Dana Smithers’ sister on Bryan Kohberger’s ‘connection’ to PA cold case

The sister of the Pennsylvania woman whose mysterious death was possibly linked to University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger this week says there is no connection between the two cases.

Dana Smithers’ sister, Stacey Anne Smithers, said it is clear that Kohberger, 28, was not tied to the 45-year-old’s death in an interview with NewsNation Thursday.

Smithers was last seen leaving a friend’s Monroe County home on May 28, 2022, the Pocono Record reported. Her remains were found off Interstate 80 in Stroudsburg last month.

Earlier this week, news broke that Kohberger’s parents, Michael and Maryann, who are residents of the area, were called to testify before a grand jury on Smithers’ case.

Stacey Smithers previously confirmed that online sleuths alerted police to Kohberger’s connection to the area after he was arrested in the Idaho case in December.

She clarified this week, however, that there was evidence the Pennsylvania native, who was pursuing a doctorate in criminology at Washington State University, was not in the region at the time of her sister’s disappearance.

The grieving relative added that she heard before Kohberger was arrested that a Pennsylvania grand jury had convened to discuss her sister’s case and other unsolved offenses.

Smithers said the grand jury briefly considered the former high school outcast after he was taken into custody, but dismissed him as a potential suspect.

“[Stacey] is hopeful people will continue to be invested in Dana’s case to find out what happened,” NewsNation’s Brian Entin concluded.

Stacey Smithers’ comments came shortly after the Stroud Area Regional Police Department (SARPD) confirmed there is “no evidence” that Kohberger is connected to Smithers’ disappearance or death.

As of Friday afternoon, it is unclear why the accused killer’s parents were still summoned before the grand jury in the case.

Kohberger is currently in custody in Latah County, Idaho, where he is awaiting trial for the grisly stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students on Nov. 13, 2022.

He was arrested on Dec. 30 at his parents’ Monroe County home, not far from where Smithers lived and was last seen.

Kohberger was silent and stone-faced in court on Monday, and his lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

He will be tried on four counts of murder and one of first-degree burglary later this year and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison or capital punishment.

In a Facebook post announcing the identification of her sister’s remains earlier this month, Stacey Smithers described the mom of three as a “bright light” with a “laugh that…will stay with all of us forever.”

A celebration of life in Smithers’ honor is scheduled for the near future.