Maryland : Arlene Byrd & Antonio Smith
Arlene Byrd was described as energetic, outspoken, outgoing, and the life of the party. She had a twin sister and an older sister. She was just 31 years old at the time of her murder.
Then we have Antonio Smith, who loved ones described as outgoing, a person with a fun-filled personality. He loved football and was said to be the unofficial mayor of Salisbury. We have all known that person in town who seems to know everyone and is friends with everyone. They know what's going on and are almost like a mascot, so to speak. This was Antonio. He had a partner, a son, a stepdaughter, and four sisters. So lots of women in his life.
On July 17th, 2010, Arlene and Antonio were at a local restaurant called Brew River for a party. I went to their website, and it looks like a nice family-owned seafood restaurant that is right on the water and holds all types of events. Around three am on the 18th, Antonio and Arlene left the party and headed to his apartment at the 500 block of Emory Court. These apartments were called the Parkside Apartments. From this point, I can only tell you what is believed to have happened. When they arrive at the apartment and walk upstairs, it is thought that someone or possibly more than one person is waiting for them. This person, by some means of force, pushed them inside the apartment where, over the next two hours, they would be tortured before being killed. Later that day, Arlene’s twin sister would try calling her repeatedly without any luck. This was unusual behavior for Arlene, who would always answer or call right back. So, this sister took it upon herself to drive around the town looking for her vehicle. She would eventually call a friend who told her where Antonio lived. She had never met Antonio and didn't know her sister was with him until she heard about it through other friends. So she went by these apartments and saw Arlene's car in the parking lot. She tried to chill and assumed her phone had died, and they were still asleep. So she leaves, and then a few hours pass, and she still doesn't hear from her sister, so she returns to the apartments, walks up to the front door, and sees blood. Even bloody footprints lead out of Antonio’s apartment. She stated, “When I looked down, I could see the bloody footsteps coming out of the apartment onto the landing. You open the door, there’s blood smeared on the back of the door, you open the door, and there’s a huge puddle of blood trickling down like on the landing and then trickling down the stairs.”
She calls the police to do a welfare check, and when they get there and get into that apartment, they find a horrific scene. Arlene and Antonio are both found deceased. What is known is that these two were killed inside that apartment between the hours of 3 am and 5 am, and based on their injuries, they were tortured before their death. The medical examiner would release that Arlene’s cause of death was due to wounds inflicted by stabbing while Antonio’s cause of death was asphyxiation. It hasn't been released on how they were tortured, but that is to be expected. They have to keep some things about the case under wraps.
Now, about six hours after the murders were discovered, there was a drive-by shooting about one and a half miles from Antonio’s apartment. Three individuals who were driving a red Dodge Neon open fired toward a house. A man by the name of Troy William Wilson, who was just 25 years old, would be killed. The men in the Dodge Neon ended up crashing the vehicle and running on foot away from the scene. Police would find these people and charge them with the murder of Troy. At first, authorities were looking into the possibility of these murders being connected, but I believe they have ruled that out. It's just crazy to have three murders within the span of 24 hours in a town of 30,000 people. But back to what we know about Arlene and Antonio, the police believe Antonio was the target of this attack. Arlene just happened to be there and was collateral damage, unfortunately. This was a planned, premeditated crime. Sargent Lloyd, an investigator on the case, stated about the people responsible for these murders, “They had time. This wasn’t something typical or seemed as if it was rushed.” The amount of blood found outside of the apartment was insane. There was a trail of blood coming out of the apartment on the path and then down the stairs. This blood would have been visible to anyone who walked by it. This blood was tested and it belonged to Arlene and Antonio only.
Arlene’s sister would state that she had lived in these exact apartments at one time, and the walls were paper thin. How could no one hear what was going on? People in this town know something that much is evident. A brutal murder in an apartment complex cannot occur without a single person hearing or seeing anything. The question is, why are people not talking? These were two people that the community loved. They were happy, the life of the party type of individuals. People need to come forward and share what they know. The time is now.
Anyone with information about this murder is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the Salisbury Barrack at 410-749-3101. Crime Solvers of the Lower Eastern Shore is offering a reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest. Crime Solvers can be reached at 410-548-1776. Callers may remain anonymous.
