This time, their goal is to have DNA in the cases tested. To truly understand what happened, we need to embrace and dissect some of the more vivid, abhorrent, and gruesome aspects of the case. Call was a computer science major and an old soul in a way, his brother told Lovers Lane Murders.. Keith Call, top row and third to the left, and Cassandra Hailey disappeared April 10, 1988. [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. It is a pageantry of American history embroiled in dozens of tunnels and bridges that are incredibly charming and visually impacting. What the investigators uncovered was a horrid tableau of deprivation. Six weeks later, hunters found their remains. Did The Colonial Parkway Victims Know The Killer? The only thing found was Calls car on the parkway. "I look around now and there are all of these amazing women in the United States and around the world doing incredible things," said Thomas. The Parkway murders are believed to be the act of an apparent serial killer. When did it happen, and whos the culprit? Rumors and legends started hitting the headlines. Chilling and eerie similarities connected the four cases, but no one has ever been arrested for the crimes. She was one of several family members to pursue the Navy. As the agent at the beginning of this diabolical coverage said: What made these murders stand out was the complexity of them.. [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. After their parents died, Call-Canada and her brother took up the effort to prod investigators. He also helps manage a Facebook page, Colonial Parkway Murders, with 14,000 followers, which aims to build awareness of the four cases. Since October 1986, 10 On Your Side has covered what are now known as the "Colonial Parkway murders." There were four double homicides. With portions built between 1930 and 1957, it links the three communities via a roadway . There is this allure of serial killers, said, Steve Spingola, former homicide detective and author of. Thomas and Dowskis were a hate crime motivated by the couples lesbian relationship. The Parkway is surrounded by woods and has far fewer entries and exits than a typical highway. Virginia's Colonial Parkway. Soon, other victims family members followed with Thomas leading the charge, providing interviews to the media and speaking out about their frustration with the lack of progress on the case. They all died at night. There is this allure of serial killers, said Steve Spingola, former homicide detective and author of Predators on the Parkway, who has spent more than 20 years looking into the murders. At the time, she was also thinking about going to grad school and possibly studying international relations. Theres always hope that you might find more DNA, finding smaller amounts, with more advanced techniques of detecting DNA, said Moore. Beckys wound isnt as deep as Cathys wound, Pettler added. Thomas described the Colonial Parkway as a popular spot to travel along the river. Tying them all together helps in a way because, if they put a title to it and people want to put together a show, Paula Hailey said. Three days later, the bodies of Knobling and Robin Edwards, 14, washed ashore on the James River at the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge. It's difficult to imagine that a community could be infiltrated in that way, he emphasized. Weve got amazing investigators working on our case. Advocate. After Lauers, car a gold 1972 Chevrolet Nova, was found abandoned on the I-64 New Kent rest stop, investigators combed the countryside looking for what was no doubt a fresh crime scene. [27] In 2010, Spingola published Predators on the Parkway, a 29-page magazine article that detailed his findings.[28]. Sandy was unique. Psychic Pam Coronado felt that the killings were all related but that the locations of the cars were not where the actual violence occurred. Will mock murderers with glee. Dowski was younger and still a student at the College of William and Mary. The Colonial Parkway is 23 miles of beautiful Virginia road running between Yorktown and Jamestown, and as such, far from a terrifying, serial killer-y location. Sept. 20, 1987: David Knoblings truck was found abandoned in a parking lot with the door open, the radio on and his wallet on the dashboard. The killer has never been caught.Oct. "[15], On July 23, 2018. In the case of the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo was identified through third cousins. So it wasnt like Cathy and Becky could live their lives in any kind of open fashion. Then people are more likely to care, finished Teri Hailey. 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 Colonial Parkway murders began here in Hampton Roads nearly 35 years ago. to the spots logistics and that particular set of prey. Naval Academy in 1981 as part of its second class to admit women. This year, he would have been 53. The realization that his sister, Cathleen Thomas, was murdered on a scenic Virginia roadway. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic, 23-mile stretch in Virginia that links the historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. [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. Their throats had been viciously slashed and they had been strangled to death. The Colonial Parkway Murders may be linked with other cases in Virginia around that time frame, including the 1996 murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds in the Route 29 Stalker case, and the murder of hikers Julie Williams and Lollie Winans in the Shenadoah National Park . All rights reserved. ", "Was The Colonial Parkway Killer Pretending To Be Law Enforcement? Knobling lived in Hampton while he worked for his fathers landscaping business, and was expecting a baby with his longtime girlfriend. [22], On February 4, 2021, in advance of their Lover's Lane Murders television series, the Oxygen Network released a series of videos including "Why Would Law Enforcement Not Release All Records On a Case Like the Colonial Parkway Murders? 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. 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 connects Virginia's historic triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Theyre very, very different in force and intensity. So, who were the Colonial Parkway murder victims? For Call-Canada, it is the thing that keeps her going: hope that her brothers remains will be discovered and laid to rest. 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. Steve Spingola, former Milwaukee homicide detective, investigated the murders on behalf of the families. The brutal crimes claimed the lives of eight young people, including one couple who've never been found. David's injuries. The remains were too decomposed to reveal the manner of death. "So people knew you could go there and basically be left alone, especially at night. The FBI declined to comment on the status of DNA testing because the investigation is ongoing. Refresh the page, check. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! [10], In October 2016, there was extensive coverage of the 30th anniversary of the Colonial Parkway murders, including an eight-part multimedia presentation by the Daily Press newspaper. 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. "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. "Im very optimistic," he said. My name is Bill Thomas. 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. The killer could have been lying in wait specifically for them. And. Still, he cant help but wonder what might have been. ", NASHVILLE TV PRODUCER VERONICA BOZZAS MURDER EXPLORED IN TRUE CRIME DOC: THE WHOLE THING WAS SENSELESS, The James River as seen from College Creek Beach on the Colonial Parkway. The FBI is investigating the slayings of Thomas, Dowski, Call, and Hailey, as they were found dead or went missing on federal property. The violence suggests, Pettler said, that the killer may have been someone who knew Thomas. A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. However, Cathy was unafraid to try things that no one else had done before. Thomas said he had been notified by the FBI a year ago that DNA in his sisters case was being sent for testing at Quantico. Stephen's bedroom crime scene. who has spent more than 20 years looking into the murders. 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