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Bugs Uncover 3-Year-Old Murder Mystery
9 Dec
Summary
- Decomposed remains found three years after disappearance.
- Forensic entomology revealed crucial clues about time of death.
- Daughter convicted of murder to collect Social Security checks.
In 1998, Christine Smith vanished from Las Vegas. Her daughter, Brookey Lee West, initially told police her mother had moved to California. However, three years later, a persistent foul odor led authorities to a storage shed where they discovered Christine's liquefied, decomposed remains, hidden and wrapped.
The investigation took a macabre turn with the discovery of books on witchcraft and satanism at the scene. West provided conflicting accounts of her mother's death, first claiming she left and later stating her mother died naturally and she panicked. Crucial evidence came from forensic entomology; the absence of blowflies and presence of coffin flies suggested the body was concealed swiftly after death.
Prosecutors argued West murdered her mother to maintain control of approximately $1,000 in monthly Social Security benefits. In 2003, West was convicted of first-degree murder and received a life sentence without parole. She is also suspected in two other deaths. West has since gained notoriety for selling artwork and fingernail clippings online and an attempted escape in 2012.
