Leasa Renee Harper Smith, 41, was found inside a home off Cedar Grove School Loop Road in the Nashville area of Nash County, North Carolina, with a fatal gunshot wound on December 4, 2012. Deputies responded to the rural neighborhood after a call and discovered Smith deceased in the 7300 block; investigators said the person who summoned law enforcement was her boyfriend, David Griffin Leonard, who was outside when deputies arrived. Leonard was taken into custody at the scene and charged with first-degree murder, held in the Nash County jail without bond with an initial court appearance expected soon after the arrest.

Smith’s obituary emphasized her creative life — drawing, writing poems, and knitting — and tied her to the Castalia, Nashville, and Rocky Mount communities, leaving behind family and personal keepsakes.

Did anyone in the area know Leasa or have information about her last known hours?