What started as a stranger’s kind gesture would unravel into one of Florida’s most horrific child murder cases. This is the full story—disturbing, tragic, and all too real.

Jacksonville, Florida — June 21st, 2013.

It was just another humid summer evening. For Rain Perrywinkle, a struggling mother trying to scrape together enough money to buy her daughter a new dress, it was the beginning of a nightmare that would haunt her—and the nation—forever.

Cherish Lily Perrywinkle, just 8 years old, was all smiles that day. Sweet, creative, and endlessly energetic, she was preparing to board a flight the next morning to visit her father in California. But first, Rain wanted her little girl to feel special—to have a new outfit for the trip. With just a few dollars to her name, she took her daughters to a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, not knowing that a predator was watching.

The Man Who Seemed “Too Good to Be True”

He said his name was Don. He approached Rain and offered help. Claimed his wife had a $150 Walmart gift card. Said he understood the struggle of raising kids. Promised no strings attached—just kindness.

“He looked into my face and told me I was safe,” Rain would later say.

With a van and a promise, Don led the family to a Walmart. Inside, they shopped for hours. But the only thing he put in his cart? A length of rope.

9:20 PM: “I’m Going to McDonald’s”

Don mouthed the words, asked what the kids wanted to eat. Rain sent her daughter with him to grab cheeseburgers. Cameras caught the moment: Cherish, bright-eyed, skipped alongside him.

She would never be seen alive again.

As minutes ticked by, Rain began to panic. The McDonald’s was closed. Her phone wasn’t working. She screamed through the aisles of Walmart, begging someone—anyone—to call 911.

But help came too late.

A Van, a Man, and an Amber Alert Too Late

For more than six agonizing hours, the case wasn’t treated as an abduction. Walmart security footage clearly showed Don—later identified as 56-year-old Donald James Smith—walking out with Cherish. Yet the Amber Alert wouldn’t be issued until nearly 4 a.m.

By then, precious time had slipped through the cracks.

Who Was Donald Smith? The Alarming History of a “Registered Monster”

A convicted sex offender, Donald Smith had been released from prison just three weeks earlier. His rap sheet spanned nearly four decades: child abuse, attempted kidnapping, molestation. He was considered so dangerous that a risk assessment labeled him likely to reoffend immediately.

Florida let him go anyway.

And just as the experts predicted—he struck again.

9:00 AM: A Wet Man, a White Van, and a Horrifying Discovery

Police spotted Smith’s white Dodge van and surrounded it. He was soaking wet. K-9 officer Charlie Wilkey took one look and said what no one wanted to hear:

“Oh my God. She’s in the water.”

Twenty minutes later, behind a quiet Jacksonville church, officers found her. Cherish’s small body lay partially submerged in a shallow creek. Her hair floated in the current. Her flowered dress had been discarded nearby.

She had been bound, sexually assaulted, strangled.

“He Showed No Remorse” — Inside the Interrogation Room

Donald Smith sat in the police interview room in silence. He refused to speak. Fell asleep. Smirked.

To Officer Wilkey, it was clear: “It was almost like… ‘You caught me. But you didn’t stop me.’”

A Broken System, A Family Shattered

This case wasn’t just about one monster. It was about a system that freed a serial predator despite years of red flags. It was about a mother trying to do something kind for her child—and paying the ultimate price.

Cherish Perrywinkle was not just a name in a headline. She was a sister, a daughter, a bright spark in a hard world.

What Happens When the Warnings Are Ignored?

Donald Smith never should have been out of prison. But he was. And in just a few hours, he turned a desperate mother’s trust into tragedy.

If You Think This Can’t Happen Again — Think Again

In the wake of Cherish’s murder, Florida re-examined its policies. But how many other Donald Smiths are out there, walking free?

How many more children have to die before someone listens?

📌 Read. Remember. Share.
This isn’t just a story. It’s a warning.
Never forget the name: Cherish Lily Perrywinkle.
She was 8 years old. She loved art, bicycles, and being outside.
And one man—who should’ve never been free—took everything from her.