11-Year-Old Girl Was Abducted on Camera… She Never Made It Home

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Carlie Jane Brucia with me today. In February 2004, 11-year-old Carlie Brucia was abducted in Sarasota, Florida, in a case that shocked the nation after surveillance footage captured her being approached and led away by convicted sex offender Joseph Smith. The chilling video sparked a massive search and quickly became one of the most widely publicized child abduction cases in the United States. Just days later, Carlie's body was discovered, and investigators charged Joseph Smith with kidnapping, sexual battery, and first-degree murder. He was convicted in 2005 after a high-profile trial and initially sentenced to death.