In the late 80s, a string of eight horrific murders occurred along the historical Colonial Parkway roadway, claiming the lives of Cathy Thomas (27), Rebecca Dowski (21), David Knobling (20), Robin Edwards (14), Richard Keith Call (20), Cassandra Hailey (18), Daniel Lauer (20), and Annamaria Phelps (18). These crimes gained public attention and were coined as the “Colonial Parkway murders.” For almost 40 years, examiners were unable to find any causation for the crimes nor a distinct perpetrator. However, during 2024 and 2025, Virginia State Police announced Northern Neck man, Alan Wilmer Sr., was responsible for four of the linked murders.
Of the eight murders, Wilmer Sr.’s DNA matched that of victims Edwards, Knobling, Howell and examiners believe him to have likely killed Call and Hailey. Days after being reported missing, Edwards and Knobling washed up on the James River shoreline, shot execution style. His next victim, Howell, was unconnected to the historic parkway; however, Wilmer Sr.’s DNA matched evidence from the crime scene. The remaining couple: Christopher Newport College students, Call and Hailey, remain missing to this day, yet authorities suspect Wilmer Sr. to be responsible for their disappearance.
The namesake location of the murders exposed the victims to danger and lacked any escape opportunities or safety precautions. Colonial Parkway is respected as an important historical landmark today. In the 80s, it was a hotspot for hookups, illegal drugs and underage drinking, with few access points, limited patrolling and no call boxes. Wilmer Sr. targeted the parkway in search of cars occupied by two people and he was likely to have impersonated a law enforcement officer to gain proximity to the couples.
The case remained open for 40 years due to insufficient technology, poor initial handling of evidence and lack of the suspect’s DNA. During the initial investigation, Wilmer Sr. was a questioned suspect, yet after passing a polygraph test, he was released. No DNA sample was obtained at this time since Wilmer Sr. had been ruled out as a suspect, and authorities had no jurisdiction to retrieve one. However, in 2023, after Wilmer Sr.’s passing, authorities legally obtained a sample of his DNA and tested it for a match with the victims.
To conclude, the recent announcement identifying Wilmer Sr. as the perpetrator brought a measure of closure to the families who had waited four decades for an answer. For many, simply knowing who was responsible, after years of uncertainty, speculation, and conspiracy theories, was a great relief. However, the revelation is linked to a cruel caveat: because Wilmer Sr. died in 2017, the case’s finality means there will be no legal justice. There will be no trial, no conviction, and no formal legal penalty served, leaving the families with the lingering pain of only having an identity and no courtroom accountability. Furthermore, the investigation is still ongoing to determine if Wilmer Sr. was involved in the murders of the other four victims, and authorities are actively using the DNA breakthrough to ensure he is not linked to any other unsolved cold cases in the region.
