True Crime Sunday: Who Murdered a Beautiful Young Mother in a Michigan Store Basement?

If you look at a picture of Roberson, you'll note that the 27-year-old mother was gorgeous on the outside, but those who knew her said that her even more beautiful on the inside. Her sister has said, "She would do anything for anybody." She had a soft spot for animals. Carrie Hudson, a friend of her daughter, told NBC a story about how she saved a baby bird and raised it until it was old enough to survive on its own. She drove the bird to a local fish hatchery to release it, but it stayed with her for a long time. She stuck around long enough to make sure it was okay. 

That passion for animals could be why Roberson ended up working at the Gambles Store on Upton Avenue in Reed City. Along with her husband, Alvin, and their two children, Roberson had just moved to town eight months prior to her murder. Reed City has been described as a "Mayberry" type of town, the type of place where everyone knows everyone else and nothing bad really ever happens. 

Owned by a local couple, Gambles appeared to be sort of hobby shop, a place that sold a little bit of everything. In the middle of the store was a staircase that led customers down to the basement where there was a pet shop and storage area. Commenters on Reddit who grew up in the area have mentioned going there to buy fish and even remember Roberson helping them find the right supplies for their fish tanks when they were children. Despite only living there less than year, Roberson had become a popular member of the community.  

At some point on the afternoon of January 19, 1983, while the store was open and customers and employees were going about their business upstairs, Roberson was working in the basement pet department alone when someone killed her. Initially, police didn't release many details — only that she'd been hit in the head and was somewhat undressed — but later, it was revealed that she'd been bludgeoned to death with multiple objects and sexually assaulted. 

If you're like most people, you're probably wondering how this happens. How does a vibrant woman end up dead in a busy store in the middle of the day in a small town? There are several theories floating around, but local police have supposedly dismissed most of them. 

First up was her husband, Alvin. The couple had reportedly been having marital issues, and he was having an affair with another woman (some say it was their babysitter). But police interviewed him multiple times and cleared him of any wrongdoing. He and the woman with whom he was having the affair eventually loaded up the Roberson children and moved to Georgia. 

There have also been theories posed online about the the store's owners and other employees. Many have alleged that it would have to be someone who knew the inner workings of the store well enough to commit a murder in the middle of the day without anyone hearing or seeing anything suspicious. Again, police interviewed everyone who worked at the store and declared them all innocent.   

There was a story in a local newspaper about a man in green pick-up truck who'd been spotted with Roberson outside another pet shop in Big Rapids, Michigan about a week before the murder. He was seen talking to her at Gambles the next day. As a matter of fact, police released sketches of three men they hoped to talk to, but nothing ever came of that either. There was also a report that Roberson had received obscene phone calls before the murder, as well as calls in which someone hung up as soon as she answered.  

Roberson's sister, Lana, theorizes that someone probably had a crush on the pretty young woman, and when he found out that his feelings were unrequited, he acted. "I believe someone was infatuated with her -- had a crush on her. My sister was very friendly and naïve, really," Lana told NBC. "Whoever did this could have gone there to make a move and she rejected this person, and boom. That was all it took." 

Lana and Roberson weren't especially close due to some family issues, but she says she'll never forget the day two state troopers showed up at her door just as she was getting out of the shower and told her that she needed to call her mother. When she finally learned of her sister's murder, Lana says she had a hard time truly understanding the reality of it all and convinced herself that they mistook her body for someone else or that she was in the Witness Protection Program. When she finally wrapped her head around it, she decided she'd spend the rest of her life searching for answers.  

While police haven't solved the murder, other members of Roberson's family aren't giving up on ensuring justice is served either. Her niece, Elena Cavender, who helps organize the annual walks through town, told NBC, "We talk with police and they told us to not stop the walks. They get so many tips when we do them; we’re going to keep doing them as long as it remains an unsolved case.”

Hudson, who is helping Cavender and the family with their efforts, told "Dateline" that they're all very frustrated with how the investigation was handled from the beginning. "The crime scene was a chaotic disaster," she said, adding, "Things weren’t done in an organized way. Her case files are in three different boxes. Sometimes we feel like we’re banging our heads against the wall here looking for answers, but we have to keep going."  

If you want to know more about the investigation and the details of Roberson's murder, author and podcaster Jeni Decker has written a popular book about the case: Redacted: A Search for Truth About the Murder of Janette Roberson. Decker also has a collection of newspaper articles about the case and other information on her website.