VA VA - The Colonial Parkway Murders, 1986-89

[JLouEllen90]

An article from 2010

Unsolved slayings in Virginia

 

[jaejae]

Here is a recently posted Podcast about the cases. Of course my suspect Ralph Leon Jackson the Blue Ridge Parkway Shooter has long been dismissed by the majority as now being ancient history:

 

[billthom56]

Hello. Does anyone have Mr. Bill Thomas' direct email address? I sent him a message on here but I would like to share some information regarding a person of interest in this case.

LunaLu:

I will message you.


Bill Thomas

 

[billthom56]

Hello. Does anyone have Mr. Bill Thomas' direct email address? I sent him a message on here but I would like to share some information regarding a person of interest in this case.

LunaLu:

I will message you.


Bill Thomas

An article from 2010

Unsolved slayings in Virginia

For those of you follow the Colonial Parkway Murders, check out "Mind Over Murder," a new true crime podcast from Colonial Parkway Murders victim advocates Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley.

We have had more than 10,000 downloads of our new “Mind Over Murder” true crime podcast in our first 3 weeks.

Here are a few links.

Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-over-murder/id1494058129

Google Podcasts: www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMWJlMGI0OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2jl4P567AGYJkg8XHkuw32

Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/mind-over-murder


Hope you will check it out.

Thank you for your support.


Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley, Hosts, “Mind Over Murder” podcast

 

[MissPDottie]

I have been silently following this case as well as a number of other cold cases. I thought jaejae’s earlier comments were interesting, and they compelled me to start following up on Ralph Leon Jackson. I am putting together his complete address history and family tree through public record searches, though I have much more to learn before I know a fraction of what I suspect jaejae has learned. From what I have uncovered so far, I think Jaejae is absolutely correct in that this person needs to be immediately investigated for a number of reasons until or unless he an be ruled out.

First and foremost, Ralph Jackson is in prison for a crime that shares strong similarities to this series - an up close, personal, savage, and unprovoked nighttime attack using a variety of weapons on a young couple in a secluded area of a National Park in the same geographical area. I think the similarities between the crimes extend to the murders in the Shenandoah’s.

I am still reviewing information on psychological traits that has been provided by someone my gut tells me is a certified, practicing profiler. I am also researching this information so that I develop a true understanding of what motivates this monster. Unless I’m missing something, which frankly would be per usual (Please see my user ID), the attacks appear consistent with a very specific type of serial killer not often seen. The different methods of killing would be consistent with this type of killer. Despite the lack of an obvious sexual component to the attacks,it is my understanding that all serial attacks involving multiple victims is motivated by at least two factors, one of which is always sexual even if through only asserting power and control.

I am also still verifying the address history and will need to update my research into whether the addresses and dates of the crimes provide the opportunity for this person’s involvement. However, my initial investigation puts Jackson living in close proximity to Rt 29 and in very close proximity to I-64 at the time of that crime. I am still looking at the earlier dates of where he lived and familial relations, but it looks that at the very least Jackson would have had multiple family members in the area to include an elderly relative in Williamsburg.

I don’t want to lose anyone and am probably reaching. However, Jackson has relatives in the area of theConnecticut River Valley killings appearing to predate those crimes. There is also an address that coincides geographically and temporally with the kidnapping of Maura Murray. Eerily, it seems that Mr. Jackson has close relatives in Springfield, MO going back to the 1992 kidnapping of The Springfield Three. I could keep going on about how Jackson has ties to areas along the rout of the I-70 killer and family near Myrtle Beach but those probably are reaches. All credit to Jae Jae for putting us on this path though I think the EAR/ONS theory lost a lot of people.

If anyone has an ancestry database subscription and has time to help out, a report on Jackson would be helpful in identifying addresses.

If Jaejae wants to share, I am on board but have the scent of a trail and will keep going either way.

I don’t want to speak for JaeJae, but if I’m reading between the lines correctly, Jaejae could be suggesting using Jackson’s DNA to do a search of his family tree.

Was Jackson ever looked at by authorities? Was he ruled out forensically or has he not been ruled out?

Thank you Jaejae

 

[MissPDottie]

I don’t want to lose anyone and am probably reaching. However, Jackson has relatives in the area of theConnecticut River Valley killings appearing to predate those crimes. There is also an address that coincides geographically and temporally with the kidnapping of Maura Murray. Eerily, it seems that Mr. Jackson has close relatives in Springfield, MO going back to the 1992 kidnapping of The Springfield Three. I could keep going on about how Jackson has ties to areas along the rout of the I-70 killer and family near Myrtle Beach but those probably are reaches. All credit to Jae Jae for putting us on this path though I think the EAR/ONS theory lost a lot of people.

If anyone has an ancestry database subscription and has time to help out, a report on Jackson would be helpful in identifying addresses.

Thank you Jaejae

Have you reached out to anyone in Springfield, MO about the possible connection to The Springfield 3? Please do that if you haven't already.

For those that are interested in Missouri case being referenced:
Three Missing Women | Springfield, MO - Official Website

I live in SGF now, but grew up in Wmsbg and was a teenager at the time of the Colonial Parkway murders - ironic, huh?

I have a few different genealogy site memberships and recommend FamilySearch over Ancestry based on what I think you need, but even though both are ultimately LDS sites, they do not have the same source materials available on both sites. I also have a Newspapers.com account which is helpful for looking up news articles with date and location parameters in addition to keywords.

 

[MissPDottie]

My thoughts after reading all posts through today and based on my knowledge of Wmsbg as a former resident that was a teenager at the time of the murders and went on to know people over the years that knew a few of the victims:

I haven't seen any details regarding what each couple did or where they may have been/stopped just prior to parking and being murdered - does anyone know? I think that info will be the key to solving these murders.

The act of killing them may have been a climax to stalking them. I think victim selection took place someplace else, prior to where the crimes took place. The killer assessed where they were going or what they were likely to do earlier, maybe overhearing a conversation or from their body language in the time period before they went parking. Maybe the killer's ability to accurately predict or more importantly inaccurately predict their actions would explain the periods of time between murders. Who would be trained to quickly and accurately assess potential targets? Not your average LE or imposter LE person.

Camp Peary is a CIA training camp. I don't know if the I-64 exits for Colonial Wmsbg are still the same, but in the 1980's and for a 1-2 decades after, if you went right instead of left off the exit 238, you ran into the guard gate at Camp Peary right away and were met by men holding machine guns. I know a few stories about the actual base itself from someone that did work on the base, but I won't go into any of that here or elsewhere.

It was widespread and well-known that Camp Peary trainees would perform some ops on private citizens in the area. I'm not suggesting that any of those included anything as serious as murder, but the most common type of op was said to be (covert) surveillance.

What if the killer was a trainee or former CIA trainee? I'm not sure if any foreign agents from other countries were trained at Camp Peary or not, but it may be something to consider. I think it's possible that instead of being someone in Law Enforcement, it could be someone that was mustered out of the CIA program for any number of reasons including being mentally unfit and then unleashed with something to prove, particularly about their ability to covertly kill and elude. I would be shocked if any info from Camp Peary will ever be made available during a serial killer or any other type of external agency investigation, even if requested by the FBI.

CIA training could explain a lot, if you can get past the fuel issue.

Regarding the fuel - back in the 80's you had to go into the gas station to pay for gas and it was extremely common for locals (and others) to leave their cars unlocked. I was raised to lock the car when pumping gas, but I remember how strange my friends thought that was and I recall looking at others to see if I was "weird" (being an insecure teen at the time) and the vast majority of people didn't even pay attention to their vehicles until they returned from inside and hopped in to leave. THEREFORE, I believe the fuel used was stolen from a stranger's vehicle at a gas station which could explain why it wasn't obvious that it was diesel until it was poured. How much fuel was at the scene, a little or a lot? Diesel smells distinctively different from unleaded gas (I also believe it doesn't evaporate as quickly), so if a little was used then maybe the killer realized it wouldn't ignite and stopped pouring? Or maybe he/she (I do think it was 1 person) had already committed to the plan and thought maybe they could get it to light against all logic? Have you ever looked for a lost item in a place where you weren't even at just in case the item magically transported itself there? Sometimes we do illogical things because we think what the heck, it's worth a shot! Could that explain why fuel wasn't used in all the murders? - it didn't go well the first time.

Along that same thought of stopping at a gas station - could the couples have stopped at one of the stations near the entrance or exit of the parkway? Not just for gas, but to use the restroom, buy a drink/snack, buy condoms, or any number of other reasons? If smoking pot, did gas stations sell rolling papers back then or not? Any of those would be good reasons for a pit stop before parking because they knew they would be staying in one spot for a while. Most people paid with cash at that time, so there would have to be some sort of other evidence like a witness, receipt, trash, etc. Was there any evidence, including items at the crime scenes to indicate the couples had stopped anywhere before parking?

A killer that stalks would have an opportunity to observe and size up (potential/actual) victims at someplace like a gas station and maybe even have a brief interaction with them. Then follow them and make a soft approach which could've been as simple as saying they saw their tire was low or taillight was out when they left the gas station - "hey, remember me from the station?" Would the couples still park if a car was behind them or following them? Probably, it's a tourist area and who really pays attention to cars behind them to see if they're being followed? Maybe a few paranoid older residents, but not people living in the area surrounding (i.e. Grafton and maybe New Kent) or not originally from Wmsbg. If they pulled into to park behind me, I'd think it was someone that was lost, especially if I was on the parkway more than the other locations.

How do you get 2 people out of opposite sides of the car and control both of them without causing a scene? Simple, get 1 to go look at the back of the car with you and pull your weapon of choice, maybe even restrain right away (did anyone have signs of being restrained) and then approach the driver or better yet, have your 1st victim call out to the driver to come look also. That could explain the keys being left in the car. Most other scenarios have the risk of both people exiting the vehicle simultaneously and being harder to control, but if someone has to press the brake, it guarantees that the killer will be able to focus on controlling 1 victim at a time.

Are there any clues that might provide insight into how long the couples were parked before being killed? I'm thinking along the lines of what activities they may have been preoccupied with or engaged in when approached. A naked or half-naked person isn't going to get out of the car for anyone other than a person of authority like LE or someone that seemed to be LE such as a park ranger. If they were still fully clothed, then I don't see a reason why they wouldn't have exited if asked with a plausible reason.

I remember that there was 1 or more incidents in the area, at the time of the murders, of someone pretending to be law enforcement and pulling people over. I can't remember who I met over the years that had refused to pull over (or knew someone that didn't) and nothing happened to them, the person trying to pull them over disappeared from their rearview mirror. They didn't pullover because they had heard there was someone in the area with a law enforcement type light on their car that wasn't really a member of LE. I don't think the Colonial Parkway killer would want to draw attention from a passerby with a flashing light, that would be very memorable because we're all conditioned to look when there's any sort of LE or emergency vehicle. I don't think the killer would even risk using a flashlight if it could be avoided by using a softer approach like I mentioned above.

Btw, Camp Peary is exactly 2 miles from the nearest entrance/exit for the Colonial Parkway off of Capitol Landing Road.

Criminals have used the parkway for a quick getaway over the years - I know of a hotel robbery on Capitol Landing Road in the 90's where they escaped using the same exit closest to Camp Peary. When you think about it, it's ideal for criminals because law enforcement on the parkway is performed by the National Park Service, but as soon as you exit, they no longer have jurisdiction. The exits are few and far between considering the lack of landmarks for identifying the correct exit. The speed limit is less than 45 mph; however, it was common for people familiar with the area to speed excessively during non-peak tourist times of day such as evenings and especially late night - locals would fly down the parkway at night while I was growing up, going as fast or faster than the speed limit on the interstate. You can't see any businesses or buildings along the parkway, only nature, the occasional brick overpass and limited traffic. Here's a video so you can really get a feel for how isolated it feels: Video Tour of the Colonial Parkway - Williamsburg Visitor and note how light the traffic flow is and the lack of commercial vehicles, especially tractor trailer semi traffic as semi's are forbidden from entering the parkway. Semi's were possibly the most common type of late night traffic on I-64 at the time of the murders and at night on the parkway, there were very few cars and a lot of places to park. I know some have posed the question about why the victims were parking and the simple answer is because it was secluded and felt very private, even romantic because you're surrounded by nature with long periods of time between any cars. Most National Park Service properties are closed at night with the exception of major roads that cut across park service lands, but that's not true of the Colonial Parkway. It remains open, but has very little traffic and I assume it only had a few Park Rangers on duty at any given time. I don't think the victims were chosen based on the location, but in the 80's and even 90's, if a couple was near the parkway and planned on making out or doing something privately, then the odds were that they were going to do it somewhere along the Colonial Parkway.

Anyone have statistics on how many rangers were on duty at night during the time of the murders? As many times as I used the parkway, I don't recall ever seeing a Park Ranger. That's another reason why I don't think it was someone impersonating LE that committed these murders - someone that appears to be LE would've actually stood out to locals and locals were the ones using the parkway at night. The killer would want to blend in to insure anonymity.

 

[MaryG12]

Welcome to Websleuths, MissPDottie!

It is a general belief that a person of authority such as a park ranger or policeman was responsible for the Colonial Parkway Murders. I see you have an account with Newspapers.com. Have you had the opportunity to read about the history of this Parkway's construction?

On paper the Parkway sounds awesome, but considering all factors of how dangerous the road could be at night - no street lights, anyone could park at one of the spots designated as such, deal in drugs, etc not exactly the safest road to drive on at night.

Then the sheer number of accidents on the Parkway! Apparently some people mistook it for a racetrack. There was a radar unit installed as early as 1966. That's how bad it was.

 

[JnRyan]

Some of the theories on the murders did center around someone of authority (e.g., LE or park ranger), someone posing as LE or a CIA operative trainee. I haven't heard the CIA theory in quite some time though. I wish the FBI would perform a DNA analysis on the hair Cathleen Thomas had in her hand and then do some genealogy analysis.

 

[MissPDottie]

Welcome to Websleuths, MissPDottie!

It is a general belief that a person of authority such as a park ranger or policeman was responsible for the Colonial Parkway Murders. I see you have an account with Newspapers.com. Have you had the opportunity to read about the history of this Parkway's construction?

On paper the Parkway sounds awesome, but considering all factors of how dangerous the road could be at night - no street lights, anyone could park at one of the spots designated as such, deal in drugs, etc not exactly the safest road to drive on at night.

Then the sheer number of accidents on the Parkway! Apparently some people mistook it for a racetrack. There was a radar unit installed as early as 1966. That's how bad it was.

I haven't read the Colonial Parkway history yet, I've been focused on the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak and the history of Cheatham Annex/Penniman General Ordnance Depot's death toll (surprising, especially how Dupont responded), but I will look for more on the parkway.

I don't recall radar being on the parkway while I was growing up. There weren't any traffic lines on that particular roadway and the lanes were extra wide which actually made it easy to avoid deer or pass other drivers while speeding down it at night. I know my friends and I would drive 60-80 mph routinely (probably faster on a few occasions) at night from where I lived out near Jamestown to get to Yorktown and the bridge to Gloucester Point where some of my friends lived - never had so much as a ticket or a warning. During the day, Yorktown beach and the picnic area doesn't seem isolated, but at night, you can scream bloody murder and no one will come - I know this first hand as the victim of a violent crime there in the 1990's which had nothing to do with the parkway murders (I saw my perpetrators), but nobody's going to hear screams and if they do, they're not going to be able to see where they're coming from anyway due to the lack of lights (back then, not sure about lighting now).

I've always thought that the Colonial Parkway killer was somehow connected to the military (currently serving at that time, retired/unenlisted or discharged) and that was before I knew about one of the victims being from the Navy. Now I'm even more convinced. For those not familiar with the area, here's a list of military bases between Norfolk and Wmsbg in order of proximity to the crime scenes starting with the most Northward location: (note it is only 95 miles between the most distal bases listed below)
1. Fort Lee Army Base (in Prince George, VA which is not far from New Kent and closest to Lauer/Phelps location)
2. Camp Peary (Williamsburg, VA and centrally located between crime scenes of Lauer/Phelps and both Thomas/Dowski and Hailey/Call)
3. Cheatham Annex Naval Weapons Station Yorktown (Yorktown, VA and closest to Thomas/Dowski location)
4. Coast Guard Training Center, Coast Guard Base at Yorktown (closest to Hailey/Call location)
5. Fort Eustis Army Base (Newport News, VA)
6. Langley Air Force Base (in Hampton, VA not the same as Langley, VA with CIA Headquarters that is in Fairfax County, VA outside of Washington, DC it's different than AFB)
7. Fort Monroe Army Base (Hampton, VA closest to Knobling/Edwards location)
8. Naval Station Norfolk Naval Base (Norfolk, VA)
9. Naval Support Activity (physically located within NS Norfolk #8 Southside of base)
10. Navy Medical Center Portsmouth (Portsmouth, VA)
11. Sector Hampton Roads Coast Guard Base (Portsmouth, VA)
12. Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Portsmouth, VA and different than the Naval Base and in a different geographic location)
13. Coast Guard Finance Center (commissioned in 1989, but prior to that there was 1 of this type of office for every few bases, so there was a military office in the area, but I don't know if it was at this same location)
14. Little Creek Naval Air Base (Norfolk, VA East of #8)
15. Fort Story Army Base (Virginia Beach, VA and in 2009 formed Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story)
16. Naval Air Station Oceana (again separate base, in Virginia Beach, VA)
17. Naval Support Activity Northwest Annex Navy Base (again separate base, in Chesapeake, VA)

An excellent resource for a map of VA bases (I did NOT include all the bases in VA which include some located closer to the Shanendoah Mountains) is here:
Virginia Military Bases | MilitaryBases.com

I encourage you to use the 'Learn more..." link for each base to see how diverse, specialized, and relationships between bases. I lived on a few VA bases and have visited 4-5 of them listed above either while my dad was still in the military or after he retired. Back at the time of the murders, it wasn't unusual to have access to multiple bases and it is surprising how much resources were shared or utilized by amongst the bases. It was extremely common to run into people that you knew from other bases all over the world, regardless of the branch of service, especially in an area with such a high concentration of bases. So just because one of the victims was from the Navy in Norfolk, don't assume that someone that knew her from Norfolk didn't run across her by chance in the Wmsbg area and maybe had some animosity towards her specifically or homosexuals in general that triggered upon seeing her out with her girlfriend. The killer would feel safer in attacking because there wouldn't be a close tie, assuming the first victims weren't completely random.

I firmly believe the killer was most likely connected to the military in some way. The partial list above doesn't even include the numerous government contractors that work on any of those bases and it was common for people to go to work for contractors after their term was up or they retired. Several contractors would do work on multiple bases for each of the branches (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or National Guard). Any of those branches may have gone to Ft. Story, for example, to train because of the diverse terrain, especially amphibious training. I think military/CIA training rather than LE training would be more conducive for a killer. We don't train LE to specifically kill even though use of lethal force is included; however, a major function within the military is to attack and kill as part of the defense of our country. It's critical to our freedom that the military be trained to do so.

I think entirely too much time and too many resources have been spent focused on LE! And I think one of the reasons why is because the suspect pool for a military suspect is dauntingly massive - they're so mobile, but that would also explain why the murders in VA stopped. I would love to see a database of similar crimes and their proximity to military bases starting after the VA murders stopped, covering the next decade. Anything after a decade wouldn't be as applicable based on my assumption of the killer getting out of the military before or at retirement which starts at 20 yrs of service. There are misfits and criminals within the ranks of the military just like civilian society.

The method of murder for Thomas/Dowski did seem like it was an early or possibly the first time the killer escalated to homicide (which happened to also be homocide in this case); however, I think it's highly unlikely that it was the first criminal act committed by the killer. If the person was military, earlier crimes or infractions would have been reported to and discipline proceedings would have been handled by the military and those records would be on file within the military and the military isn't known for their willingness to share data with civilian or outside agencies. In an area like Hampton Roads, I could easily understand if less serious (let's face it, everything is less serious than murder) crimes would likely just be called over to the base for the commanding officer to handle instead of taking the time to fill out civilian paperwork by the local police dept. Does anyone in LE in the Hampton Roads area (or other area with a high concentration of military bases) disagree with that? The policy was probably to fill out a report first, but the actual practice may have been different.

What does everyone think is a high probably precursory crime prior to these murders? I think stalking and some kind of abuse/anger/aggression towards a former girlfriend and new boyfriend or former girlfriend that found herself a girlfriend (someone that was exploring homosexuality). This killer hated couples and newfound love.

 

[Craftycann]

Some of the theories on the murders did center around someone of authority (e.g., LE or park ranger), someone posing as LE or a CIA operative trainee. I haven't heard the CIA theory in quite some time though. I wish the FBI would perform a DNA analysis on the hair Cathleen Thomas had in her hand and then do some genealogy analysis.

 

[MissPDottie]

I think these murders can be solved, but here's what I think it will take.

Somebody needs to start a Facebook Group (and I absolutely hate fb) to engage former military personnel that served in Hampton Roads area during the 1980's. Those people are of the age now where they're likely on fb sharing pics of their grandkids.

The fb group should NOT focus on specific murders, but on people that were charged with less serious crimes which fit the profile of the future murderer. I think if murder is mentioned, people will be less likely to share info or they'll only mention people they personally think are capable of murder which could exclude a ton of viable suspects. If the killer obviously presented as someone capable of murder, then they may have already been reported as a potential suspect, so focus on NEW suspects.

 

[Craftycann]

I'm absolutely certain it was a park ranger.
My sister an I were on 64 going east around the time this happened. We were near or just past the Tallyville exit when an oxidized army green large car pulled quickly behind us. He then turned lights on that were under the grill in front of his car. We had been following this series of crimes and somehow knew this was him. Dont ask me how. He tailed us awhile. Then pulled beside us and we could see where the old forest ranger decals had been on the car. He was also dressed in forest green but neither of us remember any decals on him. We floored it and he pulled to the shoulder and stopped. If course we called New Kent police. Charles City police. State police. Gave statements on phone to a dispatcher. Never heard a word. I'm am without a single doubt if I wasnt such an aggressive bossy female we would both be dead. I am also without a doubt 100 % positive it was him.

 

[MissPDottie]

I'm absolutely certain it was a park ranger.
My sister an I were on 64 going east around the time this happened. We were near or just past the Tallyville exit when an oxidized army green large car pulled quickly behind us. He then turned lights on that were under the grill in front of his car. We had been following this series of crimes and somehow knew this was him. Dont ask me how. He tailed us awhile. Then pulled beside us and we could see where the old forest ranger decals had been on the car. He was also dressed in forest green but neither of us remember any decals on him. We floored it and he pulled to the shoulder and stopped. If course we called New Kent police. Charles City police. State police. Gave statements on phone to a dispatcher. Never heard a word. I'm am without a single doubt if I wasnt such an aggressive bossy female we would both be dead. I am also without a doubt 100 % positive it was him.

When, what year? And what time of day?

 

[Craftycann]

I haven't read the Colonial Parkway history yet, I've been focused on the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak and the history of Cheatham Annex/Penniman General Ordnance Depot's death toll (surprising, especially how Dupont responded), but I will look for more on the parkway.

I don't recall radar being on the parkway while I was growing up. There weren't any traffic lines on that particular roadway and the lanes were extra wide which actually made it easy to avoid deer or pass other drivers while speeding down it at night. I know my friends and I would drive 60-80 mph routinely (probably faster on a few occasions) at night from where I lived out near Jamestown to get to Yorktown and the bridge to Gloucester Point where some of my friends lived - never had so much as a ticket or a warning. During the day, Yorktown beach and the picnic area doesn't seem isolated, but at night, you can scream bloody murder and no one will come - I know this first hand as the victim of a violent crime there in the 1990's which had nothing to do with the parkway murders (I saw my perpetrators), but nobody's going to hear screams and if they do, they're not going to be able to see where they're coming from anyway due to the lack of lights (back then, not sure about lighting now).

I've always thought that the Colonial Parkway killer was somehow connected to the military (currently serving at that time, retired/unenlisted or discharged) and that was before I knew about one of the victims being from the Navy. Now I'm even more convinced. For those not familiar with the area, here's a list of military bases between Norfolk and Wmsbg in order of proximity to the crime scenes starting with the most Northward location: (note it is only 95 miles between the most distal bases listed below)
1. Fort Lee Army Base (in Prince George, VA which is not far from New Kent and closest to Lauer/Phelps location)
2. Camp Peary (Williamsburg, VA and centrally located between crime scenes of Lauer/Phelps and both Thomas/Dowski and Hailey/Call)
3. Cheatham Annex Naval Weapons Station Yorktown (Yorktown, VA and closest to Thomas/Dowski location)
4. Coast Guard Training Center, Coast Guard Base at Yorktown (closest to Hailey/Call location)
5. Fort Eustis Army Base (Newport News, VA)
6. Langley Air Force Base (in Hampton, VA not the same as Langley, VA with CIA Headquarters that is in Fairfax County, VA outside of Washington, DC it's different than AFB)
7. Fort Monroe Army Base (Hampton, VA closest to Knobling/Edwards location)
8. Naval Station Norfolk Naval Base (Norfolk, VA)
9. Naval Support Activity (physically located within NS Norfolk #8 Southside of base)
10. Navy Medical Center Portsmouth (Portsmouth, VA)
11. Sector Hampton Roads Coast Guard Base (Portsmouth, VA)
12. Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Portsmouth, VA and different than the Naval Base and in a different geographic location)
13. Coast Guard Finance Center (commissioned in 1989, but prior to that there was 1 of this type of office for every few bases, so there was a military office in the area, but I don't know if it was at this same location)
14. Little Creek Naval Air Base (Norfolk, VA East of #8)
15. Fort Story Army Base (Virginia Beach, VA and in 2009 formed Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story)
16. Naval Air Station Oceana (again separate base, in Virginia Beach, VA)
17. Naval Support Activity Northwest Annex Navy Base (again separate base, in Chesapeake, VA)

An excellent resource for a map of VA bases (I did NOT include all the bases in VA which include some located closer to the Shanendoah Mountains) is here:
Virginia Military Bases | MilitaryBases.com

I encourage you to use the 'Learn more..." link for each base to see how diverse, specialized, and relationships between bases. I lived on a few VA bases and have visited 4-5 of them listed above either while my dad was still in the military or after he retired. Back at the time of the murders, it wasn't unusual to have access to multiple bases and it is surprising how much resources were shared or utilized by amongst the bases. It was extremely common to run into people that you knew from other bases all over the world, regardless of the branch of service, especially in an area with such a high concentration of bases. So just because one of the victims was from the Navy in Norfolk, don't assume that someone that knew her from Norfolk didn't run across her by chance in the Wmsbg area and maybe had some animosity towards her specifically or homosexuals in general that triggered upon seeing her out with her girlfriend. The killer would feel safer in attacking because there wouldn't be a close tie, assuming the first victims weren't completely random.

I firmly believe the killer was most likely connected to the military in some way. The partial list above doesn't even include the numerous government contractors that work on any of those bases and it was common for people to go to work for contractors after their term was up or they retired. Several contractors would do work on multiple bases for each of the branches (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or National Guard). Any of those branches may have gone to Ft. Story, for example, to train because of the diverse terrain, especially amphibious training. I think military/CIA training rather than LE training would be more conducive for a killer. We don't train LE to specifically kill even though use of lethal force is included; however, a major function within the military is to attack and kill as part of the defense of our country. It's critical to our freedom that the military be trained to do so.

I think entirely too much time and too many resources have been spent focused on LE! And I think one of the reasons why is because the suspect pool for a military suspect is dauntingly massive - they're so mobile, but that would also explain why the murders in VA stopped. I would love to see a database of similar crimes and their proximity to military bases starting after the VA murders stopped, covering the next decade. Anything after a decade wouldn't be as applicable based on my assumption of the killer getting out of the military before or at retirement which starts at 20 yrs of service. There are misfits and criminals within the ranks of the military just like civilian society.

The method of murder for Thomas/Dowski did seem like it was an early or possibly the first time the killer escalated to homicide (which happened to also be homocide in this case); however, I think it's highly unlikely that it was the first criminal act committed by the killer. If the person was military, earlier crimes or infractions would have been reported to and discipline proceedings would have been handled by the military and those records would be on file within the military and the military isn't known for their willingness to share data with civilian or outside agencies. In an area like Hampton Roads, I could easily understand if less serious (let's face it, everything is less serious than murder) crimes would likely just be called over to the base for the commanding officer to handle instead of taking the time to fill out civilian paperwork by the local police dept. Does anyone in LE in the Hampton Roads area (or other area with a high concentration of military bases) disagree with that? The policy was probably to fill out a report first, but the actual practice may have been different.

What does everyone think is a high probably precursory crime prior to these murders? I think stalking and some kind of abuse/anger/aggression towards a former girlfriend and new boyfriend or former girlfriend that found herself a girlfriend (someone that was exploring homosexuality). This killer hated couples and newfound love.

I've often thought the same. However I'm pretty certain because of an incident including my sister an I on 64 at the time of these incidents involved a forest rangers decommissioned car.

 

[Craftycann]

When, what year?

About 87 88.

 

[Craftycann]

When, what year? And what time of day?

About 2:00 in the afternoon I think.
It was warm out. So summer or late fall.
I know it was a few days before they found the bodies on the fire Rd. I'm trying to remember their names. Boy and girl. Going to Va beach. Young lady was from Amelia county I believe.
Details are dim. I'm just getting back into all this and am excited about this site. New member.
I've always felt they really didnt pat atten. Much to our report.

 

[MissPDottie]

I'm absolutely certain it was a park ranger.
My sister an I were on 64 going east around the time this happened. We were near or just past the Tallyville exit when an oxidized army green large car pulled quickly behind us. He then turned lights on that were under the grill in front of his car. We had been following this series of crimes and somehow knew this was him. Dont ask me how. He tailed us awhile. Then pulled beside us and we could see where the old forest ranger decals had been on the car. He was also dressed in forest green but neither of us remember any decals on him. We floored it and he pulled to the shoulder and stopped. If course we called New Kent police. Charles City police. State police. Gave statements on phone to a dispatcher. Never heard a word. I'm am without a single doubt if I wasnt such an aggressive bossy female we would both be dead. I am also without a doubt 100 % positive it was him.

If you were the killer, would you allow someone to get a look at your vehicle after following and turning on dash lights and then also give them an opportunity to see your face? Or would you take an exit or use one of the median turnarounds and disappear, closeup sight unseen? You would only let someone see you to strike fear into them. What other motivation would their be for allowing yourself to be seen?

It think the creep from your incident was someone that possibly knew of the murders but definitely got off on the sense of power that comes with scaring others. Somebody that likes killing, is not going to risk their love of a more serious crime to scare someone; the killer wouldn't suddenly do something that stupid so soon after getting away with a few murders. Just like the killer would choose potential victims that the killer knew were a sure thing instead of risking exposure in hopes that a car would pull over. Your park ranger guy may have been a very dangerous person, but it's not likely that he was the parkway killer.

Sorry, I'm not on board with your theory.

 

[Betty P]

About 2:00 in the afternoon I think.
It was warm out. So summer or late fall.
I know it was a few days before they found the bodies on the fire Rd. I'm trying to remember their names. Boy and girl. Going to Va beach. Young lady was from Amelia county I believe.
Details are dim. I'm just getting back into all this and am excited about this site. New member.
I've always felt they really didnt pat atten. Much to our report.

Welcome @Craftycann! That's some very interesting information you've provided. If you check the links above for the "Mind Over Murder" podcasts where @billthom56 is interviewed, he discusses a recent arrest of a man in Maryland who was caught pretending to be a police officer and pulling cars over there. He was living in the Newport News area at the time of the Colonial Park murders. The idea of someone pretending to be LE or a park ranger has long been a theory for the killer's profile.

Maybe when @billthom56 checks back in you can share the information with him. In the podcast, Bill also notes that, when he got the info about the arrest of the fake cop in Maryland, he contacted local LE in the Colonial Parkway area to share the information. He was disappointed to discover that local LE today don't know anything about the Colonial Parkway murders and weren't familiar with the cases. He had to bring them up to speed.

Perhaps someone can look back in the LE records to find your call or any other reports of this person. JMO, Bill would be interested in your info. He's the brother of Cathleen Thomas.

As for seeing park rangers on the Parkway, they patrol the parkway, plus there are many others who work at the multiple historic National Parks in the area. Hubs and I vacationed there a couple of years ago and there are many sites to vist, including Jamestown and Yorktown. In the area you speak of, around Richmond, there are many, many national sites and parks, you can't throw a rock without hitting one. Again, it seems more likely JMO that the killer was pretending to be a ranger or LEO.

Miss P Dottie, you also have a good theory. There are many, many military installations in that area.

 

[MaryG12]

Welcome to Websleuths, CraftyCann!

At this point I am thinking of the following:

A nearby military base member posing as a person of authority, using a forest rangers decommissioned car. Someone who is not married, a probable incel. I think it's a possibility. I've been interested in real crime/missing persons cases for four years now, and understand that serial killers who specifically target couples are rare.

MissPDottie, if you have not yet read this book, "A Special Kind Of Evil: The Colonial Parkway Serial Killings" by Blaine L. Pardoe and Victoria R. Hester. I recommend it. I know that the case of Julianne Williams and Lollie Winans at Shenandoah National Park are sometimes mentioned along with the Colonial Parkway Murders due to the similarity of the murders. After reading the book I concluded that whoever killed these four couples knew the Parkway and general area VERY well. Including that logging road where the bodies of Annamaria Phelps and Daniel Lauer were found. Someone who could probably hide such a "stalking vehicle" somewhere in the vicinity and no one would know to the wiser.