Autopsies performed on the bodies found that both women had been bound and strangled before their deaths, and afterward, the car and the bodies had been soaked in diesel fuel. The Haienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England, which became famous during the Madchester years of the 1980s and early 1990s. Larry needed a smoking gun. They unloaded their belongings alongside the other stacks labeled, AMERICA, MINNESOTA, ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN, NEW YORK CITY, [More], Copyright 2023 WildBlue Press. But all that changed on [Read More], It was not enough to suggest that Kathleen began to bleed outside. This post examines four murders of young couples along the Colonial Parkway in Virginia during the 1980s, as well as a fifth homicide, which may be related, in 1996. One of the first famous crime scene photos was taken on May 5, 1903, in the home of a Parisian woman named Madame Debeinche who had been murdered. The Colonial Parkway is a historic and scenic road that links together the three points of Virginia's Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktow. This scandal is why I became so much more involved in my sister Cathy's case and the Colonial Parkway Murders in general. Regardless, the murders shook the state and instilled an insidious fear during the decade when each killing cropped up within a few years of the others. Are you sick of watching and reading about the same killers and crimes? You have permission to edit this article. Residual health concerns for residents of East Palestine after train derailment. He shoved a Honda off a bluff with two bodies inside. CallLess's wallet and Hailey's purse were found inside the car along with most of their clothing. Her brother's car is in a crime-scene photo never meant to be public. These contemporary photographs show the parking area where Keiths car was discovered. The deaths of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski. . Over 30 years later they remain unsolved. If Call wanted to make a good impression, it was his job to have her home by 2 a.m. To change his mind, Atwell's friend told him he had crime-scene photos from the Parkway Murders. The FBI has effectively reopened the case as a result of losing control of graphic crime scene photographs of the Colonial Park Murders. There was no evidence of sexual assault. Throughout the '80s, this thoroughfare was home to what's believed to have been 10 murders. Their bodies were found on June 1st. October 9, 2017, marks the 31st anniversary of murders of Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski. She was young, and she had a curfew. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Colonial Parkway is beautiful. "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 . The former officer in question, Fred Atwell, had also inserted himself into the investigation several times, according to HuffPost. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. Some aspects of the killings fly in the face of the patterns of other serial killers, and some of the facts don't quite add up. The murders had not happened on the Colonial Parkway, but police linked the cases due to the fact that both sets of victims were couples who had been killed at or around lovers lane areas, and the two locations were only about a 30-minute drive apart. Ortega, 55, is charged . . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. A serial killer or killer (s) roamed scenic Colonial Parkway in the late 1980s. 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. One of the last photos of Cathy Thomas with her friend Deb Hill. . Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years. ", Hanlon referred calls this week to Vanessa Torres, a spokeswoman for the Norfolk FBI office. After Atwell spoke to NewsChannel 3, we called the FBI. This was the first of the Colonial Parkway Murders and that makes it significant on several fronts. FBI aerial photograph of the pull-over spot where Keith Calls car was found the day after their date. According to Historic Mysteries, this killer targeted couples. Do you feel like you've seen and heard about every true crime case on tv and in books? I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. According to NBC, their love was a new, budding thing that would never get the chance to flourish. Peer over the investigators shoulder as they examine the crime scene." - Historical Crime Detective "Pardoe and Hester, a . FBI photograph of David Knoblings truck. The refuge still has a reputation for being a place for a romantic spot and drug deals. Oxygen's two-night true-crime special Lovers' Lane Murders focuses on the slaying of eight men and women at the Colonial Parkway in Virginia The double homicides took play over a four-year. On New Year's Day 1991, a cyclist riding in the Sydney suburb of Arncliffe around 7am noticed a large object lying on a grassy verge beside the road. David Knobling at Christmas in 1986, a few month prior to his death. Her date with Keith Call was their first and only one. Image: Wikimedia Commons. They called a highway patrolman who arrived on scene to make the gruesome discovery of the bodies of two young women in the car. Everybody loves the scenic views of a beautiful road. The James River: where David and Robin were found. I am almost finished with this book after watching the Oxygen documentary special recently I became very intrigued and wanted more information. No charges were ever filed in relation to any of the killings, and to this day they all remain unsolved, despite numerous investigations into the various deaths which took place along the scenic route. "I took them to the FBI and the state police, and nobody has done nothing.". The . Premiering on February 11,Oxygen's two-night true-crime special Lovers' Lane Murdersfocuses on the slaying of eight men and women at the Colonial Parkway, a 23-mile stretch that linksthe historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. This pathway has been rebuilt and moved, but in 1987 it was more isolated with even more tree and shrub growth along the sides. None of the victims were robbed, and sexual assault did not appear to be a motive in any of the cases. 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 murderer in the Colonial Parkway killings was never captured, and Steve Spingola, a private detective, believes he knows why. The killings have been the subject of a variety of TV specials and docuseries, as well as the book A Special Kind of Evil: The Colonial Parkway Murders by father-daughter writing team (and New York Timesbestselling authors) Blaine Pardoe and Victoria Hester. Knobling, who worked at his father's landscaping business, was expecting a baby with his longtime girlfriend. Although it's debatable when notorious serial killer Ted Bundy began his murderous spree, it's widely-known that he raped and killed numerous women throughout the 1970s. However, Katherine Ramsland, a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University and author of 'How to Catch a Killer: Hunting and Capturing the Worlds Most Notorious Serial Killers' told Oxygen that there are also plenty of people who would visit an area like theColonial Parkway just because it was the scene of a 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. Bill contacts the other Colonial Parkway Murders families for the first time. Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. 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. 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 second couple was found nearly a year later in their car, dead of multiple gunshot wounds. Coming soon by Tiddy Smith DEATH BY TALONS: Did An Owl Murder Kathleen Peterson? With Bill's coaching, Colonial Parkway Murders families begin hammering the FBI in media interviews on the leak and lack of resources. He says nothing was done about it until WTKR aired its report. Current Rating: Thread Tools #1 11-30-2022, 09:18 AM . Keiths red Toyota. All of the victims were killed at or near their car, the first three being found at known lovers lane areas. I just don't think it's right.". FBI photo of Ragged Island. The killer (s) drove Daniel and Annamaria back here in the darkness, killing them and covering their bodies in an electric blanket. 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. It's hard to say for certain, but one detective believed they figured out the cause back in 2010. Some of the families know about the photos. Over the years, police have questioned 150 suspects in connection to these four cases, but all have been cleared. 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. . For instance, Thomas and Dowski's murder was a hate crime, while the murder of Knobling and Edwards was a robbery that took an unfortunate turn. Some don't believe this pair can be counted in the Colonial Parkway murders because we don't know what happened to the victims, whereas others believe the case bears a convincing resemblance to the others. It is easy to see how the vehicle was overlooked for so long. The crimes were thoroughly covered as much as is known and each victim became a flesh-and-blood person with much to live for. Can you control your erections? In 2010, families of the victims hired retired homicide detective Steve Spingola to look into the murders. I was in disbelief for a while. His targets, young girls who he kidnapped, raped, and left their remains along busy roadways in plain view. They called a highway patrolman who arrived on scene to make the gruesome discovery of the bodies of two young women in the car. Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski Though located several miles to the south of the Colonial Parkway itself, the unsolved killings of Knobling and Edwards are often grouped together with the other Colonial Parkway murders. "I don't know what they're going to tell us," she said. Two Christopher Newport University students on their first date were the next victims on the list in 1988, and the fourth set of victims included Daniel Lauer, who was in the process of moving in with his brother. Contact Frank Green at (804) 649-6340 or fgreen@timesdispatch.com. "They said they are going to review the case top to bottom. They're very, very different in force and intensity to the victim.'. He could work magic on a safe that would have sent Mandrake the Magician [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. On September 5th they were reported missing when their car was found abandoned at the New Kent rest stop on I-64. Who was responsible, and why? Bundy admitted to killing 36 women, but experts think the numbers reach into the hundreds. David Knobling during his time at the Frederick Military Academy. Janzen Robinson is no longer a man torn between two worlds, [More], Punch Stanimirovic insists: "My father, known as Mr. Stan, is the greatest gentleman thief who ever lived-a true genius." The Colonial Parkway is a 22-mile long thoroughfare that intersects three points of the Historic Triangle of Virginia; Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Keith Call's brother Chris is upset. Some of his victims he held captive for days, [Read More], Get a closer look at the photos from Blaine Pardoe and Victoria Hester's new true crime TANTAMOUNT [Read More], For four years a killer, or killers, stalked Virginias Tidewater region, carefully selecting victims, sending waves of terror into the local community. She had been strangled with a [More], About The Book Retired from a big-city homicide beat to a small Colorado mountain town, ex-detective Woodrow "Mountain" Bell yearns only to fade away. The Parkway is surrounded by woods and has far fewer entries and exits than a typical highway. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. Could all four of the murders be connected? Current topics are Colonial Parkway Murders, Liberty German and Abigail Williams (aka Libby & Abby) from Delphi, Child Neglect, Abuse and Guardians Who Kill. Daniels plan was to move in with his brother Clinton and Clintons girlfriend, Annamaria Phelps. It was not enough to point to prior owl attacks on humans. Strictly by chance, Bill Thomas (me) discovers the stories in a Google search a few weeks later . The wooded isolation here is not dissimilar to that of the Colonial Parkway. And they show exactly how the unknown killer left the bodies. The Colonial Parkway Murdersthe name given eight murders that took place in the Tidewater [Read More], On Christmas Night 1996, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. Hair that had been found in Cathys hand and a biological sample found on Robin have never been tested, but with advances in DNA technology and resources like GEDmatch, the families of the victims are hopeful they will finally get answers. A ransom note was found in the home, but it was hours before her father, John, found her body in the basement. I can tell you that we recovered all the copies from the folks that we've contacted that had them. I often wonder if he knows something he is not telling us, Bill Thomas, the brother of one of the first victims, told the Huffington Post. "Well, we looked into it. -from DEATH BY TALONS by Tiddy Smith On December 9, 2001, Kathleen [Read More], On Christmas Night 1996, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. Fred Atwell, a former deputy from Gloucester, began informing the family members of victims that valuable crime scene photos - containing images of the . There were two pairs of underwear, shoes, and Davids wallet found in the car, which ruled robbery out as a probable motive. But [Read More], In 1971 and 1972, a deadly predator stalked the streets of the nations capital. He did it again with a Toyota, and one final time at a rest area with a Chevy Nova. FBI starts to respond to media . Cassandra, aka Sandy and Missy was fun loving, vibrant, and energetic. Just like the other three cases, the case eventually went cold, and the killer was never brought to justice. There's less of a chance that a single victim will get away or fight back. I think we understand where it came from. One person is a whole lot easier to kill than two. The first two victims in what became known as the Colonial Parkway murders were Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Ann Dowski. Watch on. Check out the "Lover's Lane Murders" true crime TV Series . It's possible they just hadn't found the right fit for acting out on their illness, or that the killer was growing, evolving, branching out their system to better sate dark desires and lessen the possibility of being caught. Your email address will not be published. There has been no word on the fate of the couple. At Ragged Island (as it appears today) this is the end of the roadway leading from the parking lot to the rivers edge. They were headed to Virginia Beach together, but they weren't a couple. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Top Posters; Top Donors : Documenting Reality True Crime & Artistic Endeavors True Crime, Cold Cases, & Death Investigations: Colonial Parkway Murders? . SERIAL KILLER: On The Colonial Parkway (Part 2) Episode Summary In part two, we tell you about the murders of Cassandra Lee Hailey, Richard Keith Call, Annamaria Phelps, and Daniel Lauer. Annamaria Phelps locket as found on the logging trail. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Independent Contractor (Newspaper Carrier), Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office ends affiliation with Reelz TV show 'On Patrol: Live', Former Virginia basketball coach Terry Holland dies after battling Alzheimer's. The pair is thought to have been murdered, though there's no way we can say that for sure since their bodies, as Colonial Ghosts notes, have never been found. A former FBI photographer had taken them when he left, and was using the photos in classes he taught at a local law enforcement training school. Despite extensive searches, their bodies were never found, and the couple was presumed dead. They also ruled out robbery as a motive, since both womens purses were still there, and no money or jewelry had been taken. When rangers arrive, they are confronted with the violent scene. Where most serial killers murder a single victim at a time, the Colonial Parkway murderer killed two for the price of one. How they got out is now the core of an FBI investigation, and source of disgust for the families who lost loved ones. Hope there is resolution. Four of the victims were slain or disappeared along the Colonial Parkway, and the case had been dubbed the "Parkway Murders.". On April 10, 1988, two Christopher Newport University students, Cassandra Lee Hailey, 18, and Richard Keith Call, 20, went missing after attending a party together in Newport News. They were couples in cars. Ditmars, Lawrence Davis has updated and revisded DESTRUCTION OF JUSTICE: Book Two In The Monsters And Men Trilogy, Robert Dodge Combines Biographies of a Norwegian Family and Immigrant Experience from the Mid-19th Century through WWII in FIELDS OF FORTUNE, Anne K. Howard at Quinnipiac University Conference for Ukraine, Author Tiddy Smith On Jurassic Park and The Boys from Brazil, Scholar and DEATH BY TALONS Author Tiddy Smith Answers Who Is Larry Pollard?, Gallery From Lou Smits Investigation | LOU AND JONBENT: A Legendary Lawmans Quest To Solve A Child Beauty Queens Murder by John Wesley Anderson, Sylvester Stallone Calls Making HUNTER Unfinished Business and IMDb Lists Filming as in Pre-Production. About a year and a half later, two more young people went missing near the Colonial Parkway. on the unsolved Colonial Parkway Murders. Building true crime awareness of the Colonial Parkway Murders, eight young people killed in a series of four unsolved Virginia homicides 1986-1989. 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