Page 7 - Kill Gavin Smith News Today

Gavin smith. >> reporter: that is, they had no body, no way to prove who killed gavin or that there was a murder at all. >> that is, until a dog named buddy went for a walk. >> a real life doggy detective who makes a deadly discovery on a deserted trail. coming up -- >> i go, buddy, stop, wow, that looks pretty strange. >> and a young woman suddenly finds herself in the middle of this mystery. >> i discovered he had scrapes on his hand and on his arms. >> when "dateline" continues. rinsing the d...

So she knew when he disappeared in may, 2012, but made no connection between that and something she noticed about her boyfriend, john creech. >> i discovered he had scrapes on his hands and on his arms. aything to do with the disappearance. >> reporter: but when detective obrien heard about creechs scrapes he immediately thought about gavin smiths wounds. he needed to talk to him again. he found him in jail serving eight years on a cocaine charge, his second conviction for dealing drugs. not exa...

>> they gave him a couple of roles and he got the bug. he >> reporter: the acting bug. first as a body double back on the basketball court in the te movie "inside moves." then as a bartender in "cob." >> congrats, al. >> reporter: when he met lisa, he was acting, but also waiting tables. >> he twinkled, he was just charming.in i was thrilled that he asked me for my number. >> reporter: they married, had three sons together and with a growing family to support, gavin gave up acting and took a job...

Secret would be all over the gym. >> lauren just 18 years old back then asked us not to use her last name. not after she found herself in the middle of a homicide investigation. when police came across her doing under surveillance on john creech. lauren used to work at the pro shop of the power house gym in chatsworth, california. thats where she first met creech. >> he was beautiful. he was tall and he was muscular and a lot of women especially wanted to date him. a lot of men wanted to be him....

Knew it would be all right. >> why would do you that? why wouldnt you leave it where it was. >> i can play armchair quarterback all day about things, but at the time, it seemed like the right decision. >> he admitted he made wrong decisions, like asking friends to help dispose of gavins phone, and car, and body. >> i take full accountably for everything after the fact. if i could change it, i would. >> sir, you never took accountability because you never came forward to the police, did you? >> n...

>> a baffling disappearance, where was he? >> dad is not just a missing person. he has three sons a wife. >> i got scared.hr >> clues a missing mercedes, a handprint in blood and secret affairs. >> multiple love affairs. s a >> more women and lovers involved in this thing. >> was this beauty hiding something deadly? >> i wanted to get way, i was scared. >> how would this hollywood story end? >> like who are these people? ♪♪ hello and welcome to "dateline." gavin smith was a larger than lif...

Everywhere.m >> because he kind of stands out in the photo, big white smile, tan face, tall guy, pretty much every tall, tan, blond-haired man was getting spotted as being gavin smith. ll >> reporter: weeks, months passed.in no sign of gavin. there was no answers. lisa was forced to reveal something publicly.no something painful. and maybe crucial. coming up, what had happened to gavin smith? >> it didnt make sense to me. >> we said, i think this is a suicide. then we go, i think this is a mur...

Retirement account and recklessly blowing through his six figure salary and there were other signs of strain in the family. in april, 2012, a month before gavin disappeared, his son evan wrote this message on twitter. thoughts and prayers out to my amazing mom and brothers, please. my dad decided to leave the family last night. real family sticks together. sister tara spoke with gavin at the time. >> he was struggling with losing what he had come to know and love for so many years and that was h...

Of calls detectives found in creechs cell phone from the night gavin vanished. john creech was on the phone a lot. >> he was calling multiple people, very intensely. >> reporter: so like three or four or five calls to the same person over and of? >> exactly. >> reporter: some of the calls were to creechs buddies from the power house gym. >> we did a multi-location search warrant. we hit everybody we believed might have helped on that evening. we hit all those houses all at once. >> reporter: one...

>> he asked if he can come over and put the car in my garage. >> is the body in the car at that point? >> yes. >> he allows it to be at his house for five-to-six days. >> reporter: really? >> yes. >> reporter: thats when creech turned to reina lynn, the nurse that lived with him. and creech got her to rent a van. >> then he uses a van to drive up to the angeles national forest and he finds a secluded area to bury gavin smiths body. >> reporter: where buddy the dog later found out. but the merced...