Frances Smith

Who is Frances Smith?

Frances Smith was a Smith College freshman who disappeared in January 1928. Her body was discovered on March 29, 1929 in the Connecticut River, near Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Her full name was Frances St. John Smith.

Smith's body was identified by a bulging forehead and its height, 5'5" to 5'6", which were the same as Smith's. Reports from New York City stated that Smith's parents discredited the identification of the corpse. A Smith College friend confirmed that Smith wore a silver retainer to straighten her teeth like the one which authorities found in the mouth of the body. The band extended from the eye teeth on the lower jaw. Smith's dentist also was able to provide her dental fittings which aligned with the corpse.

The search for Smith extended to convents in Quebec, Canada and to Paris, France, where her aunt resided. Paradise Pond, adjacent to the Smith College campus in Northampton, Massachusetts, was drained on March 29, 1928. Ice covering the pond prevented its being drained earlier.

Smith is buried in Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst, Massachusetts.