Another Cold Case Solved, by jay7777

[Jay7777]

Toronto Police Service Uses Othram's Genetic Testing Platform to Solve the 1983 Murders of Susan Tice and Erin Gilmour
Joseph George Sutherland, 61, of Moosonee, has been arrested for the 1983 assaults and murders of Susan Tice and Erin Gilmour

dnasolves.com/articles/tice-and-gilmour-toronto/

In August 1983, a relative of Susan Tice, 45, went to her home on Grace Street to check on her, where he discovered her body in an upstairs bedroom. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed numerous times. Four months later, in December 1983, a friend went to the home of Erin Gilmour, 22, on Hazelton Avenue and located Erin’s body in a bedroom. She had also been sexually assaulted and stabbed numerous times. The women were not known to one another.

The Toronto Police Homicide and Missing Persons Unit, Cold Case section, has been actively investigating the sexual assaults and murders of these two women since 1983. In 2007, DNA obtained at the crime scenes linked the cases and investigators determined the same man was responsible for both homicides.

Toronto Police made an appeal to the media and the public in November 2008, announcing a reward for information about the homicides, and in March 2016, investigators sent out a YouTube video appealing for any information leading to the identification of a suspect.

In 2019, investigators began an investigation that included the use of forensic genetic genealogy, with the assistance of Othram. The Toronto Police Service and Othram have collaborated on multiple cases, including the 1984 sexual assault and murder of Christine Jessop.

Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile from the remaining trace DNA evidence in the crime. The profile was delivered to the Toronto Police Service and through the use of genetic genealogy, the TPS homicide team was able to identify a suspect in these murders, residing in Moosonee, Ontario. The investigation was led by TPS Detective Steve Smith.

On Friday November 25, 2022, Joseph George Sutherland, 61, of Moosonee, was arrested with the assistance of the O.P.P. He is charged with two counts of First Degree Murder.

“As pleased as we are to bring this individual to justice, it will never bring Erin or Susan back, and on behalf of the Toronto Police Service, I want to express my condolences to their families,” said Chief James Ramer. “After 39 years of dogged police work, our investigators have brought the perpetrator of these terrible crimes to justice. The Toronto Police Service will never give up on finding people who commit crimes in our city and who show a flagrant disregard for people’s lives.”

Toronto Police would like to thank members of our Homicide & Missing Persons Unit, and in particular, our Cold Case team and Forensic Identification team, past and present, for their commitment to bringing this person to justice. TPS would also like to acknowledge the O.P.P. for assisting with the investigation.

Suspect pleads guilty to 1983 Tice and Gilmour murders
October 05, 2023
Today, Joseph George Sutherland pled guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in the 1983 murders of Susan Tice and Erin Gilmour.

[Jay7777]

California cops solve 40-year-old murder case after 'instrumental' DNA helps ID suspect

www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/california-cops-solve-40-year-old-murder-case-after-instrumental-dna-helps-id-suspect/ar-AA1hW7oR?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b8cb8f7e77d4632a582af69d45d38ba&ei=9

Police in Northern California have come one step closer to bringing closure to the family of a 37-year-old brutally murdered over 40 years ago.

Noelle Russo's body was found in an unincorporated area of Rohnert Park, a planned city some 50 miles north of San Francisco, on June 27, 1983.

Russo had been reported missing nearly 48 hours before she was discovered naked and beaten in the Northern California Park.

Sonoma County Sheriff's Department confirmed last week that new DNA tests had made it possible to identify and charge Alfredo Carretero Jr., 65, with the woman's murder.

Deputy Rob Dillon said Carretero's family had been notified about the arrest and "would appreciate some privacy."

Police launched an investigation into Russo's death immediately after her body was discovered but over time the trail ran cold.

In 2010, the sheriff's office finally reopened the cold case and detectives spent the next 13 years submitting DNA evidence found at the crime scene to the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and the Serological Research Institute in the hope of identifying the killer's DNA profile.

The sheriff's office noted Carretero was originally interviewed in connection to Russo's murder and was eventually "positively identified as a suspect in Ms. Russo's murder based on DNA and other evidence."
Carretero was 25 at the time of the murder.

Dillon said: "Throughout this investigation, detectives worked closely with the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office.

"The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and Sonoma County District Attorney's Office are both dedicated to justice for murder victims, whether the case is new or old.

"The VCI Unit continues to investigate many cold cases and relentlessly pursue justice for the victims of violent crime."

Russo was reportedly last seen by a friend with whom she had gone drinking but they had become separated during the night.

Dominique Espinosa, the daughter of Russo's friend, told KGO: "They kind of liked to bar hop a little bit and just like anybody in the area have a little bit of fun, and that's what they were doing the night that she went missing.

"They split up, she said Noelle may have been talking to an ex-boyfriend, but she didn't think it was him that she went off with.

"But somehow they got separated at night, and she couldn't get ahold of her the whole next day and then they, of course, found her."

Espinosa said her mother often became emotional talking about her friend and described Russo as a "beautiful person".

She added: "I think her eyes twinkled when she looked at her.

"She was just a beautiful person, and that is one thing that shined through in my mom's writing that this was somebody she really cared about, and it just devastated her that she lost her."

Carretero was booked at Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility without bail after his arrest last week.

[Jay7777]

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify the Suspect in the 1986 Murder of Teresa Lee Scalf

After 37 years, the suspect in the 1986 murder of 29-year-old Teresa Lee Scalf has been identified as Donald Douglas.

dnasolves.com/articles/theresa-lee-scalf/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20Polk%20County%20Sheriff%E2%80%99s%20Office%20teamed,sent%20to%20Othram%E2%80%99s%20laboratory%20in%20The%20Woodlands%2C%20Texas.

In October 1986, 29-year-old Teresa Lee Scalf, a nurse at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Polk County, Florida, was found murdered in her home. Teresa lived alone with her young son at the home. On October 27, 1986, when her son was away, Teresa was attacked and brutally murdered. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) responded to the scene of the crime and collected forensic evidence as part of their investigation. Among the evidence that was collected at the scene was blood that did not belong to the victim. PCSO detectives determined that the attack was sexually motivated. Ms. Scalf’s neck had been severely cut, and she had significant defensive wounds on her hands. There were no obvious suspects to the crime.

Throughout the course of the investigation, DNA was analyzed from the available forensic evidence and an STR profile was developed and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a consortium of local, state, and national databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons. There were no matches detected in the CODIS search and despite investigators' extensive efforts and thousands of man-hours, the identity of Ms. Scalf’s murderer went undetermined for more than three decades.

In 2022, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office teamed with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify in new leads in the case. Forensic DNA evidence from the crime was sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile from the DNA of the unknown male suspect. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile to produce new investigative leads, which were provided to PCSO detectives.

Using these leads, PCSO detectives conducted interviews with distant relatives of the unknown suspect. These interviews allowed PCSO detectives to narrow their search to a now deceased man who lived directly behind Ms. Scalf at the time of her murder. The suspect’s son cooperated with the investigation and provided a reference DNA sample that was compared with the male suspect DNA collected from the crime scene in 1986. Results of the comparison confirmed a parent-child relationship, thereby confirming that the blood found at the murder scene belonged to Donald Douglas.
Douglas was interviewed by detectives in 1986 during a routine canvass, but at that time, there was no evidence to link him to the murder. Connecting Douglas as a suspect was difficult because Douglas had no criminal history; therefore, his DNA profile was never obtained by law enforcement and was not entered into CODIS. Douglas was 33-years old at the time of Ms. Scalf’s murder. He died in 2008 from natural causes.

PCSO detectives informed Ms. Scalf’s family of the results of the investigation. PCSO Sheriff Grady Judd remarked, "We are extremely grateful for the assistance from Othram, who provided us with the missing element in this investigation, and ultimately enabled this case to finally be solved. Once our detectives had that, they were able to climb through a family tree that led to the identity of Teresa Scalf’s killer. I also want to thank Mr. Douglas’s son, who didn’t hesitate to assist our detectives."

[sammyt]

I wonder what percentage of all these solved US cases are clean skin offenders (men with no criminal records).

These sorts of offenders are the hardest to catch. I also wonder how many of the caught clean skins were known to the investigation.

[cherylh]

The podcast DNA:ID covers cold cases solved through genetic genealogy. It's interesting to see how many perpetrators were never on any suspect lists.

Perpetrators who have no criminal history whatsoever are fairly rare, but not unheard of. Often the criminal record is for offenses one wouldn't necessarily associate with murder.

[Jay7777]

IN suspect arrested 41 years later in connection to cold case murder

A pair of animal trappers discovered Clifford Smith's body along an Indiana river in 1982

www.foxnews.com/us/in-suspect-arrested-41-years-later-connection-cold-case-murder

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the Halloween 1982 cold case slaying of a southern Indiana man, state police announced Tuesday on the 41st anniversary of the crime.

Detectives arrested a 61-year-old Seymour man on a charge of murder in the shooting death of Clifford Smith, 24, on Oct. 31, 1982, police said.

Two animal trappers found Smith’s body on Dec. 1 of that year along the White River just north of Seymour, according to police. Smith’s wife had reported him missing on Nov. 4.

Investigators determined Smith died from a gunshot wound to his head.

Sgt. Kip Main began investigating the case in September 2015 and learned the suspect was at a home with Smith and other people on Oct. 30, 1982, police said.

The suspect got a shotgun from the house, loaded it and left the home in a car with Smith, according to police. Smith was not seen alive again.

As a result of the investigation, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, who was taken into custody Thursday, police said.

Seymour is 58 miles south of Indianapolis.

[Jay7777]

Maybe?:

Just what happened to him and the whereabouts of his body have become legends and folklore

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jimmy-hoffa-found-cold-case-crime-investigators-think-they-ve-cracked-decades-old-mystery/ar-AA1jfo6F?ocid=iehp&cvid=982e4970dac64a12803292203842d429&ei=7

The Case Breakers, a nonprofit group of cold case investigators, said the body of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, which has been missing for decades, may be buried at a demolished MLB stadium.

An ace of spades playing card with "scribbled handwriting" from a dying ex-sergeant led the group to the old site of Milwaukee County Stadium in Wisconsin, the New York Post reported.

The location is next to the current Milwaukee Brewers stadium, American Family Field. The group believes Hoffa is buried under where the demolished stadium’s third-base line was located.

Hoffa was the larger-than-life labor union leader, who went missing in 1975 when he was allegedly on his way to a meeting with mob boss Anthony “Tony Jack” Giacalone and New Jersey Teamsters local union boss “Tony Pro” Provenzano.
Hoffa was legally declared dead in 1982. Just what happened to him and the whereabouts of his body have become legends and folklore.

Jim Zimmerman, a member of the Case Breakers for 13 years and a former police officer, found the card. The ex-sergeant who wrote it was allegedly involved in Hoffa's kidnapping.

“Independent sources in three states convinced the volunteer investigators that CSI forensics will reveal Hoffa’s remains at a little league field, in the shadow of Milwaukee’s MLB stadium,” the group said in a press release.

The alleged burial site is near a Little League stadium, Helfaer Field, which was built in 2002.

The group studied old aerial photographs and GPS satellite images. Members also visited the location and deployed “ground-penetrating radar over the remote location three times.”

The equipment could not detect below five feet because of an “unexpected clay layer” blocking the radar. The group said it proves that a dig happened at the location and it was “hurriedly excavated and backfilled.”

Case Breakers founder Thomas J. Colbert told Fox News Digital that the team brought a “top” cadaver dog expert to the site, retired cop Carren Corcoran, and her dog gave a positive signal multiple times.

“This gal has, I believe the figure is over 200 cases of finding either the dead or the missing,” Colbert said. “She’s phenomenal, and she brought in her dog and where does the dog go? Right to the ground penetration radar spot three years earlier, and that’s where we got excited.”

The group is working with local authorities and the FBI to dig at the site, according to the Post.

[cherylh]

This is the same group that claimed to have solved the Zodiac case.

Here's a fun thing to do whenever you have a few free hours:

Google the names of the people who are members of the group. Check out their backgrounds.

Notice how many have been in past trouble for claiming experience and qualifications that they don't have.

Notice how many list teaching positions at colleges. Notice how many list the same colleges. Google those colleges, and you'll see that many of them are degree factories that have been sanctioned and/or shut down for defrauding students.

You can continue to have fun doing deep dives into the backgrounds of several of the people in this group. We're talking some wonderfully inflated resumes, and in some instances, outright con artists.

[Jay7777]

The Alberta RCMP & Calgary Police Service Leverage Othram's Genetic Testing Platform to Solve the 1976 Murder of Pauline Brazeau

Ronald James Edwards, 73, of Sundre has been arrested for the 1976 murder of Pauline Brazeau.



In January 1976, 16-year-old Pauline Brazeau visited a pizza diner in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for dinner and drinks, where she was last seen alive around three o’clock in the morning. Hours later, Pauline’s body was discovered in Cochrane, a rural city that is located approximately 22 miles from Calgary. An autopsy confirmed that Pauline’s manner of death was homicide. Brazeau was a single mother who had recently moved to Calgary from Saskatchewan. For decades, law enforcement worked to identify the person responsible for Pauline’s death, but a suspect was not identified.

In 1995 a task force investigated the cold case, and despite exhaustive efforts, the case remained unsolved. Later in 2021, the Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police worked with the Calgary Police Service to re-evaluate homicide investigations dating back to the 1970s. Brazeau’s murder was included in this effort and the decision to utilize forensic genetic genealogy was made in hopes that advanced DNA testing could generate new leads and solve the decades-old mystery of Pauline’s killer.

In 2022, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. With this forensic evidence, Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown suspect. After successfully completing the process, the DNA profile was delivered to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who worked with forensic genetic genealogists from Convergence Investigative Genetic Genealogy to generate new leads in the case. The leads were returned to law enforcement investigators who continued working the case.

Empowered with new leads, investigators were able to eventually identify the unknown suspect in Brazeau's murder as 73-year-old Ronald James Edwards of Sundre, Alberta, Canada. Edwards was arrested on November 7, 2023 on murder charges consistent with the 1976 Criminal Code that was in place at the time of Brazeau’s murder. Following a Judicial Interim Release Hearing, Edwards has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on November 14, 2023.

The case is ongoing and updates will be provided as they become available.


dnasolves.com/

[Jay7777]

Michigan State Police & St. Clair Sheriff's Department Team with Othram to Identify Suspect in the 1980 Murder of Karen Umphrey
Douglas Laming, 70, of Fort Gratiot, Michigan has been identified as the suspect in the 1980 murder of 21-year-old Karen Umphrey.

.

Summary

In November 1980, 21-year-old Karen Umphrey was found murdered in the State Game Area of Beards Hills, Michigan near Port Huron. Port Huron is the county seat of St. Clair County. The identity of the person responsible for Karen’s death was not known and despite investigators attempts to identify the killer, the case went cold. For more than four decades, investigators continued their pursuit to identify the person responsible for Karen’s death.

Working with the Michigan State Police and Othram, a company specializing in forensic genetic geneology, information was uncovered that previously would have been impossible to find.
-St. Clair County Sheriff's Office
In 2022, the Michigan State Police submitted forensic DNA evidence from the crime scene to Othram. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile from the DNA of the unknown contributor that was discovered at the crime scene in 1980. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the genealogical profile to produce investigative leads. Othram returned the investigative leads to the Michigan State Police and they worked with St. Clair County Sheriff Department investigators to continue the investigation.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office detectives spoke to many people that were connected to the victim or the suspect in the 1980s, gathering information, and making vital connections. This follow up investigation led to the identification of Douglas Laming as the suspect in Karen’s murder. Laming is now 70 years-old and from Fort Gratiot, Michigan. Laming was arrested on December 15, 2023 and has been charged with first-degree murder, punishable with up to life in prison. He was arraigned Sunday, December 17, 2023 and is expected to appear in court for a probable cause conference on December 26, 2023.

The case is ongoing and we will update this story as more information becomes available.

[mustangman]

Dec 18, 2023 19:55:13 GMT Jay7777 said:

Michigan State Police & St. Clair Sheriff's Department Team with Othram to Identify Suspect in the 1980 Murder of Karen Umphrey
Douglas Laming, 70, of Fort Gratiot, Michigan has been identified as the suspect in the 1980 murder of 21-year-old Karen Umphrey.

.

Summary

In November 1980, 21-year-old Karen Umphrey was found murdered in the State Game Area of Beards Hills, Michigan near Port Huron. Port Huron is the county seat of St. Clair County. The identity of the person responsible for Karen’s death was not known and despite investigators attempts to identify the killer, the case went cold. For more than four decades, investigators continued their pursuit to identify the person responsible for Karen’s death.

Working with the Michigan State Police and Othram, a company specializing in forensic genetic geneology, information was uncovered that previously would have been impossible to find.
-St. Clair County Sheriff's Office
In 2022, the Michigan State Police submitted forensic DNA evidence from the crime scene to Othram. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile from the DNA of the unknown contributor that was discovered at the crime scene in 1980. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the genealogical profile to produce investigative leads. Othram returned the investigative leads to the Michigan State Police and they worked with St. Clair County Sheriff Department investigators to continue the investigation.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office detectives spoke to many people that were connected to the victim or the suspect in the 1980s, gathering information, and making vital connections. This follow up investigation led to the identification of Douglas Laming as the suspect in Karen’s murder. Laming is now 70 years-old and from Fort Gratiot, Michigan. Laming was arrested on December 15, 2023 and has been charged with first-degree murder, punishable with up to life in prison. He was arraigned Sunday, December 17, 2023 and is expected to appear in court for a probable cause conference on December 26, 2023.

The case is ongoing and we will update this story as more information becomes available.

and yet how is it possible that the Hair DNA in the Colonial Parkway murders hasnt been tested by Othram?!?!!?   total bullshit....

Oh wait, i forgot that Bill Thomas said that the FBI is now saying that there is no hair to be tested?!!?   so is it a lie that police 1st reported that a clump of hair was found in Cathy Thomas dead hand?  or is it now a lie that the FBI says there is no hair?  I'd go with Bill's gut instinct about it being a lie by the FBI....  Someone doesnt want the Parkway killings to be solved and it's not the families of the victims!!   


Mustang:

We cannot get a straight answer out of the FBI on the hair. Now they are saying there is no hair again, which I believe is a lie.

Thanks.
Bill

[Jay7777]

Dec 19, 2023 3:26:33 GMT mustangman said:

Dec 18, 2023 19:55:13 GMT Jay7777 said:

Michigan State Police & St. Clair Sheriff's Department Team with Othram to Identify Suspect in the 1980 Murder of Karen Umphrey
Douglas Laming, 70, of Fort Gratiot, Michigan has been identified as the suspect in the 1980 murder of 21-year-old Karen Umphrey.

.

Summary

In November 1980, 21-year-old Karen Umphrey was found murdered in the State Game Area of Beards Hills, Michigan near Port Huron. Port Huron is the county seat of St. Clair County. The identity of the person responsible for Karen’s death was not known and despite investigators attempts to identify the killer, the case went cold. For more than four decades, investigators continued their pursuit to identify the person responsible for Karen’s death.

Working with the Michigan State Police and Othram, a company specializing in forensic genetic geneology, information was uncovered that previously would have been impossible to find.
-St. Clair County Sheriff's Office
In 2022, the Michigan State Police submitted forensic DNA evidence from the crime scene to Othram. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile from the DNA of the unknown contributor that was discovered at the crime scene in 1980. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the genealogical profile to produce investigative leads. Othram returned the investigative leads to the Michigan State Police and they worked with St. Clair County Sheriff Department investigators to continue the investigation.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office detectives spoke to many people that were connected to the victim or the suspect in the 1980s, gathering information, and making vital connections. This follow up investigation led to the identification of Douglas Laming as the suspect in Karen’s murder. Laming is now 70 years-old and from Fort Gratiot, Michigan. Laming was arrested on December 15, 2023 and has been charged with first-degree murder, punishable with up to life in prison. He was arraigned Sunday, December 17, 2023 and is expected to appear in court for a probable cause conference on December 26, 2023.

The case is ongoing and we will update this story as more information becomes available.

and yet how is it possible that the Hair DNA in the Colonial Parkway murders hasnt been tested by Othram?!?!!?   total bullshit....

Oh wait, i forgot that Bill Thomas said that the FBI is now saying that there is no hair to be tested?!!?   so is it a lie that police 1st reported that a clump of hair was found in Cathy Thomas dead hand?  or is it now a lie that the FBI says there is no hair?  I'd go with Bill's gut instinct about it being a lie by the FBI....  Someone doesnt want the Parkway killings to be solved and it's not the families of the victims!!   


Mustang:

We cannot get a straight answer out of the FBI on the hair. Now they are saying there is no hair again, which I believe is a lie.

Thanks.
Bill


Or evidence gets lost of destroyed from back in the 1980's.   

[mustangman]

Dec 20, 2023 2:07:46 GMT Jay7777 said:

Dec 19, 2023 3:26:33 GMT mustangman said:

and yet how is it possible that the Hair DNA in the Colonial Parkway murders hasnt been tested by Othram?!?!!?   total bullshit....

Oh wait, i forgot that Bill Thomas said that the FBI is now saying that there is no hair to be tested?!!?   so is it a lie that police 1st reported that a clump of hair was found in Cathy Thomas dead hand?  or is it now a lie that the FBI says there is no hair?  I'd go with Bill's gut instinct about it being a lie by the FBI....  Someone doesnt want the Parkway killings to be solved and it's not the families of the victims!!   


Mustang:

We cannot get a straight answer out of the FBI on the hair. Now they are saying there is no hair again, which I believe is a lie.

Thanks.
Bill


Or evidence gets lost of destroyed from back in the 1980's.   

"Or evidence gets lost of destroyed from back in the 1980's."


Now thats my favorite excuse!!   ok, let's say the Hair sample got lost, but the family's were told not too many years ago, by the FBI, that there was DNA eveidence in 3 of the 4 colonial murders....  That evidence came from back in the 1980's and didnt get lost, so back to my original impilication of why isnt any of it being tested by Othram?!!?!?   it didnt take this long for Deangelo to be named by DNA.  there is no excuse!  are we going to hear next that "the dog ate it" ?   give me a break.

[Jay7777]

Is this our guy?:

www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/has-mystery-serial-killer-been-found-police-id-fisherman-alan-wilmer-sr-as-suspect-linked-to-three-cold-cases-in-virginia-including-victims-of-colonial-parkway-murders/ar-AA1mHXp0?cvid=34108433a86e40709f28f4b5b2ed5748&ei=13

Has mystery serial killer been found? Police ID fisherman Alan Wilmer Sr as suspect linked to three cold cases in Virginia - including victims of Colonial Parkway Murders


Alan W. Wilmer Sr., 63, who died in December 2017, has been linked to three unsolved homicides that occurred in the late 1980s
David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were found shot in the head along the bank of the James River at Colonial Parkway in September 1987
Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell, 29, died of strangulation in Hampton in July 1989


A Virginia fisherman who died in 2017 has been linked to three unsolved homicides that occurred in the late 1980s - including two from a series of unsolved slayings known as the 'Colonial Parkway Murders'.

Alan W. Wilmer Sr., 63, is suspected to be behind the killing of David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, at Colonial Parkway in September 1987, police revealed Monday.

He has also been accused of the murder of Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell, 29, in Hampton in July 1989.

Officials confirmed both Edwards and Howell had been sexually assaulted and they would have charged Wilmer if he had been alive.

Authorities were only able to find a DNA-based link between Wilmer and the victims after he died in December 2017 since he was not a convicted felon, which meant his DNA was not in any law enforcement databases.


Once Wilmer's DNA was in the database, The Virginia Department of Forensic Science was able to find a connection and issue a 'Certificate of Analysis' confirming a genetic match between the suspect and the victims in 2023.

Corinne Geller, a Virginia State Police spokeswoman, said at a news conference: 'Part of the cold case philosophy is to go back over and start re-looking and going back through all the witness statements, all the evidence.

'And it's a very time consuming, very complex, but a very effective way.'

She also read aloud a joint statement from the families of Knobling and Edwards, which thanked the investigating law enforcement agencies.

'For 36 years, our families have lived in a vacuum of the unknown,' the statement said. 'We have lived with the fear of worrying that a person capable of deliberately killing Robin and David could attack and claim another victim.

'Now we have a sense of relief and justice knowing that he can no longer victimize another. His death will not allow us to seek out the answers to countless questions that have haunted us for so long.'

On September 22, 1987, Knobling and Edwards 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 at Colonial Parkway.

The two had been missing since September 19, though Edwards' family initially thought she had run away as she had in the past.

Knobling had taken Edwards out with his younger brother and cousin that day. After he dropped her off that night, she snuck out to meet him.

It's unclear what they were doing together.

Knobling, who worked at his father's landscaping business, was expecting a baby with his longtime girlfriend.

Between the years of 1986-1989, eight men and women, including Knobling and Edwards, had been murdered at the Parkway.

Geller confirmed that no forensic or physical evidence currently links Wilmer to the remaining six murders, although the other cases are still active.

Hampton Police Captain Rebecca Warren also read aloud a statement from Howell's family that thanked investigators.

'Their dedication, relentless efforts and evolving technology have brought us closure that we have sought over the last 34 years,' the statement said. 'While we are grateful for the closure that has been provided, nothing will bring Terry back. The void left by her absence over the years is inexpressible.'

According to officials, Howell was last seen alive on July 1, 1989, at approximately 2.30am in the City of Hampton outside of the Zodiac Club - which no longer exists.

Later that same day, at approximately 10.10am, a construction crew discovered women's clothing near their work site. An unidentified woman was found dead shortly afterwards in the nearby wood line.

On July 4, 1989, a missing person report was filed in York County, identifying the female victim as Howell. Officials said she had died as a result of strangulation.


Geller said investigators are actively pursuing leads on the other killings and have not ruled anything out, including Wilmer's potential involvement.

Investigators are still working to reconstruct his movements and encounters with others during his lifetime.

Police said the suspect drove a distinctive, blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the Virginia license plate 'EM-RAW', one of several pickup trucks Wilmer was known to drive in the 80s and early 90s.

Wilmer also had a small commercial fishing boat named the Denni Wade, a 1976 custom-built wooden boat. This would be docked at marinas in Gloucester and Middlesex counties and around the Northern Neck. His trade during the 80s was as a fisherman, farming mainly clams and oysters.

[Jay7777]

Sounds like it:

Deceased Virginia fisherman Alan Wilmer ID’d as cold-case killer