Erica Smith was a vivacious child who grew into her outgoing personality in her early teens.

Her family described her as someone who was gentle enough to give the shirt off her back to help anyone in need, yet bold enough to tell the pastor of her church when she felt his sermon wasn’t adequate.

Like any teenager, the 14-year-old loved to talk on the telephone. She was active in her community and, in general, was a happy individual with a bright future ahead of her.

That future was tragically cut short on July 29, 2002, after she left her home to see a friend and never returned.

Her body was found 11 days later in a grave along Broad Run Creek close to an old pump house in Ashburn near the intersection of Beaumeade Circle and Loudoun County Parkway.

Ten years later, her father still holds strong hope that his daughter’s killer will be brought to justice. And although finding the person who killed Erica will bring legal closure, the father knows it will never be enough – his daughter will always be missing from her parents’ lives.

“I have spoken with families over the years who have lost their children to homicides who still don’t have closure,” William Smith said. “Still, you get back to that reality that once that legal justice is completed and all that smoke is clear, they’re back to square one. They still don’t have their loved one. That’s what they wanted more than anything is to bring that loved one back.”

Times-Mirror Photo/Jonathan Taylor Erica Smith’s family put together a collage of photos to show the crowds at the first annual Child Victim Awarness Day Saturday.

Erica’s family was on scene Saturday as part of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office’s first Child Victim Awareness Day, an event held in her honor, which will be held every year.

The event provided parents with information on how to protect their children from becoming victims of crime. Deputies were on hand to offer a child identification program that put photos and fingerprints of their loved ones on record in case the worst could happen.

“This is extremely important. First of all, it reminds the families certainty of the victims, but of the communities that we haven’t forgotten about it. With a tragedy like this, it certainly reinforces the need for us to work together with the community to help solve cases like this,” said Sheriff Michael Chapman.

The sheriff announced at the event the implementation of a cold case team – a first in Loudoun County – that will be fully dedicated to bringing justice to families who have waited so long.

There are 17 cold cases the team is looking at, Chapman sad.

“I established that because with as busy as detectives are, they get so busy on the present cases and then it’s hard to go back. As soon as they want to go back they get tied up on another case,” Chapman said. “… It give us a chance to stop, focus and really get working on it.”

William Smith commended the sheriff’s office for the start of a cold case team and the first Child Victim Awareness Day, saying he hopes it can prevent other families from living through the nightmare he and his wife Pamela have endured for the last 10 years with the loss of their youngest child.

“This was something that we were almost surprised with. We’re very impressed,” the father said. “… It was a long time coming.”

The crowds who attended Saturday’s event showed their support for the Smith family, some bringing cards, others flowers.

“Erica was a Christian child and I know she’s very happy with what’s going on here today. I know that’s she’s looking down, smiling from heaven as an angel seeing what’s going on,” William Smith said.

“It’s so sad that something so good could come out of such a horrible tragedy,” he added.

Susan Wong, the mother of two young children, wanted to not only take advantage of the identification program, but to introduce them to law enforcement to reiterate law enforcment are there to help if they ever need it.

For others, the ID program was just another way to protect their children.

“We were on vacation last week in North Carolina and saw a mom who lost sight of her 8-year-old and she was at the beach … So it was just through word of mouth were they looking,” said Matt Micela of Ashburn, the father of a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. “When you have kids it changes your perspective on how the world is.”

Anyone with any information regarding the murder of Erica Smith is asked to call the Loudoun Crime Solvers anonymous tip line at 703-777-1919 or 1-877-777-1931. If this information leads to an arrest and indictment, the caller is entitled to a cash reward.

For more information on the Erica Smith case and for case updates, or to submit a tip online, visit http://www.loudoun.gov/ericasmith.