Police continue Bollinger County murder investigation as victim's family hopes for answers

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- As the Major Case Squad continued its hunt for a killer Sunday, the family of victim Jeffery Scott Robins said they are still in disbelief that someone would want to kill the beloved father of four who -- as one close relative put it -- had a "huge heart" and an "amazing life."

With the visitation set to begin this afternoon and the funeral Tuesday morning, friends and family members of the 35-year-old repo man were clinging close to Robins' mother and father and trying to be patient for answers. Robins' mother, Linda Lou Robins, told a reporter she was still too shaken to talk about her son.

Those who did speak said they are still reeling from the news that Robins was found Thursday afternoon by his children in his rural Bollinger County home -- dead of a gunshot wound to the back of the head. A preliminary autopsy report confirmed Friday that the shot was fired by someone else.

"We are all just shocked," said Elizabeth Trudgeon, Robins' cousin who traveled from Springfield, Mo., to the area known as Bessville in the northern part of the county. "This is Marble Hill. It's not even Marble Hill, it's Bessville. It's the country. We don't hear about things like that out here. For our family, it's just surreal."

As the family struggles to cope, about 30 officers with the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad continued investigating Sunday to find out who wanted to walk into the Robins' home -- which they hardly ever kept locked, police said -- and to shoot down a man that Trudgeon said was always ready to help out and cherished his children above all else.

"He just had the biggest heart, he was one of those guys that would literally do anything for you, no questions asked," said Trudgeon, who grew up in the home right next to Robins' boyhood home. "He raised three girls by himself and had full custody of his girls. He worked his fingers to the bone to raise those kids. We all still have so many questions and no answers."

Bollinger County Sheriff Leo McElrath and the officers of the six-agency Major Case Squad are working to find some. McElrath said again Sunday that he could provide few details, some because he didn't know them yet and others because it could jeopardize the investigation.

McElrath did confirm that whoever shot Robins did not have to force entry into the house. They also are interviewing many people, he said, who were in the area Thursday afternoon. None have mentioned unusual vehicles in the area, he said, or suspicious people roaming the streets. On Sunday he still would not say what type of gun was used to kill Robins.

They're doing basic police work, McElrath said.

"You take everything that looks like a lead as it comes in and eliminate it or you don't," McElrath said. "You prove or disprove it. We're still in the process of looking at many, many possibilities. We just haven't narrowed it down to any single subject. But there won't be one stone left unturned. We're doing everything possible to solve this mystery."

McElrath agreed that Robins' job as a "repo man" who reclaims vehicles when an owner is late on a payment may not make him the most popular person with everyone. Investigators have not ruled out that someone killed him after such a repossession. But there are many other possibilities as well, McElrath said. He encouraged anyone with information to contact his department at 573-238-2633.

"Sometimes the smallest thing is some information we get that will push us forward," McElrath said.

McElrath said he knew Robins. As the owner of HJR Towing and Recovery in Marble Hill, he did towing for the county after accidents.

"He seemed like a hard worker, a nice guy," McElrath said. "He got along good with everybody, as far as I know. Right off the top of my head, I wouldn't think he had an enemy in the world."

Trudgeon, meanwhile, said the family isn't making any assumptions about who killed the man they knew as "Scott" or "Scotty." They're trusting the investigators, and they don't want to muddy the waters.

"We're just hoping and praying that somebody drove by the house that day and saw something," Trudgeon said. "Maybe it's something that will come to them later. Everybody here wants answers today. We're just asking for prayers right now. Scott had an amazing life. It's tragic that it's over."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Bollinger County, MO