These killings, known as the Colonial Parkway murders, remain unsolved. Her son was only a year old when Robin died. Dogs traced their scents to the river, but soon lost it. However, Cathy was unafraid to try things that no one else had done before. Fred was considered something of a hero when he uncovered a slew of photographs leaked from the FBIs office in Norfolk. Dowski was younger and still a student at the College of William and Mary. 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. A more micro look reveals that victims werent all killed in the same way. The keys were still in the ignition, the door was open, and the windshield wipers were going. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. 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. The vision behind the Murder Accountability Project. 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. [19], On July 30, 2019, The Washington Post ran a story on the search for answers in the Colonial Parkway murders and other cases titled Victims, Families and America's Thirst for True-Crime Stories [20], On September 17, 2020, the publication Forensic Genomics published an article by family member Bill Thomas covering the Colonial Parkway murders entitled "The Family Perspective. Joyce Call-Canada is the older sister of Keith Call. Their families were devastated and shocked. The double homicides took play over a four-year span . Still, he cant help but wonder what might have been. Maps of crime scene. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Located roughly halfway between Richmond and Virginia Beach, the Colonial Parkway spans approximately 22 miles in southeastern Virginia and is an incredibly beautiful drive during . (Oxygen). Their throats had been viciously slashed and they had been strangled to death. My gut tells me that these cases are not connected, she said. "Yes, this is a tragedy, but hope never dies," he shares. Hailey, meanwhile, was a college freshman who modeled and taught gymnastics, according to the outlet. According to the special, gays and lesbians were banned from the Navy at the time and she had reportedly been investigated by nine agents. Stephen's bedroom crime scene. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Knobling lived in Hampton while he worked for his fathers landscaping business, and was expecting a baby with his longtime girlfriend. According to Parabon NanoLabs Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore, genetic genealogy involves linking DNA of unidentified bodies and/or potential suspects to relatives who have uploaded their DNA to genealogy sites that allow police to access their genetic information. Was The Colonial Parkway Killer Pretending To Be Law Enforcement? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. We dont need the reminder that these are cold cases.. "That tells me that either they were getting ready because they thought they were pulled over by a police officer or park ranger or whoever approached them pretended to be a cop -- or was a cop, he said. Cathleen Thomas was just starting a new chapter after leaving the U.S. Navy, when her life was cut short. There is this allure of serial killers, said, Steve Spingola, former homicide detective and author of. "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 . 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Call-Canada was at work in 2009 when she got a call from her brother. He became a well-known whistleblower, and thanks to his action, the FBI was put under the proverbial microscope. However, just before her death, she had left the Navy. ", JONBENET RAMSEYS HALF BROTHER STILL WANTS TO FIND HER KILLER: THIS CASE CAN BE SOLVED, Part 1 and 2 of Oxygen's 'Lovers Lane Murders' airs Thursday night. Now he has three children of his own. Steve Spingola, former Milwaukee homicide detective, investigated the murders on behalf of the families. [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. 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. This murder series is the single greatest unsolved murder series in the history of Virginia and it needs attention, Thomas said. Explore! [30], Last edited on 16 September 2022, at 11:09, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "Colonial Parkway Murders Remain Unsolved", "Fred Atwell, Controversial Figure In Colonial Parkway Murders, Arrested In Georgia", "Part 1 | Agent stalks dark path of serial killer", "Part 2 | Serial Killer's Trademark: Colonial Parkway Murders", "Part 3 | Scores of suspects but no serial killer", "Sensitive FBI photos from Colonial Parkway murders leaked to the public", "FBI takes new approach in hunt for Colonial Parkway killer", "A cold case heats up: The Colonial Parkway murders", "The Colonial Parkway Murders | Dark Minds", "After 30 years, relatives of victims in Parkway Murders hope for break in cases", "Colonial Parkway Murders: Help Find a Killer", "10 Disturbing Facts About The Colonial Parkway Murders", "Authorities have 'potential perpetrator DNA' in Colonial Parkway murders, family says", "Dateline Crime Capsule: The Colonial Parkway Murders", "Former deputy's death leaves Parkway victims' families wondering what he knew", "Sooner or Later Your Cousin's DNA Is Going to Solve a Murder", "Victims, Families and America's Thirst for True-Crime Stories", "Lovers' Lane Murders Sets Out to Solve the Infamous Colonial Parkway Murders", "Why Would Law Enforcement Not Release All Records On A Case Like The Colonial Parkway Murders? The Colonial Parkway is a 23 mile (37km) scenic landscape/thoroughfare that links Virginia's Historic Triangle. Entertainment Television presented a full-length documentary, THS Investigates Serial Killers on the Loose, which features a segment on the Colonial Parkway murders. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. Sandy was unique. 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. Actor Steve Altes portrayed the killer. 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. Spingola believes the ThomasDowski crimes are directly linked to the deaths of Lollie Winans and Julie Williams who were found with their throats slashed in the Shenandoah National Park, 180 miles west of the Colonial Parkway, in 1996. The Colonial Parkway murders were a series of four double homicides from 1986-89. 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. Cathy Thomas would drive up from Virginia Beach to visit her girlfriend, Becky Dowski, at the College of William and Mary on Thursday nights. Six weeks later, hunters found their remains. Phelps had been dating Lauer's brother at the time they went missing. While the search for answers continues, theories have emerged. The hunters discovered the bodies on a logging road about a quarter-of-a-mile from Courthouse Road, a location about a mile from the I-64 New Kent rest stop where Lauer's car was found. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! In the case of the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo was identified through third cousins. But youre always reminded, in little ways, who is here and who is not., Em Holter, emily.holter@virginiamedia.com, 757-256-6657, @EmHolterNews, Abigail Adcox, abigail.adcox@virginiamedia.com, 757-264-8149, @abigailadcox. They didnt use that expression much back then, but that was the idea. In total, 4 pairs of people were targeted, resulting in eight murders and six bodies found. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. On April 10, 1988, Christopher Newport University students Cassandra Lee Hailey, 18, and Richard Keith Call, 20, were reported missing after attending a party in the University Square area in Newport News during their first date together. The linking of the four crimes is circumstantial, and no suspects have ever been publicly identified. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Now, it is up to the victims siblings to carry the torch. For the past 15 years Janette Santiago, sister of Robin Edwards, has been the main point of contact for her family. [7], In 2010, the Daily Virginian-Pilot ran a photo essay on the case entitled "A Cold Case Heats Up: The Colonial Parkway Murders"[8], In 2011, author Michelle McNamara, author of I'll Be Gone in the Dark, on the Golden State Killer, later an HBO series, published a two-part exploration of the Colonial Parkway murders in her True Crime Diary. Lauer and Phelps might have been a settlement of scores and was carried out by a professional, while Knobling and Edward were murdered following a robbery. Joyce Call-Canada, Richard Calls sister, hyphenates her last name so that people recognize it while one of her brothers still keeps their familys home phone number. The cases are now the subject of a new four-part true-crime docu-series on Oxygen titled "Lovers Lane Murders." S, eries co-host Maureen OConnell, a former FBI special agent, sees telltale signs to support this theory. Calls beloved Toyota Celica was discovered at a York River overlook, just a few miles from where Thomas and Dowski had been murdered two years prior. They were never found. 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. He dropped Edwards off at her home, but later that night she snuck out to meet him. It's difficult to imagine that a community could be infiltrated in that way, he emphasized. Spingola proposed that the murders are the work of different killers, especially the slayings of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski. The women were bound with rope and strangled. If they are smart enough not to get caught, theres very little we can do.. Unlike OConnell, Coombs doesnt see the work of a serial killer. Theory: A Savage Hate Crime Set Off The Series Of Killings, In the 1980s, the Colonial Parkway was known as a gay lovers lane, according to, It was known, not only by the homosexual community, but by the haters of the homosexual community, he said. According to Thomas, three out of the four cases have DNA evidence. Finally, there was no evidence of sexual assault pre or post mortem; the pair were fully clothed and sexually intact. We understand that were not going to be at the front of the line, but to hear that evidence hasnt been tested in over a year is unacceptable, Thomas said. . It was the last time they would be seen alive. 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. [9], In 2013, the Colonial Parkway murders were profiled in the Investigation Discovery television series Dark Minds, with host and true crime author M. William Phelps. Several clothing items were found in the vehicle, as were the car keys. Authorities discovered Cathleen and Rebecca on Columbus Day weekend, 1986, inside a white 1980 Honda Civic. [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. "Cathy was somebody that could more than hold her own in any situation," he said. Cathys throat was slit so deepthat she was nearly decapitated. She was actually the most improved Russian speaker at the Naval Academy. He told Lovers Lane Murders that there may be links between the first and third murders, which are firmly tied to the Colonial Parkway. 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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