Member-only story
Who Killed Janette Roberson?
A young woman was raped and murdered at work while customers shopped just feet from her.
Janette Roberson was a young woman full of life who loved her family and adored animals. At 27-years-old she was the mother of two children and married to their father, Alvin. The family recently moved from their home state of Georgia to Reed City, Michigan, to start a new life together.
Given her love of animals, Janette got a job working in the pet department at a local store called Gambles in the downtown area just off the main road. She often worked alone in a workspace that was a small 10-by-10 foot area in the basement of the store.
Murder
On January 19, 1983, Janette went to work just as she normally did and expected it to be a typical day on the job. However, sometime between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., Janette’s life would take a tragic turn when she encountered a man who would take her life.
No one knows exactly what happened in the store's basement to Janette as she was all alone, but a coworker of hers came down the stairs to find a horrific scene. She found Janette lying dead on the cold, concrete floor from blunt force trauma and multiple stab wounds.
