Now, a team of former FBI special agents led by former FBI Profiler Jim Clemente intends . He and Cassandra Hailey vanished while on their first date in 1988. 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. (ill Tiernan). A small caveat before we spring forth into the latest horror room, the third couples link to the Parkway Murders is somewhat debatable. They show how the Colonial Parkway Killer stalk 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays Welcome to "Mind Over Murder." In this episode, co-hosts Kristin Dilley and Bill Thomas kick off an in-depth discussion of the Colonial Parkway Murders with criminologist and crime scene reconstruction expert Dr. Laura Pettler. [29] While the Virginia State Police claim the information in this note was previously examined, one of the state police investigators working during the 1989 PhelpsLauer murders told a television reporter from WAVY-TV that he was "unaware of the existence of the note". After their parents died, Call-Canada and her brother took up the effort to prod investigators. Paula is now Paula Meehan and Teri is now Teri Barzditis. "And it saddens me that Cathy Thomas would have been one of those women. The series made its debut on February 1112, 2021. In 2010, a note was discovered in a box taken years earlier from Annamaria Phelps's apartment. Dowski, 21, was found in the backseat of the car while Cathy, 27, was stuffed into the hatchback. "In those first classes at the service academies, they were subject to such levels of hatred and harassment. None had been robbed or sexually molested, stumping investigators as to what the possible motive that galvanized the murders might have been. Seven years after the final fatalities, another case reignited the investigation. The theory the first murder was a targeted hate crime adds heft to the notion the murders wereunconnected events. He told Lovers Lane Murders that it suggests the driver was responding to authority. ET. For Call-Canada, it is the thing that keeps her going: hope that her brothers remains will be discovered and laid to rest. The killer has never been caught. Still, some investigators are on the fence and dont want to definitively classify their disappearance as part of the serial killers cycle. She was fascinated by the circus and had dreams of running off with Ringling Brothers. Regardless, some of the remaining family members have formed a united front, choosing to work alongside each other to find answers, keeping in contact with each other on a regular basis. Oct. 12, 1986: The bodies of Cathleen Thomas, 27 and Rebecca Dowski, 21, were found at a pull-off on the parkway in Thomas Honda Civic, which had been pushed over an embankment. 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. 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. IE 11 is not supported. THE COLONIAL PARKWAY MURDERS: A STEP BY STEP REPORT. And it pains me to think that 34 years have gone by now. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Edwards had struggled with her mental health and was prone to running away and some reckless behavior. She described Robin as a firecracker personality, who got along with everyone she met. During this time, a serial killer had struck multiple times, mostly attacking couples, along the Colonial Parkway in and around Williamsburg, Virginia. who has spent more than 20 years looking into the murders. Theyre very, very different in force and intensity. Theory: A Serial Killer Stalked The Parkway, From a macro view of the murders, the fact that they all took place in close proximity bolsters the popular belief that a serial killer stalked the Colonial Parkway. 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. (Oxygen). Directions and Map (904) 525-8080. The brutal crimes claimed the lives of eight young people, including one couple who've never been found. In 2008, E! With portions built between 1930 and 1957, it links the three communities via a roadway . Multiple reports alleged Edwards had snuck out to meet Knobling before they were killed. Rumors and legends started hitting the headlines. From 1986 to 1989, four double homicides occurred either on or near the scenic, seemingly safe road. "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. 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,. Their purses and money were found inside the car. We dont need the reminder that these are cold cases.. Their bodies have never been found, but both are presumed dead. From 1986 to 1989, four double homicides occurred on or near the Colonial Parkway. Fred died in 2018, and whatever secrets he had died with him. . This was the first time Thomas had spoken to any of the other victims family members, since his sisters death 20 years prior, but it would not be the last. The vision behind the Murder Accountability Project. State police and local agencies are investigating the murders of Knobling, Edwards, Lauer, and Phelps. He explained it might be easier to wrap ones mind around one killer, not four or even more different ones. 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. 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. Cathleen Thomas was just starting a new chapter after leaving the U.S. Navy, when her life was cut short. Rebecca Dowski, top left, and Cathleen Thomas, bottom left, were killed Oct. 12, 1986. What the investigators uncovered was a horrid tableau of deprivation. He and Cassandra Hailey vanished while on their first date in 1988. [1] During that time, three couples were murdered and one couple is missing and presumed to be dead. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. The only evidence of any wrongdoing was the discovery of Calls red Toyota Celica, unoccupied at the York River Overlook. His investigation came to the startling conclusion that the murders were committed by multiple assailants and arent tied together. The Colonial Parkway is a historic and scenic road that links together the three points of Virginia's Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. 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". From about October 1986 to September 1989, 8 people are presumed to have been murdered near Colonial Parkway in Eastern Virginia. EXCLUSIVE: Bill Thomas is adamant that in his lifetime, hell find out the identity of his sisters murderer. The scavengers, the muggy atmosphere, and the advanced decomposition made it impossible to determine the exact cause of death. The former was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the latter a senior of Willam & Mary College. [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. For Teri and Paula Hailey, it is the hope that they and their parents will see justice. Federal Bureau of Investigations Public Affairs Specialist Christina Pullen would not confirm the presence of DNA, whether it has been tested or any specifics on the ongoing case. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The brutal crimes claimed the lives of eight young people, including one couple whove never been found. Stoking this belief is the fact that victims car windows were found rolled down at crime scenes, according to Irvin Wells, retired FBI special agent. Over the years things have changed, you know, my dad died and my mom mentally cant handle the stress of dealing with the case.. The car had been pushed down an embankment off the Colonial Parkway. 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 . There has to be a degree of self-sabotage from a serial killer for an investigation to pan out. The eeriest part,. Advocate. The series was published again by the paper in 2010. All the investigation had to go by is circumstantial DNA evidence, a few forensic strands from a period where that whole branch was getting its wings, and a few similarities that dont help out; the proverbial needle in the haystack. Speaking Russian was very important because they were, at the time, probably our top adversary in the world.". Building awareness of the Colonial Parkway Murders, in which 8 young people were killed in series of unsolved crimes in and around the. 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. Call-Canada was at work in 2009 when she got a call from her brother. Three days later, the bodies of Knobling and Robin Edwards, 14, washed ashore on the James River at the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge. Four double homicides occurred on or near the Colonial Parkway in Virginia during the 1980s. The autopsy was inconclusive and could not determine whether a blade had slashed their throats or if they had been strangled to near decapitation. But is it possible they are tragic, separate events? 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. Bill Thomas, a producer on Oxygen's 'Lovers' Lane Murders' is seen here with a portrait of his sister Cathy Thomas. 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.. It also fuels a theory about a possible copycat killer who used the 1986 Colonial Parkway slaying as a way to misdirect investigations into the 1988 double homicide. This question of serial killer or coincidence is explored in Oxygens new limited series. LA County Criminal Prosecutor Loni Coombs and former FBI Special Agent Maureen OConnell are seen here speaking with Bill Thomas. The women were bound with rope and strangled. 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. There is a pattern that OConnell said she cannot ignore.. And, as if that bit of info wasnt hair-raising enough, another independent study conducted by Dr. Mike Aamodt at Radford University actually confirmed Hargroves data and concluded that he might have lowballed the number. Different ones Edwards had snuck out to meet Knobling before they were subject to such of! Very, very different in force and intensity need the reminder that these cold... ' Lane murders that it suggests the driver was responding to authority taken years earlier from Phelps. 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