A Cold Case Now is Getting Some Well-Deserved Attention
On this day in 1986, a long nightmare was just beginning. On that day, 23 years ago, the bodies 21-year-old Rebecca Ann Dowski and 27-year-old Cathleen Marian Thomas were discovered in the back seat of their car. The Honda Civic had been pushed down an embankment of the York River, off of the Colonial Parkway. To this day, those murders, and the six more that would follow, remain unsolved. The cases have been referred to over the years as the "Parkway Murders" or the "Peninsula Murders."
Between 1986 and 1989, at least eight people (two each year) were murdered along a Virginia scenic route known as the Colonial Parkway. All four cases involve the slaying or disappearance of young people who were traveling by car in isolated areas. Two people are missing or presumed dead. The person responsible for these murders has never been caught. The FBI has stated that these crimes are probably related. Authorities have speculated that the unidentified subject(s) responsible for these killings may have been (or remains) in law enforcement, possibly a police officer or a security guard.
In September of 1987 the bodies of David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were discovered in the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge. They had been murdered. The area they were found was on the south shore of the James River in Isle of Wight County, near Smithfield, Virginia. They were discovered about a mile down the river bank. Knobling’s truck was parked at the refuge several days prior to discovery of the bodies.
On April 9, 1988, Cassandra Lee Hailey and Richard Keith Call were reported missing after going on a first date together. Call’s 1982 red Toyota Celica was found, abandoned on the Colonial Parkway in Yorktown, Virginia the following day. Neither body has ever been found, but both are presumed to be dead.
In October 19, 1989, the bodies of Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Lauer, 21, were found in New Kent County by a hunter in the woods near a rest area on Interstate 64 between Williamsburg and Richmond. They were found covered with a blanket. They had been missing since the previous month.
In November of 2008, Fred Atwell, a former deputy sheriff in Gloucester County, Virginia, found out about sensitive FBI photos of the Parkway murders that had been placed into the public domain. Disturbed by such graphic photos being available to anyone, Atwell reported the leak of 84 crime scene photos to the FBI and Virginia State Police. According to Atwell, the FBI said "there was no crime. It’s not illegal." That was pretty much the end of the story until a local news channel aired a report about the leak and its impact on members of the vicims’ families. Now, the FBI is paying attention. A promise has been made to effect a top to bottom review of the murders. With the new technologies available to today’s forensic technician’s, there is new hope for a resolution.
A new FBI Agent has been assigned to the Colonial Parkway case. Please, call, FBI Special Agent Crosby Brackett at 757-435-4708 if you have any information.
The FBI has already been meeting with some of the family members. A meeting was held with the Call family on October 7. The FBI will meet with the Thomas family tomorrow.
Bill Thomas, brother of Cathleen Thomas, believes the FBI should triple the reward. He says if they don’t, he will raise the money himself. Thomas was interviewed by WTKR NewsChannel 3 this morning. Be sure to read the article published today.
Family of Colonial Parkway murder victim wants FBI to nearly triple reward money
If you have any information concerning the Colonial Parkway murders, please, contact the Virginia State Police at 757-424-6850 or the Federal Bureau Of Investigation, FBI Special Agent Crosby Brackett at 757-435-4708.
A special thank you to Bill Thomas & Joyce Call for keeping CrimeShadows News updated with the latest activity in the case. Thanks also to Fred Atwell, whose perseverance has led to to this renewed interest that we have waited for so long.
Colonial Parkway Murders at CrimeShadows.com
Parkway Murders Forum
What happened to Richard "Keith" Call & Cassandra Hailey? – Facebook
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