Decade of mystery: Guilderland family homicide still unsolved

GUILDERLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Tuesday marked ten years since a family of four was killed inside their home on Western Avenue in Guilderland -- one of the most puzzling homicides of the capital region.

"I believe Guilderland had homicides before, but nothing of this caliber," said Jason DeLuca, senior investigator with the New York State Police Department.

Jason DeLuca said Guilderland police were the first to respond to the house on Western Avenue on the morning of Oct. 8, 2014. NEWS10 retrieved the 911 phone call, where the dispatcher said two people may have died.

"The father had a language barrier on the line. I need you to stage right now. Stating possibly two people have died in that home. Not sure what's going on," said the 911 dispatcher, in the early morning of Oct. 8, 2014.

Officers found a mother, Hai Yan Li, a father, Jin Chen, and their two sons, Anthony, 10, and Eddy, 7, dead inside the home. The autopsies were never released because New York State police said the investigation is ongoing.

"It was just like this kind of stuff doesn't happen here, you know, small town," said Bill Creighton, the owner of Paradise Natural Foods, a store that's down the street from where the crime happened in Guilderland.

Bill said he could remember the day very clearly.

"Yeah, I'll never forget that sound, never," said Bill. "There was this girl, a lady, outside in the yard, running in circles, just screaming you know, I knew something terrible had happened."

Police would not comment on any rumors that have developed over the last ten years. Instead, they said they've followed over 1,000 leads since the crime -- with the most recent one coming about Wednesday.

“It is extremely active, we’re working leads daily, " said DeLuca. "We’re over 1,100 leads, which means 1,100 different interviews or avenues of investigations."

Both DeLuca and the Albany County District Attorney, David Soares, agreed that one of the most difficult parts about this case is the language barrier. Family and friends speak a Chinese dialect called Fukienese, causing some delays.

"It's difficult to read mannerisms, it's difficult to talk to them because you need an interpreter for, I would say, over 80% of them," said DeLuca.

“That process started very late, that's unusual for a homicide, especially a quadruple homicide for us to begin the questioning that late in the process," said David Soares.

Soares also mentioned that investigators faced another roadblock with Apple, when trying to get into the victims' iPhones.

"That was the very first time that we had come across, and really come across that wall, it was a solid brick wall of no cooperation from Apple,” said Soares.  

But he said he still holds onto hope that there will one day be answers in this case.

"Justice may be delayed, but it's never going to be deferred," said Soares.

“We try to keep the case as fresh as we can alive as we can," said DeLuca. "But we’re constantly doing interviews we’re constantly talking to people, we’re putting out flyers we’re putting out information."

Police believe someone out there knows something and they want the community to know they are still actively investigating. Anyone with information should contact New York State Police at Crimetip@troopers.ny.gov or call 518-457-6811. For more information in both English, and Fukienese, visit their website.