A significant development has emerged in the case of the September 2019 shooting death of a Garden City man. Samantha Jo Smith, a 32-year-old woman wanted in connection with the incident, has been successfully extradited from South Carolina and is now in custody at the Finney County Jail, as confirmed by the Garden City Police Department.
On Sunday, September 17, Smith was formally booked into the county jail. This development comes after recent confirmation by the police that U.S. Marshals had tracked down and apprehended Smith in relation to the tragic passing of Ernie Ortiz.
Smith's arrest took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, approximately three months after Garden City police secured an arrest warrant on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. The collaboration between the local police department and the U.S. Marshals was instrumental in locating Smith, particularly since she had relocated out of Kansas in the intervening period.