Natrona Heights couple 'crippled' over daughter's unsolved homicide as it hits 14th anniversary

When John and Karen Godfrey walk into their living room, they are greeted by photos of their beloved daughter, Kelly Nicole Godfrey Smith.

The photos line their hallway and are prominently displayed throughout the home.

But those pictures haven’t been updated in 14 years.

There haven’t been many updates in the investigation into Smith’s killing in the past 14 years, either.

Kelly Nicole Godfrey Smith was 27 when her body was found in the Allegheny River in Lower Burrell.

The coroner ruled her death a homicide.

For the past 14 years, Lower Burrell police and Westmoreland County detectives have investigated her death. The investigation — which has included looking into persons of interest, but never any official suspects — is little solace for Smith’s family. Her mother said it’s always hard to see another anniversary of her daughter’s death pass with no justice.

“I don’t like the word closure because there is none,” Karen Godfrey said. “Nothing brings my daughter back. What would help is if somebody was made to pay for this. If somebody was to pay for that, I think it would ease our minds a lot. Every year, we go through this sadness, this anger, this frustration.”

There are many questions still unanswered, including the cause of death.

“They’re not telling anybody anything about that,” Karen Godfrey said, while acknowledging that learning the details of how their daughter died might only bring fresh grief.

When she died, Smith had a 4-year-old son, Mason. She was married but not living with her husband at the time. The night of her death, Godfrey got into an argument with Chad Stroup — a man police and his mother described as her boyfriend at the time.

On June 14, 2007, around noon, a pair of bass fishermen found Smith’s body in the Allegheny River in Lower Burrell. Police didn’t know how she got from her Brackenridge home to a riverside spot known to attract partying teenagers.

Smith’s friends and family remembered her as a gregarious woman who was a friend to everyone. Had she made it home the night she was killed, she would have seen a message from her employer offering to double her pay and add benefits. A few days later, a slew of other job offers meant for Smith reached her parents.

Her funeral was held on Father’s Day.

Stroup, the man she had argued with the night she was killed, had told police he would talk with them after the funeral. Instead, he left the state. Police later found him in Texas and traveled there to speak with him. Officials have never called him a suspect. Attempts by the Tribune-Review to reach him were unsuccessful.

John and Karen Godfrey said they wish police would investigate Stroup further since he fought with their daughter that night. Karen Godfrey claimed Stroup was acting strange the day of Smith’s burial. In hindsight, she said she believed there were several little things he had done to draw suspicion.

“I really, truly believe that person she had the argument with is the person who should be looked at — that’s Chad Stroup,” she said.

Whoever the killer is, the Godfreys said they want him to see justice. They offered a reward after their daughter’s death, briefly rescinded the offer when they became too frustrated with the stalled investigation, and then re-instated it. They’re currently offering a reward of $20,000 for anyone who can offer information that helps with the investigation.

“Hopefully, that will spark something,” Karen Godfrey said. “I do believe people know something. I really do. If you know something, it’s time to come forward and get that off your chest.”

Westmoreland County Detective John Clark, who has been investigating the case since Smith’s murder, said they receive “sporadic” tips on the case. Because the case has remained unsolved for more than a decade with no suspects, it is one of a few investigations he is still working that are classified as cold cases.

“We still have people of interest and any tips that are given to us are followed up, though I’m probably the only guy left from the original investigation that hasn’t retired,” Clark said.

New information on the case is sent to Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck.

Peck did not return requests for comment on the case.

Lower Burrell police Chief John Marhefka said the department considers the case to be an active investigation. He declined to comment further.

Clark said he still thinks there’s a good chance for an arrest in the case, though he admitted it’s been frustrating to see no justice for Smith for so long.

“There’s always hope,” he said. “Hopefully, the person or persons that are at fault with this will slip up, and that’s when I’ll get them.”

But for the family, it’s hard to have hope.

“It’s hard for me to keep that hope alive,” Karen Godfrey said. “My feeling is that if 30 years goes by and this person lived their life, to me, that’s not justice. The longer the time goes on, it’s harder for me to believe they’re serving justice or they even have a conscience.”

Karen Godfrey said she doesn’t see much progress.

“It’s the same old, same old,” she said. “My question is: Why does this just get shelved?”

Clark understand the frustration, but said making an arrest isn’t easy.

“If we have enough to make an arrest, we’ll make an arrest. But you want to make an arrest that is going to stick. You want to make sure you have enough to convict them,” Clark said. “It’s frustrating at times, but you don’t want to screw the case up by making a bad arrest.”

The Godfreys are split on whether they believe investigators have done enough for their daughter.

“I don’t really believe it got the attention it deserved,” Karen Godfrey said, explaining she believed there was significant circumstantial evidence in the early days of the investigation that she feels should have been further pursued. “The DA says he wants a slam-dunk case. Unless he gets what they call the smoking gun, they’re not going to go any further with it.”

Her husband, however, said he believes law enforcement did everything they could in the investigation and still hopes they’ll be able to “close this horrific chapter.” He credited Clark for never giving up on the quest for justice.

“He doesn’t stop,” he said. “He keeps digging. It’s still an open case. They just need that little piece of the puzzle and it’ll all be over.”

Karen Godfrey said that, because first responders initially believed their daughter’s cause of death may have been drowning, they may have inadvertently disrupted evidence at the scene. She said she couldn’t fault first responders if evidence was lost in their effort to rescue her.

John Godfrey said detectives don’t like them talking with the media and prefer not to share many details about the investigation, even with them.

“Our life is just crippled,” he said.

Karen Godfrey said she and her husband continue to press for more information or updates.

“Basically, they just keep telling us the same thing — that there’s nothing,” she said.

The only solace they have is Kelly’s son, Mason, now an adult. Karen Godfrey said the 18-year-old “has the best outlook of all.”

“He knows nothing can bring her back,” she said. “He doesn’t like that my husband and I remain so sad about it. He wishes we could find some peace.”

But he is the only thing that brings them comfort, Karen Godfrey said, especially as their daughter’s killer remains free.

“He looks like her, acts like her. He’s a wonderful, wonderful kid,” she said. “That gives us some peace. Other than that, you never do find it. There’s no coming back from this.”

Smith’s family visits her grave at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lower Burrell often, Karen Godfrey said. They appreciate the continued community support, which hasn’t wavered over more than a decade.

“It’s 14 years and we’re still getting cards from friends on the anniversary of her death,” she said. “I do believe her memory is very much alive in the community.”

Because the community hasn’t forgotten her daughter, Karen Godfrey said she continues to encourage them to come forward with information that could finally lead to an arrest.

“It could be a tiny, small piece of information that can break this case wide open,” she said.

Karen Godfrey said she believes some her daughter’s friends have knowledge that could help them get justice. After 14 years, she said, there’s no reason to withhold information that could bring comfort to a family still grieving.

“I am Christian, and I believe justice will be served at some point, in this world or otherwise,” Karen Godfrey said.