Kimberley Dawn Thompson
A Little Girl Lost
Born February 28, 1974 in Calgary, Kimberley was a bundle of joy from the moment of her first breathe. She was a quiet, happy little girl who was adored by her older brother and sister. Kimberley became easy going as she grew and was the little playmate of her older sister and her friends. They would play house and Kimmie would always be the baby. Kimmie's favorite game was dress up and the girls in the area loved to adorn her with lovely dresses and accessories. Kimmie was the neighborhood's little angel that every one knew and adored.
Kimmie, as she was called, was the youngest child of three to Evelyn Thompson and step-dad Don Irwin. Kimmie was a little girl who will always be remembered as cheerful, carefree and loving, and, who was taken from her family way too soon at too young an age, 5 years old, one month almost to the day of her 6th birthday. Plucked off the street in broad daylight, carried to the home of Smeltzer's mother, to be drowned in the bathtub because of his cowardice. Smeltzer had every intent on raping Kimmie, yet chickened out the last moment because he thought she was maybe too young.
Fearing discovery, he drowned her in his mother's bathtub and discarded her body in a garbage bag a few blocks from his and the Thompson's homes. Smeltzer loaded Kimmie's little lifeless body into a garbage bag and then into a little wagon to take her away from his home. He figured that if she was found somewhere that they had searched before, that it would be chalked up to sloppy searching tecniques. Smeltzer stuffed her little body clad in the garbage bag into a garbage receptacle behind a house, hoping she would be picked up before discovery. It is just a miracle that she was indeed found and given a peaceful burial instead of becoming a part of landfill.
Sadly it seems that Smeltzer felt he did indeed get away with Kimmie's murder as he continued to prey on innocent children, it was quite some time later that he was identified by one of his victims, so how many children did he actually assault before he was caught? Will we ever know?
When Kimmie smiled, everyone smiled with her so you can imagine the devastation her abduction and subsequent murder had on her family and her neighborhood. It was a time when locking your doors was unheard of, kids walked to school and the store alone and in groups. Our children were safe in a supposedly safe society and child predators were not an everyday occurence on television. For a little girl who was adored by all who knew her to be abducted and murdered shattered the sense of security society had at that time. For Kimmie's murder to go unsolved for more than 5 months, took its toll on everyone.
Evelyn and her family still live with the impact and results of this tragety. There is no reprieve for them in any sense of the word, Kimmie will always be lost to them, she is GONE. There was no highschool graduation, no first crush, no first heartache, there is no wedding memories, and there will never be grandchildren because Kimmie was taken before she had even begun her life. In that moment, the Thompson family had their life changed forever, irreversibly, never changing; a constant personal jail cell.
In 1980, the Thompson family was devestated emotionally and mentally by Harold Smeltzer's actions. Thankfully there was a good income in the home which eased the pressures and stress of the situation a bit. This time around, Don and Evelyn are having financial troubles as Evelyn had to give up her new job and Don is now on disablity. Trying to get by on one small pension, pay everyone who wants something and keep their heads above water has become a daily challenge. There is barely enough left after the mortgage for much needed medications let alone their mortgage. It is truly sad that Harold Smeltzer still continues to ruin peoples' lives through his actions, this time being his application for full parole.
There is a donation link to paypal on the contact page of the site if you wish to assist us in supporting Evelyn and Don in keeping their home functioning and to help with the cost of eventual travel so Evelyn can present her case, please go to the contact page and give what you can. At this time, every penny counts!
Courtesy of Calgary Herald |
Smeltzer's Current Accommodations
RIVERBEND INSTITUTION
CHRONOLOGY:
HAROLD SMELTZER'S PATH OF TERROR
1972~Harold David Smeltzer moves to Calgary from Montreal at age 14.
1978~
OCTOBER 27: Smeltzer attacks a 17-year-old high school student while she is unlocking the back door of her southwest house. He forces her to wear swim goggles covered with duct tape and to perform oral sex.
1979~
JANUARY 11: A 27-year-old woman leaving Alexander Calhoun public library after hours is grabbed by Smeltzer. He struggles to put swimming goggles on her, but the rubber strap breaks and he flees.
NOVEMBER 30: Smeltzer breaks into Lakeview elementary school and tries raping a 27-year-old night janitor. He threatens to slit her throat and puts a scarf over her eyes.
1980~
JANUARY 24: Smeltzer abducts five-year-old Kimmie Thompson as she walks to kindergarten class. He drowns her in the tub of his parents' home and hides her body in a neighbourhood trash can. Her body is found the next day.
June 18: Smeltzer rapes two girls aged 10 and 11 as they bike home from Glenmore Dam park.
1980~
June 24: The 11-year-old rape victim spots Smeltzer walking on Elbow Drive. Her mother calls police who quickly arrest him. He confesses to the rapes and to the murder.
1981~
MAY 1: After a five-day trial, Smeltzer is convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years. Smeltzer also pleads guilty to two counts of rape, three counts of attempted rape, one of gross indecency, and one of possessing a dangerous weapon. He is sentenced 10 years for each rape, two for possessing a dangerous weapon, and five for attempted rape and gross indecency charges -- to be served concurrently. He is sent to the medium-security Saskatchewan Penitentiary.
2003~
MARCH: Smeltzer is moved to the minimum security prison at Riverbend Institution. He is awarded unescorted temporary absences to work at a thrift store twice a week, and to attend sex offender maintenance therapy in the community.
2008
SEPTEMBER: Smeltzer is scheduled to appear before the National Parole Board in a hearing to address his application for day parole.
Courtesy Calgary Herald
Sherri
Zicklefoose ~ Reporter
Courtesy of Calgary Herald
Evelyn Thompson has spent nearly three decades quietly grieving the loss of her little girl. She's breaking that silence now and vows
to try and keep Kimmie's killer behind bars.
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A Rapist/Murderer
Life IS NOT Life
Harold David Smeltzer, born in 1958 was arrested, charged and convicted of first degree murder in the brutal murder of Kimmie Thompson. Smeltzer was also convicted of two counts of sexual assault and two attempted assaults for which he recieved 10 years, 10 years and 5 years to be served concurrently with his life sentence for murdering Kimmie. Now, at the age of 50, Smeltzer is being housed in a minimum security prison, living in a nice bungaloo setting, able to leave and work unescorted in the community and has personally applied for full parole, hearing to be in September.
Smeltzer's admission to Kimmie's murder was like an after the fact mentioning. Eventually, after five months of extensive searching, pointing accusatory fingers at the family and really knowing all along who had done this, Smeltzer was arrested and charged with these assaults. Smeltzer had been picked up for sexually assaulting an eleven year old girl and her friend. While the police interviewed him about the assaults, Smeltzer went into a detailed confession of murdering little Kimmie.
The media had a field day when Kimmie went missing and the city was living in fear for their children. The innuendo that Kimmie's family had something to do with her death bled into the community like poison and saw neighbor against neighbor as well as perverse reaction towards the Thompson family and extended family of brothers, sisters, and their children. Victim money was withheld as they wanted to wait for the rumors to be cleared up and when it was delivered, it was slid through the mail slot without comment. How rude is that?
It was a bitter sweet moment for the police officers who had been on the investigation team for Kimmie's murderer as they had been saying all along that it was Smeltzer, they just did not have the evidence and were frustrated by the responses from their superiors. So much had transpired in the past 5 months, from the murder to the trial, that would forever alter their lives as well as many others. Both these men would have their lives forever changed by this investigation, one was demoted and the other was given the cold shoulder by those around him.
Now here we are 28 years later, looking at the same situation and reliving the hurt and trauma of it all, knowing that this person has an opportunity for full parole. The Thompson family and relatives are committed to Smeltzer never being released. Evelyn was NOT made aware by the parole board that Smeltzer was applying for day parole or any of the other hearings because, as they say, Evelyn did not apply for the information! I am sorry yet when a crime of this magnitude is committed, LIFE MEANS LIFE. Had she been made aware of Smeltzer's requests and actions, he would NOT be in a minimum security prison, let alone on day parole!
Living in a prison of guilt and grief is something that never goes away, you take it to your grave. This is where Harold Smeltzer put the Thompson family when he took their little girl from them. Long before he himself was looking at life through bars, they lived with the loss of this little girl and still now at this time, they are still imprisoned in a life of grief and hurt and loss. Harold Smeltzer, who is just 50 years old now, could get a second chance at a good life; the Thompsons will never have a second chance!
Courtesy of Calgary Herald |
