She was a mother and a grandmother – and one week after she was reported missing, Carol Lynn Smith’s family is trying to cope with her death and why it happened.
Police said Smith’s body was found in her car, at a hospital parking deck at Northside Hospital Forsyth.
Her son, Wes Smith, said the next few months will be difficult for the family, with holidays just around the corner.
“We have Thanksgiving, my dad’s birthday, we have my mom and dad’s anniversary in December and Christmas, so there’s a lot happening in our family,” Wes said. “It’s going to be difficult for my father, especially with him trying to unravel all of this.”
Wes said that the morning his mother disappeared, she seemed a little off.
“She seemed disoriented that morning,” Wes Smith said. “She was tired.”
He said between lack of sleep because of work and a mixture of medications she takes, Wes said she went the wrong way dropping off her granddaughter at school.
Later that day, Wes said she went to out to run some errands – and it was the last time anyone saw her alive.
“She told my nephew she needed to run some errands and do some shopping,” Wes said. “One of the errands was to pick up a prescription.”
Hours went by with no word from her – and without her phone, her family thought she was in danger and the family decided to call police.
“My nephew looked at me and said, ‘Nana is missing’ and I remember thinking… what?” Wes said.
For a week, law enforcement, family members and friends searched for Carol. They talked to a private investigator, combed through surveillance video and followed up with tips online.
“A family member had tracked her with our leads up 141 and found her at the Northside Hospital Forsyth, where she was parked,” Wes said. “My aunt called me immediately.”
Wes said his aunt is the one who found Carol’s body inside her burgundy Honda minivan.
He said he’s uncertain about what happened to his mom – but believes it might be linked to her medication.
“That cocktail could’ve done something to her cognitive function,” Wes said. “It’s traumatic, and something you have to live with.”
Right now, the Smith family waiting for Carol’s autopsy results and are in the midst of planning funeral arrangements.
