When is ‘Dateline NBC’ Season 32 Episode 38 airing? New Jersey man fled away after double murder of both wives
NEW JERSEY, CALIFORNIA: NBC's longest-running weekly American television TV series, 'Dateline NBC' Season 32 Episode 38 titled 'Chameleon', is scheduled to premiere on Friday, April 26, at 9 pm ET on NBC.
The case of John Smith and the double murder of his wives, Fran Gladden-Smith and Janice Hartman, is a chilling saga that spans decades and reveals the depths of human depravity. In this twisted tale, two women vanish under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and haunting clues.
From the discovery of a mutilated body in a plywood box to the eerie parallels between the disappearances, the case of John Smith grips the imagination with its blend of mystery and horror. 'Dateline NBC' Season 32 unravels the layers of deceit, manipulation, and betrayal in this riveting true crime story this friday, as host Andrea Canning reports.
How to stream ‘Dateline NBC’ Season 32 Episode 38?
NBC's Dateline is available for viewers to watch on fuboTV, DIRECTV, and Peacock Premium. If you're a Spectrum customer, you can stream it for free on Spectrum On Demand.
In exciting news for fans, Peacock has made 15 seasons of Dateline NBC available for streaming.
Who was ‘Dateline NBC’ Season 32 Episode 35 victim Fran Gladden-Smith?
Fran Gladden-Smith, also known as Betty Fran, was a woman who mysteriously vanished from her West Windsor condominium in September 1991. She was 49 years old at the time of her disappearance. Gladden-Smith had recently undergone hip surgery and was in the process of recovering when she went missing.
Gladden-Smith's husband, John Smith, reported her missing to the West Windsor Police on October 4, 1991. He claimed that she had left a note indicating she was going away for a few days and instructed him to feed the fish. John suggested to the police that his wife had packed a suitcase and gone on a trip.
However, suspicions arose due to inconsistencies in John's account and the circumstances surrounding Gladden-Smith's surgery. Despite extensive investigations, including treating the case as a homicide despite the absence of Gladden-Smith's body, no conclusive evidence emerged, and the case went cold for several years.
In 1999, the case took a significant turn when John's brother, Michael Smith, came forward with crucial information. Michael confessed to West Windsor police detectives that he had discovered a mummified body in a box at the family home in Ohio in 1979. He revealed that their father had found the box and informed John about it, after which John had taken the box away.
Further investigations revealed that the body found in the box was identified as Janice Hartman, John Smith's first wife. Hartman had disappeared in 1974, just days after her divorce from John Smith.
The discovery of Hartman's remains reignited suspicions about John Smith's involvement in Gladden-Smith's disappearance. Subsequent inquiries led to Smith's arrest in 2000 in connection with Hartman's murder. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to prison.
Despite efforts to uncover the truth about Gladden-Smith's fate, her body has never been found, and her disappearance remains one of Mercer County's enduring mysteries.
Why did ‘Dateline NBC’ convict John Smith kill Fran Gladden-Smith?
While John Smith denies any involvement in Fran Gladden-Smith's disappearance, evidence suggests otherwise. Despite his refusal to admit to her killing, details emerged about how he disposed of her body.
After Fran vanished in 1991, leaving behind only a cryptic note, suspicions immediately fell on John due to his inconsistent statements and suspicious behavior. However, without concrete evidence linking him to her disappearance, authorities were unable to press charges at the time.
It wasn't until years later that a chilling revelation came to light. During the investigation into another murder case involving John's first wife, Janice Hartman, authorities uncovered disturbing details about Fran's fate. Nonetheless, John admitted to authorities that shortly after Fran's death, he disposed of her body in Middlesex County, New Jersey.
He claimed to have placed her in a dark blanket and discarded her body in an industrial dumpster at the Carborundum facility in Keasbey, Woodbridge Township, where he worked at the time. Despite John's admission, he showed no remorse and cited a head injury sustained in prison as hindering his memory of the events. This revelation provided some closure to Fran's family, but the reason behind John's callous action remained unknown.
