COXSACKIE, N.Y. (AP) — New York state corrections officials say convicted kidnapper Gary Thibodeau, who fought for a new trial for nearly two decades, has died.

Officials say the 64-year-old had been in hospice care for the past year at the Coxsackie Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley when he died Sunday. Thibodeau recently lost an appeal to overturn his conviction in the 1994 kidnapping of 18-year-old Heidi Allen in Oswego County.

Allen was never seen again. Thibodeau had maintained his innocence since his conviction in 1995.

Heidi Allen's sister Lisa Burke says she feels there may never be closure in her sister's case with Thibodeau's death.

Thibodeau died less than two years from his first possible parole hearing in January 2020. He was sentenced in 1995 to 25 years to life in prison.

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