Greece, N.Y.— Greece police believe they’ve made progress in the 16-year-old cold case murder of Joseph “Ronnie” Gibbons, but they are asking the public for more information.
Investigators say that Gibbons was a co-conspirator of the 1993 Brinks armored car heist in Rochester. While he helped plan the $7.4 million robbery, Gibbons didn’t take part in carrying it out.
However, in 1995, Gibbons told a friend he felt entitled to a cut of the money that was stolen. He drove from New York City to Rochester to try to get his share. He was last seen at the Applebee’s on West Ridge Road in Greece. A waitress remembered seeing him get into a white sedan and that was the last time Gibbons was seen alive.
Then in 1999 and 2000, a foot and torso were found along the shores of Lake Ontario in Cape Vincent, Jefferson County.
It wasn’t until December 2011 that medical examiners were able to positively link those remains to Gibbons’ DNA. Up until that point, Greece Police had investigated Gibbons’ disappearance as a missing person’s case.
Two months into the homicide investigation, Greece Police Chief Todd Baxter believes the person responsible for Gibbons’ death has ties to both Rochester and Cape Vincent.
Baxter also says they know, with confidence, that someone in the Rochester area has valuable information that could help close the case.
“There is no doubt in our mind that there is information,” says Baxter. “There is no doubt in our mind that people are not giving us the information. We may have already asked for that information, but they're not giving it to us.”
Two men, Samuel Millar and Rev. Patrick Maloney, were tried and found guilty for the Brinks heist after investigators traced $2 million back to them. The remaining $5 million has never been accounted for and is said to have to been dispersed among several people, possibly including some overseas.
CrimeStoppers is now offering a reward for information that helps investigators solve this case. If you have information about Ronnie Gibbons’ murder, you’re asked to call CrimeStoppers at (585) 423-9300.
