VA VA - The Colonial Parkway Murders, 1986-89

[dotr]

Cross posted with associated thread..

VA - VA - Richard 'Keith' Call, 20, & Cassandra Hailey, 18, Newport News, 10 April 1988

The "Unfound" podcast covers the case on YouTube in two parts. Interviews with family members. Cassandra's ex-bf was at the party. He was well known as a highly recruited HS athlete who went to excel at UVA and the NFL. That was something I did not know till I watched the podcast.

www.websleuths.com

Brenna McIntosh
Published: 8:20 PM EDT October 14, 2023

35 years later: Family of Colonial Parkway murder victim holds memorial

The CNU student disappeared on 1988 while on a date with Cassandra Hailey. Now, 35 years after his disappearance, his family is keeping his memory alive.

www.13newsnow.com

Keith Call disappeared on April 10, 1988 while on a date with Cassandra Hailey. Now, 30 years after his disappearance, his family is still searching for answers.

''GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. — Decades later and still no answers on what happened to Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey.
The Christopher Newport University students were on their first date when they disappeared in 1988.
Eventually, the case went cold and was grouped together with the killings of three other couples known as the Colonial Parkway Murders.''

''Blaine Pardoe wrote the true crime book "A Special Kind Of Evil" on the Colonial Parkway murders. He believes new technology, like the DNA recovery system M-Vac, could help crack the case.
“The capability to solve these cases through genealogy and especially techniques, such as M-Vac, which is a special device that can extract DNA that we couldn’t get five years ago. It can extract DNA from very minute samples,” he explained. "At some point, we're going to know who did this."

 

[billthom56]

WAVY TV 10 News: Colonial Parkway murder victims to be remembered​

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Colonial Parkway murder victims to be remembered ​

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GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Family and friends will gather Saturday to remember the victims of the Colonial Parkway murders. A memorial monument will be planted for Keith Call, who along with …​

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www.wavy.com​

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GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Family and friends will gather Saturday to remember the victims of the Colonial Parkway murders.
A memorial monument will be planted for Keith Call, who along with Cassandra Hailey, disappeared from the Colonial Parkway April, 9 1988.
Previously: 35 years and still no answers in Colonial Parkway murders
It is believed by some they were intercepted along Highway 17 after leaving a party at Christopher Newport University.
The monument will be placed in the shadows of the Call family headstone at Rosewell Memorial Garden Cemetery in Gloucester County.

 

[Hockeyfan158]

Just listened to this case on the podcast unresolved have they tried Genetic Genealogy on any of the DNA? I mean you literally have Parabon Nanolabs in the same state where this happen i think they could solve it easily with Genetic Genealogy assuming they had a big enough DNA sample from the killer. Also when i was listening to the podcast they mentioned in the 1984 murders of Mike Margaret and Donna Hall who were possibly the first colonial parkway Murder victims that the killers blood was found in the couples car and it was type A which didn’t match Mike or Donna blood type. I wonder if they ever kept the blood and tested it to see if a match could come up that’s assuming they kept the blood and didn’t toss it since it was 1984 after all. I think this case is solvable but i don’t believe the killer is alive and more then likely died sometime after the murders of Annamaria Phelps and Daniel Lauer between September 5th 1989 and September 1991 either that or he got cold feat or was arrested for another crime and hasn’t had his DNA taken to match him to the murders.

 

[Betty P]

Just listened to this case on the podcast unresolved have they tried Genetic Genealogy on any of the DNA? I mean you literally have Parabon Nanolabs in the same state where this happen i think they could solve it easily with Genetic Genealogy assuming they had a big enough DNA sample from the killer. Also when i was listening to the podcast they mentioned in the 1984 murders of Mike Margaret and Donna Hall who were possibly the first colonial parkway Murder victims that the killers blood was found in the couples car and it was type A which didn’t match Mike or Donna blood type. I wonder if they ever kept the blood and tested it to see if a match could come up that’s assuming they kept the blood and didn’t toss it since it was 1984 after all. I think this case is solvable but i don’t believe the killer is alive and more then likely died sometime after the murders of Annamaria Phelps and Daniel Lauer between September 5th 1989 and September 1991 either that or he got cold feat or was arrested for another crime and hasn’t had his DNA taken to match him to the murders.

Bill Thomas @billthom56 can explain it better than I, but some of these cases fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI. They have delayed DNA testing for many years.

 

[dotr]

Cases Closed: Deceased man ID’d as suspect in decades old local homicides

A former Northern Neck resident has been identified in connection with two cold case homicides that occurred over 30 years ago. Law enforcement officials are holding a 1:30 p.m. press conference wi…

www.wavy.com

by: Madie MacDonald Jan 8, 2024
''SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A former Northern Neck resident has been identified in connection with two cold case homicides that occurred over 30 years ago.

The City of Hampton Division of Police, Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Chesapeake Field Office and FBI Norfolk Field Office are holding a press conference Monday at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the updates in the two cases.

Watch a live stream above.

Details from Monday’s news conference​

The suspect’s name is Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. He died on Dec. 15, 2017 at the age of 63, at his home in Lancaster County.

Investigators, using forensic evidence, have declared Wilmer Sr. as the person responsible for a Sept. 1987 sexual assault and double homicide in Isle of Wight and a July 1989 sexual assault and homicide in Hampton.''

 

[LunaticFringe]

View attachment 473070

Cases Closed: Deceased man ID’d as suspect in decades old local homicides

A former Northern Neck resident has been identified in connection with two cold case homicides that occurred over 30 years ago. Law enforcement officials are holding a 1:30 p.m. press conference wi…

www.wavy.com

by: Madie MacDonald Jan 8, 2024
''SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A former Northern Neck resident has been identified in connection with two cold case homicides that occurred over 30 years ago.

The City of Hampton Division of Police, Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Chesapeake Field Office and FBI Norfolk Field Office are holding a press conference Monday at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the updates in the two cases.

Watch a live stream above.

Details from Monday’s news conference​

The suspect’s name is Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. He died on Dec. 15, 2017 at the age of 63, at his home in Lancaster County.

Investigators, using forensic evidence, have declared Wilmer Sr. as the person responsible for a Sept. 1987 sexual assault and double homicide in Isle of Wight and a July 1989 sexual assault and homicide in Hampton.''

My mouth is hanging open! I hope this is for real and Bill Thomas will have his answers for his sister.

 

[ssnva1]

Wow!!! That’s all I got!

 

[IDK]

This was a sketch of the Rte 29 stalker who was implicated in the murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds in 1996. Anyone else see a similarity with the sketch and AWW. Sr? It’s a real long shot, with different location, but thought I’d throw it out there. It doesn’t really match the 1994 picture. Boy his appearance really changed over the years.

 

[dotr]

Wilmer.

Police: Colonial Parkway double murder, another Hampton cold case solved

Virginia State Police identified Alan Wilmer Sr. as a suspect in the 1987 double murder of David Knobling and Robin Edwards, and the 1989 murder of Teresa Howell.

richmond.com

rbbm.
“We’re going to revisit the facts,” Geller said, and detectives will continue to investigate the murders and look into potential connections with other violent crimes.
Geller declined to comment on how Wilmer had been developed as a suspect and what prompted investigators to collect his DNA.''

''Wilmer was 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds, police said. He had brown hair, blue eyes and often sported a close-cropped beard. At the time of the murders, Wilmer drove a “distinctive” blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck. He also owned a small commercial fishing boat, named the Denni Wade, in which he sometimes lived and which he docked in marinas around the Northern Neck.''
''He was a fisherman and avid hunter and ran a business called Better Tree Service, police said.''

 

[IDK]

So glad to read this news and hopeful this will lead to more answers for other families too!

I’m wondering if the verbiage below means that when he died he was unidentified and the DNA test was to help identify him? He looked pretty rough in his later photos and perhaps was even homeless when he died?

“Wilmer died in December 2017 in Lancaster County, Virginia, at the age of 63. Both the Isle of Wight County and City of Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorneys said charges would have been filed against him in connection with the three homicides were he still alive.”

“Wilmer had no felonies on his criminal record, so his DNA had never been obtained until it was necessary for identification purposes following his death, officials said. That ultimately led to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science issuing a “Certificate of Analysis” in 2023 confirming a genetic match to Wilmer based on evidence collected from the Isle of Wight County and City of Hampton homicide victims.”

DNA IDs Suspect in Three 1980s Homicides, Including a ‘Colonial Parkway Murders’ Cold Case | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily

SUFFOLK — Police officials have announced a "significant breakthrough" in identifying the suspect responsible in three cold case homicides that occurred in the late 1980s, including two connected to…

wydaily.com

 

[billthom56]

We are so thrilled for the Robin Edwards, David Knobling and Teresa Howell families.

Let's go 2024!


Bill Thomas, Brother of Cathy Thomas, Colonial Parkway Murders

 

[dotr]

Police name dead suspect in 3 Virginia cold cases, including 2 of the 'Colonial Parkway Murders'

A smalltime fisherman who died in 2017 has been linked to three cold-case homicides in Virginia from the 1980s, including two that were among a series of unsolved slayings of couples known as the “Colonial Parkway Murders,” law enforcement officials announced Monday. Virginia State Police...

toronto.citynews.ca

rbbm
''Wilmer went by the nickname “Pokey” and drove a blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the license plate “EM-RAW,” police said.

He owned a small fishing boat named “the Denni Wade,” which he often lived on while it was docked at marinas along the many waterways in southeastern Virginia. He made a living through clamming and oystering but also ran a small business called “Better Tree Service.”

Brian Dugan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in Norfolk, asked for anyone who knew Wilmer to help.''

 

[Betty P]

From the press conference at the link above, Virginia State Police:

VA - VA - The Colonial Parkway Murders, 1986-89

Cross posted with associated thread.. https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/va-richard-keith-call-20-cassandra-hailey-18-newport-news-10-april-1988.63291/page-4 Brenna McIntosh Published: 8:20 PM EDT October 14, 2023...

www.websleuths.com

No tip came in, but something about Wilmer that made them take a second look at him. He had been one of many suspects back then, but had been considered. Because he had no DNA in CODIS, there wasn't a hit at first. After he died, they retrieved his DNA.

Asking for anyone who knew him to contact them. At this point nothing to connect Wilmer to the other Colonial Parkway victims. Still more work to be done.

A car that Wilmer drove back in the late 80s and 90's was a 1966 Dodge Fargo pick up. Here's a photo from the internet of what it might have looked like

 

[rob525]

A couple quick thoughts:
I was just in Williamsburg and drove the colonial parkway from Jamestown to Yorktown thinking the whole time about where (specific location) and how it happened, wondering when these crimes would be solved.
I am glad they solved these two and hope this leads to more solved cases.
I have to go back to look at the other case details. I would question his involvement in any of the crimes that seem to involve only a knife and two victims. Not saying he didn't or couldn't but just given his size, it would seem less likely that he was able to overpower two victims without a firearm.
Finally, he killed one couple at the age of 32 and killed again at the age of 34, both involving a sexual aspect. I would be willing to bet that these are not his only two crimes.

 

[arielilane]

@149Zone7

Colonial Parkway murders: Alan Wilmer Sr. has been named from DNA in the murders of David Knobling and Robin Edwards in 1987 and Teresa Howell two years later. The FBI wants to hear from anyone who may have known the suspect.



5:35 AM · Jan 9, 2024

 

[dotr]

rbbm

Fisherman named the suspect in 3 cold cases, including 2 of Va.'s 'Colonial Parkway Murders'

Authorities are now asking for anyone who knew Alan Wade Wilmer Sr., the suspect, to come forward to see if he's potentially linked to other slayings. Wilmer died in December 2017 at his Lancaster County, Virginia, home at the age of 63.

www.nbcnews.com

''He was also known to be an avid hunter and belonged to a hunt club in the Middle Peninsula region.

Authorities shared several photos of Wilmer, and described his watercraft and car, asking the public to come forward.

Brian Dugan, special agent in charge of the Norfolk, Virginia, FBI office said investigators will look into whether Wilmer is connected to other "Colonial Parkway Murders," including the killings of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Ann Dowski and the deaths of Richard Keith Call and Cassandra Lee Hailey.''

 

[Valiant]

It’s odd that they describe the truck as a “Dodge Fargo”. There is no such thing. Fargo was a brand used for these trucks in Canada and Dodge was used in the US and Canada for the same truck. So it should probably say Dodge or Fargo, the only real difference being which nameplate was on the truck. If it was a Fargo, either he got it in Canada or someone else brought it from Canada

 

[Betty P]

A couple quick thoughts:
I was just in Williamsburg and drove the colonial parkway from Jamestown to Yorktown thinking the whole time about where (specific location) and how it happened, wondering when these crimes would be solved.
I am glad they solved these two and hope this leads to more solved cases.
I have to go back to look at the other case details. I would question his involvement in any of the crimes that seem to involve only a knife and two victims. Not saying he didn't or couldn't but just given his size, it would seem less likely that he was able to overpower two victims without a firearm.
Finally, he killed one couple at the age of 32 and killed again at the age of 34, both involving a sexual aspect. I would be willing to bet that these are not his only two crimes.

I recall, in some of the cases it appeared the killer was someone impersonating an officer, park ranger, etc. FWIW.

The information that Wilmer also once owned a commercial fishing boat seems relevant, too. The bodies of Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey have never been found. I also seem to recall the area where Keith's car was found was close to a spot with river access. Scent dogs had traced the two victims scent down to the river. Based on that information, LE assumed the couple had gone skinny-dipping and drowned. That's long been questioned, though, as it was their first date and the weather and river were too cold for that.

More info here, including photos:

Visiting the Crime Scene of the Third of the Colonial Parkway Murders – Back to the Parkway

This is my third in a string of blog posts designed to take readers to the crime scenes related to the Colonial Parkway Murders (1986-1989). Our book, A Special Kind of Evil, comes out on July 12. …

blainepardoe.wordpress.com

Like at Ragged Island, the killer had left Keith Call’s vehicle staged for theft. This was possibly done to further throw-off the authorities chasing car thieves rather than the true killers.

However, if their killer had access to a fishing boat, it's possible they left the scene that way. Without their bodies, JMO, it will be difficult to determine if Wilmer was their killer. JMO

ETA: It's one thing these three cases have in common - the killer was intent on hiding the bodies of the victims, preferably near or into a river.

 

[Kell1]

AS DNA advances you are going to see more and more cased, being solved, every year this is great news for the families

 

[missgreenbanks]

I recall, in some of the cases it appeared the killer was someone impersonating an officer, park ranger, etc. FWIW.

The information that Wilmer also once owned a commercial fishing boat seems relevant, too. The bodies of Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey have never been found. I also seem to recall the area where Keith's car was found was close to a spot with river access. Scent dogs had traced the two victims scent down to the river. Based on that information, LE assumed the couple had gone skinny-dipping and drowned. That's long been questioned, though, as it was their first date and the weather and river were too cold for that.

More info here, including photos:

Visiting the Crime Scene of the Third of the Colonial Parkway Murders – Back to the Parkway

This is my third in a string of blog posts designed to take readers to the crime scenes related to the Colonial Parkway Murders (1986-1989). Our book, A Special Kind of Evil, comes out on July 12. …

blainepardoe.wordpress.com

However, if their killer had access to a fishing boat, it's possible they left the scene that way. Without their bodies, JMO, it will be difficult to determine if Wilmer was their killer. JMO

I’ve been wondering about that too but there have been convictions without bodies before.

According to Blaine Pardoe in A Special Kind of Evil there was a waterman investigated after Keith and Sandra’s disappearance . The waterman had a pickup with a very distinctive vanity plate and lived with his brother in a trailer. The brother had previously been investigated in connection with a murder in another county.
The suspect was seen at a pull off next to where Keith’s car was found on the night they disappeared. When police arrived at the trailer to interview the suspect he was hoovering his pickup. Police found handcuffs in the vehicle. The suspect subsequently passed a polygraph.
I don’t know for definite if it is the same person named last night but the details sound very similar. The brother of the person named last night was also investigated in connection with the murder of Mary Harding in Lancaster County.