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Gayle Barrus, a single mother of three, who was 30 years of age at the time, disappeared after coming out of a coffee shop in Battle Creek, Michigan, on October 9, 1988. 16 days later, her dead body was found in nearby Emmett Township.
On The Case With Paula Zahn, the highly popular true-crime documentary series is set to chronicle the heart-wrenching cold case of Battle Creek homicide in its next episode titled, 'Shadowy Figures'.
The show is currently in Season 24. Episode 11 will explore the Battle Creek case and will debut this May 8 (Sunday), 2022, at 10 PM/9c, exclusively on Investigation Discovery and discovery+.
Without further delay, let's dive deep and find out what happened to Gayle Barrus before releasing the episode 'Shadowy Figures' on Investigation Discovery.
Learn all about the Battle Creek homicide before the next episode of On The Case With Paula Zahn premieres
Who was Gayle Barrus and what happened to her?
Reportedly, Gayle Barrus was a single mother to three children who lived in Michigan. She was 30 years old when the dreadful incident took place. Gayle Barrus used to work at two local bars at the time.
The woman was reportedly last seen coming out of Speed's Koffee Shop at 1425 West Michigan Avenue on October 9, 1988, between 3 AM - 4 AM. She was accompanied by a dark-haired man.
After her disappearance, Gayle went through sexual assault and a fatal stabbing. The woman's body was discovered 16 days after her disappearance in nearby Emmett Township by a group of hunters.
Who murdered Gayle Barrus?
According to police reports, over 30 years after the Battle Creek homicide, Gayle Barrus' killer was identified by the police.
Gayle's son James Barrus took to Facebook to declare that Roger Allen Plato, a man of 24 years of age, has been positively identified as the murderer of his mother, Gayle Barrus, by the police.
Reportedly, the vial of Roger Allen Plato's blood was found during an audit by the local county police. The police remembered the cold Battle Creek case and turned it immediately over to the State Police of Michigan.
Reportedly, Plato died just two weeks after the woman's disappearance after getting shot by a detective during an intense struggle.
Gayle Barrus' son, James Barrus, said during an interview:
"An officer at the Calhoun County Sheriff's office was conducting a routine audit of an evidence storage facility and located a vial of blood belonging to Roger Plato....He recalled reading the story in the paper about my mother and the link to Plato and called the Battle Creek Police department and turned the vial over to them...it was promptly turned over to Michigan State Police crime lab." (via Dailymail)
James further said:
"DNA of Roger Plato had been elusive all of these years, and there were no samples that were "good enough" to get a conclusive read....(the vial) remained stored in the County Sheriff's evidence because the requisition form didn't indicate that it needed to be returned to the Battle Creek Police." (via Dailymail)
Later on, he posted on Facebook saying:
"I was informed of the vial being located but held off reporting it due to the numerous issues we had with previous samples that had been tested....Plato’s DNA had eluded BCPD, because he was shot and killed by a detective two days before mother’s body was found...."
The post also included:
"He was subsequently cremated. DNA was still in its infancy in 1988...and not very well understood, but it is very well understood today, and I knew that we would reach this milestone one day!" (via Dailymail)
Don't forget to watch the intriguing case of the Battle Creek homicide unfold in On The Case With Paula Zahn's next episode, 'Shadowy Figures', this May 8 (Sunday), 2022, exclusively on Investigation Discovery and discovery+.
