Podcast Summary: What It Was Like

Episode: Catching My Sister’s Killer (Classic)

Host: Julian Morgans (Superreal)
Guest: Dawn Smith Jordan
Release Date: October 24, 2025

Overview

In this deeply moving episode, host Julian Morgans interviews Dawn Smith Jordan, whose 17-year-old sister, Sherry Smith, was abducted and murdered in South Carolina in 1985. Dawn recounts the events surrounding the abduction, the harrowing phone calls with the kidnapper, and how her role became key in the investigation. Through profound loss, Dawn ultimately finds forgiveness and resilience, offering listeners a story that is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dawn’s Life Before the Tragedy

• Dawn introduces herself as a singer, songwriter, author, and mother living in Columbia, South Carolina (06:36-06:53).

• She describes an idyllic childhood: "I'm the oldest of three....we moved...basically in the middle of 20 acres, no neighbors on either side. So it ended up being a great place to be able to grow up." (07:01)

• On her relationship with Sherry:

  • "Sherry and I were very close...we shared a lot of the same interests: horses, music, piano lessons" (07:49)
  • Sherry was described as “so full of life...with a radiant smile and friendly personality. She was a friend to everybody.” (08:05)

2. The Day of Sherry’s Abduction

• Dawn learns of the abduction while away in Charlotte; initially, the word “abducted” doesn’t register:

  • “I remember her saying, Sherry has been abducted. And in that moment...I couldn’t even grasp the meaning of that word.” (10:09)

• The family's shock: "You can't ever imagine that anything like this would happen to your family, to your sister, to you." (13:19)

• Discovery details:

  • Sherry’s car found running at the top of the driveway, purse and insulin left inside; footprints to mailbox, none returning (13:38-14:55)
  • "That immediately posed just concern and fear for where was she? She has to have her medicine." (14:50)

• The first phone call:

  • Kidnapper calls the family’s landline, asking for Dawn’s mother and sharing unsettling details (16:15-17:20)
  • Law enforcement and eventually the FBI are called in—FBI profiling is new at the time (17:50)

3. The Killer’s Harassment and FBI Profiling

• The kidnapper calls a total of eight times, always requesting Dawn’s mother at first.

  • “He called eight different times…he wouldn't speak to anyone in authority…he just kept asking for my mom.” (18:30-18:55)

• The psychological toll and FBI strategy:

  • “It just became so unbearable for her (Dawn's mother) to talk to this person who had her daughter.” (19:12)
  • The FBI decides Dawn should answer:
    “She said, we feel like he has an infatuation with Sherry. And if you can be kind and keep him on the phone, he’ll turn that fascination toward you….which proved to be right.” (20:53)

Notable Quote

"That's a lot of responsibility, being asked by the FBI… That's a lot for a young woman. How did you feel?"
"Absolutely, yes. I will do whatever it takes to get Sheri back… it was like this was something I could do."
—Dawn Smith Jordan (21:39–21:56)

• FBI coaching:

  • Dawn is told to remain calm, kind, patient—"The main objective ... was to be very calm, very kind, very patient, very understanding." (22:50)

• Phone tracing challenges:

  • “Every time it was like he knew exactly how long he could be on the line. They would trace the call…he would be gone every time.” (23:52)

• Dawn’s “role” on the phone:

  • “It sort of feels … you might have been almost getting into character… Did it feel like that?”
  • Dawn: "I had a role to play. And then I would hang up and I would just shake or cry or just be so angry..." (28:15–28:50)

4. Sherry’s Last Letter

• The kidnapper signals a letter will arrive; hope rises.
• Sherry’s handwritten “Last Will and Testament” (31:23):

Notable Quote (Sherry’s Letter) [31:23]

“Please don’t even let this ruin your lives. Just keep living one day at a time for Jesus. Some good will come out of this… My thoughts will always be with and in you. … Everything works out for the good for those that love the Lord.” — Sherry Smith (Read by Dawn, 31:23–34:25)

• The letter’s power:
  • “That letter was the most amazing gift to my family…she was at peace… all she worried about was telling us: 'Don’t let my death ruin your lives. Y’all have got to keep on living.'” (34:18)
  • Dawn notes, “even to have the closure that we have when there are so many people that never have that, I’m grateful.” (37:30)

5. The Discovery and Aftermath

• On the fifth day, the killer gives directions to Sherry’s body (40:49)

  • “We just hoped against hope she was going to be found alive…my mom packed a bag for the hospital.” (40:57)
  • The authorities inform them Sherry was dead the whole time.

• The killer calls again on the day of the funeral, taunting them about having attended (43:50)

• Law enforcement’s strategy continues: using a newspaper story about a koala on Sherry’s grave to lure the killer into calling. He reveals incriminating details about another missing girl and issues a direct threat to Dawn (46:04–47:00).

6. The Killer’s Capture and Identification

• Forensic examiners find an imprint of a phone number on the page below Sherry’s letter; it leads to a house where the killer is arrested (47:00).

Notable Moment

• Dawn and her mother identify Larry Gene Bell in jail:

  • “He was...nothing like the man that I had been talking to on the phone. He was mild and meek and pitiful…” (49:33-50:00)

• Dawn’s mother’s remarkable act:

  • “I know you’re the man that killed my daughter...and I don’t even hate you. I pray God has mercy on your soul and I forgive you.” (50:20)
  • Dawn’s reaction: “He deserves no mercy. He deserves no kindness. This is over.” (52:00)

7. On Forgiveness and Moving Forward

• Forgiveness as a journey:
  • “I honestly did not feel one ounce of mercy for him in that room…all you can worry about is yourself…” (53:17)
  • “Forgiveness is a choice. That was a life-changing moment for me…just as Sherry came to peace with her death, so have I.” (55:00)

Notable Quote

“We don’t have to allow what happened to us to define who we are. We get to have a say in that.” — Dawn Smith Jordan (60:54)

• Dawn on processing trauma:

  • “It’s been a process and it’s been a journey…a journey of struggle and anger and frustration and forgiveness, and then taking back the forgiveness and being unforgiving again and then choosing forgiveness again.” (59:09)

• On living with purpose:

  • “This day is a gift. It is a present. It’s the present. And I have this very day to be the best mother I can…” (60:15)
  • “I’m not this woman who lives under the shadow of a tragedy. Because there’s more to life than what happened to us…For every single one of us, we don’t have to allow what happened to us to define who we are.” (60:54)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On being asked to talk to the killer:
  “It was almost like an out of body experience...I just remember going, absolutely, yes, I will do whatever it takes to get Sheri back.” — Dawn Smith Jordan (21:53)

• On her mother’s forgiveness:
  “She said, the moment I looked at him, I realized that he is another mother’s son. And I felt mercy for his mother.” — Dawn Smith Jordan (50:36)

• On forgiveness:
  “Forgiveness is a choice. That was a life changing moment for me because I’m not angry anymore. I’m definitely not bitter. And just as Sherry came to peace with her death, so have I.” (55:14)

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 06:36–08:54 | Dawn’s childhood and relationship with Sherry | | 10:09–13:33 | The day of the abduction | | 16:15–17:50 | The first call from the kidnapper; FBI involvement | | 18:30–21:39 | Sequence and experience of the phone calls | | 21:39–24:20 | Dawn steps in to answer the calls | | 24:28–28:50 | Inside a call with the killer; psychological toll | | 30:15–35:06 | Sherry’s last letter | | 40:49–43:50 | Discovery of Sherry and the killer’s final taunt | | 44:16–47:00 | The killer’s threat and the investigative breakthrough | | 49:00–53:10 | Confronting the killer and the family's response | | 55:14–62:06 | Dawn’s journey toward forgiveness and hope |

Epilogue: Where Are They Now?

• Larry Bell: Executed in 1996 by electric chair; had no final words (62:11)
• Dawn Smith Jordan: Crowned Miss South Carolina in 1986, released multiple albums, authored several books, and now shares her story and message of hope.

Closing Reflection

Dawn’s story is an intimate portrait of trauma, unimaginable loss, extraordinary courage, and ultimately, the power of forgiveness. The episode is not only an account of a criminal case but a testament to the resilience of the human spirit:

"We don’t have to allow what happened to us to define who we are. We get to have a say in that." (60:54)

Listeners are left with the message that every day is a gift, and with compassion and conscious choice, it is possible to emerge from hardship with hope.

For more on Dawn Smith Jordan: dawnsmithjordan.com

(Adverts, show intro/outro, and non-content sections omitted. All timestamps are approximate.)