the colonial parkway murders leaked the colonial parkway murders leaked

Just like those 1400 unsolved murders, Hargrove conducted his studies on, theres a huge likelihood that the Colonial Parkway Murders will remain a cold case and that the devil behind it will never be brought to justice just like Jack The Ripper Just like the Zodiac Killer Just like the Alphabet Killer The Barnaul Maniac Charlie Chop-off and the 85 other serial killers. David always backed his vehicle in, never left it unlocked, and it didnt require the keys turned to accessories to play the radioall signs that his vehicle was staged for theft the calling card of the Colonial Parkway murderer. The FBI is investigating the slayings of Thomas, Dowski, Call, and Hailey, as they were found dead or went missing on federal property. If you like true crime, take a look at 10 of the most gruesome murders the state of New York has ever seen-some may date all the way back to the 1800s, but all of them are horrible. The bodies were covered in a blanket from Daniels car and were badly decomposed, which made it impossible to determine either the cause of death or whether there had been sexual assault. There were little signs of struggle. Their removal was part of the control that the murderer(s) exerted on the victims. 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. At Ragged Island (as it appears today) this is the end of the roadway leading from the parking lot to the rivers edge. Then we come to the latest, and presumed to be the final, set of victims: A pair of women who'd been camping together in 1996. Everything seemed to be going fine as the pair moved their outing to a local party where they enjoyed themselves until around 1:30 a.m. Hailey was an 18-year-old college student. According to Oxygen, the Colonial Parkway killer changed things up from victim to victim. It was not enough to point to prior owl attacks on humans. A number of people saw this on the parkway after the party, including his brother Chris. I'd say the killer died, moved onto a new place or went to jail since I don't think there have been any similar cases in 20 years. to the spots logistics and that particular set of prey. The differences in killing methods is something that is often pointed at, as Cathy and Rebecca were strangled and then had their throats slit, David and Robin were shot, and Annamaria and Daniel were presumably stabbed. The two women had been bound with rope and strangled, and the killer had slit their throats so deeply that they were nearly decapitated. The Colonial Parkway is a historic and scenic road that links together the three points of Virginia's Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktow. Less than a year later another young couple went missing. "They took him and Sandra and they put his clothes back in the car, just tossed them. Some suspect the killings were the work of a possible serial killer, due to a shared location and other similarities. #LoversLaneMurders #ColonialParkwayMurders #truecrime #FBI #DNA But Atwell died behind bars before his involvement in the killings could be confirmed. Thomas and Dowskis were a hate crime motivated by the couples lesbian relationship. Daniels plan was to move in with his brother Clinton and Clintons girlfriend, Annamaria Phelps. The tale got more fantastic as it went on. This week Nic from the @TrueCrimeGarage podcast joins Bill and me for a roundtable discussion about the Colonial Parkway Murders. Thank you for writing this book. Of course, these are Spingola's musings, and they have yet to be proven. It's been over 30 years, and they're still missing without much of a trace. Their throats had been viciously slashed and they had been strangled to death. The vision behind the Murder Accountability Project. The pair went on a date, seeing a movie and attending a party, on April 9, 1988. And he would find it. All of these factors are critical to understanding the mystique that the murders still hold over the national narrative. Thomas had also entered a relationship with Dowski, and the two were known to regularly visit the area where they were murdered. A round dusk on Oct. 12, 1986, a passerby happened upon a white Honda Civic leaning nose-first over the edge of a 15-foot embankment just off Virginia's picturesque Colonial Parkway. Despite theories that the crimes may not be connected, many still believe that the Colonial Parkway murders were the work of a serial killer. Full Description. Their bodies were found by hunters that came across the bodies weeks after they disappeared. Phelps, who family members described to Lovers Lane Murders producers as having a very sharp wit, was dating Lauers younger brother, whom she lived with in Virginia Beach. Due to the shared location and other similarities, some suspect the killings are the work of a possible serial killer. I live near the peninsula and lived in Richmond, Virginia because my father lived in Norfolk, Virginia and my mother and stepfather lived in Richmond. Your email address will not be published. David Knobling at Christmas in 1986, a few month prior to his death. They were brothers, sisters, sons, daughters,' says Joyce Call. We're a little less trusting," Phelps said. Someone has leaked graphic crime-scene photographs of the most notorious serial killings in Virginia history, the Colonial Parkway murders. Bushwick July 12, 1979. The first pair of victims, Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski, were a romantic couple who were last seen alive going out to dinner in 1986, as Oxygen points out. The keys were still in the ignition, the door was open, and the windshield wipers were going. Fred Atwell, a former Gloucester sheriff's deputy, says he has learned in the past month that his name is on a list of 130 suspects. How they got out is now the core of an FBI investigation, and source of disgust for the families who lost loved ones. Lauer's car was found abandoned at a rest area on the westbound side of I-64. It was scary time back in the eighties!! Edwards family members, meanwhile, grieved the lost opportunity to know the woman the teenager was becoming. "If he does, I hope he comes forward with that information soon.". Overlooking the beautiful York River, it is hard to imagine the drama that took place on or near the Colonial Parkway that night. Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. Atwell says a friend of his, a security-company owner, asked him last year to teach a class about the killings. However, some do not think these murders were the work of a serial killer, but rather by at least two or more separate killers. Spingola believes that the murders of Cathy and Rebecca are not related to the other murders at all and are, in fact, connected to another double homicide that occurred in Shenandoah National Park in 1996. Multiple searches were conducted for Call and Hailey, but no other trace of them has ever been found. For at least a year, and maybe for many years, these pictures have circulated among civilians. Required fields are marked *. Robin Edwards, a spitfire youngster who was more mature than her physical years. "I took them to the FBI and the state police, and nobody has done nothing.". Their throats had been viciously slashed and they had been strangled to death. According to the FBI, there are about 1400 murders that remain unsolved.. Why are they still a hot button topic? It's unexpected. Cathy Thomas, 27, and Rebecca Dowski, 21, had been dating for several months when they went out for food on October 9, 1986. Joyce Call's brother was one of the victims. "We're a little less likely to accept outside help. The bodies of Annamaria and Daniel were found six weeks after they disappeared, just over a mile from where his car had been located. On the floor of Davids truck you can see the shoes of the victim. Unfortunate couple #3 was Cassandra Lee Hailey and Richard Keith Call. Its isolation and lack of patrols by the NPS made it a perfect place for murder or to dispose of a vehicle/bodies. For two decades, the crime-scene pictures have. In the 1890s, this was the nickname given to Lizzie Halliday, New York's first known female serial killer. Current day image of where Cathy Thomass car was discovered. They never returned home. They're no longer there.". 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. Listen to Nic Edwards Chilling Account of THE DELPHI MURDERS with the Audiobook Narrated by Kevin Pierce, Meet Internationally Renowned True Crime Author Ron Chepesiuk, Meet Author Nic Edwards, Acclaimed Podcast Host of True Crime Garage. True Crime Uncensored with Burl Barer and Mark Boyer. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Thomas had also entered a relationship with Dowski, and the two were known to regularly visit the area where they were murdered. In 2009, Atwell was considered something of a hero when he discovered a number of crime scene photographs regarding the Colonial Parkway homicides had been inappropriately taken from the FBI's Norfolk office. I don't know the law, but I hope it does not, in any way, jeopardize the case if they do find somebody.". Their bodies were discovered on [Read More], On an unseasonably warm April evening in 2001, the headless body of a tiny girl was found discarded in a makeshift dump site in the woods on the southeast side of Kansas City, Missouri. 2 years ago Lovers Lane Murders Covers Infamous Colonial Parkway Murders on Oxygen Network , Feb 12-13 At long last, the Lover's Lane Murders TV series covering the Colonial Parkway Murders is coming to the Oxygen Network February 12-13. Despite the continued efforts and media frenzy the murders seem to compel, there is little to no traction on the investigation. Roughly six months later, on April 9, 1987, college student Richard "Keith" Call, 20, went out on his first date with Cassandra Lee Hailey, 18, from Grafton. To the Call family, the FBI did not do enough to protect the families from this indignity, and protect the evidence of such terrible crimes. She was young, and she had a curfew. This question of serial killer or coincidence is explored in Oxygens new limited series, Lovers Lane Murders, airing Thursday, February 11, and Friday, February 12 at 9/8c and 10/9c. But [Read More], In 1971 and 1972, a deadly predator stalked the streets of the nations capital. Mainly because no bodies have ever been uncovered. Fred Atwell: Fred Atwell is the former deputy sheriff that was active during the investigation in 1986. "He always tried to insert himself into the investigation and into the families," Thomas' brother, Bill Thomas, told The Huffington Post. After that cycle, the killings abruptly stopped.. The thoroughfare is partially maintained by the National Park Service because it's an iconic piece of pavement that connects some of the country's most historic cities. A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. The former was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the latter a senior of Willam & Mary College. The former officer in question, Fred Atwell, had also inserted himself into the investigation several times, according to HuffPost. You must log in or register to reply here. Other than that, it seems the victims didn't have much in common at all. He was shy at first, but once you got to know him he opened up, he said. The autopsy was inconclusive and could not determine whether a blade had slashed their throats or if they had been strangled to near decapitation. Things seemed to return to normal until September 22, 1987, when the bodies of another young couple were found along the bank of the James River in Virginia. The Colonial Parkway Murders have been viewed as the work of a serial killer by many investigators. However, the young couple was struggling financially, so Lauer had agreed to move in with them to help them out with money. Backtrack and take a look at the whole gruesome spectacle There were either multiple killers or the singular lone wolf was rather adept and elastic, forever changing and molding his M.O. It's hard to say for certain, but one detective believed they figured out the cause back in 2010. Sandy was unique. In 2018, 12 years after the Shenandoah murders, DNA studies including hair and biological samples potentially linked the two cases. Its still unclear what David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were doing together the night of their murders in 1987. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. The second pair of victims, David Knobling and Robin Edwards, had just met before heading out to a local makeout spot, where they were attacked, according to NBC. SECRETS OF A HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE EYE is your ultimate source for the juiciest stories, scandals, and [Read More], It was not enough to suggest that Kathleen began to bleed outside. The rest of the leaked images depict more than can be shown on television. Rumors and legends started hitting the headlines. 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. Along the way, as he notes in his pamphlet Predators on the Parkway: A Former Homicide Detective Explores the Colonial Parkway Murders, he came to the conclusion that the murders weren't the work of a serial killer. This is a weird one: Saw a thing on THS over the weekend about this. [Thomas] could hold their own from day one. Atwell's discovery of the 84 graphic photographs brought a lot of much-needed media attention back to the unsolved homicides. "He called [a] suicide hotline and said that he is suicidal, a suspect in a serial murder [investigation] and wanted to commit suicide by cop," Thomas said. You are using an out of date browser. Just after Labor Day weekend 1989, Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Later, 21, vanished while en route to Virginia Beach. The 22-mile-long stretch running between Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, Virginia, known as Colonial Parkway, is one such road. Spingola believes that the two sets of murders were hate crimes committed by the same perpetrator. Their bodies were found over a month later on October 19th by hunters on a logging road about a mile away from the rest stop. Atwell says they asked for his copies, and seized photographs from the school, too. The Gloucester County whistleblower who last year revealed how the FBI leaked crime-scene photographs from the Colonial Parkway killings now says he's a suspect in the murder investigation. She worked two jobs while studying, caring for toddlers at a daycare center and at the colleges English department as a clerk, Cassandra Hailey and Richard Keith Call, For more on the Colonial Parkway murders, watch Oxygens new limited series. Inside, they found the dead bodies of 21-year-old Rebecca Dowski and 27-year-old Cathleen "Cathy" Thomas, a couple from Virginia who had been missing for three days. If they are smart enough not to get caught, theres very little we can do.. Fred was always vocal about the case to the point that he had strong opinions on who the killer was. On Wednesday, police in Gwinnett County, Ga., arrested 62-year-old Fred Atwell. To change his mind, Atwell's friend told him he had crime-scene photos from the Parkway Murders. The Colonial Parkway murders were the murders of at least eight people along the Colonial Parkway in South-East Virginia between 1986 and 1989. The former Gloucester, Va., deputy is accused of robbing a woman in Roanoke County at gunpoint Tuesday. Thomas Hargrove, researcher, and archivist. The FBI, working in unison with the regions law enforcement, had a victim criteria in their arsenal. 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. The Colonial Parkway is a beautiful stretch of highway which cuts through the Colonial National Historical Park in South-East Virginia. It is a pageantry of American history embroiled in dozens of tunnels and bridges that are incredibly charming and visually impacting. Finally, one of the most bizarre theories about the murders states that the killers identity was, in fact, a rogue CIA operative. I live in Norfolk now but I still am scared to travel that stretch of road, especially where the couple's car was found at the rest stop going in the other direction in which they were headed. They show how the Colonial Parkway Killer stalked couples in cars, stabbed some and shot others, and then discarded their bodies. The murders of all four couples occurred within a 30-mile radius, at night, on weekends or holidays, in areas that resemble lover's lanes, in cars, and in all instances, there were two victims. In total, 4 pairs of people were targeted, resulting in eight murders and six bodies found. Brown also said the perpetrator could be involved in law enforcement or, more likely, "wished he were. I think we understand where it came from. It was the young couples very first date. All rights reserved. The interior of Daniels car. And as of today, all of the murders remain unsolved. On the evening of Oct. 9, 1986, Thomas and Dowski had been hanging out with two friends at a computer lab when they left to spend some time together. Dowski was younger and still a student at the College of William and Mary. All of thatmeans the Colonial Parkway killer had their work cut out for them, since they're believed to have killed, as Colonial Ghosts points out, between four and five couples. Theres no hint of the horror that took place herefrom the brutal murders to the attempts to burn then submerge her car. According to Historic Mysteries, this killer targeted couples. Fred was considered something of a hero when he uncovered a slew of photographs leaked from the FBIs office in Norfolk. . All the victims were from different backgrounds and demographics, making a profile an incredibly difficult task. The car had been pushed down an embankment off the Colonial Parkway. The Colonial Parkway is a beautiful stretch of highway which cuts through the Colonial National Historical Park in South-East Virginia. The First Murders. For the first time in years, the family of one of the victims in the Colonial Parkway serial murders is meeting with the FBI. The 10 Scariest Serial Killers You Havent Heard Of, TANTAMOUNT Dives Into Washington DCs Oldest Unsolved Serial Killing Spree, A SPECIAL KIND OF EVIL Sheds Light On the Horrific Colonial Parkway Serial Killings, New From Burl Barer with Punch StanmirovicSTEALING MANHATTAN: The Untold Story of Americas Billion Dollar Gem Heist Masterminds, BAD HENRY: The Murderous Rampage of The Taco Bell Strangler by Ron Chepesiuk Offers Insights into the Psychology of a Killer and Sheds Light on Issues Related to Race and Policing, From True Crime experts, Nic Edwards and Brian Whitney comes THE DELPHI MURDERS: The Quest To Find The Man On The Bridge, PRECIOUS FEW CLUES: The True Crime Investigation Of Kansas Citys Precious Doe Murder, SECRETS OF A HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE EYE: A Rollicking No-Holds Barred Expose Of Tinsel Town by Fred Wolfson and Burl Barer. Last year, criminal profiler Pat Brown shared her own theory with AOL News -- a theory that centers on the fact that in some of the cases, the victims' driver's window had been rolled down. Keiths red Toyota. Their trip home on Labor Day weekend was only for a fewhours. They had been stabbed to death. Dowski was younger and still a student at the College of William and Mary. The police investigated exhaustively, but eventually the case went cold. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [1] In each incident, a young couple sitting in a vehicle was targeted and both were killed. "To me, this is the work of a serial killer. None of the victims were robbed, and sexual assault did not appear to be a motive in any of the cases. "Last January he called me and said he had been contacted by an attorney outside the country who claimed to have a client who was involved in the murders. FBI photo of Ragged Island. For the third time in recent years, Atwell has cast a spotlight on the Colonial Parkway murders - albeit not in a manner in which the victims families are very happy about. We select them regularly, so sign up NOW! The Colonial Parkway is a scenic, 23-mile stretch in Virginia that links the historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. These crime scene photographs show the area where the remains of David Knobling and Robin Edwards were found three days after their disappearance. But he didn't really know much about the case, or the couples, so he declined to teach the class. Or could it be that four separate criminals were executing young people in the area? And with Stealing Manhattan, a book that details, as the author proclaims, a "mega-heist" that involved the taking of [Read More], Henry Louis Wallace terrorized Charlotte, North Carolina, from May 1992 to March 1994. Three days later, their bodies washed up onto the beach at Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge. Karl and Judy Knobling with David (the taller youth) and his brother Michael in 1977. The car . A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. In 2018, the Facebook page Colonial Parkway Murders, which is run by Cathys brother Bill Thomas, revealed that DNA had been found at 3 of the 4 crime scenes which could potentially conclusively link the cases and lead to an arrest. His brother's girlfriend was the second half of the murdered pair. Robins pants were partially rolled down, but police were unsure if there had been sexual assault since it was presumed that Robin and David had had some sort of sexual relationship. Three pairs of victims were recovered, and another couple remains missing and presumed murdered. There are few access points to the park, especially after hours. But the police and federal agents trying to catch him have not. In a way, the fact that such murders and foul deeds took place in that spot was nothing short of sacrilegious and a scar on the Parkways patriotic nature and what it represents. About The Book On January 7, 1994, residents of Berkshire [Read More], True crime author, Burl Barer, has always possessed that all-important knack for seeking out hidden truth and finding it. The Colonial Parkway Murders were a series of homicides that occurred between October 1986 and September 1989. Hanlon says he can't speculate how the leaked evidence might affect a prosecution because there's never been anyone to prosecute. This, in turn, ratcheted up the media when they got a hold of the fact that Camp Peary is a training facility for the Central Intelligence Agency. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Three couples were murdered and one couple is missing and presumed to be dead. Even though the cause of death could not be determined, there were what appeared to be stab marks on Annamarias bones, suggesting she had been stabbed to death. Just three days later, they were found murdered inside Thomas 1980 Honda Civic. The two-decade-old puzzle of the Colonial Parkway murders had pretty much fizzled out at the time the photos were uncovered. You cant exactly finger a suspect and develop a viable culprit on car displacement and fascination with couples. The killer has never been identified and the case remains UNSOLVED!Construction stretched over twenty-six years through the Depression, World . She had moved to Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, Clinton Lauer and was struggling to get by but living the American dream. Atwell says he couldn't get a return call, until NewsChannel 3 got involved. This unwholesome section is grisly and malignant Youve been warned. He knew most of his victims, some through his job at Taco Bell, [More], On February 13, 2017, two Indiana teenagers, Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, went for a walk in the woods near the abandoned Monon High Bridge. I'm just throwing this out there without research, but the isolated areas, where was Hilton at this time? FBI photograph of the smashed back window of Cathy Thomass Honda Civic. Both had been shot in the back of the head. Robert Kalfus. But the murders have all remained unsolved. As of now, the killer (or killers) remains at large. Why would this killer switch things up? Hanlon declined to explain what happened between Atwell's first complaints, and this recent scramble to retrieve the photographs. "It's an unsolved crime, number one. For more than 20 years, the Colonial Parkway Serial Killer has kept his secrets. Still, some investigators are on the fence and dont want to definitively classify their disappearance as part of the serial killers cycle. Join our newsletter for awesome content, free offers and launch notifications! There were two pairs of underwear, shoes, and Davids wallet found in the car, which ruled robbery out as a probable motive. For more on the Colonial Parkway murders, watch Oxygens new limited series Lovers Lane Murders, airing Thursday, February 11 and Friday, February 12 at 9/8c and 10/9c.