Suvechha Sarkar
On a warm summer day in July 1990, Robin Gardner had gone out for a usual bike ride near her home in Whitehouse, Ohio. However, it turned out to be a nightmare when she was almost abducted. Fortunately, she was saved, and the perpetrator was brought to justice. However, the old wound reopened when another similar case came to the surface on July 19, 2016, with the disappearance of Sierah Catherine Joughin. ABC’s ’20/20: She Was Almost Home’ shortly explores the terrifying details of Robin’s abduction and how her testimony helped bring justice decades later. It also features her emotional interview, which extensively outlines her courage.
Robin Gardner Had Gone Out For a Bike Ride When She Narrowly Escaped Abduction
Robin Gardner was just 26 years old when she was living with her mother in Whitehouse, Ohio. Everything was going by quite perfectly when her life changed on July 4, 1990. Like any other year, her mother was preparing salad for the neighborhood picnic when Robin got bored in the afternoon and decided to go out for a bike ride. Around one mile from her home, Robin was riding her bike near Lucas County when she noticed a pickup truck pass by. When she decided to turn around and return home, she heard the vehicle approaching, and it ran her into a ditch. The driver reportedly approached her to check if she was okay. However, when Robin was busy getting up from the ditch, he attacked her on her head with a hammer.
Threatening her with a screwdriver, he then forced her into the truck and put her right hand in cuffs. Robin bravely resisted, and the commotion caught the attention of a motorcyclist passing by on the country road. She managed to jump out of the vehicle and get on the motorcycle before the biker helped her reach her home. Robin had sustained a concussion and a skull fracture from the hammer blow. When the authorities were alerted, they found the pickup truck driver, James Dean Worley, at the crime scene. When Robin identified him, he was arrested on the same day and faced the charge of abduction.
James was convicted and sentenced to 4-10 years in prison. After serving three years of his sentence, he reportedly received an early release after petitioning for the same. Decades later, on July 19, 2016, another woman, 20-year-old Sierah Catherine Joughin, disappeared around the same area under similar circumstances. The investigation linked the crime to James, ultimately leading to his arrest on July 22, 2016. Robin bravely came forward to testify about her experience during his trial, eventually contributing to his conviction for the aggravated murder of Sierah, among many other charges. The jury unanimously recommended a death sentence. He was ultimately sentenced to death on April 19, 2018. As of writing, James is on death row and is imprisoned at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Robin Gardner Carved Out a Remarkable Career Path Despite the Pain
In the aftermath of her abduction, Robin made the deeply personal choice to move back to California. Speaking on her decision, she stated, “I moved back to California, where I felt safe.” The horrifying experience left her with a permanent scar. Talking about the impact of her ordeal, she explained, “Ever since my attack, I can’t be alone. I cannot be where someone can’t hear me screaming. I can’t go bird watching.” Robin had been a birder since the tender age of 12 and loved observing and identifying birds. However, the joy seemed far from her reach due to the traumatic incident. Reflecting on the murder trial of Sierah, Robin recalled the emotional weight of facing her attacker once more. She expressed, “I was the last one on the witness stand, and that was terrifying, and he was in the room. So, I just told my story and left the courtroom, and just fell apart crying.”
Eventually, Robin turned her scar into a powerful gesture to help bring justice to Sierah. The former had graduated from Tamalpais High School in California in 1982. Just a year after surviving the abduction, Robin stepped into the professional world, determined to build a future defined by her strength and perseverance. In May 1991, she began working as an Executive Assistant at Arthur Anderson & Co., where she remained until June 1998. Following that, she joined Opus One Winery in the same role and held it until August 2001. Eventually, Robin transitioned into the position of Executive/ Personal Assistant at the Hall Financial Group in November of the same year before moving on in April 2002.
From April 2004 to May 2006, Robin’s journey led her through an Executive/Personal Assistant role at Space Needle. It was followed by securing the position of an Executive Assistant at Washington Mutual, where she served until October 2008. Later, Robin joined Greenpoint Technologies in November 2009, where she spent eight years as a Senior Administrative Assistant until February 2017. After serving for seven months as an Administrative Secretary at Creare, Robin moved on to join Carolina Day School as an Executive Assistant in January 2022. There, she assisted in managing operations till July 2023. Although Robin has chosen to keep her personal life away from the limelight, her career reflects the fact that she has never allowed a single moment of violence to define her. Instead, she has persevered and rebuilt her life, rooted in healing.
Read More: Sierah Joughin Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
