Reward increased to $25,000 in missing person’s case

The wife of a Thunderbird Farms resident missing for five months has raised reward money for information that could lead to her husband’s whereabouts to $25,000.

Thomas Keith Smith, who will be 51 on Jan. 21, was last seen July 31.

His wife, Rhonda Smith, said she hopes the boost in reward money will prompt someone to come forward.

“If anybody knows anything, (this could) make it worth their while to come forward and tell something,” she said.

Thomas Smith, who goes by his middle name Keith, left his residence on the 11000 block of North Glyde Drive after having a verbal argument with his wife.

Smith left the home on foot, leaving behind his wallet, keys, cellphone and medication for his type 2 diabetes.

Those involved in the search for Smith have included the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Superstition Search and Rescue, Arizona Search Track and Rescue and members of the community.

Tim Gaffney, a spokesman for PCSO, said Monday there have been no leads in the case.

The agency looked into Smith’s financials and found no new activity that could pinpoint his whereabouts. Smith’s information has been entered into a national missing person’s database.

Smith’s family originally put up a $500 reward in August and then increased that amount to $1,500 after two weeks.

Robert Cooper of Superstition Search and Rescue said his group has been conducting searches for Smith about one day a week.

He said the group has two more small areas to look at before they’ve completed a sweep of a designated search area.
The group has spent time looking at two “danger” areas – a canal and a mountain both west of the home.

Not long after Superstition Search and Rescue were called in to help with the search, Cooper said they discovered scratch marks on the walls of the canal that indicated something had tried to get out. The bodies of three coyotes were eventually found in the canal and there was no sign of Smith.