Kenosha, WI, Three arrested in slaying of social worker in 1990
Mark Fenster
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/mar03/125005.asp
Three arrested in slaying of social worker in 1990
Woman was killed after suspect's kids were put in foster care, police
say
By MEG JONES
mjo...@journalsentinel.com
Last Updated: March 13, 2003
Almost 13 years after Kenosha County social worker Conception "Connie"
Reyes was found strangled, authorities say a disgruntled mother upset
that her kids had been put in foster care took part in the slaying.
Reyes was a dedicated social worker who loved her work and considered
herself an advocate for children whom she often had to remove from
abusive homes. Authorities say that's why Reyes was murdered in 1990.
"This was a social worker who was killed because she was doing her
job," Kenosha police Sgt. John Morrissey said.
Wednesday, a woman who lost custody of her children was charged in the
slaying of the social worker. Two men also were charged with being
party to first-degree intentional homicide.
Linda Dancer, 42, was angry at Reyes for handling the case that led to
Dancer's children being placed in foster care, according to the
criminal complaint filed in Kenosha County Circuit Court. On the day
Reyes was strangled, Dancer became enraged when Reyes went home sick
and canceled Dancer's supervised visit with her children, the
complaint says.
Dancer and then-husband Gaylord Gomaz, 48, were questioned after
Reyes' slaying but lied to authorities, according to Kenosha County
authorities. Police say they got a break on Feb. 25 when the wife of
Chester Gulan, 62, who was a friend of Dancer's and Gaylord's, told
them her husband confessed to watching Reyes' homicide.
For Kenosha County social workers, the arrests were a relief after
more than a decade of uncertainty since their colleague's partially
clad body was found at her home on the day before Easter in 1990.
"It's been very difficult to follow through on our jobs oftentimes,"
said Susan Meier, a county social worker. "We did not know that (the
slaying suspect) was somebody that we necessarily had worked with, but
that's been in the back of each of our minds."
JoAnn Slater, who discovered her co-worker's body, said she felt more
vulnerable at work after Reyes' death.
"Everybody was pretty devastated, because you just never think in your
job that you're going to run into something like that," said Slater,
who is now supervisor for protective services.
"It is just so unbelievable that someone could be that angry or upset
because social workers usually have this attitude (of), 'Whatever the
problem is, we can help you fix it.' "
A long coverup
Kenosha County authorities gave this account:
When Dancer met with Gomaz and Gulan at a fast-food restaurant in
Kenosha on April 12, 1990, she complained that Reyes had taken away
her children and talked about "paying Connie back for taking the kids
away."
The three decided to go to Reyes' Kenosha home, where Gulan, who did
not know Reyes, forced his way in.
Reyes, 57, scuffled with the three and was thrown against a kitchen
counter-top and hit her head, the complaint said. As she was lying on
the floor in a pool of blood, both Gomaz and Gulan sexually assaulted
her and Gomaz strangled her, according to the criminal complaint.
Gulan, Dancer and Gomaz later admitted their involvement in the
slaying, the complaint says.
Homicide charges were filed Wednesday against the three. Gulan, who
lives in Tupelo, Miss., is awaiting extradition. Bail was set
Wednesday for Gomaz at $5 million; Dancer was scheduled to appear in
court today.
Some details not disclosed
Kenosha County District Attorney Robert Jambois declined to reveal why
Dancer's children were placed in a foster home. But he said police and
the prosecutor's office always had a strong suspicion that Reyes was
murdered because of her commitment to protecting children.
A Philippines native, Reyes was a teacher in her home country before
moving to the United States to earn her master's degree in education.
She was a teacher in Kenosha County before becoming a social worker.
"She really took everyone under her wing," Slater said. "It was a
great loss to a lot of people when this happened. She was a lot of
people's auntie, a lot of people's grandma, a lot of people's good
friend."
Every year on the anniversary of her death, her co-workers gather at
her grave in a Pleasant Prairie cemetery. They bring flowers, say a
prayer and tell stories about their friend.
This year, Slater said, the gathering will be "a little different."
Journal Sentinel correspondent David Cole, reporting from Kenosha,
contributed to this report.