Decades-Old Murder Mystery Haunts Redford Family

In August 1983, 22-year-old University of Colorado student Sid Wells was found dead from a shotgun wound to the back of his head at his Boulder condominium. At the time, Wells had been dating Shauna Redford, the daughter of renowned actor Robert Redford. Redford was preparing to film The Natural in Buffalo, New York when he learned of the tragedy. He immediately left the set, chartered a jet, and rushed to support his daughter, who was "convulsed with confusion, in a terrible state."

The early investigation focused on 24-year-old college dropout Thayne Smika, who had been renting a room from Wells. Police discovered a note from Smika stating he had gone to visit his parents, but inconsistencies in his alibi raised suspicion. Smika was arrested in October 1983 but released weeks later after the District Attorney ruled there was insufficient evidence.

A grand jury declined to indict Smika in 1985, and by 1986 he had disappeared. His car, cleaned of fingerprints and with a stolen license plate, was found abandoned in Beverly Hills that October. Over the years, Redford maintained interest in the case, even contacting the District Attorney to thank him for continuing to investigate. In 2010, a first-degree murder warrant was issued for Smika after new ballistics evidence linked him to the crime. However, Smika remains at large, and the FBI continues to offer a $10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.