Oregon Man Arrested Nearly 35 Years After Wife Found Dead in Trunk of Car
Robert Elmer Atrops has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges he faces, according to Oregon judicial records obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Nearly 35 years after the death of his wife who was found dead in the trunk of a car, an Oregon man has been arrested and formally charged with her murder, authorities said.
Robert Elmer Atrops, 68, was arrested on March 2 and charged with one count of second-degree murder in connection with the 1988 death of his wife, Deborah Lee Atrops, 30, according to a press release from the Washington County District Attorney's Office.
The victim was reported missing in late November 1988 when she never returned home from a hair appointment, People reported. It was Robert who had reported her missing, according to authorities.
Despite being legally still married, the couple had separated in June 1988 but continued to live together in an apartment with their 8-month-old adopted daughter, authorities said.
Days after being reported missing, Deborah Lee Atrops’ black Honda Accord was reportedly recovered by police officers on Dec. 1, 1988, after a city public works employee reported a suspicious abandoned car with keys in the driver's seat and the vehicle’s driver's side window down. The car was was also missing license plates, authorities said.
Investigators said her body was found inside the trunk of the car and added in the press release, "based on the positioning of her body, it appeared Mrs. Atrops had been placed in the trunk after her death."
An autopsy determined Deborah had been assaulted and strangled, with authorities ruling her death a homicide.
The case had been investigated but went cold until 2021 when detectives with the Washington County District Attorney's Office Cold Case Multidisciplinary Unit teamed up with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, according to People.
Robert Elmer Atrops was eventually indicted by a grand jury on Feb. 28 and arrested at his home days later.
"I am proud of the work our Cold Case Unit has done to ensure that victims and cases are not forgotten, despite the passage of time," Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said in the release.
Robert Elmer Atrops has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges he faces, according to Oregon judicial records obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to his attorney for comment on this story and has not heard back.