Who Killed Sid Wells? How Robert Redford’s Death Renewed the Cold Case

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In 1983, while preparing to film *The Natural*, Robert Redford received the devastating news that his daughter’s boyfriend, Sid Wells, had been killed.

According to actor Michael Callan’s biography, Shauna Redford, a 22-year-old student at the University of Colorado Boulder, was deeply upset and confused. Robert Redford was so concerned that he immediately flew from the Buffalo, New York, film set to be with her, and he picked up his wife, Lola Van Wagenen, from Utah during the trip.

On August 1, 1983, Wells was discovered dead in his Boulder condominium, having suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of the head from a .22 caliber shotgun.

Shauna and Wells began dating when they were freshmen in college. Wells asked her to a dance for the Navy ROTC, and she accepted, though he didn’t know at the time that her parent was a famous actor.

And while she was devastated, her father was also shaken by the tragedy.

According to Alan Pakula, the director of *All the President’s Men*, Redford was generally private, but became even more withdrawn afterward. Pakula speculated that this might have been a natural sense of caution, a realization that Redford and his family were now more visible targets than most people.

Following the funeral for Wells at Christ Congregational Church in Longmont, Colorado, Redford needed to return to work in Buffalo.

When filming began on *The Natural*, Redford admitted his focus was off. He told Callan he was preoccupied with a personal issue – his daughter’s struggles – and couldn’t fully immerse himself in the movie’s story.

At the time of his death, Wells was renting a room to Thayne Smika, a 24-year-old who had stopped attending college. Police say Smika was behind on his rent.

According to a 2010 arrest warrant obtained by *People* magazine, investigators discovered a note from Smika stating he was visiting his parents for a few days. When police informed him of Wells’ death at his family’s home, Smika claimed he was there to get a perm and do laundry. However, authorities learned Smika had actually gotten a perm a week earlier and that the condo complex where Wells was killed had laundry facilities.

Smika was arrested on October 6, 1983, but released a few weeks later when District Attorney Alex Hunter decided there wasn’t enough proof to charge him with Wells’ death.

In a 2013 interview with NBC’s *Dateline*, Thayne’s mother, June Menger, said that all the evidence suggested he was responsible. She explained that both the police and his friends and roommates believed the same thing, and her family was confused as to why the case wasn’t pursued further.

In 1985, a grand jury decided not to press charges against Smika, and the FBI says he disappeared the following year.

In 2012, Menger explained to Silvia Pettem at Boulder Reporting Lab that she initially feared her son’s memory would be forgotten, but she ultimately understood she needed to maintain the link to Redford in order to keep the investigation active.

Shauna kept in contact with Menger, and her father continued to monitor the case. In December 2010, the Boulder County District Court issued an arrest warrant for Smika, charging him with first-degree murder. A federal warrant was also issued for his arrest, accusing him of fleeing to avoid prosecution.

Former Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett recalled receiving a surprising phone call. He told 9News that one day, his secretary announced, ‘Robert Redford is on the line. Would you like to speak with him?’ Garnett said he immediately agreed.

The lawyer, who now works in private practice, remembered having a short but friendly conversation with Redford. During the conversation, Redford thanked him, the Boulder Police, and his office for their continued efforts on the case and for working to obtain a warrant.

Garrett explained that Redford’s call years ago showed the actor was worried about his daughter and deeply saddened by the tragic death of a young man.

The day after Robert Redford passed away, the FBI’s Denver office shared details about the Wells murder and the ongoing search for Smika online. They also posted images showing what Smika, now 66 years old, might look like today.

The FBI’s last confirmed information about Smika was in October 1986, when his car-which had stolen plates and had been wiped clean of fingerprints-was discovered abandoned in Beverly Hills, California. Years later, in 1998, after his case was highlighted on the television program 48 Hours, police received unconfirmed reports of Smika being spotted in both California and Mexico.

Following new ballistics tests on shotgun pellets recovered from the body of the victim, an arrest warrant was issued on December 2, 2010, under the direction of District Attorney Garnett. Boulder Deputy Police Chief David Hayes explained to the Daily Camera, after the warrant became public on January 13, 2011, that investigators determined the pellets likely came from shotgun shells discovered at the Smika family’s home in eastern Colorado.

At the time, Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner stated that there hadn’t been an organized search for Mr. Smika, but that one would begin immediately.

The FBI continues to offer a $10,000 reward for details that help find and convict Smika. They ask anyone with information to contact their local FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

As Hayes put it on Dateline in 2013, “This is not a whodunit, but rather a ‘where is he?’” 

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2025-09-27 15:17