DETROIT—The mystery surrounding the deaths of urban fiction writer Donald Goines and his common-law wife, Shirley Sailor, remains unsolved more than half a century later. Their tragic end has been the focus of a new documentary investigation, as producers hope the truth hasn’t been lost to history or obscured by Detroit’s gritty streets.
Back on October 21, 1974, in Highland Park—a small enclave within Detroit—Goines and Sailor were found dead, each shot five times in their residence. Alarmingly, their young children were present when the crime took place. Despite rampant speculation, arrests were never made. Theories ranged from Goines’ known heroin addiction at 37 years of age to the assertion that his literary characters were too closely modeled on the real-life figures who dominated Detroit’s illicit underworld.
Private investigator Bill Proctor, hired to uncover the truth behind their murders, remarked on the wealth of speculation around their deaths but noted that no concrete leads have emerged. A $5,000 reward, intended to incentivize new information, might help break through the silence and find those with knowledge of what really transpired.
Goines was a prolific writer, creating 16 books in just a few short years. His work, characterized by raw and vivid depictions of urban life during the late 1960s and early 1970s, resonated deeply with Detroit’s Black community and beyond. Titles like “Dopefiend,” “Street Players,” and “Daddy Cool” frequently graced the bookshelves of those who found his portrayal of street life both captivating and disturbingly real.
Donna Sailor, Goines’ daughter, was only two years old at the time of their murder and retains no memory of the tragic event or her parents. Yet, through family friends who recall her mother fondly, she gained some insight into who her parents were, even as stories about Goines himself were less forthcoming.
The roots of urban literature stretch back to 1967 with Iceberg Slim’s memoir “Pimp,” a work that influenced Goines profoundly. Much later, Goines’ influence extended into the music world, with hip-hop icons like Tupac Shakur citing his books as an inspiration and father figure through art.
Hailing from Detroit’s Black middle class, Goines’ parents ran a clothes-cleaning business. His path diverged drastically after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War, where he reportedly developed a heroin addiction. His return to Detroit in the 1950s saw him becoming entangled in its criminal scene, leading to numerous incarcerations.
His novels, initially published by Holloway House from 1971 until 2008, remain in print under Kensington Books. Goines’ works continue to sell robustly, witnessing a resurgence thanks to reissues starting in 2020.
Robert (Tape) Bailey and Craig Gore spearhead the forthcoming documentary on Goines’ enigmatic life and death. They both credit their encounters with his work while serving prison sentences with igniting this project. Bailey was incarcerated for drug offenses, while Gore faced time for burglary. Through the documentary and reward offer, they hope to bring clarity to Goines’ untimely demise—even if the truth remains elusive. As Gore put it, “We might find nothing. We might solve the murder.”
