16-year-old Tera Smith was last seen in Redding, California on August 22, 1998. She disappeared after telling her sister that she was going for a jog and would be back in about twenty minutes.
BACKGROUND
Tera Smith was born on January 6, 1982 to parents Marilyn and Terry Smith. She is the eldest of four siblings.
Tera grew up in Redding, California where she attended Central Valley High School. She was homecoming queen and arm wrestling champion during her freshman year. She loved horses, basketball, and spending time in nature.
In 1998, Tera was living with her family in a residence on Tarcy Way in Redding, California. She and her siblings often helped out with work at the family business, Oasis Fun Center, an amusement center in Shasta Lake.
DISAPPEARANCE
On August 22, 1998, Tera Smith ran some errands with her mother before being dropped off at home in Redding, California. Her mother then headed off to work at Oasis Fun Center, just a few miles away in Shasta Lake.
Between 5:00 and 7:00 pm, Tera was last seen leaving her residence in Redding, California. She told her little sister that she was going to go for a quick jog and that she would be back in twenty minutes.
Tera was grounded at the time and wasn’t supposed to leave the house, but told her sister she’d be back before their parents got home.
Tera Smith never returned home and hasn’t been heard from since. She never showed up to the Oasis Fun Center where she was scheduled to work that night.
After Tera never showed up to work that night her mother returned home and started driving around trying to find where Tera might be jogging, but to no avail.
After calling Tera’s friends to see if they knew where she was her mother got a call back from one of her friends, who told her Tera had been having an inappropriate relationship with her Taekwando instructor.
After learning about that relationship Tera’s mother called the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office to report her daughter missing.
INVESTIGATION
Cadaver dogs were brought in to search for Tera, and a nearby lake was drained, but no clues as to her whereabouts were found.
On the night of Tera’s disappearance, a woman matching Tera’s description was spotted by a witness inside a full size dark blue 1976 Ford pickup truck with mag wheels and a yellow tailgate driven by an unidentified white male. This sighting has never been verified.
According to one of her friends, Tera was having a secret relationship with her Taekwondo instructor, 29-year-old Charles “Troy” Zink, who was married with a young son at the time.
Tera left a letter in her bedroom addressed to him, suggesting that she wanted to end their relationship. Troy Zink told police that he went to meet Tera near her home at 6:30 pm on the day she disappeared after she called him at work.
According to Zink, Tera asked him for $2000 and got angry when he told her he didn’t have that much money. He says she then asked for a ride, leading to him dropping her off at the intersection of Oregon Trail and Old Alturas Road for a jog.
Zink claims he drove to Hang Glider Hill after dropping Tera off, where he prayed for five hours before returning home at 11:30 pm.
He denies any involvement in Tera Smith’s disappearance and has never officially been named a person of interest in her case. He stopped cooperating with authorities after his initial interview with police.
According to Tera’s family she was a typical teenager who had a few issues in her life, but they say she would have never ran away on her own. They believe that on the night Tera went missing she was going to confront Zink about ending their relationship.
CHARLES “TROY” ZINK
In 1992, Troy Zink was convicted of marital rape and spent a year in prison after he allegedly forced his ex-wife to have sex with him at knife point.
Zink was married with a young son and living in in Redding, California at the time of Tera’s disappearance.
After her disappearance authorities searched his Taekwondo studio and found several old sporting rifles and shotguns stored in the attic. Zink claimed the firearms belonged to his father, who rented space from him.
On June 24, 1999, Zink was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a felon and was sentenced to four years in prison.
WHEREABOUTS
Foul play is suspected in Tera Smith’s disappearance. The circumstances of Tera’s disappearance remain unclear and her case is currently classified as missing. Her case remains unsolved.
APPEARANCE
Physical Description:
White female born on January 6, 1982. Tera has blond/strawberry hair, hazel eyes, stands 5’7 tall, and weighs 135 pounds.
Distinctive Physical Features:
Tera has a scar on her left calf. Her ears are pierced.
Clothing and accessories:
Tera was last seen wearing a white sports top, shorts and multi-colored tennis shoes.
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Tera Smith please contact the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 245-6025. Agency Case Number: 199825673
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