Arrest made in 2012 cold case murder in Santa Cruz County

By Tim Fang

More than a decade after a man was found fatally shot in a Santa Cruz County home, authorities have announced an arrest in the case.

According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, detectives arrested 63-year-old Colin Sean Tisdale on Friday in connection in the 2012 death of Jeffrey Stephen Smith.

“This arrest marks the culmination of a thirteen-year investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

On the morning of Aug. 16, 2012, deputies and medical personnel were called to a home on Nicasio Way in Soquel on reports of a man suffering from a gunshot wound.

When deputies arrived, they located Smith alive and critically injured. Despite medical efforts, Smith succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Deputies said detectives recently obtained an arrest warrant for Tisdale on the charge of murder. Tisdale was already housed at the Santa Cruz County Jail on unrelated charges.