Man indicted for murder of Valley woman

ANCHORAGE — A grand jury issued an indictment Wednesday against the former boyfriend of a woman missing for nearly four years before her body was found February in a wooded area off the Seward Highway.

According to court records, Simon Douglas Smith, 34, was charged with first-degree murder.

Smith’s name came up in numerous court documents that dealt with the disappearance of Nichole Millsaps, who was 26 when she was reported missing in late May 2010.

Joe Reese, who was facing charges related to a Valley meth lab, was told that charges would be dropped if he led Alaska State Troopers to Millsaps. Reese pointed the finger at Smith, saying that Smith and Millsaps drove to the Kenai Peninsula to catch a ferry out of state.

As it turned out, Reese told investigators, they never caught the ferry. Smith came back to Anchorage and Millsaps never returned.

Reese’s information did not lead troopers to Millsaps and prosecutors trudged ahead with his meth lab charges. He died before the case reached a conclusion.

It was a hiker who eventually found Millsaps remains south of Anchorage along the Seward Highway, in an area off of Boretide Road.

Prior to his indictment for Millsaps’ murder, Smith had been charged in federal court with 14 counts relating to manufacturing meth. That case is still pending.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.