Robert Redford's Death Sparks Renewed Hunt for 1983 Murder Suspect

The death of Robert Redford in 2025 has reignited public interest in the unsolved 1983 murder of Sid Wells, boyfriend of Redford's daughter, Shauna, who was fatally shot in his University of Colorado Boulder apartment. Wells' roommate, Thayne Alan Smika, was arrested as the prime suspect but was never formally charged due to insufficient evidence, and he disappeared in 1986. Advances in DNA testing led to a renewed arrest warrant for Smika in 2010, with Redford personally expressing gratitude to law enforcement for continuing the investigation. The FBI has since offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Smika's arrest, setting bail at $5 million. Authorities believe Smika may have killed Wells over a $300 debt, and he is thought to have lived in Mexico and possibly California, remaining at large. Redford's involvement and the case's unresolved status continue to cast a shadow over the community decades later.