WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – A haunting cold case in Washtenaw County is moving forward after more than 30 years.
Beverly Wivell dropped her son off at school in 1989 and was found murdered just hours later.
Now, Buster Robbins is heading to trial, accused of her murder.
Local 4 spoke with Washtenaw County police Detective Austin Pearson, the lead detective on the case, who wasn’t even born when Wivell was killed, said investigators still need the public’s help.
“It can be extremely frustrating,” Pearson said.
Dale Swanson, Wivell’s son, expressed cautious hope.
“From what I understand, there’s pretty damning evidence, and I guess it’s pretty certain, but for me, until I hear that guilty verdict is heard, it won’t be done for me,” said Swanson.
On Sept. 18, 1989, Wivell, a 30-year-old mother from Canton Township, dropped off her 12-year-old son at school around 8:15 a.m.
She then went to Griffin Park nearby to rest in her car.
Just after 10 a.m., a passerby found her body near Gottfredson and Ford roads in Superior Township.
Pearson said, “It wasn’t until they were getting ready to LifeFlight her out by helicopter that they noticed she had been shot.”
The autopsy later revealed she had also been raped.
Wivell’s car was found abandoned in the park with keys in the ignition, purse inside, and shoes still in the car — details police found unusual.
For decades, the case remained cold until 2022, when detectives sent old DNA evidence to Othram in Texas for genealogy testing.
By January 2024, they identified Buster John Robbins, a 69-year-old man from Almont, as a possible match.
Pearson said Robbins had little police contact and lived under the radar for years, building a family and life.
“Wasn’t he a reserve officer around that time?” asked Local 4.
“Yes. With Macomb County,” Pearson confirmed.
Investigators monitored Robbins for weeks and, in September 2024, collected DNA from a straw in his trash.
That DNA matched the DNA found inside Wivell.
“He should’ve come forward and mentioned that he had relations with her,” Pearson said.
The defense argues that DNA alone does not prove Robbins killed Wivell.
Defense attorney Tim Turkelson stated, “He cheated on his wife. And he doesn’t want to admit that. That doesn’t make him a killer.”
In March, a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to send Robbins to trial, but a higher court overturned that decision.
“We obviously believe that he was the one that killed her,” Pearson said. “There’s lots of evidence that points to him, not only being involved in this incident, but possibly other criminal activity.”
Turkelson maintains Robbins’ innocence.
“Buster Robbins did not kill Beverly Wivell, and any rational view of the evidence proves that. We look forward to defending Buster’s innocence, and it is our sincere belief that Beverly’s family deserves better than the investigator’s continued focus on the wrong man,” Turkelson said.
Even as Robbins heads to trial, investigators urge anyone with information about Robbins or Wivell from that time to come forward.
A tip line is available for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 1 (734) 973-7711 for those who want to help solve this decades-old mystery.
Previous coverage: DNA evidence leads to arrest in 1989 rape, murder of mother in Washtenaw County