According to the FBI, there are about 1400 murders that remain unsolved.. After a deep dive into the four Colonial Parkway murders. Building awareness of the Colonial Parkway Murders, in which 8 young people were killed in series of unsolved crimes in and around the. Market data provided by Factset. Between 1986 and 1989, at least eight people were murdered near or along Virginias Colonial Parkway by an apparent serial killer. [1] During that time, three couples were murdered and one couple is missing and presumed to be dead. After their parents died, Call-Canada and her brother took up the effort to prod investigators. Lauer needed to go back home to get his belongings, and Phelps decided to accompany him for the drive to see her own family in their hometown. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. The sun begins to set Tuesday evening September 27, 2016 near an overlook along the Colonial Parkway. They were both in top physical condition. Their purses and money were found inside the car. His newest endeavor is a podcast which he co-hosts with Kristin Dilley called Mind Over Murder. The podcast has extensively covered the Colonial Parkway cases, in addition to exploring other trends in crime, such as DNA advancement. They also eventually helped organize some of the families. Since October 1986, 10 On Your Side has covered what are now known as the "Colonial Parkway murders." There were four double homicides. There has to be a degree of self-sabotage from a serial killer for an investigation to pan out. 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,. In September 1987, a truck belonging to David Knobling, 20, was found abandoned by the James River Bridge. [11], On October 8, 2016, the Richmond Times Dispatch ran an in-depth article on the 30th anniversary of the Colonial Parkway murders case: After 30 Years, Relatives in Parkway Murders Hope for a Break in Cases[12], On October 8, 2016, the Virginian-Pilot published in-depth story, "The Killer Could Still be Out There: 30 Years Later, Still No Answers in the Colonial Parkway Murders"[13], On May 4, 2018, the Colonial Parkway murders were covered in featured panel discussion at the annual "CrimeCon" true crime convention in Nashville. The murders associated with the series span from the area around the Colonial Parkway around Williamsburg, to New Kent . Why not just tell us that our case will never be a priority? Despite the moniker the Colonial Parkway Murders, the time frame and proximity of the deaths, law enforcement has never conclusively linked the cases, leaving many, including the family members, to believe that some or all of the cases are connected or none at all. Beckys wound isnt as deep as Cathys wound, Pettler added. Fred Atwell: Fred Atwell is the former deputy sheriff that was active during the investigation in 1986. She was determined She was also a Russian scholar. A man named Bill Thomas had reached out on their new Facebook page, What happened to Richard Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey?. There is a possibility that the murders happened at the hand of a moral enforcer who viewed homosexuality, public sex, or a 20-year-old man with a teenaged girl as punishable acts, according to Clemente. There's too many differences.". Laundry room crime scene. The outlet noted that there were no clear signs of robbery or rape for any of these cases. A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. 19 talking about this. Why? 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. 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. ", NASHVILLE TV PRODUCER VERONICA BOZZAS MURDER EXPLORED IN TRUE CRIME DOC: THE WHOLE THING WAS SENSELESS, The James River as seen from College Creek Beach on the Colonial Parkway. The FBI, working in unison with the regions law enforcement, had a victim criteria in their arsenal. Lauer's car, a gold 1972 Chevrolet Nova, was soon found abandoned at the I-64 New Kent rest stop in New Kent County and it was discovered to have been heading in the wrong direction, away from their intended Virginia Beach destination. Soon, other victims family members followed with Thomas leading the charge, providing interviews to the media and speaking out about their frustration with the lack of progress on the case. Emily discusses a slew of disappearances and double murders within a four-year period along the Colonial Parkway in Virginia in the late 80's. . That kind of opens up the window for somebody else to come along and pick on them., Theory: A Moral Enforcer Became A Deadly Predator, Theory: Victims Were In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time, To learn more about the case, watch Lovers Lane Murders". As of 2017, our research estimates that over 2000 serial killers are still at large and active in the United States. (Bill Tiernan). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Accountability_Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Aamodt, https://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/features/murder-woods-shenandoah-national-park/. Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. S, eries co-host Maureen OConnell, a former FBI special agent, sees telltale signs to support this theory. Cassandra Hailey, who was a talented gymnast and spent her time helping others in the sport, would have been 51 this year. Their throats had been viciously slashed and they had been strangled to death. He may have been watching victims, the former profiler theorized, and when the opportunity arose he became a predator.. Thomas Hargrove, researcher, and archivist. On September 20, 1987, Knoblings truck was found abandoned by the James River Bridge, Richmond.com reported. Their families were devastated and shocked. Victims were in cars and all were young and killed in pairs. In 2008, E! When did it happen, and whos the culprit? Keith Call, top row and third to the left, and Cassandra Hailey disappeared April 10, 1988. Though two slayings took place on the actual parkway and two were in nearby areas, all four are tied together by the name, the Colonial Parkway Murders. As this field continues to advance, Moore said agencies could be waiting to test for better results. 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. Robin Edwards, top row and second to the left, and David Knobling, bottom row and second to the left, were murdered Sept. 23, 1987. I see the killer evolving, she said, not just in his methods but in his motives., Theory: A Serial Killer Was (Or Posed As) Law Enforcement, Stoking this belief is the fact that victims car windows were found rolled down at crime scenes, according to. She had a soft side but there was a toughness, too, her brother, Bill Thomas, told the producers of Lovers Lane 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. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic, 23-mile stretch in Virginia that links the historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. At the time, she was also thinking about going to grad school and possibly studying international relations. 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. Call's red 1982 Toyota Celica was found, unoccupied, at the York River Overlook on the Colonial Parkway the next day with some articles of clothing inside. By all accounts, his truck was his prized possession, so family members knew right away something was terribly wrong when it was found abandoned, the Virginian Pilot reported. Series co-host Maureen OConnell, a former FBI special agent, sees telltale signs to support this theory. The bodies of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski were found near this location in October of 1986. And as of today, all of the murders remain unsolved. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. At the time of her death, Cathy was dating Dowski, a student at the College of William and Mary. For the the other half, the parents who have died, they will never see justice for their childrens deaths. The series was published again by the paper in 2010. Advocate. (Photo by Scott Neville/ For The Washington Post via Getty Images). According to Moore, this new advancement has led to hundreds of arrests across the country. And its still certainly a possibility. WTVR News 6 in Richmond reported that there was additional DNA evidence available for testing in the Colonial Parkway murders. Between 1986 and 1989, at least eight people were murdered near or along Virginia's Colonial Parkway by an apparent serial killer. My name is Bill Thomas. | by Quinn Zane | Unburied | Medium Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Entertainment Television presented a full-length documentary, THS Investigates Serial Killers on the Loose, which features a segment on the Colonial Parkway murders. Easily add multiple stops, see live traffic and road conditions. uses fresh interviews with criminologists and victims family members as well as crime-scene reconstructions and analysis to puzzle out the still-unsolved Colonial Parkway murders. Thomas, who was in Los Angeles at the time, had seen a story on WTKR detailing how sensitive photos in the Colonial Parkway murders were leaked to the public. Their throats had been viciously slashed and they had been strangled to death. "Some longtime law enforcement people have said to me that it was like the wild West out there at night because it was only patrolled every few hours," said Thomas. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. They had been strangled with their throats cut. Becky was collateral damage.. For Call-Canada, it is the thing that keeps her going: hope that her brothers remains will be discovered and laid to rest. It helps explain how the killer could take control of two people at once. In the late 1980s, one possible serial killer in Virginia claimed at least eight lives along a certain stretch of road connecting the two historically important cities of Jamestown and Yorktown. Rumors and legends started hitting the headlines. All of the victims were young, White, and were either a romantic couple or could resemble one to an outsider. After leaving the armed forces, she had transitioned into a successful career as a stockbroker, according to Richmond.com. "When Cathy and Becky were killed, we thought it might be a hate crime. Cathy Thomas would drive up from Virginia Beach to visit her girlfriend, Becky Dowski, at the College of William and Mary on Thursday nights. The 22-mile-long stretch running between Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, Virginia, known as Colonial Parkway, is one such road. For Teri and Paula Hailey, it is the hope that they and their parents will see justice. Find nearby businesses, restaurants and hotels. There was nobody she wasnt going to be a friend too [] She was very generous with everything, Joanne Hailey, her mother, told Lovers Lane Murders.. In 2018, when the news broke that the 45-year-old Golden State Killer cold case had been solved with the arrest of Joseph DeAngelo, many, including Thomas and other families of the Colonial Parkway Murder victims, found a renewed sense of hope with investigative genetic genealogy. Fun Fact: Tunnel was built in 1942 and is 1,190 feet long. The Colonial Parkway murders began here in Hampton Roads nearly 35 years ago. (File photos). Nonetheless, to me, this is the work of a serial killer, said OConnell, who views variances among the dual homicides as an eerie sort of shapeshifting. They didnt use that expression much back then, but that was the idea. [26], In June 2010, the victims' families requested the assistance of a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide detective Steve Spingola. 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. Just after Labor Day weekend 1989, Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Later, 21, vanished while en route to Virginia Beach. The young woman had graduated from the U.S. Im proud to know them. I feel like for my husband and my sister-in-laws sake well, really the whole family just wants to know what happened to their loved one, Jennifer Phelps, Annamaria Phelps sister-in-law, told Richmond.com. He and Cassandra Hailey vanished while on their first date in 1988. Mainly because no bodies have ever been uncovered. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. On April 10, 1988, two kids from Christopher Newport University both perfect in-synched with the killers victim profile were reported missing after attending a party in Newport News during their first date together. The violence suggests, Pettler said, that the killer may have been someone who knew Thomas. Daniel Plott, retired Virginia State Police, concurred. He was shy at first, but once you got to know him he opened up, he said. Murders all occurred, she said, within a 30-mile radius and all on a weekend or holiday., Moreover, the slayings occurred at night, and mostly in areas that look like lovers lanes. Four cases link families, scenic parkway; Dateline NBC Crime Capsule "The Killer Could Still be out There": 30 years later, still no answers in the Colonial Parkway Murders; Investigation Discovery Crimefeed; Family: New DNA testing could crack Colonial Parkway Murders; Virginia Pilot - 3 part series Part 1 - Agent stalks dark path of . Three days later, their bodies washed up onto the beach at Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge. "[15], On July 23, 2018. 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. Three days later, Robin Edwards and Knoblings bodies were discovered in the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge in Isle of Wight County, shot to death. Murders all occurred, she said, within a 30-mile radius and all on a weekend or holiday.. For the families of the eight victims, it is yet another year spent searching for answers. The evidence of the crime was kept intact by a fluke of fate when the diesel failed to ignite. In 2010, a note was discovered in a box taken years earlier from Annamaria Phelps's apartment. Rebecca Dowski, top left, and Cathleen Thomas, bottom left, were killed Oct. 12, 1986. Over the years things have changed, you know, my dad died and my mom mentally cant handle the stress of dealing with the case.. Did The Colonial Parkway Victims Know The Killer? The Colonial Parkway is a twenty-three mile scenic roadway stretching from the York River at Yorktown to the James River at Jamestown. LA County Criminal Prosecutor Loni Coombs and former FBI Special Agent Maureen OConnell are seen here speaking with Bill Thomas. 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