Troy (Michigan) Police Department is revisiting the October 28, 1978 murder of of Gail Webster, 48. The mother of three was beaten to death and her case was never solved.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/10/06/police-revisit-mysterious-fatal-beating-of-mother-in-troy-apartment-from-42-years-ago/. Thank you to a reader for forwarding this article.
Troy PD is “teaming up” with Gail’s three adult daughters to revisit the case. The department observed that “many investigative techniques have changed since the case was opened. Officials are in the process of exploring new investigative avenues, including possible new lab analysis.” Wow.
The article describes a car that could have been connected to the killer(s) as a blue or green 1968-1970 Pontiac Tempest or Chevrolet that was beat up, rusted, dirty, with body damage.
This car was seen a number of times in the area of Gail’s apartment, as well as a few weeks prior to the murder in a parking lot of Piper’s Alley, after Gail’s daughter’s keys to the apartment were stolen while she was there. One tip described the driver as a 25-year-old white man standing about 6 feet tall and weighing 160 pounds with black, curly hair and wearing an Army jacket. Some 40 minutes before Gail’s body was found, this car was seen being driven in the vicinity by a blonde man.
The Troy apartment where Gail was living at the time:
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I realize the odds of this particular car being the same Pontiac Tempest described by the witness who drove past a car pulled off of the road on I-75 in the very early morning hours of December 26, 1976, at the exact place Jill Robinson’s body was found in Troy are slim. But how about it, Troy PD–if you, unlike the MSP, are able to find out who drove the car connected with Gail Webster’s murder in 1978, how about sharing that information with someone associated with the OCCK investigation who will actually do something constructive with the information?
According to the article, Troy PD is tweeting more information about Gail’s case this week. If you have information about the 1978 murder of Gail Webster call #248-524-0777.
I bet this tip line is actually manned.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahmarder/creepy-unsolved-cold-cases?ref=bfbiobuzzfeed&utm_campaign=bfbiobuzzfeed&utm_source=buzzfeed.bio&p_id=15834
Sorry Cathy, I couldn’t find your email to send. I just saw that the OCCK case mentioned in recent buzzfeed article.
Thanks, Drew. I saw it via a Google alert. Another reader pointed out that this mention of the case and Marney’s book is huge in the media field and that Buzzfeed is often retweeted. Let’s hope someone outside of OC sees it and it shakes something loose.
Thanks for helping to sharing Gail’s story. Troy PD
Already Gone has a new podcast on this case: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-murder-of-gail-webster/id1109927634
Awesome. Nina always does a great job. Hopefully someone comes forward and this exceptionally cruel crime is solved.
So close to Mom’s house. Shudder.
Troy Police asked me to do an episode on the case. I was happy to do so. Do you know where I lived in 1978? Somerset Apartments.
Wow. Troy PD is showing how it’s done. Cold case = thinking outside the box, retesting evidence (at more than a glacial pace), and going public asking for help.
And they approached you!!! The MSP snd the OCP don’t say a word about the OCCK case unless someone pursues them hard. Then they say words that mean nothing. “We don’t comment on fiction.” Unless it’s their fiction.
My mother did too! When I read this case the other day, I was shocked! I lived with my Dad in Bloomfield Village!