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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/now0w on 2024-01-09 23:26:44+00:00.
Hello all!
Mods feel free to remove this if it's redundant. I noticed that several posts about this had been removed and wanted to do my own writeup that's also a quick intro to the Colonial Parkway murders, but I've just noticed that another post is up discussing this update. Since I've been working on it for a bit I figured I'd share it anyway, but I completely understand if this needs to be removed.
It’s been quite a few years since I made a post here, so I apologize in advance if this writeup is a little rough around the edges. These cases are close to my heart as they are local for me, and have haunted me since I first heard about them as a child. So naturally I was ecstatic to hear that one of the Parkway cases, along with another Virginia cold case, has finally been solved!
On January 8th, several Virginia law enforcement agencies and the FBI held a press conference announcing that Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. was linked through DNA evidence to the 1987 murders of David Knobling and Robin Edwards, as well as the 1989 murder of Teresa Lynn Howell. Wilmer lived in Lancaster County, Virginia, and died in 2017 at the age of 63. According to the authorities involved, if Wilmer were still alive today, he would be charged with the three murders.
Wilmer had never been convicted of a felony, so the absence of his DNA profile in the CODIS database seems to have played a large role in why the cases have taken so long to solve. At this point it is unclear what led to authorities suspecting Wilmer and seeking out his DNA.
David Knobling, Robin Edwards and the Colonial Parkway Murders
David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were last seen on September 19th, 1987. They had first met earlier that day and spent time with one of Edwards’ family members, and it appears that Edwards met up with Knobling again later that night. It’s not known with any certainty why they decided to meet again. (Side-note: Obviously their age difference is concerning, but considering that we can’t know for sure what happened that night and that the case is now solved, I personally don’t think it's the right time to speculate about that. If anyone chooses to do so I only ask that they consider the fact that Robin and David’s family members may see this post. I know for a fact that at least one family member of another Parkway victim has frequented this sub in the past. From what I understand the families of the Colonial Parkway victims are all very close, and I think that the Knobling and Edwards families finally having answers after all this time is what’s most important right now.)
On September 21st, Knobling’s pickup truck was discovered in the parking lot of the Ragged Island Wildlife Management and Refuge Area in Isle of Wight County in southeastern Virginia. The truck’s doors were unlocked, the radio was still playing, and David’s wallet was sitting on the dashboard. Two days later, David and Robin’s bodies were found along the shoreline of the Refuge. They had both been shot in the back of the head, and Robin had been sexually assaulted.
The double homicide has long been linked to three other cases collectively known as the Colonial Parkway murders, as they all involved young couples (or two people together who may have been perceived as a couple) who were killed or disappeared on or relatively near the Parkway between 1986 and 1989. Rebecca Dowski, 21, and Cathleen Thomas, 27, were found brutally murdered at one of the Parkway’s scenic pulloffs overlooking the York River almost a year prior to Knobling and Edwards case. Their throats had been slashed, there were signs of strangulation and rope burns on their wrists, and the killer had attempted to set fire to Thomas’ car by dousing it in fuel. This did not work, however, as diesel fuel was used, which does not burn as readily as regular gasoline.
Cassandra Hailey, 18, and Richard “Keith” Call, 20, disappeared during their first date on April 9th, 1988, and Call’s car was later found at another overlook on the Parkway. Some of their clothing was found in the backseat, and some of Call’s possessions were either on the driver’s seat or the dashboard (I believe these included his car keys, watch, and glasses). The surrounding area and the river were searched, but to this day their bodies have never been found.
In September of 1989, Annamaria Phelps, 18, and her boyfriend’s brother Daniel Lauer, 21, disappeared while traveling to Virginia Beach from the Richmond area on Interstate 64. Lauer’s car was found at the westbound rest stop in New Kent County along I-64, which was the opposite direction that they would have been traveling. It had been parked in a strange way, on the side of the lane that was meant to be used by large trucks to exit the rest stop. If I remember correctly it may have even been partially blocking that lane. The doors were unlocked, and the keys were in the ignition. In October, their bodies were found in a wooded area by hunters within a mile of the rest stop. While a cause of death couldn’t be definitively established, some of their remains bore marks that suggested they may have been stabbed.
Teresa Howell
Aside from David Knobling and Robin Edwards' murders, Alan Wilmer was also linked through DNA evidence to the murder of 29 year-old Teresa Lynn Howell. Howell was last seen outside of the Zodiac Club in Hampton, Virginia in the early morning of July 1st, 1989. Later that day construction workers discovered articles of women’s clothing at their worksite, and Teresa’s body was found nearby. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. For some geographical context, the city of Hampton is only a few miles away from the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge.
Next Steps
Authorities are now seeking more information about Alan Wilmer in an attempt to see if he can be linked to any other crimes. Despite the similarities between Knobling and Edwards' case with the other Colonial Parkway cases, Corinne Geller of the Virginia State Police has said that "at this time there is no forensic nor physical evidence to link the Isle of Wight County homicides to those other double murders."
The following are some quotes from several news articles that provide more information about Alan Wilmer:
From the Richmond Times Dispatch: "Wilmer was 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds, police said. He had brown hair, blue eyes and often sported a close-cropped beard. At the time of the murders, Wilmer drove a “distinctive” blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck. He also owned a small commercial fishing boat, named the Denni Wade, in which he sometimes lived and which he docked in marinas around the Northern Neck. He was a fisherman and avid hunter and ran a business called Better Tree Service, police said."
From Wavy.com: "[...]Officials confirmed Wilmer drove a blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck during the late 1980s, with Virginia license plate: EM-RAW. He also had a white pickup truck, a van, and a silver 1989 Ford F-150."
The Wavy article includes pictures of Wilmer's distinctive blue pickup truck and his boat. Anyone who thinks they may have information pertaining to Alan Wilmer or other crimes he might have been involved with is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or to submit a tip online at www.tips.fbi.gov
Final thoughts
I'm just so happy that at least one of the Colonial Parkway cases have been solved (and another case that we didn't even know was connected!). I hope that even if the other cases aren't connected, this development may help reinvigorate the other investigations. Personally, I've always felt that there are just as many differences as there are similarities between each of the Parkway cases, and I would not be surprised if there are several different perpetrators involved in these crimes.
Thank you all for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts about this update and these cases!
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