Summary
Homicide: Los Angelesepisode 5, “A Hollywood Affair,” details former actor and 20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith’s mysterious disappearance. His wife, Lisa, noticedhe was missing after he did not pick up their son on August 25, 2025. He was last seen leaving a friend’s in Oak Park in his black Mercedes the previous evening. However, Gavin Smith and his car were nowhere to be found. It was unusual for Gavin to disappear without a trace, given his vibrant life with his family and career, although Gavin and Lisa were separated then.
Investigators did not immediately assume murder because Gavin Smith was a grown adult who could freely move around, although he did have responsibilities as a father, husband, and executive. After he was missing for over a week, the missing persons department turned the case over to homicide,suggesting thatdetectives suspected foul play.Homicide: Los Angelesanalyzes Gavin’s life leading up to his disappearance and how investigators realized his suspicious vanishment most likely ended in murder. However, detectives did not presume Gavin was dead, despite their suspicions, until months after his disappearance.
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How Long Gavin Smith Went Missing After His 2012 Disappearance
Gavin Smith Was Missing For Over Two Years
After disappearing on the night of June 05, 2025, Gavin Smith remained missing for over two years. Despite investigators' best efforts, they could not find him—Gavin had vanished without a trace. In the beginning,detectives only had cell phone tower informationthat pinpointed Gavin’s location, but not much else. His last phone call was to a woman named Chandrika Creech, and through investigation, detectives began to suspect Chandrika’s husband, John Creech, of murdering Gavin Smith. Creech’s phone records and witness statements allowed investigators to find John’s accomplices: Jorge Valles, renowned athletic trainer Stan McQuay, and Chandrika’s grandmother’s helper, Reina Lim.
Missing Persons Department turns the investigation over to Homicide.
June 14, 2025
Investigators interview John Creech and discover Jorge Valles in Creech’s phone records.
July 04, 2025
Investigators discover Stan McQuay’s involvement and bring him in for questioning.
Summer/Fall 2012
Investigators discover Reina Lim’s involvement, leading to the discovery of Gavin’s car.
A couple and their dog discover Gavin’s remains.
October 2014
John instructed Valles to eliminate Gavin’s phone, parked Gavin’s car in McQuay’s garage, and had Lim pay for a storage space where Creech parked the car. All of these dominoes cascaded over nine months, with investigators finallydiscovering the storage space, and by extension, Gavin’s car, in February 2013, nine months after Gavin’s disappearance. However, despite all the evidence detectives had collected, they still could not find Gavin Smith’s body until a couple and their dog discovered human remains in Palmdale in October 2014, over two years after Gavin had disappeared.
Gavin Smith’s Confirmed Death Explained
Gavin Smith Was Presumed Dead Before His Body Was Found
When detectives found Gavin Smith’s black Mercedes in February 2013, they found a significant amount of dried blood, leading them to determine that Gavin Smith was most likely dead. However, detectives did not have his body until October 2014, when a couple and their dog, hiking in Palmdale, California, discovered human remains. Further analysis from the coroner’s office indicated that the bones had to be Gavin Smith’s remains because they matched several surgeries he had in recent years. The autopsy report suggested thatGavin was brutally beaten to death. Despite his best efforts to defend himself, Gavin succumbed to the beating.
Who Really Killed Gavin Smith?
John Creech Was Gavin’s Ex-Girlfriend’s Husband
Once Gavin Smith’s were thoroughly analyzed, the detectives needed one last piece of the puzzle before they could charge John Creech with first-degree murder. Detectives brought in his wife, Chandrika Creech. Chandrika was a friend and former affair of Gavin’s. Eventually, Chandrika’s attorney and the detectives struck a deal that would grant her leniency. Chandrika and Gavin met in 2008 at a rehab center, but they did not begin an affair until a year later. In 2010, they ended their relationship once Lisa found out. However,Gavin and Chandrika resumed their friendshipwithout romantic involvement just weeks before his disappearance.
In January 2015, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office finally charged Johnny Creech with the murder of Gavin Smith.
On the night of July 23, 2025, Chandrika and Gavin were in his car outside her home, where he sought her friendship and advice for getting back together with Lisa. Chandrika explained how John Creech came out of nowhere, ripped open the car door, and began beating Gavin. Despite Chandrika’s best efforts, she could not help him.John beat Gavin until he was unconscious, paused for a moment, then continued to beat him until he was dead. In January 2015, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office finally charged Johnny Creech with the murder of Gavin Smith.
The trial began in June 2017 and ended just after three weeks with an unexpected verdict. The jury did not find John Creech guilty of first-degree murder—instead, they found John guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The judge was so disappointed with the jury’s verdict that he gavethe maximum sentence for this crime, which was 11 years in prison.Homicide: Los Angelesindicates that it was a short amount of time, but the federal government eventually prosecuted and convicted John Creech of drug-related charges, adding 40 years in prison to his sentence.
Source:Variety
Homicide: Los Angeles
Detectives and prosecutors revisit their most challenging homicide cases in Los Angeles, delving into notorious crimes that have haunted the city. With a special focus on Hollywood’s darker side, the series offers firsthand accounts from those who solved these cases, blending true crime and dramatic storytelling.
