Naman Shrestha
When a 20-year-old single mother named Amber Smith was found tied and injured, screaming for help in a Fort Collins park, it sent shockwaves across the entire community as it meant that a brutal rapist had been walking among them. During the investigation that spanned several years, the case saw various twists and turns until an unrelated case led the police straight to the perpetrator responsible for sexually assaulting Amber. The entire case and the investigation that ensued are covered in detail in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Left For Dead.’ It also features insightful interviews with the survivor herself and other officials directly linked to the case.
Amber Smith Was Attacked in a Fort Collins Park While She Was Blacked Out
In August 2013, Amber Smith, a 20-year-old single mother who had her whole life ahead of her, was found raped, strangled, and bound in Cottonwood Glen Park, near her house in Fort Collins, Colorado, around 4 am in the morning. Given her critical condition, the authorities rushed her to the hospital, where she surprisingly recovered from her injuries. Although the police found the attacker’s DNA all over her body, it did not lead them to any possible suspect. When the survivor was asked to recollect the events of that evening, she claimed that she was with one of her friends, Aric Vanagunas, with whom she had been drinking at Rossborough Park and got to the point that she blacked out and fell asleep.
Upon regaining consciousness, Amber remembered being bound with red duct tape and held down by a man who hit her in the jaw before strangling her with a rope into unconsciousness. At the time, she thought that those were her dying moments, but the thought of her child pushed her to survive. She said she thought, “I can’t leave my son behind. That’s my baby, that’s my world, like I gotta be strong, I gotta pull through this for him. I can’t die, that was not an option.” Since Aric was the last person she remembered being with, the detectives interrogated him and asked him about the events of the evening. He claimed that after she blacked out, he could not get her to wake up, so he left her in the park. Suspicions about him were eliminated when his DNA was not linked to the crime scene.
A Shocking Revelation Led the Police to Amber’s Friend
When the investigation led the detectives to nothing but dead ends, the case went cold for several years. Meanwhile, in 2015, Amber Smith moved in with a group of new friends she met through a boyfriend in order to heal from the traumatic experience and reclaim her life. After a couple of years, she moved into a small apartment of her own with her son, thinking that she might never know the identity of her attacker. However, unexpectedly, the police got a huge break in the cold case when a man was arrested for stealing a bike, and his DNA came out as a match to the 2013 rape case of Amber Smith. She was taken aback in disbelief when she learned that the perpetrator was none other than Stefan “Sam” Moon, who was one of her housemates and had been there for her while she dealt with the trauma.
The police brought Sam in for questioning, and during the interview, he claimed that he had consensual sex with her that night after he saw her alleged ad on Craig’s list. He even tried to blame his childhood friend, Bryce, and frame him for sexually assaulting Amber. However, Sam’s attempts to clear the suspicions failed because the police had incriminating DNA evidence against him. Thus, he was eventually arrested for attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and other related charges. In 2019, he stood on trial and was found not guilty of the attempted murder charge. However, he was convicted of all the other charges, for which he was sentenced to 128 years in prison.
Amber Smith is a Full-Time Mother Who Dotes Upon Her Son
After getting justice for herself, Amber Smith decided to obtain her Certification in Addiction Counseling. In order to raise funds for this dream of hers, she started a GoFundMe page. Hoping to serve as an inspiration to others, she wishes to use her platform to let others know that there is hope for people battling addiction. For a couple of years, from 2018 to 2020, she worked at a local Taco Bell store, where she assisted customers, prepared food, and even cleaned the store. As of now, she is reportedly a stay-at-home mother to Gabriel Aguilar. Given a second chance at life, she ensures that she showers her love and care to her beloved son.
When it comes to matters of her heart, she has been in a seemingly loving and healthy relationship since February 2023. Residing in Fort Collins, Colorado, Amber doesn’t make the mistake of taking her life for granted and cherishes every single moment she gets to spend with his loved ones, including his partner, son, and friends.
Read More: Morgan Metzer: Where is the Kidnapping Survivor Now?
