New Hope in 1970 Galveston Cold Case: Relative Uncovers Forgotten 76-Page Police File in Search for Justice

Alycia Randazzo discovers a 76-page police file on the 1970 murder of Mary Ellen Robinson in Galveston, challenging claims that evidence was lost in hurricanes.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 28, 2026, 7:11 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from FOX 26 Houston

A Decades-Old Tragedy Re-Examined

The mystery surrounding the death of Mary Ellen Robinson, which first gripped the Gulf Coast on May 13, 1970, has found new life through the efforts of her great-niece. Robinson was a young woman with a reputation for being "very nice and funny" when she was beaten and sexually assaulted near 98th Street and Seawall Boulevard. For over 50 years, the family has sought closure, often meeting resistance and claims that the passage of time and natural disasters had erased the path to justice.

Challenging the Narrative of Lost Evidence

The investigation took a dramatic turn when Alycia Randazzo decided to challenge the information her grandparents had received a decade prior. While the family was originally informed by Galveston Police that all physical evidence had been lost in a hurricane, Randazzo’s recent open records request yielded a surprisingly detailed 76-page typed report. The emergence of this file contradicts years of assumptions that the paper trail for Robinson's murder had vanished.

New Details from the 1970 Case File

The recovered documents provide a snapshot of Robinson's final hours. According to the police reports, she and her roommate were in the process of moving at the time of the attack. Investigators found seven boxes of packed clothes inside Robinson's car, which were scheduled to be delivered to a Railway Express office the very day she was killed. These details offer a clearer timeline for cold case researchers and provide a more intimate look at the life that was abruptly cut short.