Could the 1989 murder of a woman in Canton Township have any connection to one of Livingston County’s biggest mysteries — the 1990 disappearance of Paige Marie Renkoski, a substitute teacher from Okemos, whose car was found along I-96 in Fowlerville with its engine running?
Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy said that his department has talked with detectives from Washtenaw County about the 1989 rape and murder of Beverly Wivell, 30, of Canton Township. A suspect, Buster Robbins of Lapeer, is in custody in Washtenaw County after DNA from the rape kit collected in Wivell’s murder matched his.
While a judge has ruled that there is not enough evidence to charge him in the murder, Robbins remains behind bars in Washtenaw County while prosecutors appeal the decision.
It appears there is some similarity between the two cases — the cars both women were driving were found running with their purses still inside, and both were 30 when last seen alive — however, Wivell’s body was found, while there has been no trace of Renkoski. And both women had been at the same park in Canton.
In September 1989, Wivell, who lived in Canton Township, had dropped her young son off at school before she was abducted, sexually assaulted, and shot to death. Her body was found on the side of a road in Superior Township, a short drive from Canton. Her car was later found abandoned at Griffin Park with the driver’s door open, the engine still running and her purse inside.
Eight months later, on May 24, 1990, deputies found the car Renkoski had been driving on the side of westbound I-96 in Fowlerville with its engine running and her purse inside. She just vanished.
Renkoski had been driving a silver 1986 Oldsmobile Calais registered to the company at which her mother worked. Renkoski was heading back to Okemos from Detroit Metropolitan Airport after dropping her mother off for a flight to Atlanta.
After she left the airport, Renkoski stopped in Canton Township to visit a friend. She was last seen by that friend around 2:30 p.m., reportedly wearing multi-colored silk pants; a white, long sleeve, V-neck sweater worn backward; and a necklace.
At approximately 8 p.m., a deputy from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to her vehicle on the side of westbound I-96 just east of Fowlerville Road. The vehicle was running with the keys in the ignition. Renkoski’s shoes and purse were also located in the vehicle, and there appeared to be no signs of a struggle.
A handful of witnesses said they saw Renkoski outside her vehicle talking to a man in a maroon minivan, but the leads led nowhere.
In May 2020, The Livingston Post reported that the case remains under investigation by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Team. Anyone with information should contact (517) 546-TIPS (8477) or email tips to coldcasetips@livgov.com.
