Mystery Continues After NJ Man Missing For 7 Months Is Found Dead

A 7-month, painful odyssey for the parents of a missing New Jersey has come to an end. But the mystery continues.

The body of David Gipson Smith, 28, who was reported missing last summer, has been located and his remains that were found at the end of February were identified Friday. But the parents are still mystified by what happened between David and two women who were among the last to see him, as documented below.

The Pilesgrove man was reported missing from Howard County, Md. in August 2017, police said. Smith had been visiting an acquaintance in Maryland at the time of his disappearance (see video of David with family below).

Police said Smith disappeared Aug. 6 and his family reported him missing Aug. 12 when he had not returned home. A hiker found his remains in Green Ridge State Forest in Flintstone on Feb. 25, Maryland, police said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner identified him based on his dental records but has not been able to pinpoint the time of his death. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the search and for the parents to start their own investigation.

On the GoFundMe page, Smith's family members said they were concerned because he had grappled with addiction and was rebuilding his life. He had gone to visit a woman in the Howard County area of Maryland. But when he arrived, she said he could not stay with her, according to his relatives.

He knew the woman from Right Turn of Maryland, where he had undergone treatment in 2015, his father said. The woman, who was in her late 30s, lived in Catonsville and had invited him to visit for a couple of days but she wound up going to a concert and was not available, his father said.

She then introduced him to an Ellicott City woman in her 40s who had a place where he could stay, the parents said. The woman reportedly drove him in her car to a 22-acre property on Woodbine Road that her family owned, and he left his car at her house. There was no shelter on the wooded property, which contained a stream and some ride-on lawnmowers, his parents said.

His mother, Julie, whose husband, Douglas James Smith, was also involved in the search, wrote on GoFundMe that David may have stayed with the woman and her family overnight on Saturday, August 5. A problem arose, however, because the parents didn't want him to stay, they said.

After communicating with him regularly before, David's phone then went dead. The last text that David sent out was to his friend in Catonsville, Md. at 12:19 a.m., August 6.

"We had determined by Tuesday August 8th that there was a problem," Julie wrote.

His parents ultimately met with the Ellicott City woman at an abandoned piece of property in Lisbon that her uncle owned, and where she said she dropped David off on Sunday, August 6, Julie said.

"She actually told us that she mentioned to David that if he saw the uncle on the property, David should hide and keep out of sight," Julie claims. "She left him on the property with nothing – no food, no water – and told him she would be back. Unfortunately she did not return to the property until Wednesday, August 9, so she says."

The parents ultimately searched the property themselves and asked the woman to call the police, "which she gladly did," and the investigation and police involvement began, Julie said.

A search party involving a dive team and a helicopter with infrared technology looked for Smith on the premises to no avail. Police said in August that neighbors were interviewed during an area canvass and nobody had reported seeing him.

Since then, there have been very few leads that have been verifiable, she said.

"We are using the funds from Go Fund Me to possibly try to hire a team of private investigators who are credible and have a reputation for integrity and successful outcomes," the parents said. "With the GoFundMe account, we also intend to hire a reputable attorney to represent our case."

Anyone with information about David Gipson Smith is asked to contact the Howard County Police Department at 410-313-STOP or HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov.

RELATED: Human Remains Found In Green Ridge State Forest

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Photo courtesy of GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch