News 12 at 6 o'clock; January 12, 2009

AIKEN, S.C. --- The DNA hair samples sent to the FBI Crime Lab in the murder of Ann Fox Smith turned up no new information--the hair turned out to be Ms. Smith's.

Investigators are calling this murder one of rage and of a vindictive manner, compared to other murders they've seen in the city.

First on 12, we talk with two teachers who worked at Kennedy Middle School with Ann. One of them is the person who found Ann dead in her bedroom on April 25th of last year.

It is in the hallways of Kennedy Middle where Sally Ferriter and Jennifer Morlan shared many fond memories with Ann Fox Smith. "She was so funny and so full of life and she was so happy all the time," says Jennifer.

"We just liked to have fun," says Sally. "We just had a good time, all the time."

"You could call her up anytime, day or night and she'd be there for you," says Jennifer.

But on April 25, 2008, Ann didn't pick up her phone or show up to school. Hours later, Sally made the gruesome discovery in Ann's home. "It was horrible when we got in and found her," says Sally. "It was a nightmare that hasn't gone away."

That discovery was Ann's body, stabbed many times says Sally. She was found in her bedroom, on the floor, murdered. "I see her everyday," says Sally. "I think about her all the time."

Now, Jennifer and Sally wait patiently for answers in this case, along with an arrest and some closure. "Sometimes, I walk out of my classroom and just expect to see her walking down the hall," says Jennifer.

Ann is also missed by her students at the school, where she taught for about 20 years. She was a special education teacher at Kennedy Middle. "They had a special place in their heart for her and she had a special place in her heart for them," says Jennifer.

Now, she'll always have a special place in the hearts of these two friends, too. "It's like a different place, it's completely different," says Jennifer.

"It's a real horrible, horrible shame that someone felt like she didn't need to exist anymore," says Sally.

Right now, investigators say Ann's estranged husband and their two sons are not cleared of the murder, but they are not suspects.

Investigators are going to re-evaluate evidence found in the home of Ann, to see if they can find anything that would give them a clue on who is responsible for this murder.

News 12 did try to talk to Ann's estranged husband. He spoke to us off camera but refused to make any comments.