Report: Suspect In Saxonburg Police Chief's Murder Kept Hidden In Secret Room

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The man suspected of killing a local police chief in 1980 was kept hidden for decades before authorities finally located his remains.

According to a Boston 25 News report, Donald Eugene Webb had been hidden away by his wife in the basements of two homes in the Massachusetts towns of New Bedford and Dartmouth.

Both homes had a hidden room with a system of hooks of locks that prevented anyone from accidentally opening the door.

After a pair of strokes in 1997, Webb lost mobility and the ability to care for himself. His wife, Lillian, told police Webb said he was dying and instructed her to dig a hole in the back yard to bury him.

Webb died in 1997 and Lilian buried him as instructed, where he remained until last week.

The human remains were positively identified as Webb. He was wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of Saxonburg Police Chief Gregory Adams in 1980. It was the first murder in the town's history.

Authorities believe Webb, a jewel thief with ties to organized crime, shot and killed Chief Adams during a traffic stop.

He was a flashy dresser and a big tipper, but his last days were spent in a secret room the size of a shower stall.

Last year, FBI agents discovered the hidden room in the Dartmouth home and found a walking cane, three cardboard boxes of silver coins and 42 photos of Webb.

As for Lillian, she agreed to show investigators where the body was buried in exchange for not being prosecuted.

The FBI had offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to Webb, or his remains. However, that reward will not be paid because Webb's remains were found as part of the investigation.

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