Gail Webster – 1978 Homicide – Troy
Case Information
Name: Gail Webster
Date: October 28, 1978
Location: Troy, Michigan
On October 28, 1978, Gail Webster was murdered inside her second story Somerset Park apartment in the 2900 block of Dorchester in Troy, Michigan. She was alone and beaten to death by an unknown person(s).
Her 25 year old daughter, with whom she shared the apartment, found her lifeless body around 5:55 am. There were no obvious signs of forced entry, no signs of sexual assault, and nothing was taken from the residence.
Gail was well liked in the community, and had no history of involvement with criminal or illicit activity. At the time of her murder, she worked as a manager at Susie-Q’s Restaurant, formerly located at 2216 N. Woodward Avenue near 13 Mile Road in Royal Oak.
Investigation
Family members, coworkers, and neighbors were interviewed and cleared through polygraph tests or other investigative methods.
On October 2, 1978, Gail’s daughter had her apartment keys stolen from her car while at Piper’s Alley, a hotspot previously located at 3250 W. Big Beaver. The daughter spotted a suspicious vehicle occupied by two 20-25 year old white males in the parking that night.
Lather that evening Gail heard an unknown individual messing with the door handle while her daughter was still out. Gail yelled to the individual and they fled.
On the morning of the murder, Gail’s daughter saw what she thought was the same suspicious vehicle from Piper’s Alley on Dorchester near Coolidge, right by their apartment. The driver had blonde hair and has never been identified.
One of the suspects in Gail’s case is Robert Van Hengel, an ATF agent who had dated her off and on between 1975-1977.
On the night Gail was killed, Van Hengel said he was at the Saint Clair Yacht Club on the Detroit River until about midnight. He said he then went out for drinks until 1:30 am before heading home.
But Gail’s daughter said her mother told her Van Hengel was doing a “drug bust” at an old house on Maple and Crooks roads that night, and that “she was very anxious about” it.
Gail’s ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, and current boyfriend are all dead. At the time of the initial investigation they were polygraphed, investigated, and cleared.
Her body was exhumed and re-examined in 1995, but it provided no new clues. Police are in the process of re-testing DNA and trying to create genetic profiles.
How to Submit a Tip
If you have any information regarding Gail Webster’s case please contact the Troy Police Department Tip Line at (248) 524-3477.
News & Media
Who Killed Gail Webster? – Troy, Unsolved Crimes
Daughters Refuse To Let Mother’s Unsolved Murder Fade Into Past – The Detroit News
Hoping Social Media Will Help, Troy Police Reopen Mystery Murder From 1978 – Detroit Free Press
