Dana Smither's Sister Breaks Silence Over Possible Bryan Kohberger Link

The sister of Dana Smithers, a 45-year-old woman who was found dead in a woodland area of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, in April, has spoken out about rumors that her death was linked to Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused in the University of Idaho murders case.

Kohberger, 28, is accused of breaking into an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, and stabbing four University of Idaho students: Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, to death. He was recently indicted by a grand jury on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.

After Kohberger was charged, various media reports connected him to Smithers, who had been missing since May 2022. The region of Pennsylvania where her body was found is the same area where Kohberger was arrested in December and where his parents live.

However, local law enforcement has already denied any connection. In remarks given to NewsNation, Smithers' sister, Stacey, said a grand jury had also looked into a possible connection, but had since disregarded it.

Brian Entin, a senior correspondent at NewsNation, wrote on Twitter on Thursday that Stacey Smithers had said "she learned even before Kohberger's arrest that an investigative grand jury in Pennsylvania was meeting and looking into her sister's case."

He continued: "After Kohberger was arrested, she says the grand jury began looking into whether Kohberger could be connected to her sister's disappearance. She says it became clear he was not connected, and there was evidence he was not in the area where her sister was last seen."

Entin also noted that Stacey was "hopeful" people would continue to show an interest in her sister's case.

Meanwhile, Kohberger's father was reportedly scheduled to testify before a Monroe County grand jury on Thursday as part of a sealed proceeding, CNN reported, citing sources close to the investigation. Kohberger's mother reportedly previously testified. The report did not mention Smithers.

Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent who is not involved in the cases, previously suggested to Newsweek that the parents' testimony was likely to provide alibis as part of a wider bid to eliminate suspects from the investigation.

In a statement on Thursday, the Stroud Area Regional Police Department in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, wrote on its Facebook page that it had "no evidence that Dana Smither's disappearance, is in any way tied to Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger."

Newsweek reached out to the Stroud Area Regional Police Department for additional information.

Meanwhile, Kohberger opted to "stand silent" at his arraignment in Latah County District Court on Monday, prompting the judge to enter not guilty pleas on his behalf. The murder suspect has also declined to waive his right to a speedy trial, which is expected to start on October 2 and last up to six weeks.

Bill Thompson, Latah County's prosecuting attorney, has yet to inform the court whether he will seek the death penalty in the case—which some of the victims' parents have called for—and has until the middle of July to do so.

Uncommon Knowledge

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