VA VA - The Colonial Parkway Murders, 1986-89

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“The FBI continues to have multiple open investigations that we’re looking at to see if Mr. Wilmer is connected to,” to include the other cases, said Brian Dugan, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “While he may or may not be connected to these cases, we’re still pursuing justice for these victims”

“A spokeswoman for the FBI Field Office in Norfolk confirmed on Friday that Wilmer had once been a suspect in the killings of Call and Hailey.”

“That acknowledgment came after Blaine Pardoe, who co-wrote “A Special Kind of Evil” — a book about the Colonial Parkway murders — told media outlets that the FBI once had Wilmer “on their radar” in the couple’s 1988 deaths.”

“Pardoe said he spent a day in 2016 interviewing Irvin B. Wells III — the former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office — about the Colonial Parkway murders. Wells, who died in 2022, told the author that the FBI developed a profile of the killer as a local fisherman. The first couple’s slaying featured a fishing cord, a curved sharp knife and diesel fuel.

Wells told Pardoe that a few days after Call’s and Hailey’s disappearance, the FBI learned of a fisherman in a pickup who had approached at least one other couple along the Colonial Parkway.

The FBI did surveillance on the fisherman, and spotted him cleaning and spray painting his older model truck four days later, Pardoe said.”





 
I can't tell what it says on the side of the truck but commercial vehicles aren't allowed on the parkway. I would assume if a park ranger saw that truck it would have been pulled over just for that reason.
"A commercial motor vehicle can be defined as: A single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more. A combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 pounds or more if the vehicle(s) being towed has a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds."

Wilmer's truck would not fit the Virginia definition for a commercial vehicle.
 
@149Zone7

Next Wednesday there will be a very special Zone 7! We will be hosting the peerless Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley with Breaking News on the Colonial Parkway Murders! Who was Alan Wade Wilmer Sr?

10:45 AM · Jan 15, 2024


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@149Zone7

Outstanding work! The testing and retesting of the old kits have proven to be a great investigative link to serial offenders - here a major link to the Colonial Parkway Serial Killer. I’m honored to be on our SAKI team at the DA’s Office - this case break shows the importance! Let’s connect more dots!

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4:33 AM · Jan 13, 2024
 
So did they only recently (2 years ago) develop a DNA profile from the Knobling/Edwards case? I'm trying to understand why it took so long to make the connection to the Howell case.
 
Edit- posted an image of Alan Wilmer but want to vet the image further. Will repost when I do.
 
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 Alan Wade “Pokey” Wilmer Sr.

Alan Wade “Pokey” Wilmer Sr.​

BIRTH 18 Nov 1954 Lancaster County, Virginia, USA
DEATH 15 Dec 2017 (aged 63) Lancaster County, Virginia, USA
BURIALBurial Details Unknown

LINK:
 

January 17, 2024 •
''The Colonial Parkway murders were the serial murders of at least eight people in the U.S. state of Virginia between 1986 and 1989.
In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, Sheryl sits down with Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley to discuss the latest developments in the Colonial Parkway murders. They discuss the identification of Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. as a suspect, its implications for the case, its emotional toll, and the relentless pursuit of answers and justice.
If you have any information regarding the Colonial Parkway Murders or Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. call 1-800-225-5324 (1-800-CALLFBI)''
 
Deferred testing or retested is a good question, but the connection is recent.
The Colonial Parkway Murders seem to have always needed some “advocacy”. They took place in multiple jurisdictions, some on federal land, etc. For that reason, progress has often varied, JMO. There have been some great family advocates who helped.

The most recent statement from LE pointed out that because Wilmer had no felony convictions, his DNA wasnt on file anywhere.
 

January 17, 2024 •
''The Colonial Parkway murders were the serial murders of at least eight people in the U.S. state of Virginia between 1986 and 1989.
In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, Sheryl sits down with Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley to discuss the latest developments in the Colonial Parkway murders. They discuss the identification of Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. as a suspect, its implications for the case, its emotional toll, and the relentless pursuit of answers and justice.
If you have any information regarding the Colonial Parkway Murders or Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. call 1-800-225-5324 (1-800-CALLFBI)''

First, this is such exciting news! Happy for the victims and their families.

It will be very interesting to hear from people who knew Alan. What was he like, were there other incidents? Do people believe he was capable?

Where's the Daily Mail when you need them, haha.
 
Jan 17 2024 rbbm By: Brendan Ponton
''Pardoe says the former Special Agent in Charge of the Norfolk FBI Field Office told him a man with a license plate reading "EM RAW" was looked into and given a polygraph test.

The man passed the polygraph was cleared in the investigation, Pardoe said.''
........................

''He says today's polygraph tests are computer-based, but back then it was analog, meaning the machine used ink and paper, which required the examiner to closely monitor someone's movements.

"It's very difficult because as an examiner you had to not only watch the body movement of the examinee, as well as the ink and marking the link. It was very strenuous on the examiner," said Goldberg. "Back then, you had a lot more inconclusive, false positives, false negatives."
 
Jan 17 2024 rbbm By: Brendan Ponton
''Pardoe says the former Special Agent in Charge of the Norfolk FBI Field Office told him a man with a license plate reading "EM RAW" was looked into and given a polygraph test.

The man passed the polygraph was cleared in the investigation, Pardoe said.''
........................

''He says today's polygraph tests are computer-based, but back then it was analog, meaning the machine used ink and paper, which required the examiner to closely monitor someone's movements.

"It's very difficult because as an examiner you had to not only watch the body movement of the examinee, as well as the ink and marking the link. It was very strenuous on the examiner," said Goldberg. "Back then, you had a lot more inconclusive, false positives, false negatives."
Polygraphs remain pseudoscience woo. They are not reliable, they are psychological pressure tools that produce mixed and inaccurate results. Reliance on them as dispositive in any case is irresponsible and in the case of the Wilmer Sr (given all the reasons to pursue continuing observation and investigation) led to both preventable deaths and false imprisonments. (Howell suspect was only cleared by DNA)
 
Polygraphs remain pseudoscience woo. They are not reliable, they are psychological pressure tools that produce mixed and inaccurate results. Reliance on them as dispositive in any case is irresponsible and in the case of the Wilmer Sr (given all the reasons to pursue continuing observation and investigation) led to both preventable deaths and false imprisonments. (Howell suspect was only cleared by DNA)
AI and computer monitoring have not made them reliable.
 
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Is this something? I think it’s something.
A cold case murder out of Asheville NC, from 1997 of Amber Lundgren has so many aspects that ping to Alan Wilmer Sr. including a forensic artists rendering of a recognizable truck and potential suspect. Wade was known to travel for tree work into the western part of Virginia ans states neighboring Virginia. I’m unaware of any specific connection he might have to the state but if this isn’t already C972A88A-1026-4408-B20F-0057A461FE1C.jpegBDEBB88A-35EC-4527-89E2-1A63B3012863.jpeg304796C1-17A1-4F61-BFC6-5F8ACE3B1571.pnggetting a second look and new forensic review, it should.
 
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Is this something? I think it’s something.
A cold case murder out of Asheville NC, from 1997 of Amber Lundgren has so many aspects that ping to Alan Wilmer Sr. including a forensic artists rendering of a recognizable truck and potential suspect. Wade was known to travel for tree work into the western part of Virginia ans states neighboring Virginia. I’m unaware of any specific connection he might have to the state but if this isn’t already View attachment 475595View attachment 475596View attachment 475597getting a second look and new forensic review, it should.
Very interesting!!
 

published in 2016, by the Chicago Tribune.

Includes a photo of FBI investigator Irvin Wells, before a map of the canonical parkway crimes, who had considered Wilmer a very strong suspect early on In the Call/Hailey case. Notice how close the Call/Hailey and Dowski/Thomas staged sites are.
 
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published in 2016, by the Chicago Tribune.

Includes a photo of FBI investigator Irvin Wells, before a map of the canonical parkway crimes, who had considered Wilmer a very strong suspect early on In the Call/Hailey case. Notice how close the Call/Hailey and Dowski/Thomas staged sites are.

So sad that Mr. Wells passed away in 2022, before some of the murders were resolved.


I hope some of the investigators from back then are still around to see the progress being made, questions answered.
 

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