Andy's body was discovered tied to a nearby tree. [23], On June 25, 2018, editors at Listverse released a new article, "Ten Disturbing Facts About the Colonial Parkway Murders. All rights reserved. Donna, specifically had an extreme level of Demerol in her system even though there was no Demerol actually found at the crime scene. The shocking lovers' lane murders in Virginia's Colonial Parkway have never been solved. 7 miles north of the murder scene, at the bottom of a steep embankment, the most merciless and brutal Ive ever seen, Great Falls police Detective John Cameron wrote a book, death certificates, newspaper clippings, and other public records, Theirs is believed to be the oldest case ever solved with forensic genealogy. (Photo by Scott Neville/ For The Washington Post via Getty Images), Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for February 11, 'Fatal Attraction' behind the scenes secrets from the 1980s thriller, King Charles coronation intimate guest list includes notable snubs, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry 'disloyal' for 'trashing royal family,' need to 'find their own identity': ex pal, Katy Perry says she and fianc Orlando Bloom 'continuously put in the work to keep their relationship strong, Prince William will honor King Charles in his coronation role, Willie Nelson at 90: Texas legend shares a birthday to remember with George Strait, Snoop Dogg, and others. It was their first date. These killings, known as the Colonial Parkway murders, remain unsolved. She was raped at least once, though the location of that rape remains unknown. But the resolution, she said, had also reopened pain from that era, particularly for an older generation that knew Mr. Bogle as funny and charming the one that everybody in my family loved. She said her aunt had been in tears all week. At night its dark and isolated,making it an ideal spot for couples to be romantic discreetly. The ignition switch, radio and headlights on his car were on, and the car was in gear. In 2001, Cascade County Sheriffs Office detective Phil Matteson sent that slide to the Montana State Crime Lab. He had married another 16-year-old girl in 1952 and eventually had five children. They were both in top physical condition. He said extremely graphic crime scene photos were leaked to the public, fueling the familys anguish. They asked for the family's help in either proving or disproving that Gould was the man responsible and the family complied. Generally, this turns up a hit in the form of a second or third cousin. Theirs is believed to be the oldest case ever solved with forensic genealogy. Cathy was eager to introduce her new girlfriend to the family during Thanksgiving that year. ', Unsolved mystery: A team of experts delve into the Colonial Parkway murders in Virginia in the 1980s in Oxygen's two-night true-crime special Lovers' Lane Murders, Deep dive: Forensic criminologist Laura Pettler explains in a preview clip that her job is to 'take everything we know and we reconstruct the scene', The site: The Colonial Parkway in Virginia - a 23-mile stretch of road known as Lovers' Lane (pictured) - was the site of four double homicides in the 1980s, all of which remain unsolved. The outlet noted that there were no clear signs of robbery or rape for any of these cases. Thats when we really started looking at what evidence we had, and if we could potentially do the same thing, Sergeant Kadner said. "It was such a big case. heading in the wrong direction, away from their destination, which confused police. The only way to prove his guilt or his innocence was to test the DNA of his remaining relatives. Phelps had been dating Lauer's brother at the time they went missing. They found him on the ground near his car, and someone had used his belt to tie his hands behind his back, according to a report from the Great Falls Tribune. There was no evidence of burglary or sexual assault in any of the cases. Investigating the terrible murders along lovers' lanes like this one in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, police uncovered a subculture that many Florentines found disturbing: these hills were. Her death certificate stated unknown for date and place of injury. The case eventually went cold. On October 3, 1937, 20-year-old Lewis Weiss and 20-year-old Francis Hajek were found dead in a lovers' lane area in Queens. She added:'The fascination depends on the level of publicity.'. "I hope people will understand that the loss that weve suffered has not prevented us as families from continuing to focus on seeing some degree of justice done," Thomas, who serves as one of the shows producers, told Fox News. In that case, the victims were similarly bound and stabbed. Sergeant Kadner said he believed it was the oldest homicide case in the United States to be solved with genetic genealogy, which uses DNA from crime scenes to identify the relatives of potential suspects and eventually the suspects themselves. [18], 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. On the evening of August 22 (or possibly the 23rd), an abandoned car was found on Enclave Round, a secluded road often used as a lover's lane. Now you flash forward and as painful as the passage of time can be, we now have truly advanced DNA testing available. And it was not for lack of trying: Early on in the case, investigators followed numerous leads, but none of them panned out. Entertainment Television presented a full-length documentary, THS Investigates Serial Killers on the Loose, which features a segment on the Colonial Parkway murders. ET on Oxygen. We feellike we could be just as close to start to solve these cases. Market data provided by Factset. "[24], On July 23, 2018. The lead investigator in the case believed that Pettinger had likely been hog-tied. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. They were living every parents worst fear. Call's unoccupied vehicle was discovered abandoned at the York River Overlook on Colonial Parkway in Yorktown, Virginia at 7:00 a.m. on April 10, but it was not reported to authorities until 9:00 a.m. "In those first classes at the service academies, they were subject to such levels of hatred and harassment. Mr. Goulds children, three of whom submitted DNA samples, were all surprised to be told that their father was being investigated in connection with a double homicide in 1956, Sergeant Kadner said. A few hours later, police located both their abandoned car and their bodies, brutalized and discarded near the local lovers' lane. ", 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. On April 10, 1988, Christopher Newport University students Cassandra Lee Hailey, 18, and Richard Keith Call, 20, were reported missing. Without any leads, the case went cold. WTVR News 6 in Richmond reported that there was additional DNA evidence available for testing in the Colonial Parkway murders. Nearly all of the clothing Call was wearing, including his underwear, was also found in the back of the car, as were some of Hailey's clothes and her underwear. Not every murder gets solved. Hall and Margaret were a young couple who were murdered in a remote area and had been stabbed to death. So she decided that the Navy wasnt the right place for her. The teenagers were last seen at Petes Drive-In restaurant in Great Falls, just after 9 p.m. on Jan. 2, 1956. This case, like the others, has gone unsolved, but all four double homicides remain active. The forensic criminologist notes that Thomas and Dowski's murders the first in the series have 'earmarks of a victim-offender relationship. "And it saddens me that Cathy Thomas would have been one of those women. "It's really fantastic technology and it's going to solve a lot of cold cases," Singer said. The Harris County Sheriff's Department linked the murders to another unsolved rape and burglary that was committed a few months before the Lover's Lane murders, but the case still remains unsolved. After the killings, he left the area and was seen living in two other Montana towns before moving to Alton, Mo., in 1967. Was she alive, or had she been murdered along with her boyfriend? They were headed to Virginia Beach together, but they weren't a couple. His daughter basically said: You never know. So if I was asked is this great modern technology a great thing, I would say, on balance, yes, for my generation, a generation once removed. Phelps was dating Lauer's brother at the time. Both had Demerol, a narcotic sedative in their systems. It was the first of several gruesome murders. The crimes seemed motiveless. Three days later, over Columbus Day weekend, their bodies were found bound with rope inside Thomas's white 1980 Honda Civic, which had been pushed down an embankment off of the Colonial Parkwayin Williamsburg. Then they sift through death certificates, newspaper clippings, and other public records to construct a family tree which can lead to the killer. Despite her drive and determination, Cathy left the Navy just before her death. He was immediately met with the daunting task of digitizing the expansive case file, an endeavor that took months. hide caption. 10 The First Murders Photo credit: Wild Blue Press "Im very optimistic," he said. Nearly a year later, David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were found shot in the head, execution-style after their bodies had washed up along the bank of the James River at Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge onSeptember 22, 1987. But she left with great regret because she had hoped to have the kind of career that my dad had.". Cheryl's body was found underneath a fence not too far from Andy's abandoned car. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! These areas range from parking lots in secluded rural areas to places with extraordinary views of a cityscape or other features. When the couple didnt show, they hoped (prayed) the two had eloped. Naval Academy in 1981 as part of its second class to admit women. He would have been 29 years old when he committed the lovers lane murders. On September 23, 1987, Virginia salesman David Lee Knobling, 20, and eighth-grade Huntington Middle School student Robin Margaret Edwards, 14, were found shot to death around 100 feet away after being washed ashore with the tide in the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge, on the south shore of the James River in Isle of Wight County, near Smithfield, Virginia. ', Break down: Former FBI profiler Jim Clemente suggested the killer may have posed as law enforcement and reenacted what that would have looked like, Loss: Nearly a year after the first double homicide, David Knobling, 20, (L) and Robin Edwards, 14, (R) were found shot in the head along the bank of the James River in September 1987, 'Statistically, a lot of the personal attacks that we have on victims close to their faces are someone they knew,' she says. She was determined She was also a Russian scholar. Kate nails sporty chic in 600 Mountain Equipment jacket, 110 jeans and 175 walking Time flies! She was brilliant, beautiful and well-educated, but she was also thoughtful, modest and a deep thinker. [20], 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[21], 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"[22], On May 4, 2018, the Colonial Parkway murders were covered in featured panel discussion at the annual "CrimeCon" true crime convention in Nashville. Obviously, I cant put the gun in his hand, Sergeant Kadner said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The comments below have not been moderated. A year later in September 1989, the outlet reported Annamarie Phelps, 18, and Daniel Lauer, 21, vanishedfrom a rest stop in New Kent County. By the next morning, they had disappeared. The hunters discovered the bodies on a logging road about a quarter-of-a-mile from Courthouse Road, a location about a mile from the Interstate 64 New Kent rest stop where Lauer's car was found. [16], In 2010, the Daily Virginian-Pilot ran a photo essay on the case entitled "A Cold Case Heats Up: The Colonial Parkway Murders"[17], 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. Both driver and passenger side doors were unlocked with the keys still in the ignition. Multiple reports alleged Edwards had snuck out to meet Knobling before they were killed. Kalitzke and Bogle went for a date at a drive-in movie on January 2nd, 1956, and were last spotted at 9 oclock. The bodies of Julianne Marie Julie Williams, 24, and Laura Salisbury Lollie Winans, 26, were found by Park Rangers at the Shenandoah National Park on June 1, 1996, after Lollies golden retriever dog - Taj - was located wandering near the Whiteoak Canyon Trail and turned over to Rangers. The team of experts has reenacted the crime scene down to Thomas's wallet being found open and face down on the floorboard of the driver's side. Phelps' purse was found inside the car, once more ruling out robbery as a motive. But instead, theyd lived through a nightmare and never woken up. The Colonial Parkway murders were the murders of at least eight people along the Colonial Parkway in South-East Virginia between 1986 and 1989. She was one of several family members to pursue the Navy. Kalitzke had definitely been raped, and that rapist had left a DNA sample. Police found dirt and grass stains on the vehicles underside, suggesting the car recently drove through the woods. Someone had attacked them as they necked in Bogles car on that lovers lane. Knobling had taken Edwards out with his younger brother and cousin that day. 'That tells me that either they were getting ready because they thought they were pulled over by a police officer or a park ranger, or whoever approached them pretended to be a cop or was a cop,'Clemente suggests. 2 The Atlanta Murders Of 1977 Both women were fully clothed and there was no evidence of sexual assault. The Colonial Parkway is a 22-mile long thoroughfare that cuts through the Colonial National Historical Park and connects Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. On the evening of September 14, 1922, Reverend Edward Hall and Mrs. Eleanor Mills take a stroll in the New Brunswick town park. "My first impression was that the only way we're gonna ever solve this is through the use of DNA," Kadner said. Cathys throat was slit so deepthat she was nearly decapitated. During a walk near the Sun River, they found 18-year-old Lloyd Duane Bogle, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. JONBENET RAMSEY'S HALF BROTHER STILL WANTS TO FIND HER KILLER: 'THIS CASE CAN BE SOLVED' Part 1 and 2 of Oxygen's 'Lovers Lane Murders' airs Thursday night. But when you put everything together, theres no doubt in my mind that hes the suspect.. A woman's shoes and handbag were on the floorboard. And a lot of fantastic work has gone into the Colonial Parkway murders. Tall, beautiful, blonde Patti Kalitzke, known as Ski, to her friends, had just crew-cut her hair like a character straight from a Dick Tracy comic book. Knobling's black Ford Ranger pickup truck was discovered on Monday September 21, 1987, by a patrolling police officer at the refuge parking area next to the James River Bridge with the wipers, engine and radio still running and some articles of clothing inside near the Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area about two miles upriver from where their bodies would eventually be discovered. ", "We told her upfront and we express concern that going to the Naval Academy was going to be very tough," he continued. Known as the "Lover's Lane Murders", the brutal killing of 22-year-old Cheryl Henry and 21-year-old Andy Atkinson in August 1990 shocked the Houston, Texas area and is considered one of Houston's most brutal slayings. "The families are determined to see this through. The sheriff called the lovers lane murder the most merciless and brutal Ive ever seen.. Mr. Gould died in 2007 at age 79 in Oregon County, Mo. Two popular kids . "[30], On January 15, 2021, the Oxygen Network announced that a four-part true crime series, Lovers Lane Murders would cover the Colonial Parkway murders. "Some longtime law enforcement people have said to me that it was like the wild West out there at night because it was only patrolled every few hours," said Thomas. With the strange real estate heir Robert Durst - who has multiple ties to Houston. Weiss had been shot in the head, while Hajek had been stabbed seven times in her upper torso. Mike also had defensive wounds and a comparatively lower dosage of Demerol in his system. Legal Statement. Forensic genealogists first develop a DNA profile of the culprit. The two-night special premiere of "Lovers Lane Murders" airs Feb. 11 at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. The bodies were covered in an electric blanket from Daniels car and were badly decomposed, which made it impossible to determine either the cause of death or whether there had been sexual assault. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. You had two young, vibrant individuals that were well-liked among their peer group investigators poured their heart and soul into this case, Kadner told one reporter. Cathy Thomas (left) andRebecca Ann Dowski were dating at the time of their murders. Detectives compared that sample to over 35 men, including gangster James Joseph Whitey Bulger Jr. Matteson retired believing Kalitzke and Bogles murderer would never be brought to justice. Actor Steve Altes portrayed the killer. The perfect ingredients for a juicy scandal and fascinating investigation are presented in this masterful graphic novel retelling of an unsolved murder from the 1920s. We've collected five of the most notorious cold cases in American history, ranging from 1892 to 1996. . Mentions of the deaths have even found their way into some TripAdvisor reviews. Weve got amazing investigators working on our case. They constructed a reverse family tree from a cousins profile. Then in April 1988, Keith Call, 20, and Cassandra Hailey, 18, disappeared after a college party, The Virginian-Pilot reported. It appears that Thomas may have struggled with her attacker as a clump of hair was later found between her fingers. He called it "a reverse family tree. [6], Three days later, a retired dentist who was walking his dog in the woods behind Kings Crossing Apartments located behind Castille Court discovered Mikes Jeep backed into a depression off the trail with the passenger door open, keys in the ignition, and ashtray open. Now, the sheriff's office is considering forming a cold case task force, as other law enforcement agencies have done. Her body was found nude, no bindings, and with multiple stab wounds to her back. When Detective Sgt. "[33], On February 9, 2021, Access Hollywood presented a television series about the Colonial Parkway murders. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed: the keys were on the driver's seat, and a watch and eyeglasses were on the dashboard. or redistributed. The shocking lovers' lane murders in Virginia's Colonial Parkway have never been solved. 'Urban legends usually come out of some seed of truth,' former prosecutor and Lovers Lane Murders co-host Loni Coombs explains in a preview clip. In 2008, E! Foul play is suspected. Clippings from the Great Falls Tribune were part of the Cascade County Sheriff's Office investigative file into the 1956 murders of Patricia Kalitzke and Lloyd Duane Bogle. However, Katherine Ramsland, a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University and author of 'How to Catch a Killer: Hunting and Capturing the Worlds Most Notorious Serial Killers' told Oxygen that there are also plenty of people who would visit an area like theColonial Parkway just because it was the scene of a murder. Laurie Ann Powell Compton, 18, a Gloucester High School graduate, went missing on Tuesday March 8, 1988, after having an argument with her boyfriend which ended with Laurie getting out of his car. [citation needed], In January 2010, a team from FBI Norfolk and FBI Headquarters met with the victims' families to update them on the status of the investigation. A new documentary is exploring a string of unsolved double homicides that occurred at a 'lovers' lane' in Virginia more than three decades ago, as experts try to figure out if the murders were the work of a serial killer or just a gruesome coincidence. Author Ron Franscell joins "Mind Over Murder" co-hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley to discuss his new book "Shadowman," which covers a series of 1970's Montana murders solved by the team who were first to develop criminal profiling at the Behavioral Science Unit at FBI Quantico. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. "It was such a big case," Cascade County. And it pains me to think that 34 years have gone by now. That sample had been preserved in an evidence vault for six decades. Both double murders occurred on National Park property - the historic Colonial Parkway and the Shenandoah - which were connected by Interstate 64. No worries now, although I wouldnt go there at night.'. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. One such investigator was Detective Sgt. Afterwards, the murderer forced her to dress. 'People are attracted to spots of strong emotion,' she said. One attack caused two fatalities, another resulted in one fatality, and the other attack caused no fatalities. From 1986 to 1989, four double homicides occurred either on or near the scenic, seemingly safe road. With the help of partnering labs, forensic genealogists are able to use preserved samples to create a DNA profile of the culprit and then use that profile to search public databases for any potential matches. Some detectives believe that Hall and Margaret were the first victims of the Colonial Parkway Killer due to similarities in modus operandi. The Cascade County Sheriffs Office said it appeared to be the oldest homicide case in the United States to be solved with genetic genealogy. "In 1986, DNA was barely out of the lab and it wasnt really used commonly in law enforcement applications. LA County Criminal Prosecutor Loni Coombs and former FBI Special Agent Maureen OConnell are seen here speaking with Bill Thomas. She was actually the most improved Russian speaker at the Naval Academy. They both loved dancing and music, and he was instantly smitten with Patty when they met in December 1955, Sergeant Kadner said. Chilling and eerie connect similarities to four brutal double murders between 1986-1990. A year and a half later, Daniel Lauer, 21, and Annamaria Phelps, 18, went missing on September 5, 1989, following Labor Day Weekend. [32] and "Was the Colonial Parkway Killer Pretending to be Law Enforcement? Documentary 2021 "It was difficult," Thomas admitted. There was some fresh blood in the car, which had been turned off with the key left in auxiliary position and the seats reclined. (Oxygen), "She had been very sorry to leave the Navy after five years, but she didnt feel that it was welcoming for her as a gay woman," said Thomas. They were never seen alive again. The locations of the two sets of murders were just 30 minutes apart, and investigators linked the cases together, but both of them have remained unsolved. A long sixty years after the sweet couples senseless killing and vibrant Kalitzkes brutal rape, the Great Falls Sheriffs Department has finally found their guy. In the late 1980s, one possible serial killer in Virginia claimed at least eight lives along a certain stretch of road connecting the two historically important cities of Jamestown and Yorktown. But because a few sheriffs doggedly refused to give up, Ski and Lloyd have finally found the peace that they and their families deserved since that terrible day in 1956. The office identified Kenneth Gould, a horse trainer who died in 2007, as the likely suspect who had shot and killed Mr. Bogle, 18, and Ms. Kalitzke, 16, more than 65 years ago. Two Montana Sweethearts Were Fatally Shot in 1956. Her purse and Call's wallet were missing. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,