Indiana man arrested 35 years after Michigan woman found dead by her husband in their home
An Indiana man has been arrested in the 1987 killing of a woman whose husband found her dead in their southwestern Michigan home after a night of bowling. Patrick Wayne Gilham of South Bend was arrested Thursday and is awaiting extradition to Michigan to face charges in the killing of Roxanne Leigh Wood, who was 30.
The Berrien County Prosecutor's Office has charged Gilham, 67, with open murder and breaking and entering of an occupied dwelling. It wasn't clear if Gilham has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Terry Wood found his wife dead, with her throat cut, in the kitchen of their Niles Township home early on Feb. 20, 1987, after they had driven separately to go bowling and Roxanne Wood returned home first.
For the past 35 years, Terry Wood was one of the suspects in his wife's murder, but he was never arrested due to DNA at the scene that didn't match him or any other suspects, CBS affiliate WSBT reported.
Niles and Michigan State Police investigators ruled her death a homicide, but no arrest was made until now.
In 2001, the Michigan State Police Fifth District Cold Case Team worked on the case for more than a year, reviewing 3,347 pages of information and going through evidence, CBS affiliate WWMT reported.
Investigators reopened the case again in 2020.
Those investigators and prosecutors said they cannot discuss any details regarding the evidence that led to Gilham's arrest.
Police said new technology helped link Gilham to the crime but said they cannot divulge those details yet.
"There's relief that we have an individual arrested for this, but I can tell you there's a lot of investigative work that will continue from this point," said Lt. Chuck Christensen with the Michigan State Police.
Christensen told WSBT that he spoke with Terry and Roxanne's family last night.
"He was happy and thankful that his breakthrough has been made. Additionally he expressed relief after this Sunday will be 35 years since this had happened. He's processing that as well as the rest of her family," Christensen said.
