Overview

Date last seen: March 27, 1994
Last-seen area: Soldotna, Alaska, in the Kenai Peninsula region
Probable homicide location: A remote road near Nikiski, Alaska
Suspected disposal location: Cook Inlet, Alaska

Main circumstances: Harold John Enzler, 36, and his girlfriend, Nancy Lee Bellamy, 42, disappeared after leaving the Enzler family residence in an older-model green pickup truck. Authorities later concluded that the couple had been lured to a remote location and shot during a conflict connected to Enzler’s child-custody dispute. Their bodies have never been recovered. Billy Dean Smith was eventually convicted of both murders, while Bruce Brown and Dennis Johnson were convicted for their roles in concealing evidence.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The 1994 Murders of Harold John Enzler and Nancy Bellamy in Alaska

Associated Case: Nancy Bellamy’s Page

Brief Case Summary

Date last seen: March 27, 1994
Last-seen area: Soldotna, Alaska, in the Kenai Peninsula region
Probable homicide location: A remote road near Nikiski, Alaska
Suspected disposal location: Cook Inlet, Alaska

Main circumstances: Harold John Enzler, 36, and his girlfriend, Nancy Lee Bellamy, 42, disappeared after leaving the Enzler family residence in an older-model green pickup truck. Authorities later concluded that the couple had been lured to a remote location and shot during a conflict connected to Enzler’s child-custody dispute. Their bodies have never been recovered. Billy Dean Smith was eventually convicted of both murders, while Bruce Brown and Dennis Johnson were convicted for their roles in concealing evidence.

Harold John Enzler and Nancy Bellamy Disappeared on March 27, 1994

Harold John Enzler and his girlfriend, Nancy Lee Bellamy, were last seen in the Soldotna, Alaska, area on March 27, 1994. Enzler was 36 years old, while Bellamy was 42.

Available missing-person information states that the couple left the home of Enzler’s parents, possibly traveling in an older-model green pickup truck. Neither was seen or heard from again. Enzler’s mother contacted police in mid-April after approximately two weeks had passed without contact from her son.

Enzler is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under NamUs MP61367. Bellamy is listed under NamUs MP61353. Their missing-person records remain relevant because neither victim’s remains have been recovered.

A Bitter Child-Custody Conflict

At the time of the disappearances, Enzler was involved in a contentious child-custody dispute with his former wife, identified in court records as Michelle “Mimi” Holliman. The former couple shared a son, and a custody investigator had reportedly recommended that Enzler receive joint custody.

Holliman was romantically involved with Billy Dean Smith. According to court records, Smith had a hostile relationship with Enzler and had previously threatened him with a firearm. Enzler was also reportedly preparing to seek a restraining order and intended to raise allegations of Smith’s drug use during the custody proceedings.

Because of the existing hostility, Smith was considered a suspect after Enzler and Bellamy vanished. However, investigators initially lacked enough physical evidence to file charges.

Early Tips Named Suspects, but the Case Stalled

During the year following the disappearances, police received tips alleging that Smith and Dennis Johnson had killed Enzler and Bellamy. Investigators did not yet have sufficient corroborating evidence, and the case remained unresolved for several years.

The investigation changed dramatically in August 1997, after Smith was arrested on unrelated drug charges. Police had found a large quantity of cocaine associated with him, and Smith began speaking with investigators about criminal activity on the Kenai Peninsula.

During interviews conducted in late August 1997, Smith initially denied responsibility but eventually said Enzler and Bellamy would never be found because their bodies had been placed in Cook Inlet. In later interviews, he provided a detailed account of the killings and the disposal of evidence.

The Alleged Lure to a Remote Road

According to the account documented in Alaska court decisions, Smith said Bruce Brown—an acquaintance or friend of Enzler—agreed to lure Enzler and Bellamy to a remote road under the pretense of a drug transaction.

Court records identify the location variously as Escape Road or a road in the Marathon Road area near Nikiski. Smith and Dennis Johnson allegedly arrived first and positioned a vehicle with its hood raised to make it appear disabled.

Brown then arrived driving Enzler’s pickup truck, with Enzler and Bellamy inside. Smith approached the vehicle with a handgun and shot both victims.

The detailed sequence comes primarily from Smith’s statements and evidence presented during the resulting prosecutions. Smith later attempted to withdraw or discredit his confession and claimed that investigators had improperly induced him to confess. Courts ultimately rejected his challenges.

Disposal of the Bodies in Cook Inlet

Following the shootings, the victims’ bodies were moved and hidden along an abandoned road, according to the prosecution’s evidence.

Smith stated that he and Johnson later returned to the location. The bodies were allegedly dismembered with an ax, placed in plastic bags and taken by boat into Cook Inlet, where the remains were thrown into the water.

Enzler’s truck was hidden, dismantled and disposed of in pieces. Brown was accused of assisting with the destruction and concealment of the vehicle.

After Brown was arrested, a former jail inmate told investigators that Brown had asked him to dispose of truck parts connected to the Enzler case. Using the directions provided, Alaska State Troopers recovered vehicle components along the Kenai Spur Highway. Some of the parts had been covered with brown primer.

The recovered components helped corroborate portions of Smith’s confession, although the victims’ bodies, the murder weapon and direct biological evidence were not recovered.

Charges and Convictions

On May 1, 1998, a Kenai grand jury indicted Billy Smith, Bruce Brown and Dennis Johnson in connection with the murders and the destruction of evidence.

Brown and Johnson were ultimately convicted of offenses related to concealing or tampering with evidence. During Brown’s sentencing proceedings, the court found that the available evidence supported the conclusion that Brown had participated more extensively than he admitted.

Smith proceeded to trial. A jury convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of tampering with physical evidence. He received an aggregate sentence of 129 years, with 30 years suspended.

The convictions made the Enzler-Bellamy prosecution a notable example of a successful murder case in which the victims’ bodies were never recovered.

Smith’s Appeals and Claims of a False Confession

Smith maintained that his confession was not voluntary. He argued that officers had led him to believe he would receive favorable treatment, employment as a drug informant or even a pardon if he cooperated.

He also claimed that questioning continued after he requested an attorney.

The Alaska courts found that no enforceable promise of leniency had been made and that Smith had not clearly invoked his right to counsel before continuing to speak with investigators. The Alaska Court of Appeals affirmed his convictions in a decision issued on March 25, 2009.

Smith later pursued federal relief. In a November 3, 2020, federal court decision, the court reviewed the confession, trial and appellate history and denied his habeas corpus petition. The ruling left the convictions and sentence in place.

Current Case Status and Most Recent Publicly Available Information

The criminal prosecution is considered solved because Smith was convicted of murdering Enzler and Bellamy. However, the physical recovery portion of the case remains unresolved: neither victim’s remains have been located.

As of the latest publicly accessible records reviewed in July 2026, Enzler continues to appear in missing-person databases under NamUs MP61367, and Bellamy appears under NamUs MP61353. The listings preserve identifying and investigative information in the event that remains or other evidence are discovered.

No publicly documented announcement was located indicating that either victim’s remains have been recovered or that investigators have changed the accepted Cook Inlet disposal theory. The most recent substantial public legal development located was the 2020 federal decision rejecting Smith’s challenge to his convictions.

Information about possible remains, submerged evidence, vehicle parts or activity associated with the Kenai Peninsula and Cook Inlet in March 1994 should be reported to the Alaska State Troopers. The current non-emergency dispatch number for the Kenai Peninsula is 907-262-4453.