Unattended Death and Biohazard Cleanup in Smithville, MS

Smithville is an incorporated town in northern Monroe County, Mississippi, whose motto is "Dig in and grow with us."

The 2020 census counted 509 people in Smithville, down from 942 in 2010, a drop of 46.0 percent.

Smithville is located on lands purchased from Chickasaw chief Che-lah-cha-chubby in 1836, was named for William Smith, an early settler who established a store at the site around 1840, and was incorporated in 1845.

The town is situated along the east bank of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, with the waterway's Glover Wilkins Lock just downstream, and Mississippi Highway 25 traverses Smithville, connecting it with Fulton to the north and Amory to the south.

On April 27, 2011, an EF5 tornado struck Smithville with winds estimated to have peaked at 205 miles per hour, killing 16 people and injuring 40.

The tornado destroyed Smithville's city hall, post office, police station, and four churches, and an SUV was lofted and thrown a half mile into the town's water tower.

In Monroe County alone, 117 structures were destroyed and 50 more sustained major damage from the storm before the tornado continued into Itawamba County.

The 2000 census counted 365 households in Smithville.

Smithville High School won 1A football state championships in 1993 and 1998, its softball team won 1A state championships in 2008, 2011, and 2012, and its band has won two state marching championships.

Notable people from Smithville include Rod Brasfield, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and former member of the Grand Ole Opry, and Mississippi Slim, a country singer and former member of the Grand Ole Opry.