The Disappearance of Paige Renkoski

The Livingston County Sheriff's Office has investigated Paige Renkoski's disappearance since May 1990. The case was significantly compromised from the outset: the responding officer who found Paige's running car on I-96 treated it as an abandoned vehicle and had it towed without processing it as a crime scene. It was not until investigators later understood the circumstances that the scene was recognized as suspicious. Paige's family noted that her shoes and purse were inside and the car was running; under normal circumstances those would have been immediate indicators that something was wrong.

When the vehicle was later examined, investigators found several fingerprints and palm prints. None have ever been matched to anyone in law enforcement databases. Paige's fiancé Steve was quickly ruled out as a suspect. By 2009, investigators told reporters they had a list of six potential suspects, one of whom had been murdered in Detroit in 1999 and was believed to have once had a burgundy minivan similar to the one witnesses described. None of the six were ever publicly identified and none were charged. Composite sketches of two men seen with Paige near the maroon minivan were released and remain publicly available. They have never been identified.

Over more than three decades investigators have received more than 2,000 tips, conducted ground searches using cadaver dogs, ground-penetrating radar, and dig operations, and pursued numerous leads. Three unsolved abductions and murders of young women occurred in the same general area of Michigan during the 1980s. In 2025, Lt. Matt Young of the Livingston County Cold Case Team stated publicly that the case is most likely to be solved through a confession, a witness coming forward, or someone discovering Paige's remains through construction or a new roadway. He does not believe the physical evidence alone will be sufficient.

In 2024 and 2025 the investigation took a significant turn when DNA from a 1989 rape kit was linked through forensic genealogy to Buster Robbins of Almont in connection with the rape and murder of Beverly Wivell in Washtenaw County. Wivell disappeared nine months before Paige and in the same general area of Canton Township. Livingston County investigators confirmed they are examining potential connections between the two cases and that Robbins is a person of interest in Paige's disappearance. As of May 2025, no charges have been filed in connection with Paige's case.

Paige's Vehicle — Found Running on I-96, May 24, 1990

The Abandoned Vehicle

Paige's silver 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais was found on the westbound shoulder of I-96 near the Fowlerville exit at 7:48 p.m. on May 24, 1990. The engine was running, the windshield wipers were active, the door was unlocked, and her shoes, purse, wallet, the purchased beer, and a magazine were all inside. The responding officer treated the car as an abandoned vehicle and had it towed without processing it as a potential crime scene. Investigators later identified this as a critical failure in the early stages of the investigation.

Composite Sketches — Two Unidentified Men Seen with Paige on I-96

Unidentified — Suspect Composite Sketches

Unidentified — Suspect Composite Sketches