The crimes seemed motiveless. Kenneth Gould, who has been identified as the suspect in the 1956 killings of two teenagers in Great Falls, Mont., died in 2007. Weve got amazing investigators working on our case. The test results said Gould was the guy. Both driver and passenger side doors were unlocked with the keys still in the ignition. Kalitzkes parents expected them home at a decent hour: she had school in the morning. He would have been 29 years old when he committed the lovers lane murders. Princess' abseiling trip to Wales with Prince William echoes a heartwarming childhood A new Coronation do? But it definitely reopens old wounds that have had a chance to crust over.. Thomas described the Colonial Parkway as a popular spot to travel along the river. After the killings, he left the area and was seen living in two other Montana towns before moving to Alton, Mo., in 1967. "I cant emphasize this enough, but there was a tremendous amount of resistance for those women joining the academy," Thomas explained. The series made its debut on February 1112, 2021. ET on Oxygen. 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. ", "Who Committed The Lovers' Lane Murders? Still, he hopes that it can be used to help law enforcement improve public safety and "[prevent] tomorrow's victim.". On Saturday April 2, 1988, Lauries body was spotted floating in the James River off Craney Island near Ragged Island. The outlet noted that there were no clear signs of robbery or rape for any of these cases. On August 21, 1984, the bodies of Michael Sturgis Mike Margaret, 21, a graduate of J.R. Tucker High School, and Donna Lynn Hall, 18, a graduate of Freeman High School, were found in a wooded area approximately 300 yards southwest of the Kings Crossing Apartment Complex in the 10,000 block of Patterson Avenue near Gaskins Road in Richmond, Virginia. At that time the police believed that the murders happened elsewhere, and the bodies had been dumped in the car since there was not much blood in the car itself. When the couple didnt show, they hoped (prayed) the two had eloped. A day later, CallLess's Toyota Celica was found at a York River overlook that was only a few miles away from whereThomas and Dowski had been murdered two years prior. Both victims were partially clothed. However, Thomas claimed new tips come in "every week or two," giving hope that these cold cases can be solved today. The Colonial Parkway is a 22-mile long thoroughfare that cuts through the Colonial National Historical Park and connects Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Crime: Eight people were murdered at the Colonial Parkway over a four-year span, starting with the slaying of Cathy Thomas, 27, (L) and Rebecca 'Becky' Dowski, 21, (R) in October 1986, Loss Thomas and Dowski had been dating for several months and went missing on October 9, 1986, after they were seen leaving the College of William and Mary computer lab together, Murder: Thomas's white 1980 Honda Civic, had been pushed down an embankment off of the Colonial Parkway in Williamsburg. The James River as seen from College Creek Beach on the Colonial Parkway. The shocking lovers' lane murders in Virginia's Colonial Parkway have never been solved. Genealogy may have solved 1996 case. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Jon Kadner was handed the lovers lane murders, a case long gone cold, and he wasnt falling for the Edwards line. The teenagers were last seen at Petes Drive-In restaurant in Great Falls, just after 9 p.m. on Jan. 2, 1956. Cathy had graduated from the U.S. Both had Demerol, a narcotic sedative in their systems. "It felt great because for the first time in 65 years we finally had a direction and a place to take the investigation," Kadner told NPR. "I look around now and there are all of these amazing women in the United States and around the world doing incredible things," said Thomas. After forensic genealogy was used to finally nab the Golden State Killer the year prior, law enforcement officials were becoming increasingly aware of the potential to use that technology to solve cold cases even decades-old cases like Kalitzke and Bogle's. But their love story was brutally cut short by the actions of a killer whose identity would not be revealed for more than 60 years. Camerons book alleged that Edwards had also killed JonBenet Ramsey and Jimmy Hoffa. She was brilliant, beautiful and well-educated, but she was also thoughtful, modest and a deep thinker. All of the victims were young, White, and were either a romantic couple or could resemble one to an outsider. High school classmates David Faraday and Betty Lou Jenson had stopped on Lake Herman Road, a popular spot for "parking" at the time. Cathy was eager to introduce her new girlfriend to the family during Thanksgiving that year. The cases are now the subject of a new four-part true-crime docu-series on Oxygen titled "Lovers Lane Murders." 18 year-old Lloyd Duane Bogle, from Waco, Texas, was a Christmas guest at the Kalitzke home, and had stayed over the new year. The series was published again by the paper in 2010. But now, a team of former FBI agents aim to bring the monster to justice. Newspaper clippings from the investigative file into the 1956 murders of Duane Bogle, 18, and Patricia Kalitzke, 16, in Great Falls, Mont. (Oxygen). LA County Criminal Prosecutor Loni Coombs and former FBI Special Agent Maureen OConnell are seen here speaking with Bill Thomas. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Pettinger's murder remains unsolved and occurred during and around the area where the Colonial Parkway murders took place. They had their answer on January 4th, when a county road worker found Kalitzkes body 7 miles north of the murder scene, at the bottom of a steep embankment on a lonely Cascade County highway. The cause of death remains unknown, though forensics suggested that Phelps may have been stabbed. Despite her drive and determination, Cathy left the Navy just before her death. at 2:00 a.m. on August 18, only hours after they were last seen. His hands had been tied behind his back with his own belt. ", 16 things to know about the brutal 1984 murder of a West End couple, People sharing tips about 1984 murder of young couple in West End woods. "[27], On April 25, 2019, The New York Times published a story on the use of DNA in the Golden State Killer case, the Colonial Parkway murders and other unsolved homicides titled Sooner or Later, Your Cousin's DNA is Going to Solve a Murder. 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. Laurie was not scheduled to be at work on March 9 and her family assumed she was staying with a friend. But there was one big problem: Gould had died in 2007 and his remains had been cremated, according to the Tribune. 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. When they didnt come home that night, their families assumed they had eloped, Sergeant Kadner said. Market data provided by Factset. It's been almost 35 years since a series of double homicides dubbed the Colonial Parkway murders began, and despite decades of investigations into the crimes that shocked and rocked Virginia, the killer, or possibly killers, still have not been identified. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, PrettyLittleThing - Offers on women's clothing, Get inspired by the newest styles and offers, Click through for ASOS promo codes this Autumn, Spend less with Missguided's exclusive codes, Treat yourself to offers on make-up and accessories, Check out the latest Wayfair sale to save on furniture. Three pairs of victims were recovered, and another couple remains missing and presumed murdered. "Because it was all theories up to that point we finally had a match and we had a name. Actor Steve Altes portrayed the killer. The Colonial Parkway murders were the murders of at least eight people along the Colonial Parkway in South-East Virginia between 1986 and 1989. The wallet had contained at least $20 in cash. However, Cathy was unafraid to try things that no one else had done before. Neither of them has been seen again. ET. Pettinger also worked as a security guard and loss prevention officer for the same security services company where Colonial Parkway victim Robin Edwards' mother, Bonnie Edwards, worked as a receptionist at the time of Robin's murder.[9]. The Atlanta Lover's Lane Murders were a series of unsolved shooting attacks on three different couples in Atlanta, Georgia from January to March 1977. "When Cathy and Becky were killed, we thought it might be a hate crime. [28], On July 30, 2019, The Washington Post ran a story on the search for answers in the Colonial Parkway murders and other cases titled Victims, Families and America's Thirst for True-Crime Stories [29], On September 17, 2020, the publication Forensic Genomics published an article by family member Bill Thomas covering the Colonial Parkway murders entitled "The Family Perspective. The only way to prove his guilt or his innocence was to test the DNA of his remaining relatives. "[24], On July 23, 2018. She was one of several family members to pursue the Navy. [8], Brian Craig Pettinger, 25, a heavy equipment operator, was last seen at a Hampton, Virginia dance club on December 4, 1987, at 11:30 p.m. Two months later on February 3, 1988, Pettingers body was found by fishermen floating in a marshy area of the James River in Suffolk, Virginia near the mouth of the Chuckatuck Creek that flows into the James River. They both loved dancing and music, and he was instantly smitten with Patty when they met in December 1955, Sergeant Kadner said. According to the synopsis of 'Lovers' Lane Murders', "In the premiere episode, after US Naval Academy graduate Cathy Thomas and her girlfriend Becky Dowski are murdered in a . The jogger assumed that a drunk driver might have accidentally swerved there so they alerted a highway patrolman who arrived on scene and discovered Thomas and Dowski's bodies inside Thomas's white 1980 Honda Civic. But when you put everything together, theres no doubt in my mind that hes the suspect.. 10 The First Murders Photo credit: Wild Blue Press In 2019, with the help of Bode Technology, a Virginia company that specializes in DNA analysis, another DNA profile was extracted from the sample, which enabled investigators to build a family tree that led them to Mr. Gould, Sergeant Kadner said. '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. [citation needed] The show mentioned that this disappearance may be part of the Colonial Parkway murders. We have forensic genealogy available.". 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. A lovers' lane is a secluded area where people kiss, make out, or engage in sexual activity. (Oxygen). Lovers' Lane Murders: With Maureen O'Connell, Jim Clemente, Loni Coombs, Dan Matteucci. Over the next half century, detectives investigated about 35 potential suspects, including James (Whitey) Bulger, the notorious South Boston mobster who was convicted in 2013 of participating in 11 murders. [10][11] Detective Steve Spingola who was asked to investigate the Colonial Parkway murders as a private investigator believed that the murders of Cathy and Rebecca were not related to the other Colonial Parkway murders at all and were, in fact, connected to the double homicide that occurred in Shenandoah National Park in 1996. Inside the back end there were two suitcases and a paper bag filled with clothes. From the Texas Killing Fields to the Lover's Lane Murders, Houston has some disturbing unsolved homicides. Both victims had red lipstick circles on their foreheads. 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. An autopsy found rope burns on their necks and wrists, signs of strangulation, their throats had been slashed so deeply that they were nearly decapitated, and the killer had covered the bodies and vehicle with gasoline, but not actually lit them on fire. Both victims had been shot; Robin in the back of the head execution-style, and David twice, once in the head and once in the shoulder like he had been running from the killer. It worked: DNA testing led investigators to a man named Kenneth Gould. In 1991, the Virginian Pilot ran a three-part series on the Colonial Parkway murders by reporter Greg Schneider, who was permitted special access to FBI lead investigator Robert Meadows. Bogles killer didnt bother to steal his valuables or money or even turn off his car, which was found with its ignition engaged, its headlights lit, and its emergency brake on. Naval Academy in 1981 as part of its second class to admit women. Entertainment Television presented a full-length documentary, THS Investigates Serial Killers on the Loose, which features a segment on the Colonial Parkway murders. ", EMILIE MORRIS, THE FORMER STUDENT WHO DIED AFTER ACCUSING HER COACH OF ABUSE, BECOMES FOCUS OF TRUE-CRIME DOC. It was at a lover's lane in Benicia, CA in December of 1968 where the still-unknown Zodiac killer apparently murdered his first victims. In October 1986, the bodies of Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski were discovered inside the 1980 Honda Civic that belonged to Thomass sibling. Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. Police assume Daniel died similarly. Sergeant Kadner said the crucial piece of evidence was a DNA sample from a sperm cell that had been collected from Ms. Kalitzkes body during her autopsy. Phelps was dating Lauer's brother at the time. 'People are attracted to spots of strong emotion,' she said. [1] In each incident, a young couple sitting in a vehicle was targeted and both were killed. Similar to the Amber case, this is a killer who knew the area well enough to know that this spot was frequented by couples. She'd been sexually assaulted and murdered. Jon Kadner of the Cascade County Sheriffs Office in Montana was told in 2012 that he was being put in charge of the investigation into a long-unsolved double homicide, the case was already more than 50 years old. Traci Rosenbaum/The Great Falls Tribune, via Associated Press. She was wearing a purple pullover, cotton shirt with a white collar, purple and cream coloured pants, and a dungaree jacket. Where was their daughter? It's unclear what they were doing together. Three days later, the two bodies were discovered by Knobling's father and a search party along the water's edge of the James River. Thomas's wallet was found open and face down on the floorboard of the driver's side, Horrific: Their bodies were found bound with rope inside the vehicle. Some people just have secrets that they never told anybody, the sergeant recalled. There were two pairs of underwear, shoes, and Knobling's wallet were found in the car, which ruled robbery out as a probable motive. 'Lovers lanes they are places that killers target. Cheryl's body was found underneath a fence not too far from Andy's abandoned car. She had been shot in the head, just as Bogle had been, but she had also been sexually assaulted. Multiple reports alleged Edwards had snuck out to meet Knobling before they were killed. Before moving to Missouri in 1967, Gould had lived with his wife and children in the Great Falls area around the time of the murders, according to the Tribune. The next morning, three boys hiking by Sun River found Bogles body near his car on lovers lane. hide caption. Traci Rosenbaum/USA Today Network via Reuters Co. So she decided that the Navy wasnt the right place for her. Ski and Lloyd waited sixty years for justice: a time they could have spent building a whole lifetime together. ', 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. After he dropped her off that night, she snuck out to meet him. The same gun, a .38 caliber pistol, was used in all three shootings, which suggested that a single perpetrator was responsible for all . A DNA profile of a suspect in 2001 was developed using forensic evidence preserved from Kalitzke . Although there are suspects, the murders remain unsolved. ', Still missing: Christopher Newport University students Richard CallLess, 20, (L) and Cassandra Hailey, 18, (R) vanished in April 1988 after attending a party together, Last: In September 1989, Daniel Lauer, 21, (L) and Annamaria Phelps, 18, (R) went missing on their way to Virginia Beach, but their bodies weren't found until a month late. "So people knew you could go there and basically be left alone, especially at night. Remember, this was over 30 years ago in Virginia, which is a very conservative, military area. Premiering on February 11,Oxygen's two-night true-crime special Lovers' Lane Murdersfocuses on the slaying of eight men and women at the Colonial Parkway, a 23-mile stretch that linksthe historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. And Becky was also extremely athletic. "In those first classes at the service academies, they were subject to such levels of hatred and harassment. Scientists May Have Figured Out The Root Cause Of Gray Hair. Two Montana Sweethearts Were Fatally Shot in 1956. Police dogs tracked the two students scent to the York River shoreline. "It was such a big case. Laura was found inside the tent. Was she alive, or had she been murdered along with her boyfriend? [3] There were 150 partial latent prints found on and in the car, in addition to full prints but they matched to no one in the records, however. Are Anti-Assault Gadgets Actually Effective For Protecting Against Sexual Assault? Her body was found nude, no bindings, and with multiple stab wounds to her back. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, During Kalitzke's autopsy in 1956, coroners had taken a vaginal swab, which had been preserved on a microscopic slide in the years since, according to the Great Falls Tribune report. Jon Kadner, who was assigned the case in 2012 his first cold case, he said during an interview with NPR. On Sunday morning, October 12, 1986, Columbus Day weekend, a pedestrian jogger saw a car down an embankment at the Cheatham Annex Overlook on the Colonial Parkway seven miles east of Williamsburg, Virginia and a mile from the Cheatham Annex Naval Base where it was obscured from the view of the road. They were last seen attending a party in the University Square area in Newport News, Virginia at 1:30 a.m. on April 10. The screen for King Charles' coronation anointing is revealed, Devastating tornado picks up car and hurls it through air in Florida, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Moment large saltwater crocodile snatches pet dog off beach in QLD, Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol, 'You motherf***ers don't understand': Bam Margera details 'turmoil', Australian tourist allegedly spits in the face of a Java Imam, Biden jokes about key political figures at WH Correspondence Dinner, Monstrous tornado seen bearing down on Palm Beach, Doctor slams Laurence Fox for 'spewing out biased views'. The four episodes were to feature former FBI profiler Jim Clemente, as well as investigators including former FBI Agent Maureen O'Connell and former prosecutor Loni Coombs, together with crime scene reconstruction expert Dr. Laura Pettler. 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.
Dragon Quest 11 Best Character Builds,
Trader Joe's Simpler Wines Nutrition,
Ezekiel 16:6 Stop Bleeding,
Articles L