WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – A man has been charged more than 35 years after a woman was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in Washtenaw County.
Beverly Wivell was found dead on the side of the road in Superior Township in September 1989. The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office said Wivell was sleeping in her vehicle in Canton Township after dropping her son off at school when she was abducted from her car, sexually assaulted, and shot before being left on the side of the road.
DNA taken from a rape kit completed in 1989 was sent in for forensic genealogy testing in 2024. According to court documents, that DNA has been linked to Buster Robbins of Almont.
Robbins is now facing charges in the rape and murder of Wivell. Prosecutors said Robbins and Wivell did not know each other.
1989 investigation
Detective Casey Luke with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office testified that on Sept. 18, 1989, deputies were sent to the area of Ford and Gotfredson roads for reports of a woman who had been shot and was found on the side of the road. Luke said investigators later identified the woman as Wivell.
She had been shot with a 45-caliber pistol. Her vehicle was discovered later that night in Canton Township. The vehicle was still running, the driver door was open, and her purse was inside.
Luke said she had dropped her son off at school at 8:30 a.m. Deputies were called to the scene of the crime at 9:40 a.m.
A witness from the area of Ford and Gotfredson roads told investigators that he heard a gunshot in the area. He said he saw what he believed to be a blue vehicle, similar to the style of a Chrysler New Yorker with a white top, speeding near the crime scene.
DNA tested in January 2024
In January 2024, DNA taken from rape kit completed on Wivell was sent to Michigan State Police, who sent it in for forensic genealogy testing. The testing led investigators to Robbins.
Investigators conducted several days of surveillance over a period of several weeks on Robbins’ home, where he lives with his wife. On Sept. 24, 2024, investigators collected several items, including used plastic straws, which were sent to the Michigan State Police lab for DNA comparison.
Forensic scientists found that DNA from one of the straws matched the DNA from the rape kit.
Investigators said that Robbins’ wife told them that in 1989 Robbins drove a vehicle that matched the description reported by the witness. They also found a 45-caliber magazine with ammunition in the home while conducting a search warrant.
Court appearance
Buster Robbins and his attorney made a brief court appearance on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
His time in court lasted less than two minutes. His attorney told the judge that the prosecutor’s office is working to get the evidence in the case on a flash drive for the defense to review.
His bond was denied. Robbins is expected back in court on Feb. 13, 2025.
