The case gained national attention because she initially told police (on October 24, 1994) that she had been carjacked by an African-American man and that her sons were still in the car when the man drove off. For over a week, Smith made tearful pleas on television for the return of her children. However, she finally confessed to having rolled the car herself into a nearby pond, drowning her children inside.
Her car, a Mazda Protege, was found in the lake with the two dead children inside. Japanese cars take twice as long as American cars to sink, therefore, the killing was probably more emotionally traumatic for the two victims.