On December 4, 1994 around 11:00pm Nicole Smith was driving down SW 29th in Yukon when she noticed her sister Tama’s car parked on the opposite side of the road. Slowing down, Nicole didn’t see her sister in the car, but she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was wrong- and she drove to a near by payphone to call police.

What she couldn’t see, was that Tama was in the vehicle, but she was slumped over in the front seat. She had been shot three times in the face.

Tama Smith was a 19-year-old, who had recently moved back home to save money for college. She was bright, bubbly, and friendly. Those who still remember her today describe her very much the same. At the time of her murder she was working at Mathis Brothers Furniture in Oklahoma City, which is where she was on her way home from. She had gotten off work around 9:00pm that night. When Nicole found Tama’s car, however, it was facing the opposite direction in which Tama should have been traveling to get back home.

There are reports of discrepancies between what law enforcement reports in this case and what the media has reported, so we will do our best to tell what happened that night.

Law enforcement has stated that robbery was not the apparent motive, as Tama’s purse was still in the vehicle with her and only one item from the vehicle was found in the field by the car. Another media report says that the purse and items from it were found scattered around the nearby field. There are also reports of a car either following or chasing Tama’s car. When found, the driver’s side window of her car was partially rolled down.

While in the time before her death Tama had been going through the ending of a long-term relationship, law enforcement has never considered her ex-boyfriend to be involved in her murder.

Its been almost 24 years since Tama’s death, and yet her family hasn’t had closure. There hasn’t been anyone held accountable for what they did to this sweet girl who had such a bright future ahead of her.

If you know anything about the murder of Tama Smith, please call Oklahoma City Police Department at (405) 297-1000.