NEW WINDSOR – Police in Orange County announced on Thursday that they have identified the man who brutally murdered a New Windsor woman in her home nearly 25 years ago.
A single hair recovered from 32-year-old Nancy Smith’s clothing on the night of her murder has led New Windsor Police to the person they believe is her killer—then, 33-year- old Robert Young of Dutchess County, who was playing in a band at the Chance in Poughkeepsie at the time of the murder.
“In a significant breakthrough, DNA evidence collected at the time of Nancy’s death was found to be consistent with a 58-year-old man residing in South Carolina. Several days after investigators interviewed the suspect, he was found deceased in his apartment from an apparent suicide,” said New Windsor Police Chief Daniel Valeri. “Over 40 investigators have followed close to a thousand leads and conducted over 500 interviews in pursuit of answers to this horrendous crime.”
In 2023, that single hair was tested against more than 65 DNA samples without a match.
Additional forensic and genealogical investigative techniques generated new leads for investigators to pursue, including a person of interest in South Carolina.
A year later, New Windor Police and FBI Hudson Valley traveled to Myrtle Beach and obtained a DNA sample from Young, who proved to be a match but denied killing Smith.
As recently as two months ago, Investigators were conducting interviews across four states.
“Today’s announcement represents nearly 25 years of unwavering determination, relentless investigative work and an unbreakable commitment to seeking justice for Nancy Smith and her family,” said State Police Captain Brad Natalizio of the Troop F Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
“These cold cases do not end when a detective leaves the office for the night. They stay with them. Detectives spend years revisiting evidence and constantly asking themselves what they may have missed. And they carry these victims and their families with them for decades.”
Nancy’s Smith’s sister, Barbara Stolfe, fought back tears as she spoke of her parents, who passed away in 2024 and died, not knowing who took their daughter’s life. She acknowledged that her sister, who was an avid concertgoer, was familiar with her attacker.
“I have to say I didn’t think this day would ever come. I would like to express my family’s appreciation to everyone who worked on this case over the years and to all the people who cared enough and were brave enough to contact the police with tips,” said Stolfe.
“I will tell you that the pain really doesn’t get any better, and it never goes away. While nothing will bring Nancy back, we have some relief finally knowing who did this to her and why.
More importantly, there is peace in knowing that this person cannot take another life and cause such pain to another family.”
New Windsor Town Supervisor Stephen Bedetti attended high school with Smith and was working at the New Windsor Police Department at the time of the murder. He answered the 9-1-1 call from Smith’s mother.
“This case spanned generations of law enforcement professionals who followed every lead, never gave up and remained committed to Nancy and her family,” said Bedetti.
“This case shocked our community and will never have the courtroom ending we had hoped for, but time does not erase justice. Nancy Smith was never forgotten, and she never will be.”
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