Woman’s Car Found With Body in Trunk

Five days after a Redondo Beach secretary disappeared, police Tuesday found the body of a woman stuffed into the trunk of the missing woman’s car.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, police had not identified the body.

Madolyn Smink, 51, was reported missing when she failed to return home after telling her husband that she planned to go shopping at the Galleria at South Bay. Her two daughters passed out thousands of fliers in the South Bay and surrounding neighborhoods over the weekend, urging anyone who had seen their mother to contact the police.

Monday night, an anonymous woman called 911 and told Redondo Beach police that Smink’s car was at a Hawthorne address, according to Police Capt. Jeff Cameron. Soon after, Hawthorne police found Smink’s light blue Toyota Camry parked in front of a residence in the 13500 block of Doty Street. Police kept the car under surveillance without examining it until Tuesday afternoon in case someone with information about Smink returned to it.

The odd circumstances surrounding Smink’s disappearance continued Tuesday, with new events unfolding even while police were holding a news conference.

Cameron announced at noon Tuesday that the car had been located and that police had no evidence at the time that a crime had been committed and no further leads about why Smink had disappeared. He also said the car did not appear to be damaged in any way.

“We wanted to take the opportunity to see if we didn’t develop some more information through someone returning to the car,” Cameron said.

As he spoke to reporters, Redondo Beach police began their examination of the vehicle in Hawthorne and found the body.

During the news conference, Cameron told reporters that new information had come in. He invited reporters along to Doty Street, where he announced in front of the car that a body was inside the trunk.

The unidentified corpse remained in the car until after 3 p.m. while police waited for coroner’s office personnel to arrive. Police later said the body was that of a white woman, wrapped in a blanket.

Smink, an executive secretary at TRW Space and Electronics Group in Redondo Beach, was last seen by her family Friday around 8 p.m. She told her husband she was going to Robinsons-May at the Galleria and that she might also go to Del Amo Fashion Center.

Smink’s daughter Samantha Hebbard, reached at her mother’s home, said the family was concerned when they first learned of the location of the car.

“I do not believe that she went there,” Hebbard said. “We don’t know anyone in that type of an area.

“We are trying to remain hopeful, but, in reality, we don’t know who else this might be.”