David Gipson Smith Investigation

My name is Julie Gipson Smith, and my hus band is Douglas James Smith.  Our son David Gipson Smith,  age 28, went missing on August 6th, 2017 from Lisbon, MD.  David left our home on Saturday August 5th at 8:30 am in the morning. My husband Doug was in touch with him through texting twice that day, making sure he got to where he was going safely, to which David responded yes.   The friend he was meeting had a change of plans and would not be able to have David in her home for the weekend, so his friend gave David the number of a friend of hers that David could hang out with for the weekend. He had not been previously introduced to this person face to face but had had one conversation with her on facrbook previously. . So it is our understanding that David drove from Catonsville to Elliott City to meet this woman at her home.  He supposedly stayed with this woman and her family overnight on Saturday August 5th, but created a problem because the parents didnt want him to stay. When Doug tried to get in touch with David early Sunday, August 6th  (around 7:55 am) David's phone was dead therefore making it impossible for us to reach David. Our suspicion was that the phone had lost its charge.  We did not have the name of this new friend, nor did we have contact information for his friend in Catonsville. The last text that David sent out was to his friend in Catonsville at 12:19 am, August 6th.  She returned his text at 12:21 am. At 12:36 am the friend from Catonsville called David and they spoke for 5 minutes.   At 4:10 am David received a call from the woman in Ellicott City  and they spoke for 2 minutes (indicating he either was not inside her home or had left her home) As I mentioned earlier, we tried texting David at 7:55 am on the 6th, and by that time his phone was dead.  The only other text that came in to his phone on the 6th was at 2:49 pm but again that person got no response because the phone was dead. The phone was never on again after 4:10 am , Saturday August 6th and has remained that way, to this very minute We had determined by Tuesday August 8th that there was a problem. By Wednesday, August 9th we had our phone records and began calling the most prominent numbers, which were the two women from MD.  Finally we made contact wi them on Friday (it took them at least 24 hours to respond) and by Saturday, August 12th, the woman from EC met us at an abandoned piece of property in Lisbon that her uncle owned and where she said she dropped David off on Sunday, August 6th. (She told us she dropped him off there on Monday, August 7th)  She said they spent the day there all day Sunday (the only thing on the property is a pond, a fire pit and hammock next to the pond, and as stated above, the rest of the property was abandoned except a few abandon cars and junk. She drove him out on the property in her car and he left his car at her home because supposedly the uncle who owns the property would be mad if he knew someone was staying there. She actually told us that she mentioned to David that if he saw the uncle on the property David should hide and keep out of sight.  She left him on the proprerty with nothing - no food, no water and told him she would be back. Unfortunately she did not return to the property until Wednesday, August 9th, so she says. She said that when she went to take a tub of supplies to him  on Wednesday he was nowhere to be found. She said she went back on Friday, August 11th to check and the tub of supplies had not been touched. That was the day she finally returned our phone calls. We met her (she volunteered) on the property on Saturday, August 12th. He was nowhere to be seen.  She show'd me what was in the supply tub she supposedly took to him on Wednesday and the contents of the tub was a blanket, a Colman lantern, some magazines etc, but absolutely no food or water. I'm not sure she even checked on him on Wednesday or took the tub to him until Saturday morning when she knew we were on our way. I also assume she cleaned up as much of the campsite as she could of any evidence of them having been there because of the threat of the uncle. But there were some fresh bottles left there, empty and in plain view. After 45 minutes of searching the property ourselves  (it is 22+ acres) we asked her to call the police which she gladly did, and the investigation and police involvement began. After calling the police, the woman left, stating she had to go to work for 2 hours. (She said she works as a painter) The first patrol officers  were on sight in about 15 minutes and immediately placed David on the National Missing Person's Database for law enforcement and began calling hospitals, morgues, jails, and other medical facilities in the tri-state area with no hits. They flew in a helicopter that had an inferred camera over the pond and property. They brought in a boat with divers and a sonar submersible and water cadaver dog on the lake with no signs of David. The woman showed back up on the property with the other woman who David had originally gone to Catonsville to meet and the patrol officers interviewed them individually. At the end of the day, we were told to take David's car home because it shouldn't be left in from of a "suspect's" (their word,  ot mine)home, which we did. Sunday August 13th, I was contacted by one of the Sargents that had been involved in the original search and told me the case was being handed over to the Detective in charge of criminal missing persons and that he (the detective) would be in contact. Monday the lead detective called us and was unhappy that the car had been brought home, so on Tuesday approximately 8  Woodstown State police troopers (from our local community in NJ) came to process David's car. Also, officers in Howard County went back to collect evidence from th e property that wasn't collected from the sight on Saturday. We started a social media blitz as was instructed by the detectives and so many of you have gratefully lended your time, gifts abd prayers have assisted us in doing. We had so many people give up their time to go on "searhes" and hand out flyers, post flyers, talk to people, follow leads on your own, call to speak words of kindness and encouragement.  So many of you posting the same. God bless you for this incredible movement of grace. Forward to day 48, today, there have been very few leads that have been verifiable.  We have just met with the detectives, who say they don't have any real leads. But they are getting to do another media blitz. I'm not sure exactly how that will be accomplished. From our end, we are putting together a media team in an effort to reach television platforms, . We are using the funds from Go Fund Me to possibly try to hire a team of private investigators who are credible and have a reputation for integrity and successful outcomes. With the Go Fund Me account, we also  intend to hire  a reputable attorney to represent our case. We may also be looking to install a billboard in the area. Meanwhile, we will be trying to post updates and encouragement each evening on the Facebook Page Missing: David Gipson Smith. ....please try to follow each evening. Most of all.....LIKE, LIKE, LIKE AND SHARE, SHARE SHARE the posts. The detectives feel this is the most valuable way to move forward and to get the sighting or information we need. It may take only one poster placed in the right location to be the one that brings David home!   There will be other "searches" coming for which we will need your help. "BOOTS ON THE GROUND" are what we need.  Thank you for your prayers. Blessings for all your help! Much love, Doug and Julie and the Smith family UPDATE: Our journey has change since we first began this journey. On February 25, 2018, remains were found in Allegheny MD and we were notified on March 23, 2018 that the remains were David's. We held a viewing for David on from 4:00 pm on April 2, and again at 10:00 am until noon at which time we held his funeral service and burial at Sharptown United Methodist Church, pilesgrove, NJ, David's home church. We recently were able to hike to the site where David's remains were found, and had a very emotional, quiet prayer for him, and placed a beautiful cross and flowers in his remembrance. Our prayer is that the site will remain undisturbed, as it is a sacred and holy place for David's friends and mostly his family. From this point forward, this Go Fund Me account will be in an effort to raise funds for legal fees, attorneys, traveling back and forth to MD, and any other expenses associated with the death investigation as it moves forward. We appreciate and are so grateful for all of you who continue to walk this impossible journey with us, asking for your continued thoughts and prayers and generous contributions to this fund so that we can identify what happened to David, and who participated in David's death. God Bless you, all.