After four years, an arrest has been made in the cold-case killing of a man found shot inside the trunk of a burning car. First responders in November 2021 found a 2011 Chrysler Sedan on fire in an east side neighborhood, and officers soon discovered Ail Smith Jr., 47, inside.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office said Smith Jr.’s cause of death was a gunshot to the head, but investigators found limited evidence to work with as the case went cold. Now, two men have been arrested in connection with the killing.
“I’m overwhelmed,” the man’s father, Ail Smith Sr., said after being told about the arrests by IndyStar. “It’s a day I won’t ever forget. It makes me look for more closure. It makes my mind wonder why anybody would do that to him.”
IndyStar reached out to Smith Jr.’s wife, who said she was still taking time to process the update in the case. She’s still confused about how her husband would up killed the way he was.
One man sits behind bars at the Marion County Jail for assisting a criminal, and another, who was already in federal custody, is accused of the killing.
Ail Smith Jr. was a family man who worked hard
Smith Jr. was a married father of four who had a bachelor’s degree in business management along with an MBA, and worked for AT&T, IndyGo, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Indianapolis.
Before that, he graduated from high school and immediately went into the family business, driving dump trucks with his father.
“Back then, he had to drive a stick shift and everybody would be like, ‘Man, he sure can drive that gear shift, can’t he,'” Smith Sr. said. “That was my baby boy. Even now, it’s just hard to know that he’s gone.”
When he wasn’t working, he liked fishing, biking, studying, and watching movies. He was a proud 32nd degree Mason with the Sumner A. Furniss Masonic Lodge No. 61. His dad described him as outgoing and cheerful. More than anything, he loved taking his loved ones on vacations to create long-lasting memories.
Always looking for new business ventures, Smith Jr. started his own transport company, Ail Lee Smith Jr. Trucking Company LLC/T & A Transport, the same year that he was killed.
“He quit his job and had just bought himself a box truck to haul freight,” Smith Sr. said. “I was working downtown on the highway when I got a call from the chaplain who said, ‘Mr. Smith, your son has been shot, and I regret to tell you he didn’t make it.’ Lord, Jesus.”
Ail Smith Jr., 47, found shot inside a burning car trunk
Just before 12:30 a.m., on Nov. 9, 2021, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called about a vehicle on fire in front of a home in the 7500 block of Woodlawn Avenue. The body of Smith Jr. was found in the vehicle’s trunk.
“I was told the car didn’t really burn, but they found my son 32 blocks from where he lived, in the trunk,” Smith Sr. said.
Smith Sr. said one of his grandchildren kept up with the case based on what new information would become available from detectives, but with time passing, it felt more and more like his son’s case would never be solved.
Over the years, detectives executed multiple search warrants and conducted numerous interviews, but the case remained at a standstill. After years of searching for witnesses, detectives tracked down two additional people who provided crucial information about the crime. One of those witnesses was believed to have seen the crime take place.
On July 29, IMPD announced the arrest of a man for the killing. At the time of arrest, the man was already in federal custody for an unrelated incident. Another man was arrested and preliminarily charged with assisting a criminal.
“Even after years have passed, our Unsolved Homicide Unit detectives remained committed to finding answers for the victim and his loved ones. Their efforts and determination led to an arrest in this case, reinforcing that IMPD will not stop seeking justice for victims, no matter how long it takes,” said Chief Chris Bailey.
IndyStar is not naming the people arrested because they had not been formally charged at the time of publication.
“What was the reason? Why did he do it?” Smith Sr. said. “But let me tell you something. I tell people this hurt never, ever goes away. I think about my son every day. It could be a quiet moment, and I’m smoking a cigar, looking up at the sky. I’ll think about my baby.”
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Arrest made in 2021 cold case of man found shot in burning car in Indianapolis
Reporting by Jade Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
