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On March 1, 2013, Pope, 51, of Kent Island, and her Great Dane, Bella, went missing from the home of her estranged husband, Wayne Pope, in Kent Island Estates. Her car was left in the driveway and her purse inside the home.

Wayne Pope reported her missing to the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office early the next morning. He told investigators she had stopped by late the previous night to pick up belongings and that he left when she arrived. When he returned, her car remained in the driveway but she was gone.

Bella’s body washed ashore the following day. Robin’s body was found by a fisherman 22 days later.

For many in the close-knit Eastern Shore community, the case is personal. Numerous attendees at the event knew the Pope family and had participated in extensive ground, aerial and water searches during the three-week effort to find her.

Unlike typical True Crime Cult events, the session featured an interactive question-and-answer discussion with Richardson, who reviewed case facts and explained the investigative process.

While prosecutors are not out making arrests, the state’s attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in each Maryland county, Richardson said. In the Pope case, his office worked closely with law enforcement to provide legal guidance and evaluate every lead.

In following the evidence, a prosecutor must remain objective and ethical because “as a prosecutor, the job is a search for the truth,� Richardson said. All aspects of the law must be followed “to the T,� he added, noting that the judicial system ensures innocence until proven guilty.

“Every investigation is different. You don’t know what you are dealing with until you get into it,� he said. The Pope case, he added, presented a particularly unusual set of circumstances.

Richardson said that in his 31 years of experience, the case has been especially frustrating because there was never enough evidence to tie anything together. The length of time Robin was in the water compromised forensic evidence, and officials were unable to determine an exact cause of death.

The case remains open. The True Crime Cult event included a “tip jar� inviting attendees to share theories that, if relevant, could be passed along to investigators. “It is always worth reevaluating,� Richardson said.

“As wild a case as it is, there’s not that much info out there,� True Crime Cult organizer J. Coursey Willis said.

Pope’s story has been featured in numerous podcasts and television documentary episodes. With the recent event selling out quickly, Willis said it’s clear “a lot of people are still interested in this case, as they should be.�

True Crime Cult, held at Cult Classic Brewing, has grown rapidly since launching several months ago. The group brings together true-crime enthusiasts for drinks, discussion and case-based trivia. Previous topics have included the Beltway Snipers and the West Memphis Three.

“It’s kinda fun to be part of a cult,� Willis joked.

Audience members help choose future cases, and it was Robin’s friends who requested her story be featured in hopes of bringing new attention to the investigation and keeping her memory alive.

More information about the case, including resources created by her friends, is available at . Details about Cult Classic Brewing and upcoming events can be found at .