Viswa Vanapalli
Beverly Lynn Smith’s tragic murder in December 1974 has remained unsolved to this date. The case went through several twists and turns before a coerced confession led to the neighbor Alan Smith’s arrest and acquittal. Ultimately, the years-long saga for justice left Beverly’s family without closure. Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith’ chronicles what happened to Beverly and the ensuing investigation. It also features interviews with her sisters — Barbra Brown, Wendy Spiers-Lodge, and Susan Brown. So, if you’re curious about their experience and where they might be today, we’ve got you covered.
Who Are Beverly Lynn Smith’s Sisters?
Helen and Nelson Brown had four daughters. While Susan was the oldest, twins Barbra and Beverly came next, and Wendy was the youngest. Growing up, Beverly and Barbra were incredibly close and looked very much alike. By the time Beverly was 18, she got married to Doug Smith, and they moved to Raglan in Ontario, Canada. At around 7 pm on December 9, 1974, she called her parents’ home to see if someone could come to stay with her.
At the time, Doug worked the night shift, and Beverly, with her 10-month-old daughter, didn’t like staying by herself. So, she hoped someone would come by for company. However, Barbra, who was at home, couldn’t go because she had a date that night. On the other hand, their mother had to do some Christmas shopping. An hour and a half later, their lives changed forever when Beverly was shot to death in her home.
There were no signs of forced entry at the farmhouse, leading the authorities to believe Beverly knew the killer. On the show, Susan stated that she thought her sister wouldn’t let just anyone into the house. The police also learned that Doug was selling weed to make extra money on the side. While Wendy mentioned not knowing anything about it, Barbra said on the show that her twin was trying to get Doug to put a stop to it; Beverly didn’t like the kind of people who came by.
Over time, the case went cold, leaving the family with many unanswered questions. But in 2006, Barbra went to the authorities because she wanted to know when her sister’s murder would be re-investigated. By 2007, a new team was assigned to look into Beverly’s death, and that investigation led to Alan Smith. While he confessed to the murder initially, a judge ruled that it had been coerced, later leading to an acquittal. Barb was surprised and said, “We don’t understand how you can hear a confession, then they open the door and let him out.”
Where Are Beverly Lynn Smith’s Sisters Now?
On the show, the three sisters stated they believed Alan was the killer. After the court ruling, Barbra, who was vocal about it in the media, said, “I know who killed my twin sister, and I know why. The courts cannot take that away from me.” In the years after losing her sister, Barbra went on to become a nurse and had a son of her own. Today, she seems to live in Oshawa, Ontario, and works at a local hospital.
The surviving sisters have remained close and participated in the docuseries because they felt the case needed more attention. Susan lives in Brampton, Ontario, and previously worked as a manager for a housing company. She also has experience in event planning and customer relationship management. As for the youngest sister, Wendy, she has been married since 1991 and has two sons. It seems that Wendy lives in Lakehurst, Ontario, with her social profile indicating she spends time with her pet dogs and family. The siblings had to deal with another tragedy when their mother passed away in 2019.
Read More: Where is Alan Smith Now? Beverly Smith Murder Update
