Living in a tent, with a space heater, woman had troubled life before disappearance

Wendell homeowner Dale Williams said he allowed Brittany Smith to stay in the woods behind his house with her boyfriend after the couple got rousted from a home where they were squatting.

"They obtained a tent, and they asked if they could pitch it here," Williams said.

What he expected would be a stay of a couple of weeks extended for months.

"Brittney‘s grandmother bought her a space heater, and we ran a drop line to an outlet so they could have heat," he said. "I’ve been doing their laundry, and they come in to shower."

Williams said that, although Smith could have screaming fights with her boyfriend, he could not be responsible for her disappearance.

"I think it’s kind of ludicrous to implicate him because he doesn’t drive. He doesn’t have a car," Williams said.

Smith, who is 28 years old, about 4 feet 11 inches tall and about 115 pounds, was last seen on Williams’ property in the 200 block of Fox Run Drive last Thursday.

Wake County sheriff's deputies said she might have also been seen in the 7000 block of Hodge Road.

Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker said, "We've got a lot of folks who are concerned about the whereabouts of this young lady. She's a daughter. She's a sister. She's a family member. They've been working very hard to find her."

Anyone with information on Smith's whereabouts is asked to call the Wake County Sheriff's Office at 919-856-6911.