March of 1983 began with Detective Pratt contacting Det.
Sgt. Eugene Ambs of the MSP Metro Post to have him interview Barbara Terrill, a
friend of Janette’s.
She worked in sales at the Cadillac 9 & 10 News office
at the time. I spoke with Barbara on Saturday October 18, 2014 in the
afternoon. She called me after I’d left a note for a relative, trying to get in
touch with her.
“My niece was very intrigued by your message,” she said. Her
voice was pleasant.
Barbara said she was afraid she didn’t have much
information to share. Her connection with Janette was that they were both
Jehovah’s Witnesses and they’d drive to church together often when Janette
lived in LeRoy with her mother. Barbara said the kids would come, too. Barbara
also worked at Kaiser-Unitest with Alvin prior to moving to the job at 9 &
10 News in Cadillac. She said that while she didn’t know him well, it appeared
to her that he adored his wife.
Once Janette moved to the Meadowview Apartments in Reed
City, they stopped going to church in Cadillac together, so the two women began
meeting for lunch sometimes at Dairy Depot, though she couldn’t recall if it
was called Dairy Depot at the time or not. Barbara said the police questioned
her about Janette and Alvin’s relationship. She said they also asked if she
knew anyone that didn’t like Janette, or any enemies she may have had. Barbara
told me she was at a loss because both Janette and Alvin seemed like very nice
people. According to her, Alvin did not seem the type to hurt her and she knew
of nobody that would.
“Janette was such a nice person. I couldn’t understand it,” Barbara
said, and then recalled that in the couple months leading up to the murder, she
hadn’t seen Janette or Alvin at all.
March 3rd 1983 is the date the report says
personal items of Janette’s were forwarded to Trixie Shepherd.
That same day,
two search warrants authorized by Osceola County Prosecutor James Talaske were
obtained from 77th District Court Judge George Vankula “…in regards
to obtaining fingerprints of the victim’s husband, Alvin Roberson.” They were
authorized to obtain blood, saliva, and hair samples “in sufficient quantities
for comparison analysis.”
On that date, Detective Pratt also took two complete
sets of finger and palm prints from Alvin Roberson at the Michigan State Police
Post in Reed City.
March 7th 1983 a supplemental subject report was
received from Det. Sgt. Carl Goeman regarding an interview done with a subject
named Kris Mills, based on a tip called in by a woman named Cindy Trowbridge.
The order of events leading up to this was as follows:
—Friday February 4, 1983, Detective Pratt called Post #21
regarding a tip they had received. Detective Goeman contacted Ms. Trowbridge on
February 7th and interviewed her regarding the information passed
along by Detective Pratt.
Only one line is left un-redacted from this interview:
“Contrary to
what she had told Detective Pratt, she told me [Detective Goeman] that Mills’
parents do own a cat.”
Below that it
says Detective Pratt requested the officers interview Kris Mills.
—February 11th Detectives Goeman and Chapel drove
to Bellaire to contact Kris Mills. The subject was not available.
—February 16th Detectives contacted Mills’ boss
concerning his employment on the date of the murder, as well as his route
times. Kris Mills drove a truck for Curtis Wire Products.
After numerous attempts to locate the subject, on March 4th
Kris Mills contacted Det. Sgt. Goeman and was interviewed that evening. Based
on the detective’s handwritten notes, it was determined that Mills had
travelled through Reed City on a run on January 19, 1983. Where he ate lunch is
scribbled next to the time period between 1:00 and 3:00pm, which is noted as
the time he passed through Reed City. There is a sentence about Mills stating
his parents had a cat, and he obtained scratches from the cat two days after
the murder. A time of 6:00pm is given as Mills’ arrival time back in Petoskey. The
last page of this report has June 23, 1983 as the date this complaint was
CLOSED with Post #21. There is a notation about the Reed City case still being
open, and they were advised there were no suspects at that time.
More lab reports came back on March 14, 1983, and a copy of
the Northern Counties Evidence Service Crime Scene report was received by the
end of the month. Also, in the March Issue of the Michigan Law Enforcement
Bulletin #402 dated March 13, 2013 the information concerning this homicide was
published.
On March 24th 1983, it appears the leads had run
dry. A short article in The Pioneer
was titled Police Asking for Help. “Numerous
persons from the surrounding area who were in the [Gambles] store that day have
been contacted by police. Those persons,
and anyone not contacted, have been urged to phone the State Police, the
Osceola County Sheriff, or the Reed City Police.” All three phone numbers were
given.
Michigan State Police had issued this press release on March 22, 1983
(two days earlier):
“Investigating officers of the Reed
City Police Department, Osceola County Sheriff’s Department and Michigan State
Police are requesting public cooperation in the Janette Roberson homicide
investigation. On January 19, 1983, numerous persons of the surrounding area
were in the Gambles store in Reed City. Hopefully all of you have been
contacted regarding your visit there on that date. Officers are asking that anyone,
whether you have been already contacted or not, please contact the Michigan
State Police, Reed City, 832-2221, and provide the requested information as
asked. Officers are particularly interested in what was purchased/cash register
receipt, time of the day the visit was made, and who may have been with you
and/or who you may have seen.”
The above portion is underlined in the Michigan State Police
report.
Below the press release it states, “This
information was released to the area television, radio, and newspapers.
Unfortunately it was not published in the newspapers as given, however the
radio and local television did carry it properly.
In the article, Detective Pratt said response to their pleas
of help from the community had not been good. “We could sure use a few more
(calls),” Pratt said. “A lot (of people) think they have nothing to contribute,
but they may have something we really need.”
I can almost feel his frustration. Perhaps people didn’t
think they had anything of value. Maybe they didn’t want to get involved.
Whatever the reason, law enforcement was at a loss. The last notation in the
supplemental report of March 31, 1983 states that the employment records of
Janette Roberson from Nartron Corporation were reviewed. They revealed that she
was employed by Nartron from October 7, 1981 thru December 7, 1981, at which
time she was laid off. She was called back to Nartron in August of 1982 but
refused, as she was already employed at the Gambles store at that time.
“Investigation
into this case continues with the tips that are received being followed up and
whatever other information that comes in.”
COMPLAINT STATUS: Open.
...to be continued...
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