against the law and the tumultuous path that led him to prison. The suspense heightens with the mysterious news of Timmy's disappearance after his release, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and heartache. Join us as we honor the story of a friendship tested by time, distance, and unforeseen circumstances, capturing the enduring impact of those who leave an indelible mark on our lives.
True Crime, Murder Police Podcast, Missing Persons, Little Timmy, Randall Smith, Friendship, Incarceration, Mystery, Investigation, Crime Stories, Prison Life, Brotherhood, Disappearance, Unsolved Mystery, Timmy Sterner, Emotional Testimony, Teen Friendship, Life Changes, Family Bonds, Suspenseful Storytelling
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I don't know. I've been through these types of fears before with my brothers and my sisters and my sister where, like accidents, freak accidents, happen or something like that, and you just at the moment you don't know how to take it all in, because it's so like what the heck?
Wendy Lyons:Warning the podcast you're about to listen to may contain graphic descriptions of violent assaults, murder and adult language. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome back to the Murder Police Podcast. In today's episode we will continue. Never Forget Little Timmy. This is part one of two of an interview with one of Timmy's very best friends, randall Smith. Welcome to the Murder Police Podcast. We have with us today Mr Randall here to talk about the missing case of little Timmy Sterner.
Randall Smith:Yeah, thanks for having me.
Wendy Lyons:Thank you, randall, for coming. We appreciate that. So I didn't get to meet you and I came in here expecting somebody different and you're this handsome young man and I didn't think that you were going to be an ugly old man, but I just had in my mind a different face. So, what a pleasant surprise. But again thank you for coming, randall.
Randall Smith:No problem, I'm glad to be here.
Wendy Lyons:Well, randall, because I didn't get in on the inside scoop earlier, I truly don't know any information, so I'm genuinely intrigued. Tell me, how did you know, little Timmy.
Randall Smith:Oh, it goes way, way back. We were like 12, 13 or whatever. And I went to my aunt's house and he was there and I've seen kids outside playing basketball. So I went outside playing basketball and a conversation you know started and you know we went from there and you know he asked me how old I was and I was like, well, I'll be 13 in like a couple days or whatever. And he was like, oh, I'm already 13, and you know it, he wanted to be that older person.
Randall Smith:You know he wanted to be the oldest, I guess, you know, and you know. That sparked like um, a competitive brother, like type thing right there from the start, you know, and you know. So it come to find out later. That night I was talking to my cousin because that's where we was at my aunt, you know my aunt's, at my cousin's house, and you know how old is he, and she was like he's like 12. He lied to me, you know, and you know, and uh, you know, she was like you know. And then I went to him and he was like yeah, this is my birthday, you know, it's like november 4th 1996, wherever I was. Like you lied to me, you know, and you know, that's how it started.
Wendy Lyons:You know that's we as friends ever since that day so you all met when you were, well, the ripe age of almost 13, and yeah, and 12, um, so I guess you all just became close. Did you go to school together?
Randall Smith:Yeah, we did go to school together. We went to high school together, because I've moved around a lot, so I went to like a lot of different elementary schools and middle schools. You know, I went to like middle school in Harrisburg and then one in Nicholasville. So you know I didn't really know where he was at school, so um and then you reconnected. We reconnected in high school.
Randall Smith:Yeah, I remember you you lied about your age. Yeah, yeah, no, no, I mean I knew him before high school, like. So, like when you're talking about the schools, like.
Wendy Lyons:We spent a lot of time together at school in high school, but I also knew him outside of the school through my family, so you all still kind of hung out from then on. Yeah, even though you switched schools.
Randall Smith:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Wendy Lyons:So you had a longtime friendship with him.
Randall Smith:Oh yeah, oh yeah, it went on. It's still going today.
Wendy Lyons:What kind of fun stuff did you all do when you were at the Ants? Just play ball and hang out.
Randall Smith:Yeah, played basketball, hung out, you know, argued a lot as young boys did, you know, argued a lot about the game stuff. So yeah, that's pretty much all we did at my aunt's house. And I remember, you know, one time I was probably like 14 or whatever, and you know I lived in the back of Southbrook, his neighborhood, and he came rolling up on a little mini bike and you know I remember wrecking that and stuff like that, you know riding his bike around. It was a little black mini bike he had.
Wendy Lyons:So you all just had a lot of boy fun memories. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Randall Smith:As we got older, you know, we started hanging out with girls and stuff like that.
Randall Smith:You know, just regular, regular um teen boy stuff you know um, I don't know, we were just we, you know, when we were with our clique of friends, we just always shooting the crap, you know, just talking. You know um played basketball together. Um played video games together a lot. You know um, cause when I lived with my aunt for a while and I had, I had together a lot, you know um, because when I lived with my aunt for a while and I had, I had an xbox, you know, and me and him would fight over that game you know we played um.
Randall Smith:There was an nba street, uh street ball that we played a lot and call of duty, uh, so yeah well, that's always fun.
Wendy Lyons:We've got a teen and he and his friends same thing. And it's funny how it evolved from back when you play street ball literally out in the yard, and now these guys they all get on at the same time and they've got their headset on and they're talking to each other and it's like they're having the best time and you can hear them and they're laughing and they're all playing the game together remotely, and so it's kind of neat that I guess that's just a boy thing.
Randall Smith:Yeah.
Wendy Lyons:Well, how fun. And so we know that there, after a while, timmy went away for a little bit, and did you all stay in contact during that time he was gone? We did.
Randall Smith:Yeah. So he had a girlfriend before he went in and I got in contact with her. I was like how do I, you know, contact Timmy, you know? And she gave me the information through like a little app or whatever. And I did that a couple of times because, you know, I work outside and my phone gets broke a lot and I had to get a new phone and redownload all of it. Um, so you know, I'd send him some money here and there to get him some like food or whatever. I don't know what prison's like. So like I would just send him a couple hundred bucks here or there so he can get to help him out.
Randall Smith:Help him out. Um, you know, I don't know what anybody else is doing for him in there, so I would just, you know, throw him a couple hundred bucks to get him through a couple of weeks, or whatever you friend he sent me some letters. I sent him some letters back and yeah, I mean that was a rough seven years of him being gone, because I was with him every day before he went. Sure, you know. So not every day, but like a lot, a lot, a lot of the time.
Wendy Lyons:Yeah, just a real good friend you all stayed in touch. That's really sweet that you did that. You know I can't say that there's too many people I know that would reach out and do that.
Randall Smith:Timmy. It's hard to forget about Timmy. You know whether he's there or not. You know when you're a good friend with Timmy he's just always. You're always. You know here and there you're thinking about him, you know. So it's just the imprint that he would put on you. This is my favorite part about Timmy. He was probably like five foot five, right, but whenever he spoke his demeanor just who he was. In general he was that younger, bigger brother that everybody needed. You know what I mean. But when you looked at him he was a short guy, but when he talked and he carried himself in a protective type of way, you swear he was six foot seven foot tall. You know Wow.
Wendy Lyons:Yeah, sounds like me. That's right, because you're a big guy.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Wendy Lyons:Very intimidating you know.
Randall Smith:So I mean, that's the big thing. You know when you're talking about, you know how can you describe him, or whatever.
Wendy Lyons:He's just bigger than life, wasn't he? He was yeah.
Randall Smith:He just always wanted to be that person, the big guy in the room. He wanted to be that protector. He wanted to be that you know Center of attention. I don't know about the center of attention, but, like, if you know, he always wanted to make sure everybody around him was good.
Speaker 3:You know everybody taking care of everybody, yeah.
Randall Smith:And I think that's what tied me and him so close together, because I'm that type of person. You know, and I looked out for him, and he looked out for me, and that's just, that's just who he was, you know, and that's the biggest thing that I could ever. That's the best thing I can remember about him.
Speaker 3:You know he gave enough of himself.
Randall Smith:Yes, he would give his all. If he called you brother, friend, family. You know I'm going to let you know he would not go to war with you. He would let you sit at home and he would go to war for you.
Speaker 3:That's how Timmy was. That's what we're gathering.
Randall Smith:Yeah, he liked tattoos, he liked having a good time.
Randall Smith:He liked clothes, he liked looking. He had to look good everywhere. He tried to look good everywhere he went. You know Me and him. We didn't have a lot.
Randall Smith:I would say, you know, um, and he made I don't know just he tried to make sure his appearance was always clean, cut. Yeah, you know that's, he took pride in that. That's, that's really what you know. His clothes, he liked his clothes a lot. Like he would wear two shirts and like I remember, I remember like um I don't know if you would classify it as a hobby or not and I don't know where I'm trying to go with it, but he would go home, all right, say that we go to the basketball court and we're just sitting there, we're not even sweating, we're not doing nothing. Right, he had just put these clothes on two hours ago. He would go back down to his grandma's house and grab a new shirt out of the dresser and put a new shirt. Mom's house and put, grab a new shirt out of the dresser and put a new shirt, you know just make sure he looked good everywhere he was going, you know, and so he was prideful.
Wendy Lyons:Yeah, yeah, in a good way. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, he took a lot of pride in who he, who he was. Yeah, so you know, and yeah that that's.
Randall Smith:That's one of the funniest things I'll I'll never, I'll always remember is whenever he went into his house and grabbed a brand new shirt and threw it in the dryer and I was like, bro, we just got, you just got dressed like two hours ago. He was like, yeah, but this shirt's not fresh anymore and I'm like what are we talking about?
Wendy Lyons:We've just been setting yeah.
Randall Smith:Yeah, all right, I don't want to sound disrespectful or anything like that, but he, timmy, had a set type. You know. You know, um, they had to carry theirself well, you know what I mean. They had to make sure the, the girls that he was into made sure that they could handle their own, because timmy's a strong, strong-minded guy, yeah, you know so he's. He's not what he never wanted like a weak-minded female, um, you know, he was always into more mature girls, you know that carried herself okay or was able to handle their own if they needed to. So, and all the girls that he ever dated, that I've ever seen date, were like hot, you know, like if I hope my fiance don't hear me, but like you know they were hot, you know so.
Wendy Lyons:They weren't as beautiful as my fiance. Yeah, they're not as beautiful as my fiance but yeah, he liked pretty girls, he liked pretty girls
Randall Smith:you know he wasn't the one to settle for, whatever you know.
Wendy Lyons:Well, so so you, you helped Timmy when he was incarcerated. Do you remember when you were hearing I'm about to get out?
Randall Smith:I didn't know he was about to get out. So, like the last couple of years, I would message like his cousin or somebody and say, hey, what's the word on Timmy? Or whatever. But I never had a set date ever, you know, when he was getting out.
Speaker 3:Hey everybody. It's David. If you follow us on social media, you know that I travel a lot teaching leadership across the country to police executives. I love to travel, but sometimes when you travel you can get food fatigue and get wore out. Called 1886 with you. Right now, just outside Kansas City, missouri, I stumbled across this beautiful restaurant in downtown Harrisonville and a fantastic menu of food that we kept going back for throughout the week. So if you're an area of Kansas City, slide south a little bit, go to Harrisonville and go to 1886 and grab a bite to eat and when you do, tell him David with the Murder Police Podcast says hello.
Randall Smith:Whenever he got out. My birthday was on the 5th right and I went out of town for that weekend and came back and that Monday, that night, on Sunday night, I got a friend request from Timmy Sterner on Facebook. And I'm laying in bed and I look over at my woman and I'm like, look at this. I was like that's Timmy Sterner on Facebook. And I'm laying in bed and I look over at my woman and I'm like, look at this. I was like that's, that's Timmy.
Randall Smith:And so I accepted, you know, off top, I accepted and I immediately messaged him and I'm like hello, and he messaged me back and we get into a little conversation which I'm getting ready for bed at that time. So the conversation, you know, carried for about five or 10 minutes and then he had responded and I was already asleep. You know, carried for about five or 10 minutes and then he had responded and I was already asleep and but yeah, I mean I had no idea he was getting out. It was a shocker. It was probably the best birthday gift I could have ever, you know, asked for, and I'll always cherish those last few conversations that I had, um, because it I don't know you know after seven after seven years not seeing him.
Randall Smith:And then boom, he's there.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Randall Smith:Days after your birthday. It's crazy, it's crazy, it was, it was amazing.
Wendy Lyons:Now did you all set up hopes of let's get together tomorrow or Tuesday, or you know.
Randall Smith:We were. He was trying to link up and stuff like that. But in April my schedule was so full, you know, because I own a business and I run a business in Lexington, so I do a business on side. So if I work, you know, seven, 30 to four, 30, I get straight off work and I go do my jobs for my own company. Um, and then I had a um, my kid, he's in T-ball, so we doing like two practices, three practices a week, and then the games on the weekend early in the morning, six or they can go all day or whatever.
Randall Smith:So you know, I wasn't against it. And now, thinking about it, looking back on it, I was like man. I wish I would have set something up or tried to set something up, but I just, you know, I was like man. I just don't do much linking up anymore. My life is just so cram packed full of everything. You know seven years is a lot to. You know, my life has changed a lot in seven years. You know it's got a kid now, got a job starting a business running the business, you know doing this and doing that.
Randall Smith:He wanted to come over the night. I guess that he went missing and it was 830. So if I was to hang out with anybody it would have to be from the time that I get off work or you know, and probably right before dark, right before I'm eating dinner or something like that, so I can get wound down and ready for bed and get my kid in the bed and stuff like that.
Wendy Lyons:You know, like a normal Routine for the kid a family, family life.
Randall Smith:You know that eats me up every day. That I didn't say, yeah, come over, you know. Instead I was like, yeah, it's 830. It's kind of late. Let's link up like maybe tomorrow or something like that up like maybe tomorrow or something like that. Um, and that's probably been. That's probably the worst thing that's been stuck in my head for the last few months.
Randall Smith:So growing up with timmy he'd been in and out of juvie a few times, you know, and come back home, um, mostly for missing school or whatever hanging out with girls or whatever he's doing, you know, and he'd come back home, you know, we'd all get back together and you just never expect something like this to ever happen.
Randall Smith:So, you know, I just figured, um that we would just hang out, you know, on a weekend or you know something, you know. And right before he went um to I guess, prison, he uh I think he had did uh like a jail stint in Nicholasville or something, I'm not real sure. But he got out after a couple months and, you know, I took him to the mall, showed him my new car because I got a new car and he was like this thing's ignorant, like I'll never forget, like we was doing donuts and getting sideways in it, took him to the mall, got him some new clothes and stuff like that and, um, that's the last last time that I seen him in person was right before, right before he went and did that seven years. And um, yeah, I don't know, I wish I would have said something up with him yeah so david had mentioned something.
Wendy Lyons:Since I wasn't here, I was late, like usual, so you mentioned something to the effect of a FaceTime. I'm intrigued, tell me about the FaceTime.
Randall Smith:I just heard FaceTime. Okay. So that Sunday night, when he had sent me a friend request and we talked, he had messaged but I'd left the conversation and fell asleep. I picked it back up after I had already gotten to work, at my work truck and seeing that he was online. So I was like you know what? I'm not going to respond, I'm just going to call him. You know, let's video call him. And he answered it and we talked for like five or ten minutes and, you know, talked about you know what was prison, like you know, because I've never been, he was like don't go, don't go, you know.
Speaker 3:What time in the morning was that?
Randall Smith:it was probably like 7, 30, 7, 7, 45, it was white. Whenever I first got there, you know it was early and uh, he was telling me he ain't been to bed yet. He'd been so excited to be home.
Randall Smith:And um, you know, just, you couldn't fit a whole seven years in a conversation you know you know, because he was I don't know that he was trying to go to his POs that morning too. So we had ended the conversation after about 10 minutes and you know I'm at work, Um, but you know, just seeing his face grown man, Timmy was crazy, Like he had facial hair. Yeah, I'm still struggling at 28. I cannot grow it. Yeah, and I'm seeing Timmy and I'm like man, you got a beard. I was like you know, that's cool, yeah.
Randall Smith:I wish I had one of those, yeah, and he was like you'll get one. He said something, so like he had got this like accent, I guess from being incarcerated for so long. He said something and it just cracked me up. I don't remember what it was. He was like you'll get there, but he used some, I guess jail slang terminology, whatever it was and I was like what the hell was that? You know, but you know that's awesome. You know I don't know. I will always cherish that car.
Wendy Lyons:So you got to see him. Well not in person, I mean on the video. Yeah, on the video I got this I've got to see him.
Randall Smith:Yeah, I got to see him and see grown-up man timmy. You know I was like that's crazy because when seven years ago, when you went, in there, he looked probably look like you today yeah, yeah, your face was baby butt smooth man, I was like you got a full beard, so so you all had your little video chat, and then you go on to work yep, and I didn't hear from him that whole day, until about 8 30, um, and he was like, hey, man, um, he asked me if, um, I was in town or something.
Randall Smith:Or he said I'm in town and I was like, uh, he asked me what I was doing or something. And he was like I'm in town, can I come over, or whatever, over or whatever, and I was like it's 830. It's kind of late, you know, april, it's starting to get dark around 830 and the kids trying to go to bed and I was like bro, not tonight, you know, it's 830. Yeah, I regret that. I wish I would have told him to come over you know, because Hindsight's always.
Wendy Lyons:So you all ended it with, you know, maybe another time.
Randall Smith:Yeah, and you know I told him that my life had changed. You know I got a kid now. You know hanging out at like 830 is kind of crazy whenever I'm trying to get kid to bed. You know I didn't go that dipped into it, I just said my life has changed a lot and he said it's all good, big head or something like that. I was like, well, well, what does that mean? And uh, you know we ended the conversation on I love you, bro, and I said I love you too, dog.
Wendy Lyons:You know so you were maybe going to talk in a couple more days or something. So then I guess you find out. When do you find out? I found out.
Randall Smith:Um, I would think it was thursday, you know, and when my aunt called me because I had no idea, you know, I had no idea it was Thursday, and she called me and she was like have you seen Timmy? Is he at your house? You know, I was like no, he's not me. And she was like well, she ran me down on the story of what was going on and I was like that's not like Timmy, you know, I mean, with the story that I've heard, it's not that he wouldn't do that, he just wouldn't do it.
Randall Smith:Um, not seven, not grown up Timmy, not, you know, teenage, 18 year old Timmy. He just wouldn't do nothing like that. You know, he, it didn't make sense, the story just didn't make sense and I was like no, um, so I started, I messaged his facebook. I was like hey, yo, you know, and nothing. So that's when I was like panicking because I heard, you know the way the story happened was is he? I don't know if I can go into it, but he wrecked a car out in the country. Timmy's not a country guy If he left a scene miles out into the country a car wreck miles out into the country.
Randall Smith:even me In April it's cold at nighttime and it rained for weeks days. Yeah, it was a wet spring, you know he's, that's not Timmy's, he's not leaving that road period.
Wendy Lyons:He's not going out into the woods. He's not going to get them clothes wet, is he?
Randall Smith:I don't know if he's going to get the clothes wet, but I know that he's not going to leave the road. So when I heard that, I was like no, timmy's not going out in them. Dang woods, not, no, not no, dark no. So yeah, that's you know.
Speaker 3:Because that's down by River Road.
Randall Smith:Yeah, it's far down in there, you know, and that's Timmy's not going in the woods on a good day. He don't like being in the woods during the day, let alone rain and dark Rain and dark.
Wendy Lyons:It's not happening. So you had an uneasy feeling and you're like something don't sound right.
Randall Smith:The whole story just didn't make sense. You know, he drove a car down there. He ended up stealing somebody else's car, wrecked it ran off into the woods apparently, or whatever. Whatever the story is that I was told and I was like that's not right. Why would you steal somebody else's car when you left you that car? You drove a car there.
Wendy Lyons:It's not right, um but so then you just it didn't set well with you and you're thinking well, maybe some I hear from him tomorrow or something well, or did you? Know, then something.
Randall Smith:Something just isn't going to be right out of this there's a fear, you know, a panic, when something like this happens with every you know. So I don't know. I've been through these types of fears before with my brothers and my sisters and my sister, um, where, like um, accidents, freak accidents happen or something like that and you, just at the moment, you don't know how to take it all in um, because it's so like what the heck? You know, um, and your mind can only process things so fast and understand things, um, so I just had this feeling, you know, inside that was like it's just off.
Randall Smith:You know, whenever you know somebody so well, like me and his family, do you know cause I classify his grandma my grandma? You know, like, you know his uncle is my uncle, you know. So when you know somebody as well as we know timmy, something was just off and nobody had heard, you know, and his phone was broke. I know for a fact that timmy is not gonna be out in boon land that's important with a broken phone. He's not gonna break his phone.
Randall Smith:Then people said he broke his, broke his phone or whatever, I'm not trying to get in on, I'm not, I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say, or whatever, but it just whenever I heard all the key facts, the key points of what everybody else because they had already had, uh, I guess the night of the ninth, and then I guess that following day, before I even heard about it, to unravel things, you know, with people down there, um, there's a lot of rumors and a lot that which is natural and something like this yeah but you're like a lot of people.
Speaker 3:The people we've talked to so far are like you. A and b are not coming to see and there's no and now is you talking about, uh, him just not being in the boonies, as you say, or one he's not a country guy.
Randall Smith:He was not. You know if we went out I've never been out like to somebody's house in the country at nighttime with him, but I know that we would go hiking or something like that. He hated it. He hated that. He did not like being outside in the country he did not.
Randall Smith:You know it's funny, so like we'd go out and hike or whatever you know, um, like to Indian falls, with my brother and our friend Justin. You know we'd go out there, um, and he did not like he's like. I recall one time we got back to my house in Longview when I lived in Longview and he was like thank God, we're back home. I was like yo, it wasn't that bad. He was like I'm sweating, I need new clothes, I need a shower.
Randall Smith:That man would take a shower three or four times a day if he could. And even though Timmy had been gone a long time, that didn't change on how Timmy was. Timmy was not being in them woods. Yeah, yeah, no, it's just no.
Wendy Lyons:So then I guess that was that Thursday you found out and you tried to message him and nothing. Friday you're probably still trying.
Speaker 3:Hey, you know there's more to this story, so go download the next episode, like the true crime fan that you are, the Murder Police Podcast is hosted by Wendy and David Lyons and was created to honor the lives of crime victims, so their names are never forgotten. It is produced, recorded and edited by David Lyons. The Murder Police Podcast can be found on your favorite Apple or Android podcast platform, as well as at MurderPolicePodcastcom, where you will find show notes, transcripts, information about our presenters and a link to the official Murder Police Podcast merch store where you can purchase a huge variety of Murder Police Podcast swag. We are also on Facebook, instagram and YouTube, which is closed caption for those that are hearing impaired. Just search for the Murder Police Podcast and you will find us. If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe for more and give us five stars and a written review. On Apple Podcasts or wherever you download your podcasts, make sure you set your player to automatically download new episodes so you get the new ones as soon as they drop, and please tell your friends.
Randall Smith:Lock it down.
Speaker 3:Judy.
