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Who Is Bob Atrops & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile

by · January 23, 2026

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Robert “Bob” Atrops was born in the 1950s and spent most of his life in Oregon. In the late 1980s, he worked as a roofing salesman and was married to Deborah “Debe” Atrops. The couple adopted a daughter, Rhianna, during their short-lived marriage. Behind closed doors, the relationship was troubled. Friends and family of Debe later revealed a pattern of controlling behavior and physical abuse, which ultimately led to the couple’s separation.

Debe moved back to Salem to be near her family and began a new relationship. She also made it clear that she intended to divorce Bob. Those close to her recalled that she had grown fearful of her estranged husband in the weeks leading up to her death. She confided in friends that she worried Bob might harm her.

The 1988 Murder of Debe Atrops

On November 29, 1988, Debe vanished after attending a hair appointment and planning to pick up her infant daughter from Bob’s home in Sherwood. Bob reported her missing just hours later, claiming she never arrived. Two days later, Debe’s body was found in the trunk of her abandoned car at a remote construction site in Beaverton. She had been strangled.

Though Bob was immediately a person of interest, investigators lacked sufficient evidence in 1988 to arrest him. He denied any involvement and told police he never saw Debe that night. He also claimed to have made phone calls from his home landline—but there were no records of those calls. With no eyewitnesses and limited forensic capabilities at the time, the case went cold.

Cold Case Break and Arrest

In 2020, Washington County authorities reopened the case. Cold Case Detective Kevin Winfield reexamined physical evidence and reinterviewed witnesses. Modern forensic testing played a crucial role. DNA from Bob was found on Debe’s coat, and a soil analysis matched mud found in the trunk of Debe’s car with samples from Bob’s Sherwood property. His alibi from 1988 began to unravel under renewed scrutiny.

Bob was interviewed again in 2022. Prosecutors later revealed that his account had changed significantly from his original statements. He was arrested in March 2023 and indicted on a charge of second-degree murder.

Trial and Conviction

Bob Atrops stood trial in Washington County Circuit Court in March 2025 at age 70. Prosecutors alleged that Bob had lured Debe to his property under the pretense of a child custody exchange and killed her because he could not accept her decision to move on. His legal team argued that the case lacked direct evidence tying him to the crime and pointed to the passage of time as a factor complicating witness credibility and memory.

After three weeks of testimony, the jury deliberated for less than a day. On April 17, 2025, Bob Atrops was found guilty of second-degree murder. The verdict brought closure to a case that had haunted the community for nearly four decades. On May 20, 2025, he was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in an Oregon state prison.

Where Is He Now?

Bob Atrops is currently incarcerated in an Oregon Department of Corrections facility, serving his sentence for the murder of his wife, Deborah Atrops. He will be eligible for parole after serving the minimum term required under Oregon’s sentencing laws. Now in his seventies, his conviction marks the final chapter in a long-standing cold case. His daughter, Rhianna Stephens—who was just eight months old when her mother was killed—has expressed deep conflict over the case, believing that the legal system may have condemned an innocent man. Despite the conviction, the personal fallout for Rhianna and those connected to both Debe and Bob continues.

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Ryan Gill

Ryan is a passionate follower of true crime television programs, reporting on and providing in-depth investigations on mysteries in the criminal world.

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