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OPINION

Speak Up: Stirring 1987 case led to 911 upgrade

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Christmas Eve 1987 was a tragic day for the Gibson family, who experienced crimes that left Kent County residents in shock. That morning, Joseph and Beverly Gibson were murdered at their home near Hazlettville. And their baby, Matthew Gibson, was kidnapped. It was his sister, 5-year-old Rebecca Gibson, who discovered the scene. Despite those grisly events, the incident may have saved other lives because it led to the county’s establishment of Enhanced 911 about a year later. The phone system is designed to provide clear location information to first responders, so they can quickly find distressed people and property.

  • When the police captured her, they found she had circled my son’s birth announcement in the paper. We were a possible target, but living in the middle of a town ruled us out. — Doug Poore
  • Capture of the perpetrators would not be sufficient. — Darrell Stevens
  • I will never forget when that happened. — Jennifer Carter
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