Suspect Arrested in 25-year old Disappearance of Sherry Eyerly

Sherry Eyerly was sent to deliver pizzas at a non-existent address near the Willamette River on the evening of her disappearance, July 4th 1982.

Sherry Eyerly Photo courtesy: Marion County

(SALEM, Ore.) - An arrest has been made in the disappearance of Sherry Eyerly, who was last seen July 4th 1982. The case has remained open for 25 years as investigators ran down numbers of leads hoping to learn who was responsible for her kidnap and murder.

This morning at 10:00 AM William Scott Smith pled guilty in a Marion County courtroom after over 25 years having gone by since the abduction and murder of Ms. Eyerly.

Sherry Eyerly was sent to deliver pizzas at a non-existent address near the Willamette River on the evening of her disappearance, July 4th 1982.

Her Ford Pinto was found with the motor running and a door open. An undelivered pizza on the ground had a footprint across the top of it.

Sherry Eyerly was called into work at her part-time job delivering pizzas for Domino's Pizza on July 4th 1982. She left Domino's about 9:30 PM to deliver pizza to an address on Riverhaven Drive S near Brown Island Road.

A nearby resident came across the delivery car while returning from a fireworks display with his two sons. The door was open, three boxes of pizza lay on the ground and her hat was nearby, but Eyerly was gone.

According to the Marion County Sheriff's Website, the neighbor called the police who later determined that the delivery address did not exist. The caller had given a fictitious name and the call had been placed from a Salem motel.

Investigators said the crime appeared to be carefully orchestrated, ruling out simple rape and robbery. They believed she was likely flagged down by someone she knew - she felt comfortable enough to set the parking brake and open the door. There were no signs of a struggle. Extensive searches of the area failed to turn up anything. She has not been seen since.

A news conference will be held today in Salem and the sheriff's office will have more details about the arrest made in this historic Salem area murder.