Hollywood legend ROBERT REDFORD is hiding a secret heartbreak.
The thug charged with murdering his daughter’s fiancé more than 30 years ago remains free – and authorities are asking readers of The National ENQUIRER to help catch him.
Back in 1983, Shauna Redford, then 22, was engaged to Sid Wells. Both attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, and friends described Sid as “a clean-cut, all-American boy.”
But on Aug. 1, the journalism student was found lying in a pool of blood, with a shotgun blast to the back of his head, at a condo his parents owned.
Sid had rented the home to Thayne Alan Smika, but Smika had fallen behind on his rent payments. After giving elusive and conflicting accounts to police, Smika was arrested. But he was not indicted due to lack of evidence.
Recalling the tragic aftermath, Sid’s mother, June Menger, said: “Shauna quit college. She grieved in ways that I can’t even imagine.”
Sadly, June died last year after a battle with cancer.
Robert had befriended Sid, and left the set of “The Natural” to attend his funeral.
Years later, the Oscar-winning actor described the tragedy as “like a partially opened door with a very dark room behind it.”
Finally, in 2010, through the tireless work of cold case detectives, enough evidence was unearthed to file a first-degree murder warrant against Smika.
A Boulder police spokesperson told The ENQUIRER: “Several years ago we investigated a reported sighting of Smika in the Ventura, Calif., area. He was supposedly working as a plumber and was reported to have been seen in a Home Depot there.”
Cops went to California, and spoke to employees of Home Depot and plumbing supply stores.
“We showed them photos of Smika, but no one was able to confirm having seen him. We also received a tip that Smika may be living in Mexico, but the witness who reported that has since died,” the spokesperson added.
Boulder police have given The ENQUIRER sketches of Smika’s possible age-enhanced appearance.
Authorities said Smika may be working in the real estate or financial industry. He speaks Spanish and has been known to use the alias, “Thaymes Micah.”
The FBI has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture and conviction.
