Robin Abrams /// Part 2 /// 885

Summary

True Crime Garage – Robin Abrams /// Part 2 /// 885

Release Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Nic & the Captain

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Episode Overview

This episode continues the deep dive into the disappearance of Robin Abrams, a former Will County sheriff’s deputy from Beecher, Illinois, who vanished in 1990 amid open conflict with her ex-boyfriend — a connected auxiliary police officer, Tony Marquez. The hosts examine the investigative missteps, tangled relationships, court battles, and persisting family grief that have shrouded the case in mystery, suspicion, and apparent injustice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Aftermath of Robin’s Disappearance and Dismissal of Her Lawsuit

• [03:14] Following Robin's disappearance, her wrongful termination lawsuit against the sheriff's department was dismissed — a situation the hosts label “fishy as hell.”
  • Jody Walsh (Robin’s sister), quoted:
    “Marquez was an auxiliary officer at the time, but he was best friends with Will County Sheriff John Johnson, who was also my sister's boss and he was running for reelection and she had a lawsuit against them at the time.”
• Investigation Hand-Off: The sheriff allegedly handed the case to the state police (ISP) due to conflict of interest, though he denied it.

2. Early Investigative Efforts & Frustration

• [04:00–06:40] State police and FBI quickly ran out of leads. Robin was last placed at a gas station near Marquez’s office. Despite releasing her photo, no credible sightings surfaced.
  • Captain Ed Wolf (ISP):
    “We simply have no good clues as to what happened to Robin... chances were slim that Robin was still alive, stranger things have happened.”
• The hosts agree the investigation was hampered by witness statements changing over time and a lack of concrete evidence.

3. Key Suspects: Tony Marquez and John Romo

• [09:09–11:11] The grand jury focused on Marquez (Robin’s ex) and his stepbrother John Romo as persons of interest. Main evidence revolved around witness reports of two men using a tow truck to dump Robin’s car the night she vanished.
• Captain:
  “Douchebag number one, douchebag number two.”
• Discussed their weak alibi — each other’s presence — and that neither was ever charged but remained central to police suspicion.

4. Legal Battles and Procedural Blockades

• [11:52–20:04] The grand jury tried to compel Marquez and Romo to submit to lineups, prints, and hair/blood samples, suggesting they must have something to compare against.
• Nick:
  “I actually think that it might be a whole lot of nothing...if we discover Robin's body, then maybe we'll find evidence there.” [14:36]
• Judge and later Illinois Supreme Court reject many of these subpoenas on privacy grounds, emphasizing constitutional hurdles even amid probable cause:
  • Nick:
    “If one of your colleagues, another judge says, I see that there's a threat to this woman's physical being from this individual... that, my friend, is your probable cause.” [19:13]

5. Stalled Momentum, Family Pain, and Lingering Suspicions

• [20:04 onward] The case repeatedly stalls; physical evidence disappears, eyewitness statements get ambiguous, and the prime suspects’ rights shield them.
• Licensing and power abuse:
  Captain: “...he probably wanted that position [auxiliary police] for simply the power. And that's scary when we put people like that into a position of law enforcement.” [43:59]
• Family grows more frustrated each year, feeling the system failed them.
  • Robin’s family:
    "The rights of the victim and her family were secondary to the rights of whoever committed the crime."

6. Witness Uncertainty and Issues with Eyewitness Testimony

• [28:00–33:40] Hosts dissect how the witness who saw the tow truck became less reliable over time — possibly influenced by media and public disclosures.
  • Nick:
    “I do not question that the witness saw the truck... what I wonder is... is the big hang up here kind of with this witness is when the person calls in at three in the morning... they know hide nor hair of what Tony Marquez looks like. Robin goes missing... now all of a sudden, I wonder... if the witness is starting to fill in the blanks.”
• Further dialogue on the unreliability of eyewitnesses, especially with evolving context and media attention.

7. Attempted Evidence Digs and Theories

• [38:34–42:45, 47:55–49:34] Police conducted two digs (in 1995 and 2017) at a basement poured by John Romo, but found nothing connecting Robin’s fate.
  • Nick:
    “John Romo was the person that poured that basement… Most people don't pour one basement in a lifetime and never live in the home itself.” [39:04]
  • In 2017, cadaver dogs and even the discovery of a thousand-year-old human bone offered no resolution. Family believes Robin may have been moved after being temporarily hidden.
• Hosts speculate on the logistics of the tow truck dump, Tony and John’s possible access to resources, and the chilling possibility that Robin’s body is hidden elsewhere.

8. Family’s Ongoing Struggle and Theory of ‘Cone of Silence’

• [40:27, 50:36–51:58] Robin’s family continues to campaign for answers, expressing deep frustration over the lack of progress and perceived brotherhood among law enforcement shielding suspects:

  “It's a brotherhood. The good old boys, they run deep and they cross the boundaries. You wash my back, I wash yours... their dirty little secrets will be revealed one day.”
• Family echoes certainty that more than one person knows what happened, and that fear likely prevents witnesses from coming forward.
• Nick: “The Robin Abrams case... is one of those frustrating cases in which everyone knows who is responsible for what happened. But a cone of silence maintained by the persons of interest has worked very effectively to put a halt to the investigation.” [52:50]

9. Recent Developments (2014-2024) and Hopes for Justice

• [43:59–54:00] CBS News Chicago coverage revealed that even Tony Marquez’s wife appeared noncommittal (“I don’t know. Of course not.” when asked if he was involved).
• A threatening letter referencing a missing deputy (Robin) sent in 2015 reinvigorated the case and spurred another fruitless dig.
• As of 2024, ten unidentified bodies have been ruled out as Robin; her family continues pleas for information and closure.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the System’s Failures and Investigation

• Nick [19:13]: “...another judge says, I see that there's a threat to this woman's physical being from this individual, and I'm signing off on an order of protection. That, my friend, is your probable cause.”
• Captain [43:59]: “[Tony] probably wanted that position for simply the power. And that's scary when we put people like that into a position of law enforcement.”

On Eyewitness Limitations

• Nick [33:40]: “Eyewitness accounts are not that accurate unless I saw it with my own two eyes, in my own three eyes.”
• Captain [09:09]: “Well, let's also point out he was an auxiliary cop. So he was essentially a wannabe full time cop that was making full time cops look like shitpags.”

On The Ongoing Grief and Stalled Justice

• Robin’s sister (quoted by Nick) [50:36]:
  “It's a brotherhood. The good old boys, they run deep and they cross the boundaries. You wash my back, I wash yours. They're like kissing cousins of the south, but their dirty little secrets will be revealed one day.”
• Nick [54:00]: "Her life was important to us. I'll never give up. Never.”

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• [03:14] – Lawsuit dismissed after Robin’s disappearance; the Marquez-Johnson connection
• [06:40] – Lack of leads after initial push (FBI, ISP); witness accounts discussed
• [09:09] – Grand jury names Marquez and Romo as persons of interest
• [11:52-20:04] – Legal fights over evidence collection, privacy rights, and failed subpoenas
• [28:00–33:40] – Scrutiny of eyewitness reliability and account evolution
• [38:34, 47:55] – Police digs at property linked to John Romo; no evidence found
• [40:27, 50:36] – Family commentary on injustice and law enforcement “brotherhood”
• [54:00] – Case remains open; family vows not to give up

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Tone and Style

The hosts balance sharp, sometimes irreverent banter (“douchebag number one...”), empathy for victims, and clear-eyed skepticism toward official narratives. They champion the family’s perspective, repeatedly call out systems that protect perpetrators, and invite listeners to think critically about witness testimony, police procedure, and the barriers to justice.

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Summary

This episode spotlights the unresolved injustice of Robin Abrams’ disappearance — bearing witness to her family's suffering and the frustrating machinations of the legal and law enforcement systems. Nic and the Captain expose how a combination of local politics, questionable law enforcement practices, unreliable eyewitness testimony, and perhaps a “cone of silence” among the involved have allowed a likely perpetrator to evade accountability for decades. Despite procedural dead ends and two fruitless property digs, the hosts keep the spotlight on the case, encouraging ongoing public attention and hoping, along with Robin’s family, for long-delayed answers and justice.

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For further reading:
Hosts recommend “25 Frozen, 1 Thawed: Murder and Mayhem in the Midwest” by Bob Ciphers
Catch previous related cases (including Lisa Stebik, episodes 271/272).

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If you have any information on the disappearance of Robin Abrams, contact your local authorities or the Will County Sheriff's Office. Her family deserves answers.

Transcript

[Nick]

They say if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.

[Captain]

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[Nick]

Welcome to True Crime Garage, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, thanks for listening. I'm your host, Nick, and with me as always, as a man who lives rent free in your earballs, here is the Captain.

[Captain]

And I'm so sorry for that. It's good to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend.

[Nick]

Today we are enjoying this fine triple New England IPA from our friends at Tactical Brewing Company. This one is called Dish Liquors and naturally it's got some dogs on the can. Art Dish Liquors is a collaboration. Tactical does a lot of collaborations. In fact, we did a collab with them back in 2023 with a beer and a meetup. Dish Lickers ABV, 10% garage grade four and a half bottle caps out of five. And here are some generous folks who teamed up with us to fill up the fridge. First we have Amy in Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

[Captain]

And a big we like to chip goes out to Lizzie C. In Richmond, Virginia.

[Nick]

Next, let's give a cheers to Mitch from Brown Deer, Wisconsin.

[Captain]

And a big talk, hands in the air to Matt and Bloomington, Illinois.

[Nick]

And representing the good southern listeners, we have Jen in Jonesboro, Arkansas. And last but certainly not least, we have a double fisted cheers to Susie Squirrel and Harold Cardinal, big fans who love listening from their deck in Bloomington, Minnesota. A special thank you to everyone who contributed to this week's beer fund and to everyone listening, however you listen, we say thank you.

[Captain]

Yeah. BWWAN Beer run. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, make sure you check out our YouTube page and tell your mother, tell your brother and that's enough of the business.

[Nick]

All right, everybody gather round, grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true crime. With Robin Abrams missing for an extended period of time, her lawsuit was dismissed. This takes place Captain on January 9, 1991. That's quite convenient for several folks who we have already mentioned in this story thus far. And here's a quote, quote, Marquez, meaning Tony Marquez, was an auxiliary officer at the time, but he was best friends with Will County Sheriff John Johnson, who was also my sister's boss and he was running for reelection and she had a lawsuit against them at the time, end quote. This was from Robin Abrams sister Jody Walsh, as she told it to the Joliet Patch. Fishy as hell, right? Yep, fishy as can be. So let's get back to the investigation here. As we said in our first part, Sheriff Johnson handed the case over to the isp to Illinois State Police. This was after the Will County State's attorney advised him to do so. There was just too much of a conflict, although the sheriff denied that, saying that he had wished the case because, quote, several police jurisdictions were involved, end quote. The ISP investigation placed Robin at a gas station on the afternoon that she vanished. And that gas station was near the office of Tony Marquez. But that was about it. They had no idea where Robin had gone. By October 18, the Illinois State Police admitted that they were stumped. Captain Ed Wolf of the ISP told the South Town Star, we simply have no good clues as to what happened to Robin. It had been hoped that running her photo in the papers would result in sightings, but any sightings called in proved to be mistaken. The FBI had been called into the case, but it doesn't seem that they made any headway either that they were involved. What looks kind of briefly to me here, Captain. So five weeks after Robin's disappearance, Captain Ed Wolf of the Illinois State Police maintained that the case was still being actively worked by four full time investigators and the FBI. He denied that they were focusing on the Will County Sheriff's Department saying we don't have a focus right now, but we are not at a dead end either. We are working with what we have. He said that although the chances were slim that Robin was still alive, stranger things have happened.

[Captain]

Well, it's really sad. In this case, the eyewitness that saw the tow truck, if that individual would have just been able to get some identifying marker from that truck, this could have been changed the whole investigation in this case.

[Nick]

I would love to have a sit down with that individual because what that person witnessed is described differently at different times. As this investigation in this true crime story drags on. I would really like to hear it for my own, with my own ears, see what I can make out of it. Because I don't know what this story, right. This eyewitness account is being told second, third, fourth hand sometimes. And I would like to know what has been left out and by who along the way. On the first anniversary of Robin's disappearance, the Chicago Tribune did an article about the case. Remember, it's kind of at a standstill at this point, but the article described the state police as frustrated and the Will county state's attorney's office as puzzled. Her mother Barbara, was interviewed for this article. She's weeping. She is clutching a photo of her missing daughter. She tells the reporter, quote, not knowing if Robin is alive or dead really drives me crazy. I can't get through the night without waking up worrying, thinking, is this a missing person's case or a fatal attraction investigation? But even Barbara acknowledged that Robin was likely deceased by this time. She told the Tribune, Robin was such an intelligent girl, she made one stupid mistake. Why did she have to pay for it this way? But the article reported that the state police had evidence, perhaps even a witness capable of identifying a suspect in a lineup. And there had been a grand jury in the case. See, you mentioned the tow truck in that witness. That's my suspicion here. Right. That would be the person that would make the most sense, or at least the one, the person that's already mentioned in the story so far as being capable of identifying a suspect in a lineup. We should point out here though too that the new sheriff in Will county, the man who took over, his name was Thomas Fitzgerald. He fired Tony Marquez in December of 1990.

[Captain]

Well, let's also point out he was an auxiliary cop. So he was essentially a wannabe full time cop that was making full time cops look like shitpags. But maybe there's an eyewitness, like you said. Maybe the eyewitness that saw the tow truck, maybe they could identify somebody. Or maybe there was another eyewitness that saw when Robin would have been abducted from her car.

[Nick]

There's very little to go on for this investigation, right? Like, regardless of what you think happened or who you think is responsible, there's not a lot for them to follow here, or at least information that's made its way to the public. And speaking of public publicly, the investigation into Robin's disappearance stalled out. Nothing seemed to be happening. But behind the scenes, it sounds like there might have been a lot that was going on because the Will county prosecutors were gathering evidence against Robin's ex and a potential accomplice and trying to make a homicide case against the two of them. Robin's disappearance was still classified as a missing persons investigation, not a homicide. The will County State's Attorney Edward Bermilla said to the Chicago Tribune, quote, you need a body, some remains for the case to be labeled a homicide. The state police captain Ed Wolf, on the other hand, said the likelihood that she is alive is very remote. The grand jury probe proceeded nonetheless, with Bermilla trying to obtain concrete information and tangible evidence against his two suspects. The suspect was named Tony Marquez. No surprise there, right, Captain? And the alleged accomplice? Tony's alleged accomplice was none other than Tony's stepbrother, John romo.

[Captain]

Douchebag number one, douchebag number two.

[Nick]

Seven months after Robin vanished in 1991, this is in May of 91, the prosecutors convened a grand jury to conduct a confidential investigation into whether these two had offed Robin. Now, we don't know what they had on these guys. That's never been released. We do know that someone saw two men dropping off Robin's car. Maybe the descriptions provided by that witness were consistent with both Tony Marquez and John Romo. But whatever they had, it was enough to take a significant step in the investigation. According to the South Town Star, quote, Illinois State Police investigators named the ex boyfriend and his half brother as people of interest in the investigation. So that's some form of progress, I guess. Tony Marquez's alibi, Captain, for the night that Robin Abrams disappeared was his stepbrother, or as just reported by the South Town Star, his half brother, John Roma.

[Captain]

Yeah, once you both become suspects, that alibi doesn't hold water. From.

[Nick]

No, no, no. Yeah. You can't say I, I couldn't have abducted her because I was busy hanging out with Romo. And then they're like, yeah, but he's a suspect.

[Captain]

I was hanging out with Tony. I couldn't have done anything.

[Nick]

I mean, come on. Tony's a member of law enforcement.

[Captain]

Did anybody else see him? I don't think so.

[Nick]

Neither man was charged with anything, but it's clear that they were in the line of fire of this grand jury. And so the grand jury was attempting to use subpoena powers to require both Tony Marquez and John Romo to play ball. They issued subpoenas to require the Wonder Twins here to one, submit to in person lineups before an unidentified witness. Again, we can surmise that this is likely the person who saw the two men disposing of the car. Two, require these guys to submit blood and hair, head and pubic hair samples. Three testify before the grand jury. And they wanted Tony Marquez to be required to submit finger and palm prints.

[Captain]

Well, so maybe these two knuckleheads somehow get a tow truck, and they're the ones that towed Robin's vehicle to that location. And again, they put it in a bad location. Did somebody try to break into this car, or did they stage that? Who knows? But they put it obviously in a bad location, because then they go, well, Robin must have been in a bad location and something bad happened to her.

[Nick]

That's not the worst idea when you're trying to cover something up. Not the worst idea with this information here, though. Captain, I've seen people openly question, like, okay, if the grand jury wants. Wants to require these guys to submit hairs, hair samples, testify in front of the grand jury, submit blood samples, and Tony Marquez to submit finger and palm prints.

[Captain]

Don't forget the pubes.

[Nick]

Well, what.

[Captain]

Give me those pubes.

[Nick]

My pubes are the same as my head hair. The. Too much information, straight as an arrow. People have openly speculated. Well, if this is what they want to require these guys to submit, they must have something to compare this to. What. What do they have that they want to compare all this to? And I actually think that it. It might be a whole lot of nothing. Okay, there. Maybe they're. They were hoping to pull some prints that match Tony marquez's from the vehicle.

[Captain]

Yeah, but that wouldn't explain anything because they had a relationship. My speculation is, hey, why? We have the opportunity. Let's collect this information. If we discover. If we discover Robin's body, then maybe we'll find evidence there. And now we don't have to go back to try to collect something.

[Nick]

As it turns out, we park our cars in the same garage, my friend, because I. I'm with you. I think it's like not comparing it to what we have now, but. But we might have nothing now, right? What we do know absolutely 100% with this case is there are items in this case that we've not found. Her body, anything that may be with her body, additional crime scenes. So let's collect this while we can, force them to do so, to comply, and then we keep it, and we have good evidence for anything that we might find in the future at a later date. Now, while some court documents that we reviewed made reference to evidence found in Robin's car, ISP Captain Ed wolf said items were found of evidentiary interest. He told the south town star that the subpoenas were intended to permit the police to follow up on these items of evidence. So we. Look, we're bashing some of the guys from the Will County Sheriff's Department. I think that that's warranted. I think we should point out how difficult of an investigation this is for the state police. And it seems like they were doing everything they can, regardless of who's responsible for what happened to this young woman, to find that person, bring them to justice, and close out this case.

[Captain]

Well, what we do know is Robin was afraid also. Robin was an officer herself. So if somebody did abduct her, I have no reason to believe that Robin went quietly. I think Robin probably put up one damn good fight.

[Nick]

The circuit judge, Rodney Lechwar, was concerned about the legitimacy of using the grand jury subpoenas to obtain physical evidence from two men who had not been technically charged or even officially named a suspect yet publicly in the case. He said, I don't know if subpoenas are the proper avenue to get blood and hair samples. I want to see evidence before someone's constitutional rights against illegal search and seizure are violated. Now, in order to obtain a search warrant for physical evidence, prosecutors would have to show probable cause as to why the needs of the state to access the samples of Tony Marquez and to supersede Tony Marquez and John Romo's privacy rights. But after hemming and hawing, the judge ended up approving the subpoenas. Or for the most part. Okay, so Tony Marquez and John Romo appealed the subpoenas issued by the grand jury, and the appellate court denied the subpoenas for blood samples and pulled head hairs, but approved them for everything else. So that's the pubic hair clippings and combings, clipped head hair, head hair combings, prints and lineups. The court felt that the items, These items are already exposed to the public. Right. These are items that you could just walk behind them and collect if they fell off of them. Right. So it's not really invading their privacy rights, but they are saying that the forcible collection did violate their fourth Amendment.

[Captain]

I want to point like this at all.

[Nick]

I don't like.

[Captain]

We have evidence that they were abusive. At least one of the individuals, at least. Right. And then because possibly somebody's putting the stepbrother with Tony. Well, you. Who gives a shit about your rights right now?

[Nick]

Look, here's my thought on it, though, too. It's like you're telling me that we have to have probable cause in order that we're not violating their rights, their constitutional rights. I'm fully on board with that every day of the week and twice on Sundays. But we have probable cause against Tony Marquez, against Another judge approved an order of protection for Robin against this dude, right? That to me, if one of your colleagues, another judge says, I see that there's a threat to this woman's physical being from this individual, and I'm signing off on an order of protection. That, my friend, is your probable cause.

[Captain]

Well, not just Robin, but protection for Robin's mother as well.

[Nick]

So the step brothers took the case all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. The court ruled that the Illinois Constitution provided more individual privacy rights than did the U.S. constitution, recognizing a zone of personal privacy. So we found the court documents relating to this ruling. In May 1991, Will County grand jury, the people of the state of Illinois. Appelli and cross appellant verse, Tony Marquez. This was dated October 15, 1992. It says the appellate court found under a Fourth Amendment analysis that the demand for the pubic hair samples constituted a search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment and that bearing probable cause, such a subpoena was unreasonable. And I could continue to read it all, but let's not do that. That. That is exactly what it says in short form. Okay, so Tony Marquez, Joe John Romo won their legal battle, thus avoiding providing hair samples and prints. Their attorney called the subpoenas a fishing expedition by the grand jury, suggesting that they had nothing, that they had no evidence. And still we know nothing of what was found in Robin's car. Other than the camera with no film in it. We learn very little is made publicly about what was found or not found in Robin's purse. And more importantly, what exactly did the witness see and how? Clearly, this is a case with so many important questions. What if I told you the biggest crime story of our time is happening right under our noses and we're all witnesses. Introducing Lawless Planet, the new podcast from Wondery that exposes the dark underbelly of the climate crisis. From the Amazon rainforest to small town America, host Zach Goldbaum uncovers shocking tales of murder, corporate cover ups and greed. You'll hear about the brave activists risking their lives for their beliefs. The corrupt tycoons destroying ecosystems for profit, and the ordinary people caught in the crossfire. This isn't some distant threat. It's happening right now. Each episode drops you into a battle for our planet's future. We're talking mysterious deaths, daring heist and billion dollar scams, all with the fate of our world hanging in the balance. This is Lawless Planet. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. You can listen to new episodes early and ad free right now. By joining Wondery plus in the Wondery App, Apple Podcast, or Spotify.

[Captain]

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[Captain]

All right, we are back. Tall cans in the air. Cheers to the people in the back.

[Nick]

Raise them high. Raise them high.

[Captain]

In the sky.

[Nick]

In the sky. The Will county authorities didn't give up. However, in 1993, a new will county state's attorney, his name is James Glasgow, recommended against a lineup. So this is where we get into a lot of that back and forth of what did the witness see? How good was their description? How clearly did they see? Is there. Is there a description? Is there information changing over time?

[Captain]

Well, and the tough thing, too is if you call, you're the eyewitness. You call about this car. You then later find out who this car is connected to through news outlets. And then you figure out that this individual, Robin, had a lawsuit against law enforcement officers. And it's a good possibility she's not just missing, but she's dead. That might influence how much information you give to anybody.

[Nick]

And I want to be clear here, too. I know the US Garage vultures are circling heavy around this Tony Marquez, and I say rightfully so. But the lawsuit doesn't have to be the lone reason that this woman ended up dead. Tony. If, in fact, he was guilty of all the harassment and the bullying that she claimed in her lawsuit. He had some. He grew to hate this woman. It could have been something as simple as Their paths crossed, they get into an argument, it turns physical and he chokes her to death. He strangled the poor woman.

[Captain]

I think this guy is probably very abusive physically, verbally and mentally towards women.

[Nick]

Here is why I kind of question about what the statements from the witness were and how they have changed, may have changed over the years. Right. Because we have Will county authorities, we have the, the Will County State's attorney at one time is really pushing for a grand jury. And it seems like a lot of that was submitting to a lineup to possibly being identified as one of the two men in the tow truck dropping off the vehicle. Right. Whether that be Tony Marquez, John Romo or both. But then later you have the attorney saying we don't want, we're going to say no to the lineup. We're not recommending a lineup anymore. The reason why I say that I question if this witnesses information or description of such has changed over time is I do not, I absolutely do not question that the witness saw the truck dropping off the car. Tow trucks are loud. This is a small street. Houses are close together. Cars are parked on the street. 10 o' clock at night on a Thursday, if somebody pulled up a tow truck in front of my house or, or adjacent to my house, I would hear it, I would look out the window, I would see and recognize a tow truck is dropping a car. The other thing too, I don't doubt is that somebody called in and said, hey, it looks like somebody's attempting to break into this vehicle that's out here. A red Dodge Daytona hatchback, 1989. I'm old enough to remember those vehicles. That car sticks out. That's a car that sticks out. And in 1990, some dude walking down the street in a town that maybe has a lot of car break ins and sees a camera inside the vehicle, that's an item of value. The person may have wanted to break into the car to steal that and in hopes that there were other items of value inside that vehicle. Here's an idea too. Maybe the person walking down the street, we said the keys were found in the ignition, doors locked, keys in the ignition. Maybe dude sees the keys in the ignition and goes, I make it into that car. I can drive off with that thing. So I don't doubt any of that occurring. What I, what I, what I wonder is, is the big hang up here kind of with this witness is when the person calls in at three in the morning, this car, someone's trying to break into this car in front of my house. Cops show up, the Person attempting the break in, gone. We want to know more about this car. The caller says, well, it was dropped off here at 10pm by two guys in a tow truck. When that person is making that report, giving that statement to police, he or she, they know hide nor hair of what Tony Marquez looks like. Robin goes missing. It's known that she's missing. She's missing for days, it turns into weeks. And he starts getting named publicly as a person of interest. Guess what? His picture makes it to the public. Now all of a sudden, I wonder where. I couldn't tell you what the guy looked like. If the witness is starting to fill in the blanks, naturally, innocently on their own and says, you know what? The guy I saw looked exactly like Tony Marquez. Now, now that I think of it, now that I come to think of it, the man had dark hair and dark complexion and was built similar to that Tony Marquez. That there's good reason, I believe there's good reason why this attorney decided not to pursue the photo lineup or the, the in person lineup, identification lineup at some point.

[Captain]

Well, like we said a million times, eyewitness accounts are not that accurate unless I saw it with my own two.

[Nick]

Eyes, in my own three eyes. So of course this is not going to help the investigation. It's not going to further the case against Marquez, not going to further the case against Romo. The FBI and the ISP, they would continue to investigate. But in December of 1993, Captain Sergeant Charles Kitchens, her kitchen with the ISP said all the investigative leads have pretty much been exhausted. We are hoping for new leads. He admitted to the South Town Star that there are no new suspects that have been developed. Simply meaning that Tony Marquez and John Romo were still the only suspects? It sounds like that they were looking at. Yeah.

[Captain]

And it makes you wonder about what else was going on in Robin's life because with all this crazy stuff happening and this harassment, was there somebody else that saw opportunity? Well, if I get rid of her, law enforcement is going to look in this direction. And then also, not only do you have Tony, but you have the stepbrother. And then again I keep saying, what did his wife know? Because if his wife knew everything was true that Robin was saying, how was this affecting Tony's business, his job with law enforcement? Was this affecting her job? Well, how was this affecting their family and society? Could she be a suspect?

[Nick]

She could be. But I'll tell you this, here's one thing I do know. Do you know where tow trucks do not take cars that they Pick up. They don't take them to a residential street and drop them at some random spot. That's. That's not the tow truck business.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

Who, whoever those two men were, have direct involvement with her disappearance, whether they're responsible for her murder, whether they're responsible for her abduction, whether they're responsible for whatever happened to Robin, I can say 100% that those two men are directly involvement, involved in some form of the crimes committed against Robin Abrams.

[Captain]

Well, that makes me wonder, too, about the eyewitness accounts. You said it. If you could talk to this individual, you could get better details when it's misreported and maybe not on purpose, or maybe the individuals changing their. Changing their story. Because if you're just looking out a window and you see a car being dropped off, well, was it a tow truck or was it a regular truck that had a trailer? So I think those details matter. But because Tony's involvement with law enforcement, is it possible that he had access or did the stepbrother have access to a tow truck? Again, these are a bunch of questions I would love to have the answers to.

[Nick]

There's also ways to determine if a person got inside the vehicle and manipulated the vehicle in any manner. Right. Did they put it into neutral? We know the keys were found in the ignition, but one could use the hook and just. Just forcibly pull the vehicle up to the. The tow truck. That can be done. I want to know if there was anything that was suggestive in the vehicle that to that police could go. Well, we think that somebody secured it after dropping it, or somebody put it in the neutral before picking it up and moving it. What we do know, though, captain, is that we're going to get a dig. Okay. We're going to have a big search here. And this apparently is the result of a tip. This took place in May of 1995. The police were conducting a dig at a home, at a residence, and simply put, they're digging up a basement. It was stated to the newspapers, we're digging up this basement looking for Robin Abrams. So they were opening up some holes in this basement and they bringing in cadaver dogs. The home's basement foundation had been poured just six weeks before Robin Abrams went missing. But an officer in charge, a sergeant in charge at the time, said, quote, other things are done after a foundation is laid. So police had used ground penetrating radar in this basement a few months earlier and detected a. Their words, a variance that had characteristics inconsistent with the ground. They actually, what's reported is eight suspicious spots were Detected. However, after opening up these holes, bringing in the cadaver dogs, nothing was found.

[Captain]

But we're not privy to who this property was connected to.

[Nick]

Well, we don't know who was living there at the time of the dig, but it being the basement being poured just six weeks before Robin went missing is also suggestive that nobody was living there at the time that she went missing. Right. You know, they poured. They poured the basement and then build the house on top. But what's key here is John Romo was the person that poured that basement.

[Captain]

Well, the other question I'd want to know about this property. Was there any claims made, insurance claims made from this property? Because like you said, Tony had an insurance company.

[Nick]

Yeah, he. He had an insurance agency at one time.

[Captain]

That's correct.

[Nick]

But here's. Here's the other thing that this tells me. Right. John Romo. Anybody in the garage, raise your hand if you know a person, you've encountered a person in your lifetime that has only poured one basement. Nobody pours just one basement in their. In a lifetime. All right, maybe my grandfather, when he built his own home back in the 50s or 60s or whenever the hell it was.

[Captain]

Right. Most people, he probably had help by somebody that poured more than one basement.

[Nick]

Most people don't pour one basement in a lifetime and then. And never live in the home itself. So this guy had access to all kinds of ways of making it so that someone disappears, and not just for a little bit of time, but disappears permanently for good.

[Captain]

Well, but in a nobody, they found nothing, though, right?

[Nick]

Correct. But I, I'm. I'm saying that this wouldn't be the only basement that he poured.

[Captain]

Oh, I get what you're. I'm picking up what you're putting down now.

[Nick]

Maybe they just had the wrong house. Maybe they just. I don't. Again, I've never met people that. I've met several people in my lifetime, God bless them, that have. Have built homes that have poured basements. None of them have ever told me that's the only basement I ever poured. They've all built multiple homes, and some of them work for outfits that have built dozens, if not hundreds of homes. All right, so let's. Let's move outwardly here a little bit. Let's bring things up to speed because we have a little bit more information from 2006. Don Abrams, poor father, whose daughter has been missing at this point for more than a decade. He speaks with the South Town star about his missing daughter. Unfortunately, his wife Barbara had passed away by this time. But the Family told the publication that because the case was still classified as a missing persons investigation and nothing was being done, that they felt alienated from justice because of the lack of progress. He said, we need closure. One of the sisters, Donna, said that her sister Robin had told her, if anything happens to me, my ex was responsible. In 2007, Robin's sister, Jody Walsh, gave an extensive interview to the South Town Star about her sister's case. She said the family was very frustrated with the way the case had been handled. They felt that the rights of the victim and her family were secondary to the rights of whoever committed the crime. They said that they had poor communication with the investigators and felt that they had no outlet or resources. One of the sisters told the paper that she believed there are people who know who killed her sister and they need to do the right thing. That's kind of what I was circling around and hinting at with the two men driving the tow truck. Whether those two men were Tony and John or not. I think even Tony and John or whoever. One or both of those guys were in that tow truck told somebody something. Somebody out there in this one knows something. This case just. It's. At its core, there's more than one person involved.

[Captain]

Yeah, but the problem is, once Robin goes missing, anybody that has any suspicion towards Tony, then you gotta go, well, if I come forward with information, these two yahoos can get rid of me.

[Nick]

Yeah. Yeah, that's. You're right. That's incredibly frightening. Well, and I think.

[Captain]

And I think that's probably.

[Nick]

They were successful once.

[Captain]

Right. And that's probably the reason why Tony's wife never left. I mean, if he's. If he's physically abusive towards his girlfriend, he's probably physically abusive towards his wife. And then. So even if she wanted to leave him, that, well, now I gotta pull the trigger. Because if I leave him, I'm possibly setting in motion my own murder. It's a scary world. And what also sucks about this Tony guy, this auxiliary cop, is that he probably wanted that position for. For simply the power. And that's scary when we. We put people like that into a position of power, into a position of law enforcement.

[Nick]

CBS News, Chicago did a lot of great work on this case and was used as one of our primary resources, as well as the other papers and news outlets that we've cited already in the story. But I want to hone in on something that took place in 2014. This is when they. CBS New Chicago, reached out to Robin's family. They spoke with one of the Sisters learning, of course, that the family still suspected Tony Marquez as being responsible. And from their coverage, one of their reporters visited the home of Tony Marquez, who was living in south suburban Elwood at the time in 2014. You had asked about his wife earlier. So when this reporter approached the home, Tony's wife was the one that answered the door. And the reporter said, quote, you don't think he had anything to do with her disappearance, End quote. And the wife's answer? Quote, I don't know. Of course not. End quote. You catch somebody off guard like that and you get the honest answer. The honest answer from that woman, from the wife, is, I don't know. Not, of course not. That was her second answer, her secondary answer. Her real feeling in her heart is, I don't know. We've heard that from detectives several times when, when you have cases similar to this one where they believe that they hone in on the responsible party at some point, be it a week after the murder or disappearance, two weeks after the murder or disappear. One thing that detectives have told us consistently is that we wish we would had the opportunity to interview him, to speak with our suspect right after he or she went missing, right after he or she was killed, right after he or she, after we found the body. We, we wish we could have talked with him that night or the next morning. And in this case, the reporter not getting the opportunity to talk to the wife until 2014, after more than two decades had passed.

[Captain]

Yeah, there's nothing more frustrating than looking into a case. And sometimes a case can be very complicated. But more, more likely it's the simple answer. And in this case, I think there's a simple answer, but we still don't have any justice.

[Nick]

The next bit of public information about this case emerged the following year. In the following year. This is in 2015. The Will County State's Attorney's office told a newspaper that the case was still under review. But then the Chicago Tribune reported on a mysterious letter that was sent recently. Recently. So that means 2000 recent to 2015. This letter sent to a former Will county sheriff at his home, one who had been a lead investigator on the case at some point. The letter reportedly was several pages long and was described by the sheriff's office spokesperson as being of a threatening nature. They admitted that the unsigned letter referenced the disappearance of an unnamed deputy 25 years earlier. And of course, the only missing former sheriff's deputy was Robin Abrams. The county sheriff was now investigating this letter of. Of threatening nature. So could this letter have been sent to the former sheriff to one. Keep him quiet. What. What were the threats? Right. Who sent it? There was no other information about this letter that. That I could find.

[Captain]

Right. But this leads us to have the content of that letter.

[Nick]

You know me, I love a good letter.

[Captain]

Yeah, there's something about a letter and a true crime story.

[Nick]

Send us the letter. This leads to another dig. This is dig number two, if you're keeping score at home. This takes place in March of 2017 when police dug up a basement, a concrete slab, at the same home that they had excavated in 1995. This was thanks to new leads. So they're. Something's giving them on more than one occasion, information about this particular basement.

[Captain]

Yeah, you wonder if she's in the basement or is she just on the property somewhere?

[Nick]

And of course, we wouldn't be sitting here telling this story very likely if. If something of significance was recovered, especially if it was Robin Abrams. What we can tell you about this second dig, again reported to be that of the same basement that they had dug holes into prior. It's located in the 1000 block of South Margaret Street. So some. Some family there has a pretty messed up basement. By this point, nothing of significance were found. We do have. The Tribune was told by a police officer that a cadaver dog had hit on the home's basement, that they did find a human bone, but it turned out to be over 1000 years old. So just a coincidence here, but listen to this. The family then says, it's our belief that she was there at some point and that we believe that she may have been killed there, but moved to another place.

[Captain]

That would make sense.

[Nick]

Well, and doesn't that kind of harken back to what the investigator was saying? Like, yeah, this basement was poured six weeks before she was disappeared, but other things take place afterwards. Other things happen after the foundation is poured.

[Captain]

Think about this. If this douchebag had other officers that were helping him harass Robin, then possibly they're feeding him information on any investigation into him. And it could just be they don't think he's involved.

[Nick]

And.

[Captain]

But it's like, hey, this is your ex girlfriend and this is what's happening. And that's maybe why the sheriff gets a threatening letter. Maybe that's why things have moved or changed or maybe how they. Or why they decided to move her body. Tony could be fed information from these. These other law enforcement officers.

[Nick]

In April of 2018. This is an article from the Juliet Patch that commemorated the 28 years since Robin had disappeared. It was also giving A voice to her family to vent about their frustrations. Quote, the COVID up still goes on, said one of Robin's sisters. She said that the investigation had deliberately failed to find Robin so that the men who killed her were would be protected. Quote, well, it was one of their own, she said, referring to the fact that Tony Marquez and the Will county sheriff's department was suspected of being involved in her death and hiding her body. She went on to say, it's a brotherhood. The good old boys, they run deep and they cross the boundaries. You wash my back, I wash yours. They're like kissing cousins of the south, but their dirty little secrets will be revealed one day, end quote. The sister goes on to tell the newspaper, quote, we got nothing for Robin. It's like she just disappeared off the face of the earth. I'm hoping to keep it in the news. Maybe someone who knew about it would come and clear their conscience so we can bring her home. We should point out here too that By August of 2024, there were 10 unidentified persons excluded on Robin's NamUs page. That means 10 bodies were compared to DNA from Robin's family and found not to be her. These comparisons are done only if the characteristics or circumstances of the Jane Doe are similar to Robin's. That's a significant number of rule outs of exclusions and Robin remains missing as of this recording. The Robin Abrams case genuinely seems to be one of those frustrating cases in which everyone knows who is responsible for what happened. But a cone of silence maintained by the persons of interest has worked very effectively to put a halt to the investigation. Tony Marquez, an experienced member of law enforcement, was experienced in law enforcement methods and evidentiary procedures and clearly connected with the sheriff's department, possibly took very deliberate measures to ensure that Robin Abrams would never be found and that he was not connected to her disappearance in any concrete way. It also seems that he got lucky with no one finding Robin and the witness who saw her car being dropped off being unable to identify anyone reliably, and the case taking place in 1990 prior to cell phone tracking records and surveillance cameras, it seems the window law enforcement had to bring charges against Tony Marquez was open early on but now has closed. And that is the most unfair outcome we can imagine. When you have a young woman who worked hard to follow her dreams and enter into law enforcement, falls under the spell of an older, experienced lawman and it ends up costing her everything. I want to give a special shout out to CBS Chicago. It was one of their online articles that caught my eye and inspired us to cover Robin's case this week. The article headline is case of Former Will County Sheriff Deputy Remains Mystery Years Later. That was from March of 2014. The opening paragraph to that article is what caught my attention and it reads, she, meaning Robin Abrams, has been missing longer than Stacy Peterson and Lisa Stebik combined. But you've probably never heard of Robin Abrams, who disappeared from Beecher, Illinois back in October of 1990. I know Stacy Peterson's case. We will. We have yet to get to that one. But True Crime Garage did cover Lisa Stebik's case. That was episodes 271 and 272 on your garage radio dial back from January of 2019. And one of Robin's sisters, Jody Walsh, she has openly expressed her and the family's disappointment with this investigation, but she says she will keep fighting for her sister. Quote, her life was important to us. I'll never give up. Never.

[Captain]

I want to thank everybody for joining us here in the Garage. Thanks for telling your mother. Thanks for telling your brother. If you're not listening to off the Record, you should join us in the Garage. We just covered a possible update in the Brian Shafer case and we have so much more in store for the great listeners of off the Record. Colonel, do we have any recommended reading for the beautiful listeners?

[Nick]

Yes, we do, Captain. You are always quick to mention your mother and your brother, but guess what? Thanksgiving's coming up. So when you're sitting around the table feasting, don't be afraid to tell your cousins, even the ones you don't really like, about True Crime Garage. This week we are recommending this book's fantastic. It's by good friend of the show, Bob Ciphers has recently released his second true crime book and it's a damn good one. The title is 25 Frozen 1, Thawed Murder and Mayhem in the Midwest. Many of these cases are cases that Bob worked during his time as an investigative journalist and crime reporter for some of the best newspapers in the Midwest. And as you can tell by the title, one of these cold cases is heating up and we hope that one and all of the others are closed out real soon again. That's 25 frozen one, thawed murder and Mayhem in the Midwest by the great Bob Ciphers. You can find that title and many more wonderful recommendations on our recommended page located at True Crime Garage until next week. Be good, be kind, and don't litter.

[Captain]

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