Barbara Stolfe says her sister Nancy Smith had a zeal for life. Her beaming smile lit up rooms, and she loved music and dancing.

“When I think of her, I hope that she’s dancing and her music is blaring,” Stolfe said. “My parents are probably screaming at her, ‘turn it down, it’s too loud.’ And that’s how I think I’d like to remember her – just with a smile and happy.”

When Stolfe had her son, Adam, her sister was a huge presence in his life. She would spend hours babysitting him, adoring the time she spent with him. 

“When she would drive over, Adam would open the door and yell ‘Nay-Nay,’ and Nancy would roll down the window and yell ‘Bay-Bay!'” she said. 

Nothing could’ve prepared the family for Dec. 5, 2001. 

That day, Smith was found by her parents dead in her home of an apparent homicide. She was only 32 years old. The town of New Windsor Police Department began an investigation and for nearly 25 years, the family waited to find out who killed Smith.

With recent updates in DNA evidence, police finally landed a solid lead earlier this year connected to a former Dutchess County resident living in South Carolina. But just days after police collected new DNA evidence from him and questioned him, he committed suicide.

According to New Windsor police, the man denied his involvement in the homicide. Police have now closed the case.

“Because this individual died before any criminal charges could be filed and adjudicated in court, the evidence developed during the investigation was never subjected to judicial scrutiny through the criminal justice process,” said New Windsor Police Chief Daniel Valeri. “Nevertheless, investigators believe that substantial evidence was developed identifying this individual as the primary person responsible for Nancy Smith’s death.” 

Stolfe is glad she won’t go through another holiday with uncertainty. But the pain of losing her little sister is something that will never leave her.

“I feel relief in knowing that he can’t hurt another person, because if you can do it once, I think you probably could do it again,” she said. “And I feel peace, knowing that no family will have to go through what my family went through for the last 24 years.”