Bryan Kohberger’s parents, Michael and Maryann Kohberger, were called to testify in front of a Pennsylvania grand jury this week in connection to a woman named Dana Smithers, who went missing before her dead body was discovered.
Brian is accused of brutally stabbing four undergraduate students on November 13. The names of the victims are Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. He has been indicted on four charges of first-degree murder and another felony burglary.
Kohberger has pleaded not guilty during his arraignment and is being held at the county jail without bail. If prosecutors have 60 days from Monday to formally notify the court if they choose to seek the death penalty.
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in Albrightsville. Her cause of death is still a mystery.
It is unclear how her death is related to Brian. The Idaho quadruple murder suspect has a “good alibi” in Smithers’ case, according to WBRE/WYOU, citing a source close to the case.
Who is Dana Smithers?
Dana Smithers is a 45-year-old woman who was last seen leaving a friend’s house in Monroe County on the evening of May 28, 2022. She is a mother of three.
Her remains were recovered in Stroudsburg, about a half an hour’s drive from the Kohberger family home, last month.
A CCTV camera captured Smithers leaving a neighbor’s house at around 11.05 pm on May 28. She was holding her cell phone in her hand. She was never seen alive again.
Smithers’ cell phone, wallet, and daily medication were all found at her home.
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Earlier in the day that she vanished, Smithers and her youngest daughter, 7, had gone to a local festival at the Happy Hour Bar and Grille in Stroudsburg with her daughter’s father. The couple were no longer together but were still on good terms.
Smithers appeared to be having a good time at the festival and danced and talked to people. The three later returned to the home. Smithers’ best friend Tara Cioni said that the former had called her to hang out. But Cioni said that she was tired so she told her that she was going to bed. That was the last time anyone saw her.
“If I would have known that was the last time I would have seen her, I would have definitely asked more questions but I was sort of like, ‘I’m going to bed,’” she said.
Smithers had a history of substance abuse. However, Cioni said that he does not think that Smithers was using drugs again.
For almost a year, Smithers’ family desperately searched for answers. On April 27, Smithers’ remains were found in a wooded area in Stroudsburg. The body had gone through extensive decomposition and hence the gender and identity of the individual were unclear at the time. The remains were later identified as belonging to Smithers using dental records.