John Smith's wife-killing case: 5 details in murders of Betty Fran Gladden-Smith and Janice Hartman

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY: The disappearance of John Smith's two wives, Janice Hartman and Betty Fran Gladden-Smith, set off a murder mystery that took more than twenty years to unfold.

While Janice, 23, vanished in November 1974, Betty, 42, disappeared in 1991, nearly two decades later.

The FBI and the family of Betty worked together to uncover horrific details regarding the double disappearances, which were detailed in the April 26 Dateline NBC episode 'Chameleon'.

"A woman goes missing, investigators uncover her husband's chilling history," reads the official synopsis of the installment. 

Five startling details regarding the killings of Betty Fran Gladden-Smith and Janice Hartman

1. Janice Hartman was reported missing by John Smith three days after their divorce

In 1990, at the age of 19, John Smith and Janice Hartman, who were college sweethearts, tied the knot in Detroit. After a year, the couple moved back to Ohio, where Janice began working as an informant for the police and as a go-go dancer, according to court records.

The couple shared a difficult relationship and Janice's family frequently noticed bruises on her body. After Janice survived an attempted assault, the two got divorced.

However, two days after their divorce, on November 17, 1974, John reported Janice as missing.

2. Janice Hartman's remains were found in a four-and-a-half-foot-long wooden box in 1980

A few road workers came upon a four-and-a-half-foot-long wooden box next to a cornfield while working along an empty highway. The box was taken to a coroner by the Indiana Police Department after the men reported it, according to SportsKeeda.

The skeletal remains of Janice, her legs severed at the knee, were inside the wooden box. The body was found on March 22, 1980, and the Jane Doe inside the box was dubbed the "Lady in the Box."

The box, which measured 53 inches, contained a crucifix that was wrapped in clothes.

3. John Smith's second wife Betty Fran Gladden-Smith was bedridden when she went missing

John relocated to Florida, where he worked as an engineer, as per NJ.com. Betty was employed by the same software company, and the two tied the knot in March 1990.

Subsequently, the pair relocated to West Windsor, New Jersey, and moved into a condo. On October 4, 1991, Betty was reported as missing one year into their marriage. 

John claimed his second wife had left a note that read, "Going away for a few days. Don't forget to feed the fish," and had packed a suitcase. 

Betty had been bedridden at the time of her disappearance as she had slipped over wet tiles and sustained a hip injury, according to the Daily Mail's report.

John mentioned that Betty was leaving for a trip home, and when her family failed to pick her up in Florida, they filed a missing person's report.  

Betty's body has never been discovered.

4. John Smith's brother knew about Janice Hartman's mummified body

Janice's remains were buried in Morroco, Indiana, under the name Jane Doe, and the box in which they were found was kept in storage by the Indiana Police Department. 

When the FBI started looking into the case, Michael Smith, the brother of John, told the investigators that he knew Janice's mummified body in their grandfather's Marathon gas station.

He apparently saw John making a plywood box intended to hold Janice's belongings. Michael found the same box in 1980, five years later, when organizing the garage of the gas station.

According to court documents, he allegedly forced it open, revealing the disfigured remains of a woman with rainbow hair. 

When confronted about the box, John allegedly disposed it of in rural Indiana and then took off.

5. John Smith was indicted in Betty Fran Gladden-Smith's murder but the charge was later dropped

In 1998, John got married to Diane Beasley while the FBI was looking into Janice and Betty's disappearances.

Following Michael's admission, John was taken into custody and accused of killing Janice in 2000. He was sentenced to between 15 years and life imprisonment. 

In 2019, John faced indictment in the murder of his second wife, Betty. Nevertheless, NJ.com reports that the charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence.

He's currently serving his time in an Ohio prison.