Irma Jane Smith was murdered during the overnight shift at the Shore Stop convenience store at Route 13 and Cherry Street in Salisbury, Maryland. In the early morning of May 12, 1994, officers were called at about 1:54 a.m. and found Ms. Smith had been stabbed multiple times. The initial investigation treated the attack as a robbery that went wrong.

Witnesses described two men seen near the store around the time of the killing. One was seen inside the store at about 1:30 a.m.: a Black male, about 30, roughly 6 feet tall and 230 pounds, with a light mustache, wearing a baseball-style hat, brown work pants, and a work jacket. Another man was seen using the payphone outside: a Black male, about 28, about 5 feet 10 inches and 165 pounds, with a very clean appearance and a mustache; it was unclear whether he was a witness or a lookout.

No arrests were publicly announced and the case remains unsolved.