This image shows the James River Bridge and the roadway leading from the parking area to the river. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The Colonial Parkway Murders UPDATE! Apparently, she's also known as "Verna White". The New York Times bestselling coauthors uncover new information in the Colonial Parkway Murders of 1980s Virginia in this true crime investigation. One of the last photos of Cathy Thomas with her friend Deb Hill. 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. Thomas's wallet was found open and face down on the floorboard of the driver's side, Horrific: Their bodies were found bound with rope inside the vehicle. David Knobling at Christmas in 1986, a few month prior to his death. Thanks, Bill Thomas And. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Fred Atwell says this investigation into the leaked photos shouldn't be hard. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. 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. . Tragic, but important story and one not heard of before ( west coast reader). we're hoping that the FBI can create a situation where some good comes of this.". Their deaths had been brutal. Daniel Lauer was from Amelia County, Virginia. Could all four of the murders be connected? This contemporary photograph shows part of the boardwalk from the Ragged Island parking area to the beach area near where the bodies of David and Robin were found. Less than a year later another young couple went missing. This crime scene photo shows tent erected over their remains as investigators work in the rain to recover every clue. . Why would this killer switch things up? From about October 1986 to September 1989, 8 people are presumed to have been murdered near Colonial Parkway in Eastern Virginia. That means he's in charge of the Colonial Parkway cases. Young couple Julie Williams, 24, and Lollie Winans, 26, were camping in the park over Memorial Day weekend. The back seat of Daniels car, filled with his hastily packed personal belongings for his move to the beach. Though this case has appeared in the media several times over the past 30+ years, it's still as mysterious as it is unique. The view north on the Colonial Parkway as it appears today, looking north from the pull-off where Cathy Thomas and Becky Thomas were discovered. While initially stunned, they now hope the attention will revive the 20-year-old investigation. | Crime News, Do not sell or share my personal information. These killings, known as the Colonial Parkway murders, remain unsolved. . The propriety of releasing the photographs -- which appear to have been an FBI slideshow on the Parkway Murders -- outside of law enforcement or their potential value as evidence in any future trial is unclear. But that's a recent development. Investigators have never been able to locate their bodies, but they're presumed dead. Theres no hint of the horror that took place herefrom the brutal murders to the attempts to burn then submerge her car. 10 The First Murders Photo credit: Wild Blue Press Knoblings truck, a black Ford Ranger, was actually found before the bodies were, parked near the James River Bridge with the windshield wipers and radio both turned on. A ransom note was found in the home, but it was hours before her father, John, found her body in the basement. 1 ranking in country. None of the victims were robbed, and sexual assault did not appear to be a motive in any of the cases. Peer over the investigators shoulder as they examine the crime scene." - Historical Crime Detective "Pardoe and Hester, a . . New Book Shines a Light on the Mysterious Colonial Parkway Murders by Written By: Don Harrison | Aug 31, 2018 America's narrowest national park, the Colonial Parkway, connects the southern edge of Jamestown to Yorktown via a winding 23-mile route that cuts through Williamsburg. "I took them to the FBI and the state police, and nobody has done nothing.". They had been strangled and their throats were slashed, though there was no evidence of sexual assault. Clue? Just like the other three cases, the case eventually went cold, and the killer was never brought to justice. Her brother's car is in a crime-scene photo never meant to be public. His conclusions were that the Colonial Parkway slayings were committed by several different individuals, for different reasons. They unloaded their belongings alongside the other stacks labeled, AMERICA, MINNESOTA, ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN, NEW YORK CITY, [More], Copyright 2023 WildBlue Press. As it appears today from the road, this is the lonely trail leading back into the woods where the victims had been taken and killed. Were David and Robin marched down this walkway for a mile to the beach only to be killed there? There has been no word on the fate of the couple. Cassandra Lee Hailey and Richard Keith Call were two students at Christopher Newport University who had just gone on their first date together in the University Square neighborhood of nearby Newport News. On October 12, 1986, a pedestrian saw a car down an embankment on the Colonial Parkway where it was obscured from the view of the road. The friends were last seen three days before, leaving the College of William and Mary campus, where Dowski was a student. 2,940 Shares. Brian Hanlon supervises the Peninsula FBI office. 'That would give the offender the opportunity to actually get them out of the car, lean them against the car, maybe handcuff them. Crime scene photos were leaked from these cases. This is one of the crime scene photos from the attack on Sue White by Gerald Arthur Lee on 11/05/06 in Cherokee County, GA. It started with the discovery of the bodies of Rebecca Ann Dowski and Cathleen. {{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. After he dropped her off that night, she snuck out to meet him. Like Thomas and Dowski, Winans and Williams were bound and had their throats slit nearly to the point of decapitation. You know, all his belongings.". 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. His story is admittedly a bit sketchy: While the FBI and the Virginia State Police looked into the Colonial Parkway cases, the families of the victims joined together to support each other and conduct their own investigation into the cases . 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. According to the Daily Press, Spingola was hired by Annamaria Phelps' family to look into the girl's murder. 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. This crime scene photo shows Robin Edwards shoe that she had doodled on, laying on the floor of Davids truck. Their 20-year-old brother, Keith, vanished from a Colonial Parkway overlook in April 1988 while on a first date with Cassandra Hailey. There are other copies of the photographs outside the possession of law enforcement. One big name in the case has always been Fred Atwell; he was a deputy at the time of the initial cases. 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. 14-year-old Regina Kay Walters was one of the numerous women held in an 18-wheeler equipped with a torture chamber in the back. 4 episodes in all. Knobling's pickup truck was found at the foot of the James River Bridge. FBI starts to respond to media . Annamaria Phelps locket as found on the logging trail. One of the last photos of David Knobling. This is Part 1 of 2 parts with Dr. Pettler. It was left with the door open, the keys turned to accessories, and the radio on. 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 was at this beautiful spot, overlooking the river, that a killer, or killers, attacked the two women. The killer taunted authorities by hanging his feathered roach clip on the half-opened drivers side window. "We're just hoping with the new technology there's something they can do," she said. From 1986 to 1989, four couples were either shot or slashed on the Parkway or and in other secluded spots. His brother and several others saw it shortly after their disappearance and Keiths father found it the following morning as well. The interior of Daniels car. The Parkway is surrounded by woods and has far fewer entries and exits than a typical highway. In preview clips for the Lovers' Lane Murders special, forensic criminologistLaura Pettler andformer FBI profiler Jim Clemente are among the team of experts who are tearing apart the cases, looking for clues. This was the first of the Colonial Parkway Murders and that makes it significant on several fronts. The Colonial Parkway Murders are a set of killings in which at least four couples had their lives cut short. Queen Letizia of Spain is polished in a recycled Reiss skirt as she joins King Felipe VI at Behind-the-scenes at fashion week with the Spencers! We're excited about that," Call said. And, he says, he was ignored. 'Urban legends usually come out of some seed of truth,' former prosecutor and Lovers Lane Murders co-host Loni Coombs explains in a preview clip. 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. Keith was programming on leading edge home computing technology for the 1988. David's truck at the crime scene. Almost seven months passed before the next incidentthe only one of the four in which the presumed victims have never been found. Analysis of the Colonial Parkway Murders An analysis of any crime spree has one major purpose, of course. The 31-year-old tattoo artist loved walking her dog by the seaside and meeting friends at cafes and public gardens. In the early hours of March 22, 1989, two friends - career criminals with violent felony convictions - drove around the eastern Kansas City [Read More], Originally released in 2011, New York Times bestselling author Steve Jackson has revised and updated this classic true crime about one of the most monstrous serial killers in American history. David Knobling and Robin Edward As investigators descended upon the apartment, one of them picked up a camera and photographed the scene. The real question that lingerswere Keith and Cassandra ever on the Colonial Parkway that night, or was Keiths car simply staged and abandoned there? -William [Read More], In early 2022, life in the port city of Mariupol, Ukraine was safe and predictable for Adoriana Marik. The 22-mile-long stretch running between Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, Virginia, known as Colonial Parkway, is one such road. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, PrettyLittleThing - Offers on women's clothing, Get inspired by the newest styles and offers, Click through for ASOS promo codes this Autumn, Spend less with Missguided's exclusive codes, Treat yourself to offers on make-up and accessories, Check out the latest Wayfair sale to save on furniture. Once again, despite the best investigative efforts of the police, the case went cold. Someone has leaked graphic crime-scene photographs of the most notorious serial killings in Virginia history, the Colonial Parkway murders. 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. However, some do not think these murders were the work of a serial killer, but rather by at least two or more separate killers. But he says he says the FBI did take this breach seriously, even if they didn't take action until a few days ago. At Ragged Island (as it appears today) this is the end of the roadway leading from the parking lot to the rivers edge. -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. It was run by the record label Factory Records.. The deaths of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski. The police investigated exhaustively, but eventually the case went cold. Their bodies were badly decomposed when hunters found them covered in a blanket from Daniel's car. The photographer focused on a few key details, like a tilted painting on the wall, disheveled . You saw Dr. Pettler in the four part true crime TV series, "Lovers Lane Murders" on the Oxygen Network. Current day image of where Cathy Thomass car was discovered. Who was responsible, and why? The Parkway is surrounded by woods and has far fewer entries and exits than a typical highway. 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