Episode 34: Tabitha Goins

Helen Marie Gibbs was a 30 year old fun and loving Lumbee woman with a successful career as a nurse and three children whom she absolutely adored. She had a great life and so much to live for, unfortunately things were not always as they seemed. Today for our season finale we’re going to discuss the mysterious death of Helen Marie Burnette Gibbs. This is The Red Justice Project.

We all have a family member like him.  That one who needs a little more love, a little more attention.  The one who has struggled with mental health problems or drugs or alcohol.  Who’s maybe a little rough around the edges, maybe been in trouble with the law a few times.  But who would probably give you the shirt off of his back if he had one.  Or even help you out when he could barely help himself.  We all have a relative like Matthew.  I want you to picture your relative when you listen to this story, or maybe even imagine that this is your own child.  Imagine they call 911 for help and say they are going to harm themselves.  And then imagine, instead of an EMT or counselor or even a police officer, the SWAT team is sent out and they surround your loved one holding AR-15s and rifles.  And imagine you are watching, and you know you can calm your loved one down, and you beg the SWAT team to leave.  But they don’t.  And soon those AR’s are aimed at him, and soon the bullets are flying while you watch in horror.  And then, someone you’ve loved your whole life is gone in an instant, to a place they can never return from.  This is the story of the killing of Matthew Oxendine.

If you google Donald Wayne Davis, you won’t find a single article about him.  Only three were written and they’re in a box somewhere in a library in Rockingham in a closet.  The public can’t access them.  And even if you read those articles, they wouldn’t tell you the story we’re about to tell you.  This is one of the most disturbing stories we’ve ever covered. This is the story of the murder of Donald Wayne Davis.

Today’s story is about the 60s scoop which was the name given for a period of time in Canada when government policies allowed for indigenous children to be taken from their families and placed into the care of white families. This is your reminder that just because something is legal, doesn't mean it’s not criminal, especially when it comes to governmental policies in the US and Canada regarding indigenous peoples.

Sharletha Maynor was a 36 year old Lumbee woman from Robeson County, North Carolina. She was young, beautiful, and had three children until one day in March 2007 Sharletha just vanished.

Tabitha was a young indigenous mother living in Cumberland County, North Carolina. In 2019, she made plans to go over to her parents house to roast marshmallows with her daughters, but Tab never showed up. Three years laters and the question still remains, where is Tab? 

This is the second part of a two part Episode.  In the late 1800s oil was discovered beneath the Osage reservation in Oklahoma. It would shape and change the Osage people in ways they could have never imagined. 

This is part one of a two part Episode.  In the late 1800s oil was discovered beneath the Osage reservation in Oklahoma. It would shape and change the Osage people in ways they could have never imagined. 

Kim was a young Lumbee girl with her whole life ahead of her. This week we discuss Kim’s life and the issue of domestic violence in Robeson County, NC.

Paige was a fun little girl.  Full of life and a little mischievous, probably like some of your own daughters and nieces, or maybe just like you.  And Paige was just a child when she met him.  And a few years later, she would be dead.  This is the Red Justice Project.