Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Shadowy Figures’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘On The Case With Paula Zahn’ delves deep into the horrific killing of a single mother of three named Gayle Barrus in Battle Creek, Michigan, in October 1988. During the investigation, when another woman was attacked nearby, the detectives uncovered a chilling connection between the two crimes. However, it took decades to solve Gayle’s homicide. The documentary provides a detailed account of the case and the investigation that ensued with the help of insightful and emotional interviews with Gayle’s loved ones and the officials who helped solve the case.
Gayle Barrus’ Remains Were Found About Two Weeks After Her Disappearance
On August 26, 1958, in San Antonio, Texas, Herman Ray Moody Jr. and Kathleen Lenore Abernathy Moody Cantrell welcomed Gayle Carlene Moody Barrus, Gloria, and Gwen into the world as triplets. Gayle also had another sister named Barbara, and three brothers — Gregory Paul Moody, Scott Moody, and Steven Ray Moody. In her early childhood, she and her family relocated to Battle Creek. After graduating from school in Bellevue and Battle Creek, she trained as a nursing assistant. Later, she gave birth to two sons, Mitchell and James Barrus, and a daughter named Melinda Barrus. For a while, she worked as a nursing assistant at several nursing homes in and around Battle Creek. Being a single mother of three, she began working various waitressing jobs simultaneously, including at Redwood Inn, Augusta, and the Beer Keg, to make ends meet.
The doting mother’s aspirations to watch her children graduate and achieve success couldn’t come true as fate intervened. On October 8, 1988, the 30-year-old woman reportedly went to work around 10 pm. A few hours later, around 2 am on October 9, she left the workplace and stopped at Speed’s Koffee Shop to unwind, where she sat down in a booth with two men. She was last seen leaving the diner about 3:30 am, with the two men following her. When her son, Mitchell, arrived home on the morning of October 9 after staying at a friend’s place the previous night, he couldn’t find his mother anywhere. By nighttime, the Barrus family’s neighbors reported Gayle missing to the police.
The authorities inspected the Barrus home and found no signs of foul play. However, they found it strange that her car was still parked in the parking lot of Speed’s. After several days of searching, on October 25, the police received a call from two hunters, who claimed to have found the remains of a woman along River Road in Emmett Township. Using the distinctive clothing and fingerprints, the authorities concluded that the remains belonged to 30-year-old Gayle. The autopsy revealed that she died of multiple stab wounds, with a total of 12 sharp force injuries across her back and stomach. She was also reportedly sexually assaulted, as they found sperm cells on the remains. Thus, a homicide investigation was launched.
Gayle Barrus’ Killer Was Also Linked to Another Sexual Assault Case
Since Gayle Barrus and her ex-boyfriend broke up on bad terms, the authorities suspected that he could have been involved in the disappearance. During his interview, the former boyfriend claimed that he hadn’t seen her for months and provided them with an ironclad alibi, ruling him out as a potential suspect. The detectives then shifted their focus to the two men last seen with Gayle at Speed’s Koffee Shop. According to witness statements, they created composite sketches of them and released them in hopes of leads. While the investigation was going on, the detectives received an anonymous tip from a man who claimed to have noticed a green pickup truck and a group of people, including a woman and two men, arguing near the site where Gayle’s remains would eventually be found.
The evidence led them to a man named Richard Earl Compton, who was questioned about Gayle’s disappearance. In the interview, he denied having anything to do with it at all. Due to a lack of evidence against him, the police had to let him go. Soon, another woman was reportedly ambushed near an ATM by a man who demanded money from her at gunpoint. Despite handing him the money she had just taken out, it is alleged that the attacker forced her into the truck and drove to a secluded field, where he allegedly raped her. He then drove her back into town and warned her not to contact the police. However, she immediately reported the crime to the police, telling detectives that the man drove a green pickup truck with distinctive features. This also made the detectives believe that he might also be the one responsible for Gayle’s disappearance.
She also provided them with a physical description of the man, which helped them create a composite sketch. The investigators soon found the green pickup truck parked outside a house that belonged to Roger Plato, near the area where the survivor was allegedly sexually assaulted. As they executed a search warrant of the house, Roger was not present, but they found the survivor’s ATM receipt in the property, directly linking him to the crime. His girlfriend at the time told the detectives that he had been staying at a friend’s place in the nearby town of Bellevue. Intending to interview Roger, the investigators approached him and tried to take him into custody when he tried to disarm the officer. When he tried to run away, he was shot and killed on the spot. Although his blood sample was collected, the DNA technology was not advanced enough to link him to Gayle’s disappearance.
Roger Plato’s DNA Matched the Killer’s DNA Found on Gayle’s Remains Years After His Death
For several decades, Gayle Barrus’ homicide case remained unsolved and cold. In 2018, after her son, James, contacted the Battle Creek Police Department, her case was reopened. During the re-examination of evidence in the case, the detectives noticed that Roger Plato’s DNA had not been tested against the DNA evidence of the killer found on Gayle’s remains. Finally, in January 2021, his DNA came back as a match after the Michigan State Police Crime Laboratory completed the DNA testing. It indicated that Roger was responsible for the rape and murder of Gayle Barrus in 1988. However, since Roger was killed a few days before her remains were even discovered, no charges were filed against him, and the case was officially closed.
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