Lou Smit was born on 14 April 1935 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He was married to Barbara Ann de Ruiter. He died on 11 August 2010 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
He is a police detective who is best known for his investigation in the unsolved JonBenet Ramsey murder case. He helped solve the murder of 13 year old Heather Dawn Church in 1991 by arresting Robert C. Browne in 1995 who confessed to her and 47 other murders.