Nicole Florencia Smith, 32, was fatally shot before dawn on November 19, 2017, at a residence in the 500 block of Rancheria Road on the Manchester Rancheria, tribal land of the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians, roughly four miles north of Point Arena, Mendocino County, California. Smith, a mother of three, was staying at the home — her sister's residence — with several family members, including her young son and a 15-year-old niece, when an unknown assailant fired multiple shots into the house from outside between approximately 4:00 and 5:43 a.m.
One shot struck the niece in the buttocks; she was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, treated, and released. Smith was struck once and died at the scene. Family members inside the home reported hearing a vehicle leave the area rapidly immediately after the shooting, though no vehicle was seen and no description has ever been publicly released. Multiple 911 calls were placed, and family accounts describe a response time of roughly ninety minutes before law enforcement arrived.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office is the lead investigating agency, with assistance from Mendocino County District Attorney's Office investigators and California Department of Justice criminalists, who responded to process the scene. Ramon Soto, 28, was taken into custody in Ukiah the day after the shooting and investigated as a person of interest; he was released without charges due to insufficient evidence, and no arrest has been made in the case to date. The investigation remains open and unsolved, and no public case number has been released.
Smith's family has stated publicly that the Sheriff's Office went extended periods without providing updates on the investigation. A community mural in Point Arena dedicated to Smith has become a focal point for continued public attention to the case as of 2026. A $20,000 reward, offered by the family, is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Tips may be directed to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4611, a family-run tip line at (707) 560-1543, or coldcasemendocino@gmail.com.
