A 28-year-old missing child case in Trinity County is finally solved, after a convicted murderer in Los Angeles admitted to killing the little girl. 7-year-old Donna Fowler went missing in Weaverville in 1980. Wayne Smith, a man who lived nearby, refused to talk to investigators and left Trinity County shortly after her disappearance. Smith is currently serving a life sentence for another murder in Los Angeles. In October, Smith agreed to talk about Fowler's murder, in exchange for a possible deal in a third homicide case in Los Angeles. During an interview in October, he admitted to killing Fowler, saying he was angry that his wife and kids had left him.
Smith told investigators that when Fowler came to his shack to visit, she refused to leave. He became angry and strangled her. He said he disposed of her body in the Weaverville landfill.
Fowler's mother agreed to the deal for information about her daughter since Smith is already serving time and will never be released.
