WASILLA - For four years Andrea Borsetti clung to hope that her sister Nichole Millsaps’ missing persons case would be solved.
Last month, her remains were discovered along a hiking trail in Indian.
Her death is still a mystery, but investigators believe Simon Douglas Smith, her ex-boyfriend, is responsible.
A grand jury indicted Smith, 34, for the 2010 murder on Wednesday.
Borsetti says the news comes with mixed emotions.
“In one aspect I’m really happy and relieved that my sister truly will be able to rest in peace and have some justice,” she said. “At the other end, it doesn’t make anything better because I’m still angry and sad and I want her back.”
Since Millsaps’ disappearance, Smith has been in jail for drugs and weapons charges, court documents say.
According to Deputy District Attorney Clint Campion, the indictment is a result of a four-year investigation by Alaska State Troopers, which is still ongoing.
That investigation picked up momentum last month when Millsaps’ body was discovered. Court documents reveal investigators have 400 hours of recorded conversations between him and an informant.
Smith is charged with first- and second-degree murder.
Prosecutors say they are actively building a case against Smith. The trial is expected to begin sometime next year.
If convicted, Smith faces 20 to 99 years in prison plus a maximum fine of $500,000.