Family still seeks answers six years after local woman's mysterious death

It's been six years since the mysterious death of a woman in East Bridgewater, and her family is stil seeking answers to questions about whether she was killed by her husband.

Sunday marked six years since Stephanie Deely lost her sister Kimberly Parker, who was found unresponsive in her front yard in East Bridgewater by her husband.

Now, her family still wants to know if he killed her, as he sits in prison for kidnapping and assaulting her with a knife.

"Her passing has left a rip in the fabric of our world and it's never gonna go away," Deely said. "You know, Kim was 45 years old, and had no life-threatening illnesses and was found dead by her husband, who was facing charges for trying to kill her."

>>MORE: Family wants answers in death of allegedly battered wife

Parker's husband Rich was never questioned about his wife's death, and was arrested for the domestic violence attack 15 months before she died.

Several months after his arrest, Rich Parker was released on bail, and went back to live with his wife while waiting for his attempted murder trial for beating her.

"I say my sister did die of a disease, but the disease was battered women’s syndrome," Deely said. "She didn’t have the ability to realize that she had options."

Police never investigated Parker's death as suspicious, even though her husband had a history of violence.

Now, Deely said she hopes her sister's story will bring awareness to domestic violence, and why she believes the legal system is flawed.

"When you go to court 20 times and nobody seems to think it’s a priority to do anything, it reinforces that belief by the victim that they don’t matter," Deely said.

Six years later, Deely said she wishes she told her sister to stay away from her abuser, and said she'll continue to fight for answers on how she died.

"I want closure to give Kim peace and to give my family peace," Deely said. "To know what happened and to make sure that if there’s someone responsible that we made sure that person paid, because Kim mattered."

Deely said her sister's autopsy came back undetermined for her cause of death, and the investigation is still open.

Parker's husband is finishing up his four-year prison sentence this year, and should be released by September.

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