MI MI - Janette Roberson, 27, Reed City, 19 Jan 1983

[PerhapsIt'sYou]

Do we know why the sister believes the husband could not have committed the crime?

I cant speak for the sister

But...I feel like the husband had plenty of access to janette so if he wanted to kill her why would he choose to do it at the store during business hours? Sounds way too risky.

I still think one of the 2 brothers who ran the store would be the prime suspect

 

[Ibiz]

I cant speak for the sister

But...I feel like the husband had plenty of access to janette so if he wanted to kill her why would he choose to do it at the store during business hours? Sounds way too risky.

I still think one of the 2 brothers who ran the store would be the prime suspect

So the downstairs was a pet store. What was the upstairs?

 

[dotr]

Sept 17 2019 includes some pics of the basement and maps.
UNSOLVED MICHIGAN CRIME: The 1983 Murder of Janette Roberson
"Her sister Lana was quoted as saying, “I believe someone was infatuated with her -- had a crush on her. My sister was very friendly and naïve, really. Whoever did this could have gone there to make a move and she rejected this person, and boom. That was all it took…..Someone out there knows something. They need to finally come forward. The scary thing is the person who did this is out there somewhere. That’s terrifying, because Janette was killed in a horrible way. What’s stopping this person from doing it again? We need to get them off the streets.”

There is a Facebook page dedicated to solving this crime that you can check out here. Every year on the anniversary of Janette’s death, walks to the crime scene are organized in hopes of someone coming forward with legitimate tips on the case.
You can find out more about the annual walks HERE."

Read More: UNSOLVED MICHIGAN CRIME: The 1983 Murder of Janette Roberson | UNSOLVED MICHIGAN CRIME: The 1983 Murder of Janette Roberson

 

[Ozoner]

Sept 17 2019 includes some pics of the basement and maps.
UNSOLVED MICHIGAN CRIME: The 1983 Murder of Janette Roberson
"Her sister Lana was quoted as saying, “I believe someone was infatuated with her -- had a crush on her. My sister was very friendly and naïve, really. Whoever did this could have gone there to make a move and she rejected this person, and boom. That was all it took…..Someone out there knows something. They need to finally come forward. The scary thing is the person who did this is out there somewhere. That’s terrifying, because Janette was killed in a horrible way. What’s stopping this person from doing it again? We need to get them off the streets.”

There is a Facebook page dedicated to solving this crime that you can check out here. Every year on the anniversary of Janette’s death, walks to the crime scene are organized in hopes of someone coming forward with legitimate tips on the case.
You can find out more about the annual walks HERE."

Read More: UNSOLVED MICHIGAN CRIME: The 1983 Murder of Janette Roberson | UNSOLVED MICHIGAN CRIME: The 1983 Murder of Janette Roberson

I'm not convinced that the sister's theory is correct. If someone had been infatuated with Janette, it seems like people around her would have been able to suggest that person as a possible suspect—not that I have a better theory.

 

[Ibiz]

I cant speak for the sister

But...I feel like the husband had plenty of access to janette so if he wanted to kill her why would he choose to do it at the store during business hours? Sounds way too risky.

What about the woman he was said to be having an affair with? I've read no mention of her..

I still think one of the 2 brothers who ran the store would be the prime suspect

Why?

I'm not convinced that the sister's theory is correct. If someone had been infatuated with Janette, it seems like people around her would have been able to suggest that person as a possible suspect—not that I have a better theory.

I'm assuming this Gambles was similar to the old Kresge stores like we had down in Detroit many years ago. They basically sold a little bit of everything and even had a little pet department with gold fish, parakeets, hamsters, and so on.

Assuming Janet's murderer would have had to of walked through the upper floor of the store to get to the basement and commit the murder, and then walk back through the upper floor to leave the store; it seems unreasonable that nobody seen him/her. According to one of the above news articles: the guy (now retired) who was the Reed City police chief at the time is quoted as saying that who ever murdered Janet was filled with a great deal of anger and rage.

So I guess I would have to agree that her sister's theory that it was someone who had an infatuation with her is incorrect.

 

[PerhapsIt'sYou]

What about the woman he was said to be having an affair with? I've read no mention of her..



Why?



I'm assuming this Gambles was similar to the old Kresge stores like we had down in Detroit many years ago. They basically sold a little bit of everything and even had a little pet department with gold fish, parakeets, hamsters, and so on.

Assuming Janet's murderer would have had to of walked through the upper floor of the store to get to the basement and commit the murder, and then walk back through the upper floor to leave the store; it seems unreasonable that nobody seen him/her. According to one of the above news articles: the guy (now retired) who was the Reed City police chief at the time is quoted as saying that who ever murdered Janet was filled with a great deal of anger and rage.

So I guess I would have to agree that her sister's theory that it was someone who had an infatuation with her is incorrect.

My understanding is Janette's husband was having a relationship with the kid's babysitter. Classy, I know. But I do believe he has been cleared.

Janette was reportedly having some sort of relationship with a high school student. It is not known if that relationship was sexual, however. My understanding is that the HS student was probably still at school at the time of the murder, so he isn't or wasn't a suspect.

Why do I think one of the two brothers that ran the store should be the top suspect(s)? Simply because of access. And they would have known (better than a customer) how to leave the store without being detected.

Here is a scenario...just a theory....let's say one of the brothers was making sexual overtures towards Janette...maybe even had a relationship with her. Then one day Janette says something like 'im going to tell your wife' He snaps and kills her in a fit of rage.

sounds plausible to me. Perhaps there were even clothes in the backroom that the brothers would have known about that they changed into in order not to leave the store in bloody clothes.

just a theory...

 

[PerhapsIt'sYou]

I should make perfectly clear that as far as I know no hard evidence links either of the brothers to the murder. It is likely they have been investigated and cleared by the police.

 

[Richard]

JANETTE ROBERSON – 1983 HOMICIDE – REED CITY

Case Information

Name: Janette Roberson
Date: January 19, 1983
Location: Reed City, Michigan

27 year old Janette Roberson was brutally murdered in Reed City, Michigan on January 19, 1983.

The incident took place between 1 and 4 p.m. in the basement of Gambles store, now Reed City Hardware. Janette was working in the pet department of the store when she was severely beaten and sexually assaulted.

Other employees and customers were upstairs at the time, but no witnesses have come forward.

Janette, her husband and their two young children had moved to the small town of Reed City about eight months prior her death.

How to Submit a Tip
If you have any information in Janette Roberson’s case please contact the Michigan State Police at (989) 773-5951 or Reed City Police Chief Chuck Davis at (231) 832-3743.

Tips can also be submitted to the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-SPEAKUP.

In The News/Media
Brutal Murder of Young Michigan Mother Janette Roberson Still Haunts Small Town – NBC News
Cold Case: The Janette Roberson Story Part 1 – 9&10 News
Cold Case: The Janette Roberson Story Part 2 – 9&10 News
Walk Planned to Help Bring Unsolved Murder Case Back to Life – Up North Live
Mysteries of Northern Michigan: Janette Roberson Murder – 9&10 News
Family & Friends Still Seeking Answers in Murder of Janette Roberson – Pioneer
Family of Reed City Cold Case Murder Victim Still Seeks ‘Justice for Janette’ – 9&10 News
“Justice For Janette” Participants Seek Answers in Cold Case Murder – 9&10 News
Reed City to Release Records in Murder Case for the First Time – Cadillac News
News Articles on Janette’s Case – Jeni Decker
Podcast About Janette’s Case – Already Gone
Janette Roberson - 1983 Homicide - Reed City - Michigan Cold Cases

 

[morf13]

New podcast episode about the case: Episode 60 Janette Roberson

 

[dotr]

New podcast episode about the case: Episode 60 Janette Roberson

Intriguing podcast, thanks for posting.
Not that i think this is likely, but thinking of Janette's young children, her J Witness religious association and her interest in cars am reminded of one of FBI's most wanted persons and his interest in cars, JW and children...
Not suggesting it is him, but perhaps someone like him..fwiw, imo, speculation.
U.S. Marshals Service, 15 Most Wanted, Frederick McLEAN, Case Overview
CA - Frederick Cecil McLean, Pedophile, armed and dangerous

 

[Moonwalker9]

Don't know if this was already posted but its from another podcast Who Killed Janette Roberson? • Morbidology

I think this case will be solved with genealogy since there is DNA and the suspect was not in the crime registry before. I wonder if he's still alive after 37 years.

 

[Beniceorleave]

I cant speak for the sister

But...I feel like the husband had plenty of access to janette so if he wanted to kill her why would he choose to do it at the store during business hours? Sounds way too risky.

I still think one of the 2 brothers who ran the store would be the prime suspect

This tragic murder took place 3 blocks from my childhood home. One block north and two blocks south. I was in school the day it happened. The Gambles store was (and still is) six or seven blocks to the north from the high school. I’ve never heard any talk of her having a relationship with a high school boy or girl. Also, there are (or were) tunnels connecting each of the buildings in the “downtown” area providing accessibility to downtown buildings for anyone aware of the them. There are a great deal of “secret lifestyles” under the surface in this community now as there were then.
I believe this horrible murder of Janette is the culmination of some of those secrets.

 

[Beniceorleave]

Pardon my mistake, one block north, two blocks east from my house.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Somebody knows something, has a tip, or saw something that could help solve the crime, said Roberson’s sister Lana Jarvie.

“If you were ... in town the day she died and if you were down in the basement the day she died, and you saw something, whether you thought you saw something or not, you need to step forward and tell somebody,‘ Jarvie said. “If your uncle’s cousin’s brother’s son told you they did this, turn them in.‘
Walk set for Saturday to call attention to cold case murder

 

[dotr]

Jan 16 2021 rbbm.
38 Years After Her Murder, Janette Roberson's Family Still Seeks Answers - 9 & 10 News
''It’s been almost four decades since the murder of Janette Roberson.

Every year Janette’s sister, Lana Jarvie, gathers community members in Reed City to ask one question—why?


Jarvie says, “It will continue. The person that did this might be dead. I don’t care. I just want to know why.”

''She says she has seen what this grief and lack of information has done to her family.

Cavender says, “When you’re in this position, you feel like people don’t care, so that’s kind of heartbreaking. And then there frustration with the fact that nobody cares so nobody is going to come forward and tell you what happened.”

They say even though police have no answers, they will keep looking.

Jarvie says, “It’s a cold opened investigation. As long as I know, it’s being worked not put on a shelf somewhere.”

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
Who Killed Janette Roberson? • Morbidology
''Unfortunately, on the 19th of January, 1983, somebody cut Janette’s life tragically short. At some point between 2PM and 4PM, Janette was murdered in broad daylight as she carried out her work duties in the small 10-by-10 room filled with pet supplies. She had been raped, violently bludgeoned with a blunt object and then stabbed multiple times with multiple objects found in store. Janette died alone on the cold basement floor of Gambles as shoppers perused without a care in the world on the floor above. She was found by another store employee. The store had been relatively busy that afternoon yet nobody heard a thing. Almost all of the people who were shopping above were identified and questioned except for one man. Composite sketches of this anonymous man were drawn up. He was described as a white man with sandy blonde hair and a blue jacket; he stood around 5 feet 9 inches and weighed approximately 170 pounds.''

.'' One line of enquiry early on in the investigation was the bizarre phone calls Janette had received. On the 18th of January, she received two separate phone calls at home; however, when she picked up the phone, nobody spoke and then hung up. After this became public knowledge, a friend of Janette came forward and told police that Janette had been receiving obscene calls.''

 

[Richard]

Janette Roberson, 27, murdered January 19, 1983, Reed City, Michigan

The incident took place between 1 and 4 p.m. in the basement of Gambles store, now Reed City Hardware. Janette was working in the pet department of the store when she was severely beaten and sexually assaulted.

Other employees and customers were upstairs at the time, but no witnesses have come forward.

Janette, her husband and their two young children had moved to the small town of Reed City about eight months prior her death.

How to Submit a Tip
If you have any information in Janette Roberson’s case please contact the Michigan State Police at (989) 773-5951 or Reed City Police Chief Chuck Davis at (231) 832-3743.

Tips can also be submitted to the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-SPEAKUP.

Sources:
Brutal Murder of Young Michigan Mother Janette Roberson Still Haunts Small Town – NBC News
Cold Case: The Janette Roberson Story Part 1 – 9&10 News
Cold Case: The Janette Roberson Story Part 2 – 9&10 News
Walk Planned to Help Bring Unsolved Murder Case Back to Life – Up North Live
Mysteries of Northern Michigan: Janette Roberson Murder – 9&10 News
Family & Friends Still Seeking Answers in Murder of Janette Roberson – Pioneer
Family of Reed City Cold Case Murder Victim Still Seeks ‘Justice for Janette’ – 9&10 News
“Justice For Janette” Participants Seek Answers in Cold Case Murder – 9&10 News
Reed City to Release Records in Murder Case for the First Time – Cadillac News
News Articles on Janette’s Case – Jeni Decker
Podcast About Janette’s Case – Already Gone
Janette Roberson - 1983 Homicide - Reed City - Michigan Cold Cases

 

[barefootpoet]

Forensic Genealogy should be able to solve this case if there was "evidence of a sexual assault" For some reason this one is on the backburner.

 

[RaspberryMama]

Who Murdered Janette Roberson? - Who Murdered Janette Roberson?

I wonder if Henry Lee Lucas and/or Otitis Toole were ever looked at in regards to this case. They went to several states, committing murder and sexual assaults. Imo, the sketch could resemble either of them. I know it's not necessarily a sketch of a suspect, just someone who may have seen something. But still.

Photos of Lucas and Toole:

File:Henry Lee Lucas.jpg - Wikipedia

File:Ottis Toole.jpg - Wikipedia

 

[Moonwalker9]

I think whoever killed her knew her and had a crush in her that wasn't mutal, therefore the rage. Since this persons DNA isn't in any database it's possible that he went on with his life and lived a pretty normal life after this with a job and a family. I hope time and modern technology catches him soon enough.