colonial parkway murders map
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) The FBI and Virginia State Police have uncovered DNA from three of the four crimes scenes of the 1986 Colonial Parkway Murders that may belong to a perpetrator,. We had a good and long conversation about everything and started asking, What do we do and how do we get the word out? Call-Canada said. Seven years after the final fatalities, another case reignited the investigation. The cases are now the subject of a new four-part true-crime docu-series on Oxygen titled "Lovers Lane Murders." If he receives what he believes to be a credible tip, he will then turn it over to the FBI. On October 12, 1986, Columbus Day weekend, their bodies were found inside Thomas's white 1980 Honda Civic at the Cheatham Annex Overlook along the Colonial Parkway in Williamsburg, Virginia. Thomas Hargrove, researcher, and archivist. or whoever approached them pretended to be a cop -- or was a cop, he said. They were never found. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. It features LA County Criminal Prosecutor Loni Coombs and former FBI Special Agent Maureen OConnell whoconductedinterviews with law enforcement and families, as well as tracked down new leads. Within the last five years, he has turned over dozens of tips. On September 5, 1989, just after Labor Day weekend, Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Lauer, 21, vanished while en route to Virginia Beach. In 1986, a 23-mile scenic road run by the National Park Service in Virginia became indelibly linked with a series of double homicides that came to be called the Colonial Parkway murders. "I hope people will understand that the loss that weve suffered has not prevented us as families from continuing to focus on seeing some degree of justice done," Thomas, who serves as one of the shows producers, told Fox News. Shes remained in Gloucester most of her life, just in case. "Colonial Parkway Murders" is a bit of a misnomer in that only 2 sets of the murders happened along the Colonial Parkway in Virginia, with . Their families were devastated and shocked. Cathy Thomas, 27, and Rebecca Dowski, 21, were strangled and had their throats cut in 1986; David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were shot in 1987; Keith Call, 20, and Cassandra Hailey, 19, disappeared after a college party in 1988 and are still missing; and the remains of Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Lauer, 21, were found by hunters in 1989. 26, 2018. The Colonial Parkway Murders The Colonial Parkway is a historic and scenic road that links together the three points of Virginia's Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Stephen's bedroom crime scene. The Colonial Parkway murders were the slayings of at least eight people apparently by a serial killer along the Colonial Parkway of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia (or nearby) between 1986 and 1989. He was shy at first, but once you got to know him he opened up, he said. But she left with great regret because she had hoped to have the kind of career that my dad had.". Both women were found with rope burns on their neck and wrist with signs of strangulation. And its still certainly a possibility. Inside the Maddening Search for Virginia's Colonial Parkway Serial Killer COLD CASE Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos Courtesy Bill Thomas Four brutal double homicides near. "[15], On July 23, 2018. After a deep dive into the four Colonial Parkway murders, Coombs and OConnell reviewed commonalities and dissimilarities in terms of location, treatment of bodies, method of murder, time and date, victims, motive, and crime scene. "When Cathy and Becky were killed, we thought it might be a hate crime. You saw Dr. Pettler in the four part true crime TV series, "Lovers Lane The bodies of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski were found near this location in October of 1986. Wallets found open in the victims vehicles on the floor and on the dashboard respectively inthe first and third homicides add heft to the law enforcement theory, former FBI profiler Jim Clemente told Lovers Lane Murders. They could have been preparing to show their license or registration. A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. From about October 1986 to September 1989, 8 people are presumed to have been murdered near Colonial Parkway in Eastern Virginia. The Virginia State Police did a casual investigation, during the panic galvanized by the murders, of Camp Peary and its soldiers. PETER NYGARD ACCUSER EXPLAINS WHY SHE'S SPEAKING OUT IN NEW SHOCKING DOC: 'I HAVE NEVER BEEN QUIET ABOUT THIS', Bill Thomas, a producer on Oxygen's 'Lovers' Lane Murders' is seen here with a portrait of his sister Cathy Thomas. Three days later, their bodies washed up onto the beach at Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge. Thomas was nearly decapitated. Its still unclear what David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were doing together the night of their murders in 1987. Knobling had taken Edwards out with his little brother and cousin that day. The note, which was undated and purportedly written by Phelps, indicated that she was to meet someone in a blue van at a rest stop. William F. Thomas stands under an old oak tree at the Cheatham Annex pull off along the Colonial Parkway near Yorktown Tuesday afternoon, August 16,2016, holding a photo of his sister, Cathleen Thomas, a Naval Academy graduate who with Rebecca Dowski were the first of the murders along the Parkway that became known as the Colonial Parkway Murders. Now you flash forward and as painful as the passage of time can be, we now have truly advanced DNA testing available. to a serial killer. EXCLUSIVE: Bill Thomas is adamant that in his lifetime, hell find out the identity of his sisters murderer. Sandy was unique. They didnt use that expression much back then, but that was the idea. On September 20, 1987, David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were shot at point-blank range in the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge, near the south shore of James River in Smithfield, Virginia. This year she would have turned 48. She was actually the most improved Russian speaker at the Naval Academy. Bill Thomas shudders at the thought to this day. Thomas and Dowskis were a hate crime motivated by the couples lesbian relationship. Step by step directions for your drive or walk. Theyre very, very different in force and intensity. (Bill Tiernan). By that time, local police were well aware that there was a predator on the loose, and they had a somewhat bivouac profile to work-off. He also helps manage a Facebook page, Colonial Parkway Murders, with 14,000 followers, which aims to build awareness of the four cases. The Colonial Parkway murders were the slayings of at least eight people apparently by a serial killer along the Colonial Parkway of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia (or nearby) between 1986 and 1989. Karl Knoblings theory behind the murder of his son David and Robin Edwards in 1987 doesnt have sinister overtones -- and its all the more chilling because of that. A few key facts primarily that Davids black Ford Ranger pick-up truck was discovered with the side window partially rolled down that made investigators question whether the killer had ties to lay-enforcement or was posing as a police officer. to the spots logistics and that particular set of prey. On September 5, 1989, their car was found abandoned at an I-64 rest stop strangely, the rest stop was on the opposite route of their way back to Virginia Beach. In total, 4 pairs of people were targeted, resulting in eight murders and six bodies found. The first known victims there could very well have been others before that havent been uncovered or linked to the case were Cathleen Thomas, 27, and Rebecca Ann Dowski, 21. Four double homicides occurred on or near the Colonial Parkway in Virginia during the 1980s. They are both presumed dead, and evidence points to the same madman or madwoman responsible for the other killings. And remember, this was the 1980s. Irvin Wells, retired FBI special agent. Was The Colonial Parkway Killer Pretending To Be Law Enforcement? A year later in September 1989, the outlet reported Annamarie Phelps, 18, and Daniel Lauer, 21, vanishedfrom a rest stop in New Kent County. What were the Colonial Parkway Murders? Phelps had been stabbed, but Lauers body was too decomposed to determine cause of death. [citation needed], In January 2010, a team from FBI Norfolk and FBI Headquarters met with the victims' families to update them on the status of the investigation. The realization that his sister, Cathleen Thomas, was murdered on a scenic Virginia roadway. Each homicide occurred somewhere along the Colonial Parkway, hence the colloquial name. [1] During that time, three couples were murdered and one couple is missing and presumed to be dead. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Cassandra Lee Hailey, 18, and Richard Keith Call, 20, dropped off the face of the Earth on that Spring evening. This year, he would have been 53. This unwholesome section is grisly and malignant Youve been warned. Fred died in 2018, and whatever secrets he had died with him. The tone of his parents voice signaling something was wrong. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. However, Thomas claimed new tips come in "every week or two," giving hope that these cold cases can be solved today. The Colonial Parkway is a 23 mile (37km) scenic landscape/thoroughfare that links Virginia's Historic Triangle. The odds of four double homicides in as many years are extremely rare, which is why the slayings are. Cathy Thomas would drive up from Virginia Beach to visit her girlfriend, Becky Dowski, at the College of William and Mary on Thursday nights. Hailey, 19, and Call, 20, were both students at Christopher Newport University. For the families linked by the Colonial Parkway Murders, it means that DNA discovered at the crime scenes could, one day, solve the cases. It helps explain how the killer could take control of two people at once. As the agent at the beginning of this diabolical coverage said: What made these murders stand out was the complexity of them.. Joyce Call-Canada is the older sister of Keith Call. It is a pageantry of American history embroiled in dozens of tunnels and bridges that are incredibly charming and visually impacting. From 1986 to 1989, four double homicides occurred on or near the Colonial Parkway. During that time, three couples were murdered and one couple is missing and presumed to be dead. The human carnage six bodies were found, while two presumed-dead victims have never been recovered was collectively called the Colonial Parkway Murders. Psychic Pam Coronado felt that the killings were all related but that the locations of the cars were not where the actual violence occurred. According to Moore, there may be reasons why the DNA has not been tested yet, such as the sample size of the DNA could be too small or too severely degraded to undergo genetic genealogy analysis. A more micro look reveals that victims werent all killed in the same way. Gays and lesbians were banned from the Navy at that time, and she had been investigated by nine agents regarding her sexuality, her brother told producers. The vision behind the Murder Accountability Project. Lauers Chevrolet Nova was found on the westbound exit ramp, keys in the ignition, the next day. Speaking Russian was very important because they were, at the time, probably our top adversary in the world.". I see the killer evolving, she said, not just in his methods but in his motives.. Joyce Call-Canada is the older sister of Keith Call. Laundry room crime scene. Unlike OConnell, Coombs doesnt see the work of a serial killer. Six weeks later, hunters found their remains. ", "Who Committed The Lovers' Lane Murders? A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! My gut tells me that these cases are not connected, she said. The burden gets a little easier, but in such a small incremental way that you dont realize it at first, Thomas said. Williams and Winans were also a hate crime, no doubt perpetrated by the same killer. [17], On December 22, 2018, veteran reporter Mike Holtzclaw wrote an article for the Daily Press marking Colonial Parkway murders whistleblower Fred Atwell's passing titled: "Former Deputy's Death Leaves Parkway Victim's Families Wondering What He Knew. Stephen. For Teri and Paula Hailey, it is the hope that they and their parents will see justice. THE COLONIAL PARKWAY MURDERS: A STEP BY STEP REPORT. Between 1986 and 1989, three young couples were found brutally murdered while one couple is still missing and presumed dead, on or near the Colonial Parkway, a roadway that connects Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, the nations Historic Triangle. Theres always hope that you might find more DNA, finding smaller amounts, with more advanced techniques of detecting DNA, said Moore. For over three years beginning in the fall of 1986, a 23-mile stretch of road in Virginia that connects Jamestown to Yorktown became the eerie epicenter of a string of grisly double homicides. Now he has three children of his own. She was brilliant, beautiful and well-educated, but she was also thoughtful, modest and a deep thinker. In Spingolas eyes, there was no serial killer. (File photos). Author of Unburied: True Crime Shorts https://www.amazon.com/Unburied-Crime-Shorts-Quinn-Zane-ebook/dp/B0BK5BGSYY, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60693940, https://www.amazon.com/Unburied-Crime-Shorts-Quinn-Zane-ebook/dp/B0BK5BGSYY. She was determined She was also a Russian scholar. All of these factors are critical to understanding the mystique that the murders still hold over the national narrative. After speaking for hours with Call-Canada about their family members cases, the pair began planning their efforts to pressure law enforcement. And unfortunately . Finally, one of the most bizarre theories about the murders states that the killers identity was, in fact, a rogue CIA operative. Despite the continued efforts and media frenzy the murders seem to compel, there is little to no traction on the investigation. "He was always washing it, his sister, Joyce Call-Canada, told The Virginian Pilot. The Colonial Parkway Murders families have been told by law enforcement (FBI and Virginia State Police) that they may have perpetrator DNA in 3 of the 4 crime scenes in the unsolved Colonial Parkway Murders. Dowski, 21, was found in the backseat of the car while Cathy, 27, was stuffed into the hatchback. However, these victims were known to frequent the area on Thursday nights. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. It was considered a double murder. Rebecca Dowski, top left, and Cathleen Thomas, bottom left, were killed Oct. 12, 1986. Im proud to know them. On any given day, Thomas can be found behind his desk in his Connecticut home sifting through archives, reaching out to law enforcement and answering calls and emails about his sisters case. 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