Orange County cold case solved, DNA identifies Nancy Smith’s alleged killer

Nancy Smith’s killing in New Windsor, long one of Orange County’s most painful cold cases, now points to Robert Young, a Dutchess County musician who investigators say matches DNA pulled from a single hair found on Smith’s clothing the night she was killed.

Smith was 32 when she was found dead in her New Windsor home at about 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2001, with multiple stab wounds. She had failed to show up for work and was discovered during a wellness check, a death that left her family waiting nearly a quarter-century for an answer.

Police say the breakthrough came after years of grinding detective work and forensic re-testing. A major round of testing in 2023 compared the hair evidence against more than 65 DNA samples without producing a match. More advanced forensic and genealogical work later narrowed the field, and in February 2024 detectives traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to collect a DNA sample from Young. That sample matched the earlier evidence, New Windsor Police Chief Daniel Valeri said.

Young was 33 at the time of Smith’s murder and lived in Dutchess County. He later was found dead in his South Carolina apartment in what investigators believe was an apparent suicide. ABC7 reported that Young denied involvement before his death, and investigators still do not know the motive.

The case stretched far beyond a single test. More than 40 investigators pursued nearly 1,000 leads and conducted more than 500 interviews, with interviews still underway across four states as recently as two months ago. In April 2026, New Windsor police, New York State Police and the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force returned to South Carolina as part of the continuing investigation.

Smith’s life had been moving forward before it was cut short. She worked at Horton Hospital, had recently earned her master’s degree and owned her own home. News 12 also reported that she loved live music, a detail that matters in this case because investigators linked Young to the same scene. He played in multiple Dutchess County bands at The Chance Theater and knew Smith through the local music community.

For Smith’s family, the identification brought relief and fresh grief at once. Her sister, Barbara Stolfe, said she never thought the day would come, and her parents died in 2024 without learning who killed their daughter. The FBI, New York State Police and New Windsor Police Department are still seeking public information, with a reward of up to $15,000 offered for tips that lead to arrest and conviction. For Orange County, the case is a rare and consequential reminder that a single preserved hair can still unlock a 25-year-old mystery.