In the summer of 1996, 20-year-old Amy Smith was found dead in a Springfield, Massachusetts apartment. A social worker discovered her body in a closet; her hands were bound and a sock had been stuffed in her mouth. An autopsy determined she died of asphyxia. In another room officers found Amy’s 22-month-old daughter, Destiny, dead of starvation and dehydration during a July heat wave.

Police initially focused on Amy’s ex-boyfriend, Paul Fickling. He was convicted in 1997 of the murders of Amy and Destiny and given life sentences. Years later the case took a major turn when Fickling’s uncle, Alfred Gaynor, already serving multiple life terms for other killings, confessed that he had tied Amy up, stuffed a sock in her mouth, and left her in the closet. Gaynor’s confession was part of a plea agreement that led to Fickling’s original conviction being overturned; in a new proceeding Fickling pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Amy’s death and involuntary manslaughter in Destiny’s death and received a 19-to-20-year term, credited for time served.

Are there readers who knew Amy or Destiny and can share details about their lives or the apartment where they lived?