SURFSIDE BEACH, Texas — A Brazoria County woman has been added to the Texas DPS list of 10 Most Wanted Fugitives.
Margaret Lorrain Smith, 62, is wanted on capital murder charges in connection with the 2007 death of her husband George.
Investigators say Margaret lured George to a Surfside Beach late one August night where a man she hired beat him to death with a metal object. He was unrecognizable, according to Brazoria County investigators.
The couple’s children later told "The Hunt with John Walsh" that their parents had separated, and Margaret had a younger boyfriend and liked to hang out with a wild crowd.
They told CNN they think their dad was killed because he refused to sell his multi-million beach house in Surfside and their mom wanted the money.
Both Margaret and an ex-Marine named Dylan Laughrey were indicted for capital murder. He was convicted, but Margaret cut off her ankle monitor and vanished in 2009, weeks before her trial started.
She was last seen a few days later at a Walmart in San Antonio where she got into a maroon four-door sedan, possibly a Lincoln Continental, according to DPS.
Smith is 5’6 and weighs about 185 pounds. She has a mole on the bottom of her right eyelid. She often dyes her naturally dark, curly hair or wears wigs.
She also went by Lorrain Womble Smith.
Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to Smith’s arrest and capture. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.
To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252 TIPS (8477).
- Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about and the clicking on the link under their picture.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
Another $5,000 is being offered through Brazoria County Crime Stoppers for information leading to Smith’s arrest.
So far this year, DPS and other agencies have arrested five Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and sex offenders, including two gang members.
