Community Unveils Giant Tile Mural To Remember Terry Smith Jr.

After raising more than $2,500 to aide in the search efforts of Terry Smith Jr., volunteers had some money left over. So they decided to create a memorial to the 11-year-old boy who will never be coming back home.

The permanently installed giant tile memorial mural was unveiled Friday night at Menifee Market in front of more than 100 people, many of them volunteers who helped search for the missing boy who was found dead in a shallow grave at his home located just a few hundred feet from the market.

The mural is hung on the market’s exterior wall, near its entrance.

Colorful and uplifting, the mural features 398 4”x4” ceramic tiles, each one individually painted by community members, officials and search volunteers. Painted Earth in Menifee provided all the materials and they baked the tiles; the store charged $3 apiece.

The tiles surround a plaque crafted by Sun City Granite that reads:

Remembering Terry Smith

Honoring how this young boy brought a community together

To console those who mourn … to give them beauty

Sarah Reid said she and other volunteers felt the tile mosaic best represents the impact Terry had on the community.

“Nothing made sense as to where the money should go except a mural,” said Reid, who was selected to lead efforts on the ground.

Of the approximately $2,500 that was raised for the search effort, about $750 was left over, Reid continued, noting that anyone who wants to see an exact accounting of how the money was spent can reach out to her on Facebook at Remembering Terry Smith Jr. The page was created during the search effort, but its name was changed as events turned tragic.