Police and her family are still puzzled that no one has been charged with the brutal stabbing of the 22-year-old pregnant mother.
It was early in the morning of June 14, 2007 that police found Nielsen nearly nine months pregnant stabbed to death at the Ameri-King Food Mart near the State Farmer's Market. Nielsen was delivering newspapers to help supplement the income of her family who had just recently moved to the area.
"You have a young woman working hard to support her existing family, early morning hours, she's long-term pregnant and is assaulted and senselessly murdered," Captain Norm Grodi with the Raleigh Police Department said.
Nielsen already had two small children.
Raleigh investigators are still actively working the case and say there is someone out there who can provide them the one final lead they need to make an arrest. Both Nielsen's father and police hope that person comes forward to help get a murderer off the streets.
"If you're willing to kill a pregnant woman then you're pretty much willing to kill anybody. It doesn't matter. You have no respect for anyone. You're just, flat out, a killer," said Nielsen's father Kevin Blaine.
Investigators have never revealed a possible motive. At one point, they put out a composite sketch of a person of interest, but later de-emphasized it fearing it may throw off the public. Police say they don't want it to cut back on leads to someone who looks different.
Since Nielsen's death the family has worked with state lawmakers to pass a law protecting unborn victims. "Ethen's Law" is named for the unborn child Nielsen was carrying when she was murdered.
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