Tera Smith was a typical teenager living in Redding, California in 1998. One August night, she went for a short jog before a scheduled shift at the family-run business but she never showed up for her shift, and was never seen again. Instantly, her family and local authorities swung into action in hopes of finding the 16-year-old.

The only leads that surface point to Troy Zink- Tera's taekwondo instructor whom it's believed she was having an inappropriate relationship with.   As the police (and Tera's family) focus in on Troy, information about his past comes to light which leads to more suspicion but the mystery surrounding her disappearance still remains today.

If you have any information about Tera's disappearance, please call the Shasta County Sheriff's Office at 530-245-6135. Or, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477).

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Music (pre-theme) by LiteSaturation on Pixabay.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Reddit Forum Discussion about the case:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/4r3yuu/what_happened_to_16_year_old_tera_smith/

20-plus years without Tera Smith (Redding, California):
https://www.redding.com/story/news/2022/04/18/tera-smith-redding-ca-questions-remain-teen-missing-homecoming-queen-vanished-2008-dateline-show/7362784001/

Family pushing for justice in 1998 disappearance of daughter Tera Smith in Redding, California (NBC News/Dateline):
https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/family-pushing-justice-1998-disappearance-daughter-tera-smith-redding-california-n1294488

What Happened with Tera Smith from Redding, CA?:
https://wikinbiography.com/what-happened-with-tera-smith-from-redding-ca-the-missing-young-girl-was-found-dead-tg-time/

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