Bloodshed & Breadcrumbs

Dial Tone of a Killer


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In the late spring of 1985, 17-year-old Shari Faye Smith vanished from her family’s driveway in broad daylight—just days before she was set to sing at her high school graduation. What followed was a week of torment: cryptic phone calls, a heartbreaking handwritten goodbye, and a killer who used the telephone as a weapon of psychological warfare.

Two weeks later, 9-year-old Debra May Helmick was abducted while playing in her front yard. Her brother watched. A neighbor saw. And still, the man escaped.

This episode unravels the chilling story of Larry Gene Bell—a predator who manipulated families, taunted investigators, and left behind emotional wreckage that still echoes through South Carolina. Through the voices of Shari’s mother and sister, the bravery of a community, and the relentless pursuit of justice, Dial Tone of a Killer is a haunting reminder that evil doesn’t always hide in the shadows—it sometimes calls you from a payphone.

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Bloodshed & BreadcrumbsBy Andrea Lea