Murder Case That Haunted Robert Redford’s Family for Decades Resurfaces After His Death

The victim of the decades-old crime dated the late Hollywood star's daughter in the 1980s. The hunt for the killer is heating up once more, 15 years after a warrant for his arrest was issued.

It's been just over a week since Robert Redford took his last breath on September 16, 2025, and old traumas are already resurfacing. The acclaimed actor's family made headlines in 1983 when he attended the funeral of his daughter Shauna Redford's boyfriend, Sid Wells.

Redford had halted the production of the beloved 1984 baseball classic "The Natural," to accompany Shauna, thrusting Wells' murder into national news. Police had initially suspected Wells' roommate, Thayne Smika, of murdering the 22-year-old journalism student.

Wells was found on the living room floor of their apartment in Boulder, Colorado, with a gunshot wound to his head. His brother had discovered his body after returning home from a camping trip, according to a 2010 arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE.

Now, in the wake of Robert's death, the FBI's Denver field office has shared a poster on social media with details of the murder, sketches of Smika, and a reminder to the public of a $10,000 reward for anyone with information leading to Smika's arrest.

On the day of Wells' death, residents at his apartment complex had reported a loud noise less than an hour before police arrived. The above-mentioned warrant revealed that authorities found a note left by Smika, saying he had gone to visit his parents and would be back in a few days.

When police located Smika at his mother's home, he told police of a possible suspect he claimed had been stealing cocaine from Wells. He also said he had taken a large quantity of cash and cocaine from Wells' room, allegedly to keep it away from this individual.

However, the suspect denied all the allegations and had an alibi, according to investigators. Police initially believed Smika's story and placed him in protective custody, but they later determined that many of his claims had been false.

He was eventually arrested, but there wasn't enough evidence to indict him. After he was released from jail, he disappeared — and has been on the run since.