Susan Smith Leaves Her Children to Drown in a Lake, Now Wants Out of Jail

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Thirty years after Susan Smith drove her car into a lake with her two sons still strapped in their car seats, she is seeking parole.

After high school, Susan Leigh Vaughan married David Smith. They had two sons, but the children did not hold the marriage together. The Smiths separated multiple times. During one of these separations, Susan began dating Tom Findlay, the single son of a wealthy mill owner. Smith envisioned a future with Findlay until she received a "Dear John" letter from him. He explained he did not want an instant family.

On the night of October 25, Susan Smith knocked on the door of a house near John D. Long Lake. Hysterical, she told the man who answered to call the police. She claimed an armed Black man had carjacked her at a red light, with her two boys—3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex—still in the car. For days, Susan repeated increasingly inconsistent versions of the carjacking story.

Eventually, Smith confessed. There had been no hijacker. Feeling desperate, alone, and suicidal, she had gone for a drive with her sons buckled in their car seats. At John D. Long Lake, she put the car in neutral, jumped out, and watched it sink. Scuba divers later found the vehicle with the boys still strapped in the back seats.

Since her conviction and incarceration, tabloid reports have alleged that Smith told prison investigators about four sexual encounters with Lieutenant Houston Cagle, a supervisor at South Carolina’s Women’s Correctional Institution. C

agle admitted to having sex with Smith and another inmate. In August 2000, he was charged with the offenses, pleaded guilty, and served three months in jail. Captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and received five years of probation.

Over the years, several men have written to Smith, fueling her hopes for a life beyond prison.

In March 2022, People Magazine published excerpts from letters Smith wrote to a long-distance boyfriend. In one letter, she wrote, "I can't wait to build a life with you, leave the past mistakes behind, and start fresh, just you and me."

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

• Tara Malek – Boise, ID, Attorney & Co-owner of Smith + Malek; Former State and Federal Prosecutor; Twitter: @smith_malek
• Dr. Bethany Marshall – Psychoanalyst (Beverly Hills, CA); Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall; Twitter: @DrBethanyLive
• Chris McDonough – Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective; Host of YouTube channel: “The Interview Room”
• JoScott Morgan – Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University; Author, “Blood Beneath My Feet;” Host: “Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;" Twitter: @JoScottForensic
• Dave Mack - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter

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