Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office/Getty.
The Florida man who killed 11-year-old Carlie Brucia in 2004 has died in prison.
Joseph Smith, 55, died on Monday at Union Correctional Institution in Radford, Fla. He was on death row when he died. The Florida Department of Corrections confirmed his death to PEOPLE but did not disclose his cause or manner of death.
Carlie’s abduction made national headlines in February 2004. She was walking home from a friend’s house and never made it home. Her parents reported her missing within an hour of her disappearance.
“I knew immediately something was wrong,” her mother, Susan Schorpen,told PEOPLEat the time. “In my heart, in my mind, I knew.”
The story quickly became national news. Schorpen appeared on television, begging for the return of her daughter.
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Florida Department of Corrections
To deal with her heartbreak, Schorpen immersed herself in fighting for the rights of children. But Schorpen battled substance abuse and was arrested several times on drug-related charges. Shedied of an overdosein 2017.
Smith remained on death row until Monday, when he was found dead in his cell.
“While nothing can bring back Carlie, we are grateful that her family, her friends, and the entire Sarasota community will finally have closure and will not have to endure any further court proceedings to bring Smith to justice,” State Attorney Ed Brodsky said in a statement to theMiamiHerald.
source: people.com
