On the morning of Wednesday, June 9, 2004, 31-year-old Yvonne Leila Torch, a Caucasian wife and mother of two who worked as a hairdresser, was found beaten to death inside her own business, the His and Hers Hair Salon on Route 9W in the Balmville area of Newburgh, New York. She was discovered around 11:00 a.m. by her next client and investigators determined the fatal attack occurred in a narrow 15-minute window between 10:40 and 10:55 a.m. The scene showed no clear signs of a struggle or robbery, prompting investigators to consider the possibility the attack may have been personal.

The New York State Police, the Town of Newburgh Police Department, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office led an extensive investigation that pursued hundreds of leads, some as far as Florida, but no suspect was identified. Her husband, Pierre Torch, was questioned early on and later cleared. The case became cold but has since been reopened citing advances in science and technology, and a cash reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Who in the community might have known Yvonne’s routines or had contact with her that morning?