On January 19, 1983, Janette
Roberson was murdered.
Today it has been 34 years since she was brutally attacked
in the basement pet department of the Gambles store in Reed City.
What a horrible thing to be killed at the very place you
go every day to earn your living. A place she probably felt safe... or maybe
she didn't, I have no way of knowing what she felt.
That's the thing...
I wish I knew where it all went wrong that day, what happened
in that moment that caused him to lash out in such an impulsive rage.
I wish I
knew what she said right before you did it, what look she gave you, what it was
that you took such offense to that resulted in her poor body ending up so broken.
Nobody heard a scream.
Nobody heard her call out.
Nobody
heard a thing.
How is that—?
Well, either she didn't see it coming, or she knew the person
who took to her like a rabid animal. One minute everything was normal and then—
—the brutality.
I have said repeatedly that if I had one criticism of the
investigation into how Janette's murder was handled, it is that the brutality I
keep mentioning was not made clearer to the public. That the men and women and
fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers of Reed City weren't looked
directly in the eye and made to understand in perfectly clear terms that the
violence perpetrated on this beautiful woman was so extraordinary, I think is
likely that many of the officers involved had not seen anything like it, nor
have they, since.
Not in a small town.
Not in Reed City.
Not here at home.
On this day, to honor her memory, I am asking you to think
about your mother or daughter or sister or aunt... picture some woman you love
dearly, who smells nice and cooks yummy food and always has a smile for you
even when she's busting your chops.
Now I want you to think of her on that cold basement
floor—your mother, your daughter, your sister, your aunt—broken, "partially clad" as the earliest news stories
described, and that floor is covered in her blood.
...and the most gruesome insult to injury here is the idea that
it would have been someone she knew. Someone who knew her kindness and decency and goodness...
There are some specific things I want you to think about:
Did anyone you know come home wearing different clothing than they left home in that
day? There was a lot of blood. Hard to believe the perpetrator got none on him.
So what
happened to those clothes?
In an article in The Pioneer dated January 21, 1983, just
days after the incident, Prosecutor Talaske urged,
“Again, if anyone may have
seen someone trying to get rid of something, or maybe even seeing someone who
had blood on their clothing – which I’m assuming would have been somewhat
obvious – please call the state police post…”
Also, if you were in the Gambles store that day (at any
time, for whatever reason, no matter if it felt uneventful) and have never spoken to police, PLEASE contact
them. Just your position in the timeline of the day could be a great help. You
probably think you have nothing to offer. Let the investigators decide that. I
assure you they will appreciate the effort.
I think one of the reasons some may not have come forward up to now is because over the years they were lead to believe
"so-and-so-did it"— a friend told me this, I heard that, this person said their friend the cop told them it was—
It was the husband!
It was a hit!
The person who did it is dead now!
This could certainly give someone the false impression that what they may have to offer is
useless. It’s a small town. There’s a lot of gossip, and even more conspiracy
theories.
No.
Don't assume.
Please.
Don't assume any of those are true.
Don't assume anything.
Just make the call or send the email.
Don't assume. Please.
If you have any information, please contact:
Detective Sgt. Mike Stephens
Mt. Pleasant Post-Special Investigations Section
Michigan State Police
Office: 989-773-5951
Email: stephensm6@michigan.gov
