Summary

In September 1989, 30-year-old Beverly Wivell, a mother from Canton Township, Michigan had just dropped off her young son at school when she was abducted, sexually assaulted, and fatally shot. Her body was found on the side of the road in Superior Township, only a short drive from Canton. Wivell’s vehicle was later found abandoned at an area park. At the time, a rape kit was conducted and DNA evidence was collected. Despite investigators' attempts, a match to a known individual was not made and her murder went unsolved for nearly four decades.

In 2022, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office reopened the case in hopes that a reinvigorated investigation would help identify the responsible for Wivell's murder. Working with the Michigan State Police, forensic evidence from the crime was submitted to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas in January 2024.

Once at Othram's laboratory, scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the suspect. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.

Those leads led to the possible identity of a suspect. Investigators continued their investigation and collected several items that were sent to the Michigan State Police lab for DNA comparison. This comparison was a match to the original DNA collected in 1989, identifying 69-year-old Buster Robbins as the suspect in Wivell's murder. Robbins, who lives in Almont, a small town north of Detroit, was later arrested. He made his initial court appearance in early January 2025, where a judge ruled that Robbins would be held without bail. Additional updates about this case will be provided as they come available.

The identification of Beverly Wivell's killer marks the 16th case in Michigan where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. To read about other cases in Michigan, visit DNASolves.