Rebekah Gay, murdered on Halloween morning
Her purse was at home, her car was behind a bar, and her three-year-old son was alone. The man who babysat him was a pastor with a manslaughter conviction.
- When
- October 31, 2012
- Where
- Coldwater Road, Isabella County, near Mount Pleasant, Michigan
- Status
- Convicted
Content note murder, sexual violence, child left alone. No graphic images.
In brief
Early on Halloween morning 2012, Rebekah Gay, 24, a mother recently promoted to manager at a Goodwill store in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, was killed at her home on Coldwater Road in Isabella County. When she didn't show up for work, her purse was found at home, her car was behind a nearby bar, and her three-year-old son had been left alone. After a search of about twenty hours, investigators focused on John Douglas White, 55, a pastor who regularly babysat the boy and, according to the Associated Press, was engaged to Rebekah's mother. White had served nearly twelve years in prison for manslaughter and had a conviction for attacking a 17-year-old girl. When investigators told him her body would deteriorate in the cold, wet weather, the sheriff said, he confessed and led them to woods half a mile from her home. White pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 56 years and 3 months to 85 years. He died in prison months later.
Turning pointInvestigators told John White that Rebekah's body would deteriorate in the cold, wet weather. The sheriff said that was when he confessed and agreed to lead them to her.
- Victim
- Rebekah Jane Gay, 24, mother of a three-year-old and newly promoted Goodwill manager
- Missing
- Halloween morning; her son was found alone at home
- Found
- November 1, 2012, in woods about half a mile from her home
- Convicted
- John Douglas White, 55, a pastor who babysat her son
- Plea
- Guilty to second-degree murder, March 27, 2013
- Sentence
- 56 years 3 months to 85 years; he died in prison in August 2013
Timeline
2012
Rebekah Gay, 24, is promoted to management at a Goodwill store in Mount Pleasant. John White, pastor of a small church, lives nearby and regularly babysits her young son.
October 31, 2012Early morning
Rebekah is killed at her home on Coldwater Road. According to the Associated Press, her killer then dressed her three-year-old son in his Halloween costume.
October 31, 2012
She doesn't arrive at work. Her purse is at home, her car is found behind a bar nearby, and her son has been left alone.
October 31, 2012
Investigators turn to John White, the pastor the family trusted, who was engaged to Rebekah's mother, according to the AP.
October 31, 2012
Records show White had served nearly twelve years for manslaughter and had a separate conviction for attacking a 17-year-old girl.
November 1, 2012
After about twenty hours of searching, investigators tell White that her body will deteriorate in the weather. The sheriff says he confesses.
November 1, 2012
White leads police to woods about half a mile from her home, where her body is recovered. He is charged with first-degree murder and held without bail.
March 27, 2013
White pleads guilty to second-degree murder as a habitual offender.
April 18, 2013
Chief Judge Paul H. Chamberlain sentences him to 56 years and 3 months to 85 years. Rebekah's mother tells him: "She was not yours to take. How dare you."
August 28, 2013
John White dies at the Michigan Reformatory in Ionia. The Michigan Department of Corrections says he took his own life.
The full story
Halloween morning
Rebekah Gay was 24, the mother of a three-year-old boy, and newly promoted to manager at the Goodwill store in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. She lived on Coldwater Road in Isabella County, near her family.
On Halloween morning 2012, she didn’t come in to work. Her purse was still at home. Her car turned up behind a bar nearby. Her son had been left alone in the house, and according to the Associated Press, he had been dressed in his Halloween costume.
The man they trusted
The search lasted about twenty hours. Investigators focused on John Douglas White, 55, pastor of a small church that met nearby. He regularly babysat Rebekah’s son and, the AP reported, was engaged to her mother. He also had a past most people around him didn’t know: he had served nearly twelve years in prison for manslaughter and had been convicted of attacking a 17-year-old girl.
The sheriff said that when investigators told White that Rebekah’s body would deteriorate in the cold, wet weather, he confessed. He led them to woods about half a mile from her home, where they found her.
The sentence
White was charged with first-degree murder. In March 2013 he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as a repeat offender, and in April he was sentenced to 56 years and 3 months to 85 years. Rebekah’s mother faced him in court. “She was not yours to take,” she said. “How dare you.” Her sister asked the state for a public registry of violent offenders.
White died in prison that August. Rebekah’s son was three years old.
What the video couldn't include
What he told police
In court filings, investigators said White told them he had a fantasy about her, had been drinking, and could not remember whether he carried it out. Prosecutors described a planned killing.
The church
White was pastor of Christ Community Fellowship, a congregation of about 14 people, and had been hired about three years earlier. He lived in the same mobile home park as Rebekah's family.
Earlier convictions
Michigan Department of Corrections records showed convictions in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties, including a 1981 case. He was on the state's public sex offender registry.
Her family's demand
At sentencing, Rebekah's sister called for a public registry of violent offenders, so families could know who they were trusting.
Who she was
About 200 people gathered at a vigil for Rebekah days after her death. Her family called her the heart and soul of their family.
The video and the record
The episode tells this case in about 1 minutes with illustrated recreations. Here is how its key moments line up with what is documented.
Then her killer dressed her three-year-old son in his Halloween costume, according to the Associated Press
Documented
Attributed to AP reporting. Her son is not named on this page.
Her car was behind a nearby bar
Documented
Local reporting identified the bar.
A pastor who regularly babysat her son and, according to the Associated Press, was engaged to her mother
Documented
One local report described the relationship differently; the AP account is used.
He led them to a wooded area half a mile from her home
Documented
From the court filing reported by the AP and the prosecutor's release.
The workplace, the empty house, the woods, the courtroom
Reconstruction
AI-generated illustrations. No photographs of Rebekah, her son or the scene are reproduced.
What the four marks mean
- Documented
- Shown as it is recorded in court filings, police statements, or consistent reporting.
- Reconstruction
- A reasonable visual recreation of a documented event. The event happened; the image is illustrative.
- Compressed
- Real events shortened, merged, or reordered to fit the runtime.
- Dramatized
- A storytelling choice (framing, wording, emphasis) that the record does not establish.
Sources
- [1]Isabella County Prosecuting Attorney“John Douglas White arraigned on charge of first-degree murder”
- [2]Isabella County Prosecuting Attorney“John Douglas White pled guilty to second-degree murder”
- [3]CBS Detroit / Associated Press“Pastor Charged, Allegedly Killed Fiancee's Daughter To Fulfill Fantasy”
- [4]Associated Press, via NBC News“Police: Mich. pastor killed fiancee's daughter to fulfill fantasy”
- [5]CBS NewsRebekah Gay Update: Pastor who police say confessed to killing Mich. mom was engaged to victim's mother
- [6]WPBN / UpNorthLive“Missing woman found murdered, suspect arrested”
- [7]CBS NewsRebekah Gay Update: 200 people gather in honor of Mich. mother
- [8]CBS News / Associated PressRebekah Gay Murder: John White, ex-minister, gets 56-year prison term
- [9]WEYI NBC25 (MidMichiganNow)“Former pastor sentenced in murder of Rebekah Gay”
- [10]MLive (Jessica Fleischman), as archived by BishopAccountability.org“John White, convicted of killing Rebekah Gay, commits suicide in prison”
- [11]Midland Daily News, via Legacy.comRebekah Gay obituary
VerifiedKey facts in this file were checked against multiple consistent reports and first-person or official accounts. Last reviewed October 6, 2026. How we check cases
