Shani K. Smith, 40, was found dead in her Dubuque, Iowa, home on the morning of Thursday, February 24, 2011. Colleagues who expected her at work at Medline became concerned when she did not arrive; a welfare check at her residence at 2995 John F. Kennedy Road led Dubuque Police officers to enter the home at about 9:48 a.m. and discover her body. Police immediately opened a homicide investigation and said early on they did not believe the act was random, indicating the person responsible was likely known to her.

Investigators quickly focused on her significant other, 52-year-old Teodoro Borrego, who also lived at the residence. He was located in Oklahoma and taken into custody as a material witness the day after Smith’s body was found. Borrego was later charged with first-degree murder; authorities say Smith’s death was caused by gun violence and he was held in the Dubuque County Jail on a $750,000 bond.

Shani was born September 15, 1970, in Burlington, Iowa. A Burlington High School graduate, she earned a BSN from Clarke College. After moving to Dubuque in 1994 she worked at Hillcrest Family Services for 10 years, at Hope Haven in Burlington, and was an accounts manager at Medline. Described as a sports junkie with a particular fondness for the Duke Blue Devils, she enjoyed travel, music, and spending time with family and friends.

Did anyone who knew Shani or saw activity near 2995 John F. Kennedy Road around February 24, 2011, come forward with information?