A $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers of an auto and boat detailer was announced by the Costa Mesa Police Department.
Gary Allen Smola, 50, was found beaten to death on the floor of his home in the 1700 block of Whittier Avenue around 4:20 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2012.
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Gary Allen Smola, 2012 OC Homicide No. 28: Beaten to Death
The operator of Auto-RV-Boat Detailing, a mobile business based in Costa Mesa with customers all over Orange County, had sustained injuries that indicated he had been struck with an unknown object.
The coroner's office listed his death as a homicide caused by blunt force trauma injuries to his head.
The investigative trail has run cold, so Costa Mesa police detectives are hoping the reward offer will pry loose more information.
“There was no evidence of forcible entry into the home, nor were any property or valuables obviously missing,” reads a statement from Lt. Paul Dondero of the Investigations Bureau.
“… Friends and neighbors contacted by detectives described Gary Smola as a kind and helpful neighbor. The Costa Mesa Police Department has extensively canvassed for any information, with no new leads resulting. Forensic examination of evidence gathered have also yielded no leads to date.
“It is hoped that the offer of a substantial reward will serve to stimulate someone with information to come forward. On April 1, the Costa Mesa City Council unanimously approved the posting of up to a $10,000 reward to assist in furthering this investigation.”
If you have something, call the Investigations Bureau at 714.754.5205 or the police department's front desk at 714.754.5281 and reference Case No. 12-9315.
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.