Avery Vernie Shorts

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Knoxville Police Department (TN)

Offense Location:

Knoxville, Tennessee

Summary:

On December 26, 1980, 6-year-old Avery "Peaches" Shorts left her home in Knoxville, Tennessee with 58 cents in her pocket. A little over a year later on Jan. 23, 1982 Peaches body was found buried under a cattle chute off of Singleton Station Rd. in Blount County. Reed died a couple of years ago, never giving up any information he may have had. The case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On December 26, 1980, 6-year-old Avery "Peaches" Shorts left her home in Knoxville, Tennessee with 58 cents in her pocket. Peaches then told her mother "Mama, I love you" before leaving to get a soft drink around 3:30 p.m. Before she left the home her mother, Hazel Smith, made sure her coat was buttoned up and her shoes were tied. On the way to the store which was a 15 minute round trip Peaches stopped and played and by 5, she got to the store. Her mother states that she talked to the store and they stated she got there around 5 and 50 minutes later she called the police. The police department did not assign a detective until the next day. Lieutenant Jim Winston was assigned to the case and in recent interviews states the time lag may have hurt the case. It was believed that she was first strangled by hand and then had the wire wrapped around her neck to either finish up the job or to make sure she was dead. The wire was believed to have been found by the killer where her body was buried. Her coat was still buttoned up and the hair ties were still in her hair it's not believed that the murderer sexually abused her.

Additional Details:

A few minutes before she left Mitch Reed came to the home. He asked Hazel if he could move in with her. Hazel stated she'd think about it. He was irritated about the rejection and knew she spent the night before with another man. She asked if she can borrow some money so Peaches can get a soda. He left 58 cents on the table and left. The two weren't dating, but he wanted to. He spent the summer driving her and her kids around and spent money on clothes and a camera. Police only had the suspect and that was Mitch Reed. Her body was found a 15-minute drive from her home and a mile from his parent's home. There was no evidence though that could convict. In 1985, Reed was sent to prison after being convicted of burglary of a rental shop. He was in prison for 15 years. In 2002, he faced a judge again when he pleaded guilty of a misdemeanor assault on a child. Reed died in a nursing home in 2010. He was also a suspect in the 1979 strangulation murder of 62-year-old Emma Brewer. Her case is also still unsolved. The search went past midnight and grew to include over 100 volunteers. The police chief went on to assign a twelve man task force. Deputies, rescue squad and dogs also joined the search. They even consulted a local physic.

Case Last Updated:

Apr 24, 2026