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The New Albany resident, Robin Baxter, mysteriously disappeared in July 1990 and her body was found in the Ohio River four days later. This came after Robin and her husband, Christopher, argued over the spaghetti Robin cooked for dinner. The couple had been drinking when things turned ugly.
She was killed with a metal rod nicknamed The Equalizer that Christopher owned. Her body was found naked waist down and she had multiple lacerations on her face and head. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the back of the head, as per public court documents.
The Murder In The Heartland episode titled Solving the Unsolvable originally aired on December 6, 2023, and showcased the murder of Robin Baxter. The official synopsis reads:
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"When Robin Baxter is found dead floating in the Ohio River, the entire town of New Albany, Indiana, bands together to find who's responsible. It takes over 20 years of crossing off suspects before an elusive clue cracks the case open."
Episode 4 of season 6 of the show will re-air on May 29, 2024, at 7 pm EST on Investigation Discovery.
What happened to Robin Baxter? Details explored
Robin Baxter was a resident of New Albany living in the 1800 block of Troy Street with her husband Christopher Baxter. She was last seen on July 19, 1990, and her sudden disappearance became a cause of worry among her loved ones. The search for Robin Baxter yielded horrific results as her remains were found in the Ohio River on June 23, 1990, per court documents.
On the evening of June 19, 1990, Robin and Christopher got into an ugly argument while they were drinking and Baxter broke out the glass on their back door. Robin then called her friend, Tanita Edelen, and whispered over the phone as she told her she was fearful about her husband's behavior and that her life was in danger. She was last seen by their neighbor, Joseph Perry, who noticed blood on her lips and eye as she walked up the street to call her mother.
The next day, Robin's friend, Wilma Carlisle, stopped by their Troy Street place to pick up cupcakes but could not find her. She also noticed a hole in the wall that Christopher covered when her other friend, Suzanne “Spring” Monroe, came over to their residence with her boyfriend, Charlie Lance. Christopher Baxter had called Spring Monroe the same morning to inform her that Robin had been missing.
Spring and Charlie also took note of the broken Plexiglass door. The three of them then began their search for Robin and the couple found Christopher's behavior to be suspicious as they moved toward the railroad tracks. Per court documents, Charlie and Spring returned the next day to find scratches on Christopher Baxter's shoulders, arms, and back.
Furthermore, Edelen had also visited the house after her friend's disappearance and found Robin's shoes. She also noticed that all the things in the house were rearranged. Christopher Baxter's metal bar named “the Equalizer” was missing as well.
On June 23, 1990, the Louisville Police Department found Robin Baxter's half-naked body in the Ohio River. She was found in her black t-shirt with multiple cuts on her face and head. The autopsy reports came back stating the cause of death to be blunt force trauma on the back side of her head.
As per News and Tribune, Keith Henderson, the Floyd County Prosecutor, mentioned during Christopher's trial:
“This victim was found with a crushed skull. She received several blows to her head by this man who was found guilty of this crime. She was not only beat to death, but her body was drug from her home and dumped into the Ohio River.”
Robin Baxter's case was ruled a homicide but was not solved until 2012 due to lack of evidence. The Equalizer was recovered from behind the drywall by the new tenant at the Troy Street house and served as the key evidence in the case. Christopher was then arrested in February 2012, and charged with murder, as per The Cinemaholic. While he pleaded not guilty, he was convicted after the court heard testimonies by several individuals in the duo's lives.
The Murder In The Heartland episode will shed further light on the case when it airs on Wednesday.
