It was mid-February, and Michigan wore its winter crown—icy streets, snow-draped rooftops, and a bitter wind that cut through the heart of Berrien County. For thirty-year-old Roxanne Wood, it began as a day like any other. She and her husband Terry spent the afternoon laughing, throwing strikes and spares at a local bowling alley in Niles.

No one could have imagined that within hours, their lives would be shattered. Roxanne, the warm, meticulous, rose-loving woman who baked and shared family recipes with friends, would not live to see the evening. After leaving the alley ahead of Terry, she returned home, unaware that someone was already watching, waiting, ready to turn her life into a nightmare.

Forty-five minutes later, Terry returned for dinner. He walked through the front door into a scene of pure horror: Roxanne lying in the kitchen, her life stolen violently, blood staining the floor she had polished so many times. Her throat was slashed, and a pool of crimson spread like a silent scream across the linoleum. Shock froze him. Confusion, grief, and disbelief collided in one unbearable moment.

In that instant, a once-perfect life became a cold case. Terry, the grieving husband, became the first suspect in a tragedy that would haunt the town for 35 years. The police acted swiftly, yet evidence was scarce. A forced entry at the back door suggested an intruder. A droplet of blood not belonging to Terry hinted at someone else’s presence. But the forensic technology of the late 1980s was rudimentary. Fingerprints were smudged, DNA testing was decades away, and the case quickly turned cold.

For over three decades, the question lingered in the minds of investigators and the community alike: who had done this? And why? Terry lived under the shadow of suspicion, carrying the weight of a crime he did not commit, while Roxanne’s family clung to hope, even as the years dragged on.

Michigan State Police never truly closed the file on Roxanne’s murder. In 2000, detectives reopened the case, only to hit another dead end. Leads went nowhere, evidence had degraded, and memories faded. But the story was far from over.

Two decades later, in 2020, a fresh approach changed everything. Western Michigan University students, under the guidance of Dr. Ashlyn Kersten, teamed up with law enforcement to tackle the case from a new angle. They were handed thousands of pages—case files piled high, notes scrawled decades ago, and photos that had long collected dust. For these students, it wasn’t just an assignment—it was a chance to breathe life into a case that had been frozen in time.

They meticulously organized over 3,000 pages, scanned files into searchable formats, and immersed themselves in the intricate details of Roxanne’s life and death. The digital transformation allowed detectives to follow threads that had once been invisible, uncovering patterns, inconsistencies, and leads overlooked in earlier investigations.

Genetic genealogy expert Gabriella Vargas also entered the picture, analyzing a degraded DNA sample found at the crime scene. Against all odds, her work revealed a connection to a family line that ultimately pointed toward a suspect: Patrick Wayne Gilham. Suddenly, decades of uncertainty began to shift toward resolution.

Patrick Wayne Gilham, a name that had been buried in background reports and old criminal records, suddenly became central to the decades-old puzzle. He had a criminal history—released early from prison after committing a similar crime—but in 1987, he walked free, his past crimes obscured by the limits of local law enforcement and a lack of cross-state communication.

Michigan State Police immediately launched surveillance. Undercover units tracked Patrick, carefully noting his movements. Interviews were conducted under strict conditions, where even the slightest misstep could unravel years of careful planning. In two separate interrogations, Patrick repeatedly denied knowing Roxanne or ever being in Michigan at the time.

But when confronted with a photograph of Roxanne and told that DNA evidence tied him to the scene, his composure cracked. His hands shook. Breaths came in rapid, uneven gasps. He asked for a lawyer, and for the first time, the façade of innocence faltered. The meticulous planning that had allowed him to evade justice for 35 years was crumbling in the hands of relentless investigators and innovative students.

The breakthrough was nothing short of revolutionary. Using degraded DNA evidence, identaFinders International, guided by Gabriella Vargas, applied cutting-edge genetic genealogy techniques. The results were astonishing—an almost invisible trace of DNA led to a family tree that intersected with Patrick Gilham.

For investigators, it was a mix of relief and tension. The evidence was compelling but fragile. Any misstep could allow the suspect to challenge the case. But with careful handling and strategic surveillance, Patrick was finally arrested on February 17, 2022—almost 35 years after the murder that haunted Niles, Michigan.

In court, Patrick pled no contest to second-degree murder and faced a minimum of 23 years in prison. Charges of breaking and entering, reflecting the violent intrusion into Roxanne’s home, added up to a maximum of 15 additional years. For the family, justice had finally arrived, closing a chapter that had loomed over them for decades.

The identification and arrest of Patrick Gilham did more than solve a cold case. It cleared Terry Wood, Roxanne’s grieving husband, who had lived under suspicion for decades. For the first time in 35 years, Terry could breathe without the shadow of doubt following him.

The community of Niles, once frozen in fear and uncertainty, felt the relief ripple through its streets. Western Michigan University students, who had dedicated hundreds of hours to meticulously organizing, analyzing, and following the case, were celebrated as heroes. Their work demonstrated the power of innovation, determination, and fresh perspectives.

For Roxanne’s family, the resolution was bittersweet. Decades had passed. Memories had faded, and yet, the pain of loss remained. But there was now a clarity, a sense of justice, and a truth that allowed them to finally begin healing.

The Roxanne Wood case is more than a murder investigation. It’s a testament to perseverance, the evolution of forensic science, and the incredible impact of young, dedicated minds. It illustrates how decades-old mysteries can finally be solved when experience meets innovation.

For Terry Wood, it meant the lifting of suspicion and the validation of truth. For the students and law enforcement, it represented the triumph of dedication over bureaucracy. And for Roxanne’s memory, it was the long-awaited justice she deserved—a story of tragedy finally balanced by truth.

The case raises questions that linger beyond the courtroom: How many other cold cases could be solved with modern technology and fresh eyes? Could Roxanne have been saved if the investigative tools of today existed back then? And, perhaps most hauntingly, how many lives are still shadowed by unsolved mysteries waiting for the right minds to unlock them?

One thing is clear: justice may be delayed, but with persistence, collaboration, and ingenuity, even decades-old cold cases can be cracked, offering closure, peace, and the triumph of truth.