In the small, quiet town of Delmar, Iowa, a horrific tragedy shattered the winter silence in the early days of 1981. Inside a two-story home on Market Street, the lives of a young family were brought to a violent and tragic end. Ten-month-old Rachelle Gilbert, a female infant, was found deceased on January 3rd, 1981, the victim of a shocking act that also claimed the lives of her mother and four siblings.
The grim discovery was made after law enforcement officials in South Dakota
contacted local deputies, informing them that Rachelle's father, Gene Gilbert, had taken his own life. When deputies in Iowa went to the Gilbert home to deliver the news to his wife, Bonnie, they were met with an unnerving silence. After receiving no response, they forced entry into the residence and discovered the devastating scene upstairs. Bonnie Gilbert, age 34, and her five children, including Rachelle, had all been shot.
The investigation that followed painted a grim picture of the events that had transpired. Authorities determined that Gene Gilbert was the perpetrator of the familicide. He had systematically shot his wife and children before driving to his father's home in South Dakota, where he turned the gun on himself. The weapon found with him was confirmed to be the same one used in the murders of his family.
The motive behind Gene Gilbert's actions was never fully understood, as he left a suicide note that offered no explanation for the slaughter of his family. The community of Delmar was left to grapple with the shocking loss of an entire family, a tragedy that left a lasting scar on the small Iowa town. The case was closed with the identification of Gene Gilbert as the sole suspect in the deaths of his wife, Bonnie, his stepchildren, Dawn, Michelle, and Jason Roling, and his two biological children, Gene Jr. and Rachelle.
