Family in KCK cold case says FBI wants to know more about detective who worked case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Rhonda Tribue was a married mother of six. Her body was found along a lonely stretch of road between KCK and Edwardsville back in 1998. She had been beaten to death and run over by a car.

“She did have DNA under her nails. She did fight back. Whoever it was, she did fight back. She didn’t just die, she fought for her life,” her daughter Jelica Tribue said.

Jelica was just four years old when it happened. She says the family had pretty much given up hope the case would ever be solved. News of a federal investigation is welcome. The family has a clear understanding why the feds want to look into this cold case -- the detective, Roger Golubski.

“My understanding is that Roger (Golubski) has wreaked havoc over Kansas City and that he has needs to be looked at and examined. Because there are several cases that are particular to the same instance of my mother’s case and that he’s the common denominator in all those cases. They are women, cold cases, brutally murdered found in the same areas. So, he is a target at this point,” Jelica Tribue said.

There are terrible allegations swirling around Golubski. He’s now retired. He was a powerful detective who became a captain and his partner, Terry Zeigler, eventually became the police chief. Zeigler worked for 35 years inside the KCK Police Department.

KCTV5 has done numerous reports on Golubski because he’s accused of being a predator who roamed the streets and victimized the people he swore to protect.

Allegations first came to light in the Lamonte McIntyre wrongful conviction. Golubski is accused in court documents of intentionally botching a double murder investigation as part of a sick revenge plot. Record show he closed the investigation with no physical evidence in around 6 hours.

McIntrye was eventually freed after 23 years.

Golubski has never faced any criminal charges as investigators argue many accusations are now outside the statute of limitations. Something that baffles the family of Rhonda Tribue.

“I don’t understand how he’s still roaming the streets. You know? He’s wreaked havoc on Kansas City. You can’t just ignore that. You can’t ignore that!” Jelica Tribue said.

Tribue and the FBI are both asking for the public’s help in this cold case. On March 8th the FBI sent members of the media a release asking for anyone with information to contact them directly.

Her family urges the same.

“If Kansas City wants to speak up, Kansas City will. Kansas City is small enough for someone to know exactly what happened. We are talking about a woman who was married and who has 6 children. You don’t just disappear. You don’t disappear like that,” Jelica Tribue said.