Page 4 - Pepper Smith News Today

Told her nothing. she left the lies behind and took the truth to her grave. on july 29th, 1986, at the age of 63. she was buried here, this cemetery, in an unmarked grave. renee, now 19, got on with life, moved in with her boyfriend. soon pepper showed up at their apartment, homeless and nowhere else to turn to. and everywhere pepper went from then on, shirleys poison gift followed. because of that woman and what she did, pepper was officially, at least, a nonperson. so it took a little while fo...

Both of them. and they drifted one dump to another across any number of state lines for years. and then some time in the early 80s they settled down, here. shirley pulled up to this motel in los angeles county and took a job at the motels cleaning woman in exchange for a free room. and if it wasnt much, at least it gave them some measure of stability. and they signed up at a local school, junior high for pepper, high school for renee. much to shirleys disapproval. >> shirley would tell us, girls...

That she was sick? >> she turned completely yellow when they diagnosed her with pancreatic cancer and she literally died quickly after that. >> with shirley on her death bed, pepper tried to act like the dutiful daughter, went to see her regularly, tried to make her comfortable. but there was another terribly important reason to see her then. maybe the most important. one last opportunity to find out who she was. as she was dying, did you try to find, do you know, maybe shed make a deathbed conf...

Thanksgiving, her there with me. >> and pepper? well, for one thing, pepper has adopted her real birth name, the one that her parents gave her before it was lost in the abductions and the documents, its ronique. ronique smith. >> i feel very content, finding out who i am, finding my mom, and my real identity and my biological father, and the fixtures of him and all of the exciting things going on. but i think its not over yet. i dont feel that the journey is quite over yet. it is just starting. ...

Shirley told pepper that renee was her sister. the two girls listened wide-eyed as shirley explained to strangers that she was their grandmother. that their parents had been killed in a car accident. >> i knew that everything that was happening to us was completely wrong at a very, very young age. >> why had she been taken? she didnt know. not for money, certainly. there were no ransom demands. and without peppers birth certificate, shirley couldnt use her to score public assistance. though she ...

When we first told you you the story about pepper smith and her lifelong journey to find her family, her identity, it was friday night in march 2011. and the following monday morning -- >> my office received a call, and then i received an e-mail. >> attorney gloria allred found herself looking at a remarkable message. allred had been helping the two sisters deal with their new identity issues, and there it was. the ping of a message on her blackberry. >> when i looked at the e-mail, i just could...

Number in ohio. she dialed the number. a man answered. it was june 5th, 2010. >> i said are you robert dean christie, he said, yes. i said are you married to a barbara blackwelder, or were you? he said yes. i said i think im rhonda christie or do you know rhonda patricia christie and then there was a long pause. >> this is who she was talking to. his name is bob christie. >> i almost dropped the phone. she knew id hesitated and she said this is your daughter rhonda. and it was something that cli...

State lines for years. and then some time in the early 80s they settled down, here. shirley pulled up to this motel in los angeles county and took a job at the motels cleaning woman in exchange for a free room. and if it wasnt much, at least it gave them some measure of stability. and they signed up at a local school, junior high for pepper, high school for renee. much to shirleys disapproval. >> shirley would tell us, girls dont go to school. they get married. why do you want to go to school? i...

On july 29th, 1986, at the age of 63. she was buried here, this cemetery, in an unmarked grave. renee, now 19, got on with life, moved in with her boyfriend. soon pepper showed up at their apartment, homeless and nowhere else to turn to. and everywhere pepper went from then on, shirleys poison gift followed. because of that woman and what she did, pepper was officially, at least, a nonperson. so it took a little while for determination to come back. she was in her mid-20s, a single mother by the...

Official and ask for something that you really, really, really need and you kind of know, you think how its going to go. >> i get emotional usually. i usually cry. it was really -- i would -- it just brings me to a sad place. >> youd be sitting across the desk from somebody crying. >> oh, absolutely. >> and they wouldnt do anything for you? >> no. they could say i cant do anything for you probably. >> you need this document. this is what you need to provide. >> sorry. >> i have no way to get thi...