Robin M. Atkins was 29 when she was killed in Springfield, Massachusetts; her body was found bound, gagged, and strangled in a downtown alley on October 25, 1997. Reports state she met Alfred Gaynor on October 24, 1997, and after using cocaine together he attacked her — choking her from behind, tying her hands with her own shoelaces, gagging her with a sock, raping her, strangling her, then taking the small amount of money she had.

Her killing matched a pattern in a series of violent crimes in Springfield that targeted women who were struggling with drug addiction. Alfred Gaynor was arrested in April 1998 and later admitted in a plea agreement to the rape and murder of Robin, among other victims. His confession connected him to this case and closed the loop on who killed her.

If anyone knew Robin, saw her in Springfield in late October 1997, or has information about her movements that week, please share what is known.