Photo: Gem County Sheriff’s Office
Connie Smith was not a typical grandmother.
“She talked about those children with pride,” a family acquaintance tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “I didn’t think anything was wrong.”
When police arrived at Smith’s home, they discovered that part of the carpet in the girl’s bedroom was missing. Smith allegedly told them she had removed and burned the rug because the girl had defecated on it.
After a search of the surrounding area, forensic crews returned to the home on April 14. They allegedly found a spot of blood on Taryn’s wall.
According to court documents, authorities then discovered Taryn’s body in a black plastic garbage bag on the floor of the back seat of a black Lexus. Investigators said that the little girl was covered with vomit.
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Smith was arrested andinitially chargedwith first-degree murder, but is now instead charged with felony failure to notify a death and felony destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence. Police say that more charges may be forthcoming after an autopsy on Taryn is completed.
Smith is being held on $800,000 bond. She has waived her right to a speedy preliminary hearing, and will appear in court again on August 3.
She has not yet entered a plea, and her attorney did not immediately return PEOPLE’s call for comment.
As the case progresses against Smith, those who thought they knew her are shocked at the little girl’s death. “She was just as innocent as a little child could be,” a former neighbor tells PEOPLE in its latest issue. “I pictured her running away with her little pink backpack and thought she’d be home for dinner. I guess I was wrong.”
source: people.com
