Mary Byrne Smith Returns Home

By Pat Peterson Reporter

M60o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Mary Byrne Smith Returns Home

Published: Thu, August 02, 2007 - 3:08 pm
Last Updated: Tue, August 21, 2007 - 11:02 pm

Pat Peterson

The wife of a Summerdale pastor missing for over four months has returned to Baldwin County. Mary Byrne Smith appeared nervous, but physically healthy when she met with reporters at a Fairhope press conference Thursday morning. The mother of two and kindergarten teacher did not speak to reporters or answer any questions. Smith's attorney, Robert Stankoski, spoke on her behalf.

"Reuniting with her children because of her love and affection is the reason Mrs. Smith returned home," says Stankoski.

Stankoski says Smith had been living and working in New York for several months before returning to Baldwin County this week.

"In fact, Smith was holding three different jobs through the week and on the weekend."

Smith's husband, Pastor Jason Smith, or her family, could not be reached for comment.

"Mrs. Smith realizes that she made a serious mistake in judgment by leaving under the circumstances causing great concern to her family and friends," says Stankoski.

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ditto, levis (08/04/07),this is my last comment on the subject. The Lord knows, I have enough of my own issues to deal with, my prayers are with you Mrs. Smith and your family.

Posted by dixieeagle on 08/07/07 - 10:35 am • Report Abuse

I’m curious about the comment about if the preacher gets divorced he will lose his job. I once attended a Baptist church where the preacher got divorced and he didn’t lose his job. He’s still there in fact. So why would her husband lose his job?

Posted by Karen on 08/06/07 - 1:30 pm • Report Abuse

There are more important things for people out there to dwell on, leave this one alone! You have to ask yourself “ What If This Was You” and your family has told the world that you had a problem with drugs and were mentally not stable, would you have come back and faced this ? apperently she loves her children alot more than your giving her credit for, she came back despite having to face all of you, not just her friends and family! You never know what goes on in someone elses house, she had to have good reason to leave in the first place and its not anyones business but hers!

Posted by levis on 08/04/07 - 7:21 am • Report Abuse

Her family could at least go on record thanking the public for all of their support, and then ask us to give them some time to sort this out. The public and media’s support of them is what brought her home in the first place. She didn’t come home until she got caught requesting her teaching certificate to teach in New York, so even a week ago, she had no intention of coming back. Now all of the sudden, “it is none of the public’s business?” The family made it our business by reporting extremely personal details about her life in the first place.

Posted by just a concerned citizen on 08/03/07 - 3:47 pm • Report Abuse

Her family sure wanted the “public” to pray for her and help find her when she was gone. Now that she’s back and there are so many questions, her friends and family can’t just expect people to forget about this case that has been in the news so much, even the national news.

Posted by Karen on 08/03/07 - 3:20 pm • Report Abuse

Some people say what she did is not the public’s business but if she plans to go back into the classroom that is the business of anyone who has a child that might have her for a teacher. She left her own kids behind to wonder what happened to her. So why should the state of Alabama entrust other people’s kids to her now? I’m glad she was found and I hope she gets the help she needs, but I wouldn’t want my kid to have her as a teacher.

Posted by Karen on 08/03/07 - 3:18 pm • Report Abuse

Mrs. Smith is an adult woman, her choices are her own and she has no obligations to the public regarding “explanations,"what-so-ever.Judging her definitely is not the place of the public. I say leave her be and she might be able to get her life back in some kind of order, and to the suprise of “all of the critics,” you might even approve of it!

Posted by dixieeagle on 08/03/07 - 12:48 pm • Report Abuse

beth, i do not think that you should read the negative comments people are saying about you. believe me i know what you are and were going through. the people in this town are so nosy and love to judge because they are so bored and have nothing else to do. they also don’t admit to any problem they may have in their personal lives, they just spend time judging others to make themselves feel better. keep your head up!

Posted by haleybugg on 08/03/07 - 9:23 am • Report Abuse

Ms. Smith doesn’t owe the public an explanation. She broke no law and her reasons are her own. Sometimes news can become gossip.

Posted by bb on 08/03/07 - 5:56 am • Report Abuse

The comment was made that men do this ALL the time, but the thing is they usually dont come back and say “Oh I love and miss my kids”. First off a GOOD mother would have NEVER ever walked off from her children no matter what the circumstances are. all she had to do was tell SOMEONE. I can’t imagine the emotional damage she has done to those children, our children hear every single day in school that they are responsible for their own actions and there are consequences to those actions. This woman needs help. Maybe her husband will have her examined (let’s hope)

Posted by BelleInBama on 08/03/07 - 2:17 am • Report Abuse