How Did a Vision Lead Police to a Murder Victim?

TL;DR

Eda Louise Smith led police to missing nurse Melanie Urbe’s body after hearing a mysterious voice and seeing flashes of a dirt road, a bush, and a white nurse’s shoe. Because she could not explain her knowledge, investigators detained and interrogated her, yet they had no physical evidence connecting her to the killing and no confession.

Transcript

today we're going to look at three stories that sound totally made up but they are all actually true but before we get into those stories if you're a fan of the strange dark and mysterious delivered in story format and you've come to the right place because that's all we do and we upload once a week so if that's of interest to you the next time you... Read More

Key Insights

• Eda Louise Smith was detained because she accurately identified the location of a murder victim while offering investigators no conventional explanation for how she obtained that information.
• Melanie Urbe was a 31-year-old nurse who disappeared before reaching her hospital shift in Burbank, California, and remained missing despite a police search lasting 48 hours.
• Lopez Canyon was approximately 25 miles from Los Angeles, yet Eda immediately pointed to that area on a map when a detective asked where Melanie could be found.
• Eda located Melanie’s body after driving to the canyon with her two young children, and she told the detective that her 7-year-old child had actually spotted the body.
• Police had suspicion but no direct evidence tying Eda to the murder, because finding a body and reporting it was not itself a crime, and she never confessed during her detention.
• The interrogation effort included 10 hours of questioning, a polygraph examination, a strip search, 24 hours without food, and four days in a cold cell without shoes.
• An undercover police officer entered Eda’s cell while pretending to be another inmate, hoping that friendship and trust would persuade Eda to reveal information about the murder.
• Eda attributed her discovery to a disembodied voice and sudden mental images of a dirt road, a bush, and a white nurse’s shoe that appeared while she listened to a news report.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Eda Louise Smith know where Melanie Urbe’s body was?

Eda said the knowledge came to her while she was working, listening to a radio report about Melanie Urbe’s disappearance, and filing paperwork. She heard a voice clearly state that Melanie was not in the houses being searched. She then experienced flashes of a dirt road, a bush, and something white that she recognized as a nurse’s shoe, leading her to believe Melanie was in Lopez Canyon.

Q: Why did police suspect Eda Louise Smith of murder?

Police suspected Eda because she walked into the station and accurately identified Lopez Canyon as the location of missing nurse Melanie Urbe. She later found the body and guided investigators directly to it, but could not provide an explanation they considered credible. Investigators reasoned that she might have participated in the killing, helped dispose of the body, or possessed information obtained from someone involved.

Q: What happened when Eda searched Lopez Canyon?

After police suggested returning the next day for a helicopter search, Eda left the station but came back about an hour later. She said she had driven approximately 25 miles to Lopez Canyon with her two young children and found Melanie’s body. Eda also said her 7-year-old child spotted the body. She then accompanied police to the location, where they found Melanie badly beaten behind a bush.

Q: What interrogation methods did police use on Eda?

Police questioned Eda for 10 hours, gave her a polygraph test, and conducted a thorough strip search. During her four days in custody, she was kept without food for 24 hours and remained in a cold jail cell without shoes. Investigators also placed an undercover female police officer in her cell to pose as an inmate, build trust, and encourage a revealing conversation.

Q: Did police have evidence connecting Eda to Melanie’s murder?

Police had Eda’s remarkably accurate knowledge of the body’s location, but the account states that they had no other evidence connecting her to Melanie’s murder. Eda did not confess, and the interrogation and polygraph produced no new answers. The police captain recognized that locating a dead person and reporting the discovery was not a crime, even though the circumstances created intense suspicion.

Q: What did Eda tell the undercover officer in her cell?

When the undercover officer asked why she was in jail, Eda said the officer would never believe her and then remarked that she was fairly sure the story would become a movie. The officer interpreted that comment as a possible sign that Eda wanted fame. A police captain listening to the conversation also viewed the remark with disgust because Melanie had been brutally killed.

Q: Who was Melanie Urbe and how did she disappear?

Melanie Urbe was a 31-year-old nurse who left for her hospital shift in Burbank, California, but never arrived. Her colleagues noticed her absence, police were contacted, and a search began. After 48 hours, investigators still had no clear sign of what happened. A radio report said her truck had been found on a dead-end street and nearby residences were being searched.

Q: Why was Eda’s behavior confusing to investigators?

Eda appeared slight, calm, collected, and unthreatening, more like a suburban mother with a white-collar job than the murderer police imagined. She worked for an aerospace company in Burbank and held governmental clearance. She also seemed eager to assist the investigation, yet knew the body’s precise location, brought her children to search for it, and explained her knowledge through a voice and mental images.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Eda Louise Smith entered a police station and confidently identified Lopez Canyon as the place where missing nurse Melanie Urbe could be found. After initially agreeing to return for a helicopter search, Eda drove there with her two children, located Melanie’s badly beaten body, and guided investigators to the precise area.

• Police believed Eda’s accurate knowledge indicated involvement in Melanie’s murder or the disposal of her body. They arrested her, conducted a 10-hour interrogation, administered a polygraph, searched her, withheld food for 24 hours, and kept her in a cold cell without shoes, but she continued denying any role in the crime.

• Eda said her knowledge began while she listened to a radio report about Melanie’s disappearance at work. She heard a voice say Melanie was not inside the nearby houses, then saw mental images of a dirt road, a bush, and a white nurse’s shoe. Those impressions led her toward Lopez Canyon.