Last Glance: Lakira Goldsmith

In this episode of Huntigng 4 Answers: One night in November 2018, 20-year-old Lakira Goldsmith returned home after a night out with her boyfriend. Her grandmother watched her get out of the car, but she never came inside. Hours later, she made one final phone call from a maintance worker's phone and then vanished without a trace. Six years later, there's been no arrests, no witnesses and no answers. Just a phone left behind and a family's fight for truth. Anyone with information about this case should contact the Montgomery Police Department at 334-625-2810. You can also leave an anonymous tips to Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP.

This is the story of Lakira Goldsmith. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter and today's case
brings us to Montgomery, Alabama. During a chilling night in
November twenty eighteen, a twenty year old mother who had

(00:22):
just returned from an evening out with her boyfriend. Her
grandmother saw her getting out of the car. However, she
never made it inside. Hours later, she would make one
final phone call that will leave more questions than answers.
What happened to her in those dark, early morning hours

(00:44):
remains a mystery six years later. This is the story
of Leakia Goldsmith. Lakira Dejora Goldsmith was born on July
twenty fourth, nineteen ninety eight, into a close knit family.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
In Montgomery, Alabama.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
By November twenty eighteen, she was a devoted twenty year
old mother to a two year old boy. Those who
knew Lakira describe her as an active, loving parent who
would never abandon her child. She was known by her
nickname Pig to friends and family, but Lekira also battled

(01:26):
a serious health condition, severe asthma, that required daily medication
and actually landed her in the hospital multiple times. This
detail would become crucial to understanding why her family immediately
knew that something was terribly wrong. November twenty seventh, twenty eighteen,

(01:49):
Lakira went out with her boyfriend, who picture up from
her home in the forty five hundred block of Narrow
Lane Road. They spent the evening together before he drove
her back to the apartment complex where she lived with
her grandmother. Her grandmother was watching from the window when
the car pulled up. She saw Leakira get out of

(02:10):
her boyfriend's car and watched as he drove away, but
Leakira never walked through the front door. What happened next
would haunt her family for years to come. According to
a maintenance worker at the apartment complex, at two o'clock
am on November twenty eighth, hours after her grandmother saw

(02:32):
her get out of the car, Lekira approached him asking
to borrow his phone. The maintenance worker agreed to let
her use his phone. He briefly left for a moment,
and when he returned, Lekira was gone. His phone was
sitting on the steps, and that was the last time

(02:55):
anyone saw or heard from Lekia Goldsmith. Lakira's disappearance contradicted
every pattern of her life. This was a young mother
who never left her two year old son. She was responsible, reliable,
and deeply committed to her child. More importantly, Lakira suffered

(03:19):
from severe asthma. She carried medication with her and had
been hospitalized numerous times for her condition. Her family immediately
called all local hospitals, knowing she could possibly be in
medical distress. However, Lakira wasn't in any hospital. She wasn't anywhere.

(03:42):
The investigation into Laquira's disappearance faced challenges from the beginning.
Montgomery police began looking into her case, but leeds seemed
to go nowhere. The boyfriend who dropped her off was questioned,
but noah rests were made. The maintenance workers account of

(04:02):
the two am phone call raised crucial questions as well.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Who was Lakira.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
Calling, what did she say, and why did she disappear
right after.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
She got off the phone. The answers are still unknown.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
It appears as if investigators might have run into some
trouble while accessing those phone records, or that information just
hasn't been released.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
As days turned into weeks and weeks.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
In two months, Lakira's case began to fade from public attention.
For a devastating period, Lakira's case information wasn't even uploaded
to name it the National Missing and Unidentified Person system
that helps coordinate searches across the country. Her family was

(04:53):
left to fight for answers on their own, but Leakira's
mother refused to give up. She took on the care
of Lekira's young son, now growing up without his mother.
She fought to keep her daughter's case in the public eye,
reaching out to anyone who would listen. Slowly, Wakira's story

(05:15):
began to gain traction, and the demand for more resources
into the investigation grew. By twenty twenty four, a ten
thousand dollars reward was being offered for information leading to
Leakira's whereabouts. That final phone call still continues to raise
questions for investigators. Who was on the other end of

(05:38):
that two am conversation. Was Lakira in trouble, was she
calling for help or was she planning to meet someone?
The fact that she left the phone behind and vanished
immediately still remains a mystery today, Over six years later,

(06:00):
Kira's case remains open. The Montgomery Police Department continued to
work the case, but with limited leads and no major breakthroughs,
progress has been slow. Her case is also now properly
listed in NamUs. At the time of Lequira's disappearance, she

(06:21):
stood between five four and five five and weighed between
one hundred and forty five and one hundred and eighty pounds.
She had black hair, brown eyes, and both of her
ears were pierced.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
She had a.

Speaker 1 (06:34):
Piercing on her lower lip, and she also had a
snake eye.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
Piercing on her tongue.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing blonde
hair extensions with black fruits. My thoughts and prayers are
with Lekira's loved ones as they continue to fight for
justice and the truth about what happened on that November
night in twenty eighteen. Anyone with information about the disc

(07:00):
parents of Lakira Goldsmith to contact the Montgomery Police Department.
You can also submit anonymous tips to Central Alabama Crime Stoppers.
You can find their information in the description box below.
As we close out this episode, don't forget to click
the follow button to stay updated on Lakira's case and

(07:20):
others like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for
Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and TikTok
for more true crime updates. And if you enjoyed this episode,
leave us a five star rating. Thank you so much
for joining us on another episode until next time. Hunting

(07:44):
for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network.
For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.