Angela Miller

Title

A Life of Service Ended by Family Violence: The Disappearance of Sister Angela Miller

Author

Benjamin Hayes

Publication Date

July 17, 2025

In the quiet neighborhood of West Scranton, Pennsylvania, a duplex house on Washburn Street held both love and terror within its walls. On one side lived Sister Angela Miller, a 76-year-old nun whose life had been dedicated to education, faith, and caring for others. On the other side lived her sister Rosemary Smith and nephew Alan Smith, a family relationship that had become increasingly strained and dangerous. What unfolded on April 28, 2018, would shock a community and leave behind a mystery that continues to haunt those who knew and loved Sister Angela.

The tragic events of that spring morning began with an act of courage and ended with an act of unspeakable violence. Two women, bound by blood and faith, had finally found the strength to seek legal protection from a man whose behavior had become increasingly erratic and threatening. Their decision to file protection from abuse orders would trigger a deadly confrontation that would claim multiple lives and leave one victim missing, her fate known only to the perpetrator who took his secrets to the grave.

A Life Dedicated to Service

Sister Angela Marie Miller was born on February 19, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Alec and Clare Koshinski Miller. From an early age, she felt called to religious life, entering the Poor Sisters of Jesus Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother on September 8, 1961. She made her temporary profession of vows on August 2, 1964, and her final profession on August 2, 1967, taking the religious name Sister M. Alexa.

For two decades, Sister Angela served as an educator throughout the northeastern United States. As a Sister of Jesus Crucified, she taught in schools across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, including institutions in East Hartford, South Boston, Ashland, Carbondale, Frackville, Girardville, and Tamaqua. Her commitment to education and her natural ability to connect with young people made her a beloved figure wherever she served.

In 1983, Sister Angela made a significant transition in her religious life, joining the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Scranton. She was formally incorporated into the IHM Congregation on May 31, 1986, beginning a new chapter in her ministry that would take her beyond Pennsylvania's borders and into the hearts of countless students and families.

The Baltimore Years

Sister Angela's most memorable ministry took place during her six years of service in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1983 to 1989. She served as a middle school teacher at St. Rita Elementary School in Dundalk, where she quickly became known as "the cool nun" among her students. Her approach to religious life was refreshingly authentic and approachable, breaking down the mystique that often surrounded religious sisters.

Deacon Paul Mann, who worked alongside Sister Angela at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Essex, Maryland, remembered her fondly. "The kids loved her because she was the cool nun, the fun nun," he recalled. "Most religious have the air of mystique about them. She would just be real." Sister Angela also served as co-moderator of the parish's high school youth group, working with Deacon Mann and his wife Irene to guide young people in their faith journey.

Father C. Lou Martin, who was assigned to St. Rita Church during Sister Angela's tenure there, described her as someone who naturally reached out to those on the margins. "She was the kind of person who would reach out to people on the fringe," he said. "She was very energetic, just a go-get-it kind of person." Her ministry extended beyond the classroom as she involved herself in various parish activities and community outreach programs.

After her service in Baltimore, Sister Angela maintained strong connections with the community she had served. She would return every few years to visit friends and fellow religious sisters, staying at St. Rita and reconnecting with the many lives she had touched. "She'd skip a year or two and then show up and it was like no time had passed," Irene Mann remembered.

A Calling Back Home

Following her ministry in Baltimore, Sister Angela returned to Pennsylvania to continue her educational work. She taught at St. Anthony of Padua Elementary School in Preston, Pennsylvania, from 1989 to 1999, once again demonstrating her dedication to nurturing young minds and spirits. However, her service to the Church was always balanced with her deep commitment to family.

When her aging parents needed care, Sister Angela made the difficult but loving decision to live outside the traditional convent setting. She obtained permission from her religious community to maintain her own residence so she could provide care for her mother and father in their final years. This decision reflected the compassionate nature that had defined her entire life, putting the needs of others before her own comfort and convenience.

After her parents passed away, Sister Angela could have returned to convent life, but she chose to remain in the family home. She had grown attached to the Washburn Street duplex and wanted to stay close to her sister Rosemary, who lived on the other side of the building with her son Alan. What was intended as an arrangement that would allow the sisters to support each other in their later years would ultimately lead to tragedy.

The Growing Darkness

Alan Smith, Sister Angela's nephew, had a troubled history that created an atmosphere of fear and tension in what should have been a peaceful family home. Born in 1969, he had struggled with various personal and legal issues throughout his adult life. His criminal record included disturbing incidents that should have served as warning signs of the violence to come.

In 2007, Smith pleaded guilty to charges of stalking two teenagers and possessing child pornography, crimes that revealed deeply troubling aspects of his character. He was also a suspect in the 2005 death of Joseph Morrison, though he was never charged in connection with that case. These incidents, combined with what family members described as increasingly erratic behavior, created an environment of fear and unpredictability.

As a convicted felon, Smith was legally prohibited from possessing firearms, yet this restriction would prove meaningless when his violence finally erupted. His history of mental health issues, combined with what appeared to be escalating anger and threats, had pushed both his mother and aunt to the breaking point.

Rosemary Smith, who had worked as an employee at the IHM Center for 17 years, found herself living in fear of her own son. The woman who had brought him into the world and raised him had watched him transform into someone she no longer recognized, someone whose threats and behavior had become so alarming that she felt compelled to seek legal protection.

Sister Angela, despite her vocation of compassion and forgiveness, had also reached the conclusion that legal intervention was necessary. The woman who had spent her life helping troubled youth and reaching out to those on the margins found herself unable to reach her own nephew, whose behavior had become increasingly threatening and unpredictable.

The Protection Orders

By late April 2018, both women had made the difficult decision to seek emergency protection from abuse orders against Alan Smith. These legal documents, commonly known as PFA orders, are designed to provide protection for victims of domestic violence by legally requiring the abuser to stay away from their victims and prohibiting contact.

In her PFA petition, Rosemary Smith painted a terrifying picture of life with her son. She wrote that she feared for her safety because of his "terroristic threats" and detailed how he had said "he was going to kill me and my family and neighbors." The desperation in her words reflected the reality of living with someone whose behavior had become so threatening that she feared for her life and the lives of others.

Sister Angela's PFA petition was equally chilling. She described Smith as having "mental outbursts of yelling, cursing, and threatening to harm" and noted his "deep anger issues with psychotic episodes." For a woman who had dedicated her life to seeing the good in people and helping those in need, the decision to seek legal protection against her own nephew must have been agonizing.

The protection orders were granted, but they would arrive too late to save either woman. Smith already had another PFA against him from a previous incident involving an ex-girlfriend, filed in August 2017. That earlier order had also prohibited him from possessing weapons, but like many domestic violence victims, the women would discover that a piece of paper offers little protection against someone determined to commit violence.

The Morning of Horror

On the morning of April 28, 2018, Scranton police officers arrived at 2114-2116 Washburn Street to serve the emergency protection from abuse orders to Alan Smith. What they encountered was a scene of unimaginable violence that would forever change multiple families and shock a community.

Police believe that Smith had already murdered both his mother and his aunt sometime between 9:30 PM on Friday, April 27, and 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 28. When officers arrived to serve the legal papers, they were met not with compliance but with deadly force.

Smith opened fire on the police officers with a shotgun, forcing them to take cover and call for backup. As the standoff began, Smith made the decision to destroy the evidence of his crimes by setting multiple fires throughout the house. The flames quickly engulfed the duplex, creating a dangerous situation for both the officers and any potential victims inside.

The gunfire exchange was brief but intense, with Smith firing at least three shots at the responding officers before the smoke and flames made further resistance impossible. When firefighters were finally able to enter the charred remains of the home, they discovered the bodies of both Alan Smith and Rosemary Smith.

Alan Smith had died from smoke inhalation and burns, and his death was ruled a suicide. Rosemary Smith was found to have died from a gunshot wound to the head, and her death was classified as a homicide. However, despite extensive searching through the burned-out structure, there was no sign of Sister Angela Miller.

The Desperate Search

The absence of Sister Angela's body from the fire scene immediately raised alarming questions. Had she escaped? Was she hiding somewhere? Or had something more sinister occurred? The discovery of what appeared to be blood in the trunk of Rosemary Smith's dark blue 2015 Subaru Crosstrek, which had been parked in the driveway, provided a horrifying answer.

Police Chief Carl Graziano explained the department's theory: they believed that Alan Smith had killed Sister Angela first, used his mother's car to transport her body to an unknown location, then returned to the house to kill his mother before the police arrived to serve the protection orders.

The search for Sister Angela's body became a community-wide effort that demonstrated the profound impact she had made during her 76 years of life. On May 11, 2018, more than 300 volunteers gathered at McDade Park to assist Scranton Police in a widespread search of West Scranton. The volunteers, many of whom had never met Sister Angela but were moved by her story, spent hours combing through difficult terrain in hopes of bringing closure to her family and religious community.

The search areas were selected based on accessibility and concealment factors. Police determined that Smith had approximately nine hours between the time he likely committed the murders and when police arrived at the scene. During this window, he could have transported Sister Angela's body to any number of locations within a reasonable driving distance of Scranton.

Teams of volunteers searched wooded areas, abandoned buildings, and remote locations throughout West Scranton and the surrounding areas. Pennsylvania State Police provided helicopter support, and specially trained dogs were brought in to assist with the search. Despite these extensive efforts, no trace of Sister Angela was found.

The unsuccessful search was heartbreaking for everyone involved, but it demonstrated the extraordinary impact Sister Angela had made on her community. Laura Smith, Sister Angela's niece, was moved by the turnout. "They were always such loving women, and seeing all these people, you know they've touched so many people. It's amazing," she said.

The Investigation Continues

As the search for Sister Angela's body continued, investigators worked to piece together the timeline of events and gather evidence about what had happened during those crucial hours. The burned-out house was thoroughly examined multiple times, with investigators, firefighters, and specially trained dogs searching through the debris for any sign of Sister Angela.

The investigation revealed disturbing details about Smith's final hours. Forensic analysis of the scene and witness statements helped police reconstruct the likely sequence of events. They believe Smith first attacked and killed Sister Angela, possibly during the evening of April 27 or early morning hours of April 28. He then used his mother's Subaru to transport her body to an unknown location, returning to the house to await the arrival of police.

When Rosemary Smith realized what her son had done, or when she attempted to intervene, Smith killed her as well. The gunshot wound to her head suggested that her death was quick, though investigators could only speculate about her final moments and whether she knew the fate that had befallen her sister.

The investigation also revealed the extent of Smith's preparation for the confrontation with police. The multiple fires set throughout the house were clearly intended to destroy evidence and create chaos. His decision to engage in a shootout with police officers suggested that he had no intention of surrendering or facing justice for his crimes.

A Community Mourns

The disappearance of Sister Angela Miller sent shockwaves through multiple communities. The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary lost not only a beloved member of their congregation but also a valued employee in Rosemary Smith, who had worked at the IHM Center for 17 years.

Sister Ellen Maroney, president of the IHM congregation, struggled to find words adequate to express the community's grief. "We are deeply grieved at the horrific and heartbreaking situation which took the lives of our Sister Angela Miller; her sister, Rose Smith, our employee at the IHM Center for 17 years; and her son, Alan," she said in a statement.

The tragedy was particularly painful for a religious community that had long been involved in domestic violence awareness and prevention efforts. For more than 15 years, the Sisters of IHM had worked to raise awareness about domestic violence, supporting organizations like the Women's Resource Center and participating in initiatives like the Empty Place at the Table campaign.

Memorial services were held at the IHM Center Chapel at Marywood University, where hundreds of people gathered to pray for Sister Angela and Rosemary. The services included recitation of the rosary, a prayer particularly meaningful to those grieving violent death. As Sister Jean Louise Bachetti noted, the prayer's words "pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death" offered comfort not just for their own mortality, but for the tragic circumstances of their loved ones' deaths.

The Legal Resolution

Nearly three years after Sister Angela's disappearance, her family and religious community made the difficult decision to seek a legal declaration of death. Under Pennsylvania law, a person is typically presumed dead after seven years of absence, but the law allows for earlier declarations when there is sufficient evidence of death.

On February 16, 2021, Lackawanna County Judge Vito Geroulo found that there was sufficient evidence to justify declaring Sister Angela Miller dead, even though she had been missing for less than three years. The hearing, conducted virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions, lasted approximately 20 minutes.

Sister Ellen Maroney testified about the investigation into Sister Angela's disappearance and the unsuccessful efforts to find her body. "No further evidence was ever uncovered, to my knowledge, as to Angela's whereabouts," she told the court. The declaration, while bringing a sense of legal closure, also represented an acknowledgment that Sister Angela would likely never be found.

"God bless you," Judge Geroulo told members of Sister Angela's family after announcing his decision. The simple blessing carried the weight of a community's grief and the recognition that some wounds may never fully heal.

The Broader Impact

The tragedy of Sister Angela Miller's disappearance extends far beyond the immediate loss of life. Her case has become part of the broader conversation about domestic violence, the limitations of legal protections, and the particular vulnerabilities faced by elderly victims.

The fact that Alan Smith had multiple protection orders against him, yet still had access to firearms, highlights the gaps that exist in the system designed to protect domestic violence victims. Despite being a convicted felon and being subject to weapons restrictions, Smith was able to obtain a shotgun and use it to commit multiple murders.

The case also illustrates the complex family dynamics that can trap victims of domestic violence. Sister Angela and Rosemary Smith were not in romantic relationships with their abuser, but rather were trapped by family ties and, in Sister Angela's case, by her compassionate nature and sense of duty to help her troubled nephew.

For the religious community, Sister Angela's death represented a particular kind of loss. She was someone who had dedicated her life to serving others, reaching out to those on the margins, and finding the good in difficult people. The irony that her compassion and family loyalty may have contributed to her victimization adds another layer of tragedy to her story.

A Legacy of Service

Despite the horrific circumstances of her death, Sister Angela Miller's legacy remains one of service, education, and compassion. Her decades of work as an educator touched countless lives, and the testimony of those who knew her reveals someone who made a lasting impact on everyone she encountered.

Her former students at St. Rita School in Baltimore remember her as the nun who broke down barriers and made faith accessible. Her fellow religious sisters remember her as someone who balanced her commitment to religious life with deep family loyalty. Her colleagues in education remember her as an energetic, dedicated teacher who genuinely cared about her students' success.

The massive volunteer search effort organized in her honor demonstrated the ripple effects of a life well-lived. Hundreds of people who had never met Sister Angela were moved to spend their time searching for her because they understood that someone who had given so much to others deserved every effort to bring her home.

The Mystery Continues

More than six years after Sister Angela Miller's disappearance, her body has never been found. The nine-hour window that Alan Smith had to dispose of her remains means that she could be anywhere within a substantial radius of Scranton. Seasonal changes, natural decomposition, and the passage of time have likely made the discovery of her remains increasingly unlikely.

For her family, religious community, and the broader Scranton area, the absence of her body means that closure remains elusive. There can be no funeral in the traditional sense, no grave to visit, no final resting place where her loved ones can go to remember her life and pray for her soul.

The Scranton Police Department has indicated that they would continue to investigate any new leads or information that might emerge, but the case has largely moved from active investigation to cold case status. The destruction of potential evidence in the house fire, combined with the death of the only person who knew where Sister Angela's body was placed, has left investigators with few avenues to pursue.

Remembering Sister Angela

In the years since her disappearance, Sister Angela Miller has been remembered not as a victim of violence, but as someone whose life exemplified the best qualities of human nature. Her obituary, published by her religious community, focuses not on the circumstances of her death but on her years of service and the lives she touched.

The memorial services held in her honor emphasized her joy, kindness, spirit, generosity, and simple goodness. Friends and neighbors shared stories of how she had touched their lives through small acts of kindness and her genuine interest in their wellbeing. These testimonies paint a picture of someone who lived her religious vocation not just as a profession but as a calling to serve others.

Her former students, now adults with children of their own, remember her as the teacher who made learning fun and faith accessible. Her religious sisters remember her as someone who brought energy and authenticity to community life. Her family remembers her as someone who sacrificed her own comfort to care for aging parents and who tried, even in the face of her nephew's increasingly disturbing behavior, to find a way to help him.

A Call for Justice and Awareness

Sister Angela Miller's disappearance serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing crisis of domestic violence in American society. According to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an average of 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. While Sister Angela was not abused by an intimate partner, her case demonstrates that domestic violence can take many forms and affect victims across all demographic categories.

The failure of legal protections to prevent her death highlights the need for more comprehensive approaches to domestic violence prevention. Protection from abuse orders are important tools, but they are only effective when properly enforced and when other support systems are in place to help victims escape dangerous situations.

For elderly victims like Sister Angela and Rosemary Smith, the challenges can be even greater. Financial dependence, family loyalty, physical limitations, and social isolation can make it particularly difficult for older adults to escape abusive situations. Sister Angela's case shows how compassion and a sense of duty can sometimes place victims at greater risk.

The Enduring Mystery

The disappearance of Sister Angela Miller remains one of Pennsylvania's most tragic missing persons cases. Her story encompasses elements of family violence, failed systems, heroic community response, and enduring mystery. While her body may never be found, her impact on the world continues through the lives she touched and the awareness her tragedy has brought to the issue of domestic violence.

For true crime enthusiasts, her case represents the frustrating reality that not all mysteries have satisfying conclusions. Sometimes the only person who knows the truth takes that knowledge to the grave, leaving families and communities to struggle with unanswered questions and unresolved grief.

For advocates against domestic violence, Sister Angela's story serves as a reminder that violence can strike anyone, anywhere, regardless of their strength, education, or support systems. Her case demonstrates the need for continued vigilance, improved legal protections, and comprehensive support for victims of family violence.

For the religious community, Sister Angela Miller represents both the vulnerability and the strength of those called to serve others. Her willingness to live outside the traditional safety of convent life in order to care for family members exemplifies the selfless nature of religious vocation, even as it may have contributed to her victimization.

Today, the duplex on Washburn Street stands as a silent reminder of the events of April 28, 2018. The physical structure has been repaired, but the emotional scars on the community remain. Neighbors remember the sound of gunshots and sirens, the sight of flames consuming the home, and the massive search efforts that followed.

Sister Angela Miller's story continues to resonate because it represents both the best and worst of human nature. Her life exemplified compassion, service, and family loyalty. Her death demonstrated the devastating consequences of untreated mental illness, inadequate legal protections, and domestic violence. Her disappearance reminds us that some questions may never be answered, but that the search for justice and truth must continue nonetheless.

In the end, Sister Angela Miller will be remembered not for how she died, but for how she lived. Her 76 years on earth were marked by dedication to education, service to others, and unwavering faith. While her body remains missing, her spirit lives on in the countless lives she touched and in the continued efforts of those who refuse to let her story be forgotten.

Sources

Benjamin Hayes

Benjamin Hayes is a blogger with a passion for true crime and unresolved mysteries. In his free time, Benjamin is an avid hiker and photographer. He finds solace and inspiration in nature, often trekking through the scenic trails of the Appalachian Mountains.