In a shocking revelation, retired police chief Thomas Mills has been accused of protecting a suspect in a decades-old unsolved homicide. The allegation has left authorities and the family of the victim, Joy Hibbs, both baffled and furious.

Sgt. Mike Slaughter, a police detective in suburban Philadelphia, had been relentlessly trying to interview Mills about the unsolved murder. After almost a year of persistence, Mills finally agreed to a recorded interview in December 2015. The information shared during that hour was nothing short of astonishing.

According to Slaughter, Mills confessed that as a detective in the early 1990s, he had been instructed to stay away from a potential suspect in Hibbs' murder. The reason for this was the suspect's status as a confidential informant for the Bristol Township Police Department. The man in question, Robert Atkins, was eventually charged, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison for the April 19, 1991, murder.

Slaughter expressed his disbelief at the decision to protect Atkins, stating that it went against any logical police protocol. He emphasized, "You never trade off a murder suspect as a drug informant."

Hibbs' son, David Hibbs, echoed the outrage, stating that it seemed like a deliberate cover-up. He firmly believed that authorities had turned a blind eye to the case. Unfortunately, Mills and another narcotics detective, who was identified as Atkins' handler, have since passed away. Additionally, the former police chief who allegedly gave the orders is also deceased.

In response to the allegations, a lawyer for the Bristol Police Department issued a statement to "Dateline" confirming their awareness of the case but stating that none of the current employees were involved in the investigation in 1991. The statement reassured the community that all criminal investigations are handled with professionalism, integrity, and compassion.

David Hibbs had long suspected Atkins' involvement in his mother's murder. He recalled Atkins' volatile behavior and a heated argument between his mother and the suspect over a small bag of marijuana. Tragically, on April 19, 1991, authorities responded to a fire at the Hibbs' home and discovered Joy's burnt body. An autopsy revealed that she had been stabbed, beaten, and likely strangled.

During the initial investigation, David Hibbs' father, Charlie Hibbs, faced repeated interviews and polygraph tests, despite having alibis and witnesses corroborating his whereabouts. Frustrated with the lack of progress, David tried to obtain case documents in 2006 but was denied access. A police lieutenant allegedly pointed to his father as the culprit.

However, when Detective Slaughter was assigned to reinvestigate the case in 2014, he found the file to be stagnant with minimal forensic evidence and no recorded interviews. As he meticulously reviewed the evidence, Slaughter exonerated Charlie Hibbs, proclaiming that those who accused him had "no idea what they're talking about."

While the truth slowly emerges about the mishandling of the investigation into Joy Hibbs' murder, the family seeks justice and answers. The shocking revelation that a murder suspect was allegedly protected due to his status as a drug informant has cast a shadow of doubt on the integrity of the investigation and the actions of those involved.