The Murder Police Podcast
The Murder Police Podcast
Never Forget Little Timmy | Part 7
Searching for Little Timmy: A Journey of Hope, Despair, and Community Strength
What would you do if a loved one disappeared without a trace? This episode takes you into the emotional abyss experienced by Randall Smith as he shares the harrowing search for his missing friend, Little Timmy. Alongside Timmy's mother and sister, Randall recounts the psychological torment and haunting fears that overshadow each moment. Despite the growing dread and the mind's cruel tendency to conjure worst-case scenarios, there's an indomitable hope driving their relentless pursuit. Listen as we lay bare the sheer emotional weight of searching for a missing loved one and how it tests the limits of human endurance and the spirit of community.
The search for Timmy, in a town clouded by whispers and scant clues, is nothing short of desperate. From raising financial rewards to unprecedented heights to offering a prized race car, every effort is made to shake loose any hidden truths. Yet, the silence remains deafening, taking an emotional toll on those closest to Timmy. As we discuss the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for information, the role of community support shines through as a beacon of hope. We reflect on personal sacrifices and the deep commitment to finding Timmy, underscoring how collective efforts could be the spark that finally brings him home.
As we navigate the heartache of loss and the longing for justice, this episode also touches on the broader themes of redemption and change. We ponder the spiritual and moral complexities of living with the knowledge of wrongdoing, both for those directly involved and the broader community. While honoring Timmy's memory, the conversation transitions into the more hopeful aspects of seeking closure, emphasizing the power of truth and community in righting wrongs. With heartfelt stories and an unwavering call for justice, we invite you to join us in this poignant exploration of loss, redemption, and the unyielding hope for a better tomorrow.
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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You know, because the terror, the fright, the unknown is what's the worst. The unknown Because the thing that I kept thinking of is like okay, we say we find him somewhere. I couldn't understand, I couldn't comprehend to break down what I would do in a situation where I was to walk up on him and see him somewhere like that Hurt, passed away, whatever, and see him somewhere like that hurt, passed away, whatever. I don't know how I would handle that.
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. Today we will continue the series Never Forget Little Timmy. This is part two of two of an interview with one of his best friends, randall Smith.
Randall Smith:Well, no, friday I got in contact with his mom, which I've never met his mom before because she had been in and out in her own situations or whatever, I'm not, I'm not gonna speak on it, I don't know um, uh, and finally got to meet her and we, we looked me, his mom, her daughter, his sister, we looked for days, days, all of us, we, we all looked everywhere, anywhere you could think of down in that area. I mean, timmy's not going that far out there, you know, period, he's not, unless he's running for his absolute life. He's not going far out there, not happening. So we did what we could with what we had, which we didn't have much to go search and find. You know, I even tried to pay people to go out with um, like, I met a guy through the car scene.
Randall Smith:You know cause, where I'm, you know in the big big in the cars. You know he, he does a lot of like deep sea fishing, he's got sonars and stuff on his boat. You know I was, I was going to pay him to go out there, and you know, and it's just, you know, it's just a mess, you know, and he's not, he wasn't there, he wasn't nowhere. You know, and your mind plays tricks on you, you know, whenever you're in the scenery and you get back into town, you, you know, you start seeing things where he could have been or where he could be. You know, and your brain starts playing tricks on you and you know, and you want to envision where he is and try to find that spot, whatever, you know out there, and it's, you just can't.
Randall Smith:And it was rough, you know. Yeah, you know, I don't know how to put it into words whenever we, you know, we were looking for him those the weeks, I felt like it was weeks, it was lifetime that we were out there looking, you know, because it was scary. It was scary, you know, it was terrifying to think that your brother is out here, missing somewhere, and he doesn't know what he's doing in the woods.
Randall Smith:Yeah, you know you're probably thinking worst case scenarios, and that's the in any, in any circumstances like this, scenarios, and that's the in any, in any circumstances like this, the human brain goes straight from to the worst thing, no matter what, and we can all relate to that. Everybody you know. If say that you hear about your cousin in a wreck or something like that and say, oh it was bad, it was bad, you're. It's like, oh my god, what like are they almost like passed away. That's the way you know your brain instantly they don't think about the positives, they go straight to boom.
Wendy Lyons:It's got to be the worst scenario, worst thing.
Randall Smith:And that's probably the most cancerous thing of the human brain. Whenever you can see a situation, and think the worst.
David Lyons:The brain is an anticipation machine and things like this fuel it.
Randall Smith:Like you said, it goes in the yeah, you know, because machine and things like this fuel it, like you said, it goes in. Yeah, you know, because the terror, the fright, the unknown is what's the worst. The unknown because what if, like, the thing that I kept thinking of is like, okay, we say we find him somewhere. The I couldn't understand, I, I couldn't comprehend to break down what I would do in a situation where I, if I was to walk up on him and see him somewhere, like that, hurt, passed away, whatever, I don't know how I would handle that. I would. You know what I mean?
David Lyons:That's another thing you know whatever, I don't think you can prepare yourself mentally.
Randall Smith:No Anticipation, you know, and you know, and it's just that was the worst part of even looking. You know, like the wheel to go look was high. You know we want to be out there looking. I couldn't imagine, like you know, if it's I'm sitting there, because every time I was out there I was with his mom. I'm going to let you know if I was out there and we walked up on him somewhere with his mom. Oh my God, awful, it was awful, it would have been awful.
David Lyons:Well, I understand that currently there's a cash reward and I think you're part of that. Yeah, I have personally.
Randall Smith:So I started off with $3,000. I think you're part of it. Yeah, I have personally. So I started off at $3,000. You know, I posted it on Facebook $3,000. And I let that sit for five days four or five days and let it simmer on people and I was like, you know, $3,000, nobody's talking yet Nobody said nothing. So I was like I got a solid $5,000. I posted a video dropping the money on the bed. Bring me the information I need the information. I want my brother to come home, you know, and soon after that his father's dad said I got this one too. So at this point now we're at $25,000, you know, and nothing, nothing.
David Lyons:For $25,000.
Randall Smith:Now, a week after that, I had a 20, I had my race car. It was worth $20,000. You know, you could turn around and sell it for an easy $15,000 and somebody would bring you cash the same day. I posted that in there. I was like we got $25,000 in a fully built race car. Boom, you know, I posted everything. I had everything I loved to find my brother for something and there was nothing.
Randall Smith:There was still crickets. Today Nothing. You hear rumors on the street. We're living in a town with a population of around 20,000, a little over 20,000 people and rumors they switch from person to person or whatever. It's like if we was to stand a hundred people in a line and we say cat here about the end of it it's going to say dog you know, and it's, it's, it's terrible, yeah, and I don't know yeah.
David Lyons:That's what we're grasping to is in it's relatively short period of time since April because it's August when we're recording this the rumor mill has been in full swing.
Randall Smith:Oh.
David Lyons:And we talked about that with some of the family and we won't go too deep into it. But you were like why would people make stuff up like that, knowing that it hurts people that are close? To you, yeah, and maybe that's why they do it. I've never understood that kind of stuff. So here we are. We're sitting on $25,000 in cool cold cash.
Wendy Lyons:And a car.
David Lyons:And a car. It's somebody I know that would probably like to have that money and a brand new car, Exactly that literally goes zero to 60 in like three seconds.
Randall Smith:It's a dream car you know?
David Lyons:I mean, I guess people have loyalties, but I don't know. I think people, if they're listening or watching this, they need to be thinking about what 25K is in a car.
Randall Smith:Yeah, yeah, I mean.
David Lyons:Not to mention dude. Really, if somebody hangs out of this information, if they're like really close to this and they hang on to it too long, they'll go to prison too.
David Lyons:Yeah, that's what I don't understand that you've got a limited window to jump through to go to the Before you're involved, that's right, you've got some time to reach out to the it's Detective, damon Stevens, with the KSP doing a fantastic job on this. I'd come clean with him, and 25K or not, 25 sweetens the deal a little bit. I'd come clean and get that off my shoulders and have a shot at going to heaven when I die. Then, uh, and not to mention that- but not doing time with somebody that's responsible for any of this that went on.
David Lyons:So 25k is a lot of money. It's a lot yeah, so and thank you for and I and I wanted to get there, because that's how you take that fear, that anticipation, that anxiety and translate it into something that can maybe help.
Randall Smith:Yeah, yeah, the other. The other is issue yeah so, you know, I got the idea of the three thousand dollars because, while we're out there looking, um, you know I'm out there with his mom, his aunt angie and his cousin josh, which I grew up around. These people, you know, literally grew up around them because they're friends with my aunt, um, so, like I remember his cousin josh, josh is like my cousin. I remember him being like eight years old, you know.
Randall Smith:And he looked at me and he said, whatever you do, just help me find Timmy. And I was like, listen, buddy, I'm going to do whatever I can to find Timmy for all of us, you know. And that day I went and posted the $3,000 reward. And then, you know, after nothing went with the $5,000 reward.
Randall Smith:Having a family at home, I can't really do much with money, but $5,000 in this town seems like a lot of money, you know because I don't know anybody out here that can go to their bank and grab $5,000 and still be able to pay their bills, you know, after giving $5,000 away they'll be able to pay their bills, you know, after giving $5,000 away.
Wendy Lyons:Well, and I think the fact that you're so desperate that you're willing to give so much and then give your prized car, I mean, you're just willing to do whatever you can.
Randall Smith:If I could, I would sell two kidneys and both my legs to have Timmy back. You know, and I feel like everybody that knows Timmy would do the same thing Anybody. There's a lot of people that knows Timmy. Let me rephrase that Anybody that genuinely cared about Timmy would do the same thing. You know, because Timmy was um, he wasn't just somebody that was there. You know what I mean. He was somebody that was there for ever. You know he was. He would hold you down forever. You know he was just the realest person. You know he did not. He did not care what it took. You know he was. He was always riding with you. You know he would do whatever he needed to do to make sure you were taken care of, do whatever he needed to do to make sure you were taken care of. You know, and that's that's what he was. So for people to make rumors about him and stuff like this, it doesn't make sense, because Timmy was one of the best people.
Randall Smith:I've ever met in my life Um so.
David Lyons:If you could, if you could uh talk to people, cause it's a small community is what I love about this town and uh, uh. But if you could talk to people, because it's a small community, that's what I love about this town but if you could talk to people that are holding or listening or watching what would you ask them to do? What?
Randall Smith:would you want them to do to make this different? If you know anything about the situation, please come forward. I've prayed to God days I'm on, I'm, I work, you know, every day and you know, I just think you know, I pray to God and tell him, telling God to put the conviction in these people's hearts to come forward, you know, and that's that's all we are, that's all we really want. You know, we want Timmy back, um, and we just, we just want justice. You know. So, if, if, so, if you know something involved, or you're not involved, you just heard it from somebody that might have been involved or close to the people involved.
Randall Smith:Just come forward. Timmy might not have been your person. To the people listening, he was our person. If it was one of your people, you would want somebody to do the same thing. You would want somebody to come forward to help you find your person.
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Wendy Lyons:Yeah, and he deserves justice.
David Lyons:He deserves. You all deserve answers.
Wendy Lyons:Yeah, you know, that's what we heard from when we spoke to his uncle and his grandmother, and I'm sure you and a lady we spoke to last night would say the same thing. This family just wants him back so they can pay their proper respects and know where their loved one is.
Randall Smith:You know whether he's still here or whether he's passed away. We just want him back, you know. That's the biggest thing you know, because if he's not here anymore, he's passed away and he's been thrown out. He's not trash. This is the thing. Saints have a past. Sinners have a future, no matter what Timmy has ever done wrong in his life, everybody makes mistakes and he still had a good future Ahead of him. He's young and for him to be thrown out like he was, you know trash or whatever has happened, you know, is not right and it's awful.
David Lyons:Yeah, but when somebody's life is cut short or they don't have that ability, is it that they get robbed of that opportunity to change?
Randall Smith:And we all know too many people that have changed.
David Lyons:I know that in my career for 28 years one of the coolest things I saw was watching people change and make sure you have a lot of faith in humanity. Not everybody keeps making those same mistakes and some people do go to an institution for several years and then they come out and they change and they're different and they live productive lives and healthy lives and loving lives and have families. But when somebody is irresponsible around that person, or maybe even worse than irresponsible, they rob them of that.
Wendy Lyons:Yeah, that's. The sad thing here is that Timmy was just out a day and didn't get a chance to be who he was going to be now that he had a fresh start again, he didn't get his fresh start.
Randall Smith:Yeah, he didn't, he didn't. And we talked about it on Facebook, me and him, Like that night that he had messaged me or I messaged him after he sent me a friend request. I was like, hey, man, you're going to get a job. You know, I was thinking about bringing him to work with me just see how it would work. You know, because my job is really labor-extensive, it's hot outside Anyway.
Randall Smith:As long as he brought some extra shirts, he'd probably be in Probably, yeah, but he had told me that he was planning on going to work with his daddy I think it was Georgia or wherever it was and I was like man that would probably be. The best thing for him is to get out of here.
David Lyons:That's what we're hearing too, because when you reenter, there's the list of things that you have to do within 24 and 48 hours. But what I keep getting from people that were close to him is he had a list of things he had to do to comply. But he had a list of things he wanted to do and those things were good, powerful, very forward-thinking things Getting into meetings, staying with AA and NA and getting employment and stuff like that.
David Lyons:Everybody can do the minimum that they make you do, but it sounded like Timmy was ready to do much, much more than that.
Randall Smith:Yeah, timmy was ready to like. We didn't get in-depth in the conversation with it, but on the phone that morning, the morning that I had called him after I woke up and seen that he had responded to my message, we had talked phone that morning. Uh, the morning that I'd called him after I woke up and seen that he had responded to my message, we had talked, you know, and he was like, yeah, I'm going to get my license, I'm going to get a car, I'm going to you know, do this, can't wait.
Randall Smith:And I was like, yeah, and now, thinking back on it, you know the adult dream life that he deserved, you know, and he's been robbed of all of that and it's heartbreaking, it really is heartbreaking.
Wendy Lyons:It is, and it's sad that not only did Timmy get robbed of it, but his friends and family, who were so eager and anticipating him to come home. You all got nothing but a message and a video call. You didn't even get to reconnect and rekindle where you left off as young boys and now know each other as adults.
Randall Smith:Adults, yeah, Adult life. I'll tell you right now, my adult life is way different than it was seven years ago.
David Lyons:Oh, for sure.
Randall Smith:So I mean, and I was ready to put him on to it, I was going to show him on to it, you know, I was gonna show him, you know. Yeah, I don't know. There's just a lot that we could have done together, you know, and now we're just lost in the wind, you know yeah, it's bad.
David Lyons:Well, hopefully people listen watch they share this with other people.
Wendy Lyons:It's just a small town well, we know, somebody knows something somebody here knows somebody and I'd say more than one. Somebody knows somebody else.
Wendy Lyons:So you know, I would venture to say that, even if they don't do it for the handsome rewarding car, I know those are material things, but and that's so generous of you and his dad to do that. I know you feel like that's the least you could do. Yeah, but aside of that, even if we don't take into account those material things, have a conscience, do it for yourself, to do the right thing for friends and family, to do the right thing for friends and family. How can you live with knowing either what you've done or what somebody else did.
Wendy Lyons:I just don't think we're wired to live knowing that someone has done evil. How do you live with that in your conscience? How do you sleep at night?
Randall Smith:It's awful, it sounds awful. You know, I don't know how anyone could ever do that, you know, and god god's gonna, you know, do his work. Whether we get our justice in this life right now, god will make sure that we, we will have justice at the end, whether you know good or bad, good or bad you somebody's going to have to answer for it someday.
Wendy Lyons:I'd rather clear my conscience now, and whether you get in trouble or not, I'd I'd much rather sleep well at night knowing I did the right thing.
Randall Smith:Yeah, yeah. Um, you know I believe in Jesus and God. You know there's a higher power somewhere. We're just didn't pop up Boom, just like that out of nothing. You know there's no way that intelligent human beings and animals just popped out of nowhere. So I hope whoever's listening and if they know anything and they believe in God and they want to try to save their self and their own soul, they come forward and they try to help us find him, because God, I don't think he's's, I don't, I don't think he's gonna forgive.
David Lyons:I don't think he's down for that. No, I don't think he's, and it is a commandment after all yeah, that's true, we shouldn't murder yeah exactly, um and again, even if you didn't do it, whoever's out there?
Wendy Lyons:but you know, clear your conscience.
Randall Smith:I don't know. So this is the way I see it all right if say that to me right now, out there, and he had passed away on his own. You know on his own, you know whatever. Or whether somebody drug him out and beat him up and got too serious with it and killed him. Well, whether he died on his own will or somebody killed him, what's the difference between that you know him dying on his own will and somebody killing him. What's the difference between them two? Murder you know what's the difference between that murder. You know him dying on his own and y'all hiding his body away from us and y'all, somebody killing him and then hiding his body?
Wendy Lyons:There's no difference Still an evil deed killing him and then hiding his body.
Randall Smith:There's no difference. It's still an evil deed. If somebody dies on an accident and you don't report it and you decide to play where's Waldo with the body, there's no difference between that and murder. I don't, I don't not.
David Lyons:And most juries will agree with you. That is Because it's unreasonable.
Randall Smith:It's you shouldn't not have, it shouldn't ever happen.
Wendy Lyons:If that's what happened, or whatever Report it and say something unexpected happened. Yeah, try to get him help.
David Lyons:That's the thing too, that of all the possibilities you know there's a lot of rumors running around and again we don't do those here but of all the possibilities of what could have happened and it's a wide range of things out there is. Some of those possibilities in and of themselves aren't a straight up bad deed, just being stupid. Yeah, yeah, but the longer you wait with stupid, the worse it gets yeah, and the worse, a good jury would look at it, or a good judge would look at it is that.
David Lyons:It's stupid in the moment when you're emotional and you're scared and stuff like that.
Wendy Lyons:But the longer that goes on, yeah then it's intentional, it's very intentional that you're trying to hide it.
David Lyons:Yeah, because there's a lot of things that could happen to him, and some of them are simply tragic. Right, but you can take something tragic and make it evil. Oh yeah, hanging on to it. And again depriving you and the family and everybody else that was close to him of answers.
Randall Smith:Or any type of closure or anything Exactly. You know You're just left in the dark, Left in the dark, so like it's. I don't know. You can't put something like this in the words, really, you know, You've done good.
David Lyons:I mean, it's hard, but you've done a really good job of expressing who he is and what it feels like, and the frustration the anticipation of searching for somebody. I know you can't put it in words, but you've done really well and I think that, again, that's what people listening and watching are going to pick up on is a really good picture of Timmy, and then this whole thing of what it could be, might be, and then what the consequences are as time changes and the pain that's left behind. So did you have anything else?
Wendy Lyons:No, I just. You know the whole thing is so tragic and the more we talk to people and get different versions, we are learning more. Unfortunately, we didn't have an opportunity to know Timmy, but the more we talk to people like yourself, we learn more and more about him. And not that it's not tragic for anybody to lose anyone, but he kind of brings it closer to home for us because we're getting so many intimate stories and the more we hear, the sadder it gets and it's like this poor guy was just wanting to try to get out and do the right thing and start over and have a fresh start. And I agree with what you said Everybody's got a past but we don't have to keep kicking them down over something that they're trying to redo better.
Randall Smith:You know I come from a family full of addicts. You know it missed me. I didn't. I didn't, you know I never got down that road. I didn't, you know, because I could see. You know what it was doing to not just them but our family and me, and I wasn't even doing it. So I never went down that path. But I've seen all of them rebound to a hundred percent normal lives these days, you know. So that goes back. You know all saints have a past and all sinners have a future. Just because we make mistakes don't mean that we're not willing to move forward in our life and live a better life, you can't keep somebody down over something that they did back when.
Randall Smith:Yeah.
Wendy Lyons:So let it go and let them move on. And that's sad because I really do believe he was going to get his second chance and do better and be productive and have good friends and family and a job. Yeah, you know.
Randall Smith:And have everything he ever could have dreamt of.
Wendy Lyons:You know and he got robbed of.
Randall Smith:He got robbed of it we all got robbed of watching him grow into this beautiful flower that he could have been, yeah, man. So I mean it's just hopefully something comes out as time keeps moving forward, and I hope it's sooner rather than later, because it that's our hope.
Wendy Lyons:That's our hope, randall. We really hope that that justice is is brought for timmy and you all, and and for the whomever is responsible. I mean, somebody's got to pay for it. I always say, if you're big enough to commit the crime, well, you ought to have the balls to pay for it yeah, do the time you know, do the crime.
Randall Smith:Yeah, that's exactly right, don't be?
Wendy Lyons:we all grew up listening, hearing that exactly so I mean, if it was an intentional act, somebody was big enough and bad enough to do it so pay for it, yeah uh again, if it was an accident and you didn't report it then just tell yes, it was an accident, and we got scared and we didn't know what to do. But here's what happened and here's where he is.
Randall Smith:That sentence and saying, hey, it's an accident. I mean probably going to be less than a big time.
David Lyons:It really hurts.
Randall Smith:So if you're there and you're out there and you know something? Please let us know.
Wendy Lyons:That's right.
Randall Smith:Because, as time keeps moving forward, it's only going to get worse and sooner or later, something's going to get found out.
Wendy Lyons:Yes, and we're four months coming on, five months now since his disappearance. So it's been long enough and somebody needs to speak up. We thank you so much, Randall, for coming. Thank you all for having me Thank you so much for being such a good friend, slash brother, to Timmy that you're willing to not only speak on his behalf but you're willing to say I'll give a reward in money that shows your love for Timmy. And you just want answers like everybody else. That's such a selfless thing to do.
Randall Smith:Timmy was my first brother. I had two half-brothers that I didn't get to meet until I was almost 18 years old. I was raised with a sister, so whenever me and Timmy ended up getting real close as kids, I was like this is what it's like to have a brother.
Wendy Lyons:I finally got a brother, we got to grab at each other or whatever.
Randall Smith:So he was my first brother that I had.
Wendy Lyons:And I.
Randall Smith:He was my first brother that I had. You know, and that's you know. I cherish that for the rest of my life.
David Lyons:Well, thank you too. I mean, it takes a lot of courage, it takes a lot of vulnerability to come and talk about the things that you did, but I think that there are so many people coming forward that want to speak on this, and I think we'll see something on this, hopefully sooner than later.
Wendy Lyons:Thank you again, Randall.
Randall Smith:It's no problem. Thank you all for having me.
Wendy Lyons:Hey, you know there's more to this story, so go download the next episode, like the true crime fan that you are.
David Lyons: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.
David Lyons:It is produced, recorded and edited by 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. Lock it down, Judy.
