LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Debbie Moffett gives so much care and attention to a quiet corner in the backyard of her South Florida home. It's a space with a memorial stone to honor her sister, Cindy Moffett.
"She was the boss," Debbie Moffett said.
Cindy was Debbie's older sister, who described her magnetic personality.
"Tell you what to do. Get you out of trouble. Get you in trouble," Debbie Moffett said. "She was our leader."
Debbie Moffett showed WPTV a photo and recounted a day of gardening with her sister.
"I think we were growing mint and something like that," she said. "Looks like she was really helping me do something. I can't remember, but it was a good day."
The worst day came on March 23, 2006.
"I'll never forget the rain that day," Moffett said. "It was a ferocious, furious storm."
Detective Jeff Weissman with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Cindy Moffett was killed while working at the old Forest Oaks Golf Club in Lake Worth Beach. She was closing up for the day.
"It appears it was a robbery that went bad," Weissman said. "She didn't live a high-risk lifestyle. She was just doing her job."
Weissman said he believes as many as three culprits burst into the golf club and shot Moffett. He also said they got away with $300 in rolled coins.
"It was very sloppy in terms of the robbery," Weissman said. "Inside the cash drawer was an envelope with $1,500 cash in it. They never took that."
"We were told she was shot in the chest at close range and then she ran out after them," Debbie Moffett said. "Who does that? It's so Cindy. It really is so Cindy. She's the boss and in charge."
"This could happen to any one of us," Julie Sikorsky said when asked what stands out most about this case.
Sikorsky is the forensic biology unit manager at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
"This case had gone through three evolutions of testing," Sikorsky said.
Sikorsky said each evolution utilized the latest DNA technology and has proven challenging.
"We've got the rain. We also have that it's a public place and so many people have interacted with different surfaces," Sikorsky said. "So, even if the perpetrator's DNA is there, it could get diluted in a pool of other individuals."
"We do have profiles in the database," Sikorsky said about the outlook of the crime being solved. "So, for me, it's a matter of time."
"We never give up on these crimes," Weissman said.
"I pray to God that person will find a way to do the right thing and come forward for the sake of the family," Debbie Moffett said.
Detectives with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are working on about 400 unsolved homicide or suspected homicide cases in the cold case unit, each with tenacity and care.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $25,000 reward in the Cindy Moffett case. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 800-458-TIPS.