Wife of missing man struggles with mystery, life

It was just after sunset July 31 when Thunderbird Farms resident Thomas Keith Smith walked out of his back gate and never returned.

According to the police report, Smith got into an argument with his wife and left around 8 p.m., wearing only sandal-type shoes and leaving his wallet and cell phone behind. He was never seen again.

The case has now turned cold, authorities say, and despite a $25,000 reward and weeks of searches by Superstition Search and Rescue and Arizona Search Track and Rescue, there have been no clues.

“We have exhausted all leads in this case and do not have any evidence which would suggest any type of foul play at this point,” Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Pat Ramirez said.

Smith’s wife Rhonda Smith said she still holds on to hope that her husband will come home, but she said it is difficult to live each day without answers.

“It’s like he just walked out that back gate and vanished,” she said.

Since her husband’s disappearance, Smith, a former part-time house-cleaner, has had to sell the family’s large property and horses and go to work full time. She hired an attorney to allow her to make decisions, and she's had to learn to navigate a life alone.

“Leaving our home is extremely painful, but without him, it’s just a house,” Smith said as her eyes filled with tears.

She added, “I do hope he’s off somewhere, you know what I mean, because at least I get to get him back."

Thomas Keith Smith was a network operations manager for Cricket Wireless, and according to the police report, was a dependable employee who never spoke about his personal life at work.

“He’s kind, gentle, caring affectionate and smart,” his wife said.

“He’s been like my father ever since I was young … was always there for everybody and always lending a helping hand when he could,” said Kelli Daniels, the missing man’s 25-year-old step-daughter who lives in North Carolina.

Smith’s wife said her husband loves horses and the outdoors, and he was preparing to compete in a mounted shooting event in Tombstone before he went missing.

“We were not perfect, but we didn’t have a relationship bad enough that he would leave me,” she said.

Even the night of the argument, Smith recalls, the disagreement was just a small dispute about a hay delivery, and instead of continuing to fight, the pair parted ways.

“When it got dark, that’s when I really started to panic,” Smith said.

She called police after several hours, but was disappointed that authorities did not begin a full blown search for her husband, like the types of searches conducted for missing hikers.

“If someone gets lost on Camelback (Mountain), they go find them,” Smith said. “Why didn’t they go get him?”

According to the police report, Smith is an adult who can come and go on his own free will. Without any suspected foul play or information that an adult is hurt or in danger, authorities would generally not initiate a search and rescue effort.