[1][2] ", Following this development, it was announced that the FBI would be getting involved in the investigation. With the cooperating inmate no longer speaking, this lead quickly wilted. This semen sample would remain untested for several decades, but needless to say that would come up much later. The killer has been unidentified even after nearly half a century, though the police identified several suspects who might have been the said serial killer. Post author: Post published: January 28, 2023 Post category: kennings for tree kennings for tree In fact, Maryland police claimed there were no similarities between Angelas death and the murder of six other girls in D.C. Her body was found November 26, 1972, under a bridge in the 4000 block of Bladensburg Road NE. We do know that several investigators were working hard on the case, but simply had very little to work with - this was the 1970's, after all, and barring some kind of explosive eyewitness testimony, there was little for detectives to work with. They dedicated many more man-hours to political scandals and dealing with Vietnam protests - and to the loved ones left without any answers - it seemed like detectives cared very little about six dead black girls. While she remains hopeful the killings eventually will be solved, Jenkins believes the passage of time already has diminished the chances of closing the case. In December of 1938 - when Askins was a much younger man - he had poisoned a sex worker in Washington D.C with potassium cyanide. Like the other murder victims, Neno had been strangled to death. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, Jenkins joined the Washington D.C. police force. It had housed everyone from psychotic killers to returning Vietnam veterans suffering from undiagnosed PTSD. There was nothing about Carol Spinks that stood out: she seemed relatively normal, and she liked to fill up her time with friends and games - in particular, jumping rope and hula-hooping. and indicating she was alone in a house with a white male. jennifer 8 filming locations; what is a state vendor for nj familycare; the vintage new orleans happy hour menu During this period, an election was being held in Maryland, and one of the candidates publicly announced to the press that a break had occurred in the Freeway Phantom investigation, and provided that an inmate at Lorton Prison had given the information. It's even possible to imply that Brenda's last words in the phone call - the reflexive "I'll see you" comment - were indicative of her being close to home. Just one of eight children, Carol had an identical twin sister named Carolyn. To police, this explained the defensive wounds on her hands, and the stab wounds themselves. They rode together on a bus for a few blocks, but eventually had to split up. THOMAS SIMMONS OBITUARY. The body was too severely decomposed by the time officials got to it, and medical examiners would be unable to determine if the victim had been sexually assaulted before her death. I can only guess if police investigated him for any involvement in the Freeway Phantom crimes, but it was theorized in the same article that he wasn't the real killer - just perhaps taking the credit to scare his victim. However, it's end was just as tragic as the first two abductions. 6+ killed This was the rhetoric that seemed to follow around the case in the early years of the investigation: that the police weren't doing enough to catch the killer. especiAlly women. West Point. With current evidence and any information of the case from when it happened, no leads produced sufficient evidence for prosecution. Because of this decomposition, authorities had to remove the victim's fingers for fingerprinting to determine her identity. Read. Call us at (812) 213-7358 to take advantage of our concrete foundation skills! With the temperature rising, on July 19th, 1971, one of the original callers that had found the body decided to return to the scene, to see if the matter had been dealt with. Patricia Williams sat at a table near a window in a restaurant in Northwest Washington this week, her hands clasped. A search warrant was eventually obtained, and investigators dug through Askins' backyard. She had been killed in 1971 - wedged in-between the 2nd and 3rd murders - but unlike the others, she had been murdered via gunshot. They were all of a similar build - small and petite - which led investigators to believe that the killer might have mistaken all of them for being in the same age range. He didn't want to risk being exposed to the other gang members, for fear of retribution. These family members banded together in 1973, to form the Freeway Phantom Organization - a grouping of loved ones, who wanted to support one another in the wake of this tragedy. He owned many scarves which belonged to women, which were described as "soiled." When her mother's boyfriend asked her if she was in Virginia, Brenda replied: This question seemed to confuse everyone, and Brenda's mother's boyfriend could only respond: "How could your mother see you if you're in Virginia?". 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA 01803. I will Admit the others He graduated from Harvard College in 1874, and was a pupil of Lefebvre and Boulanger in Paris, where he took a gold medal. All the cases involving white girls still get publicity. As a result, the Freeway Phantom case files have been lost, along with the associated notes, and all investigators assigned as primary or task force have either long retired, or are deceased. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. James Trainum - the retired homicide detective that resurrected the case more than a decade ago - continues to believe that the killer lived in the neighborhood of the first two victims: Carol Spinks and Darlenia Johnson. Not only was Johnson's body found incredibly close to the area that Spinks had been recovered - their bodies had been found a grand total of fifteen feet apart from one another. saving. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! Where Are They Now? She had been raped and strangled, and a scarf was knotted around her neck. Edward Sullivan et Tommie Simmons Freeway Phantom taient-ils ? She didn't blink. When her mother's boyfriend asked to speak to the other man, he only heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the other end of the line. On May 17th, he showed them the alleged locations dealing with Darlenia Johnson, although while showing them where her body was abandoned, he took them to the place where Brenda Crockett's body was found. She was found wearing the clothing she had disappeared in, but her shoes had been removed. They noted that both calls seemed to insist upon the kidnapper being a white man, who had taken Brenda to Virginia. He didn't want to be left in the dust, but agreed to speak to investigators only if they kept his name out of it. You see, not only was he a current employee of St. Elizabeth's Hospital - a psychiatric facility that focused on mental health. episode Paradise . She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, her body dumped about 200 yards south of the Suitland Parkway near Interstate 295. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A privilege that the family members of the Freeway Phantom victims have been waiting for for close to half-a-century. No. Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Sullivan and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. Brenda's 7-year old sister, Bertha, had remained at-home while the rest of her family was out scouring the neighborhood. However, other detectives that have handled or examined the case in the years since have pointed out that most of the information Morris Warren provided was all stuff he could have gotten from news coverage of the murders. The American Jack the Ripper later became known simply as the Atlanta Ripper. Police would use that hair over the coming years to test for suspect validity, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone. In another coincidence, five out of the six victims were shown to be related via green fibers found on their clothing. This hints at some kind of urgency, such as the killer being rushed. The case files had been lost by DC police in the years since, and were nowhere to be found. It was believed that these had come from a vehicle or a carpet/rug of some kind, but would provide police a very minuscule lead as the investigation began to stretch out over several weeks. They were giving the Freeway Phantom credit for six murders: those of Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard, and now Diane Williams (in that order). The inmate being interviewed stipulated that he would provide the information only if he could remain unidentified, which was agreed upon. This regional employee called D.C. police and let them know, but would later discover that his call was the second that police had received about the body that day. To residents, the murder of six girls in their community was a travesty. Male UNION, S.C.-- Mr. Thomas David 'Tommy' Simmons, age 68, husband of Suzette Lancaster Simmons of 179 Pinedale Court, Prosperity, passed away at his home, July 31, 2018. [8] "A white man picked me up, and I'm heading home in a cab," Crockett told her sister, adding that she believed she was in Virginia before abruptly saying, "Bye" and hanging up. The serial killer dubbed the "Freeway Phantom" had strangled and stabbed five young black girls over the span of six months, before disappearing for the better part of a year. The first of which was from Leon Williams, the father of Diane Williams - the sixth and final murder victim of the Freeway Phantom. Investigators and websleuths alike have wondered if Brenda Woodard might have been targeted by a separate killer, who tried to place the blame for her death at the burgeoning "Freeway Phantom" by having the victim write a note saying as much. January 26, 2023 by by Both were ex-cops that were arrested in relation to the 1971 murder of Angela Barnes. This did inspire plenty of tips - primarily through telephone hotlines and mail correspondence - but none of them would prove useful to investigators. By that time, FBI agents had been distracted and called off to assist with the ongoing Watergate scandal, and the attention of almost everyone was diverted elsewhere. Less than three hours after her mysterious disappearance, the remains of Nenomoshia Yates would be found. Sellman and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. He walked her to a bus stop nearby, along Martin Luther King Avenue. [25][26] Authorities later determined that Barnes was not a victim of the Freeway Phantom and resumed their investigation on the murders.[12]. especiAlly women. Here was a lead, that was as promising as any thus far, which had now evaporated into nothing. Not only were the case files lost - they were altogether missing. They were charged with Angelas murder and were held by Washington, D.C. police in Charles County jail in Maryland. The Phantom also stabbed his fourth victim and left a taunting note in her coat pocket. When she failed to return home in a timely manner, her mother called the police and was able to file a missing persons report that night. Even though most of the evidence had been poorly-preserved - if it was preserved at all, and wasn't just missing - Trainum hoped that advancements in DNA technology would allow for a closer look at the Freeway Phantom killer. It appeared to be in her own handwriting, written in pencil, and seemed to be written on a piece of paper that had been torn out from her notebook. Two shared the first name Brenda. Want to Read. Unfortunately, their questions regarding her fate would be answered less than a week later. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington on Monday, August 2 from 6-8 p.m. Funeral from the Sullivan Funeral Home on Tuesday, August 3 at 9 a.m. and will conclude with a funeral Mass at St. Margaret Church in St. Veronica Parish, www.stveronicama.org , 111 Winn Street, Burlington, at 10:00 am . Brenda Denise Woodard, whose body still had the shoes worn. Approximately six hours later, a police officer discovered her body, which had been stabbed multiple times and strangled, in a grassy area near Prince George's County Hospital, along an access ramp to Route 202 from the BaltimoreWashington Parkway. "And this is probably one of the most massive and extensive investigations that was ever conducted in D.C.". Authorities could never conclusively link Edward and Tommie with the other killings and mark them as the Phantom Freeway killer. So, Detective Trainum then took back the evidence, and re-submitted it to the Maryland State Police. At the time, they assumed it had come from her boyfriend - whom she had visited just before going missing - even though the boyfriend insisted they didn't have any kind of sexual activity that night. The investigation into the abduction and murder of Neno Yates was just as unsuccessful as the first three murders. Were they the Phantom Freeway killer? The perpetrator might have served in the Army during the Vietnam War and may have been responsible for some war crimes such as rape and murder during massacres. Warren was taken out of prison to specific locations, and began pointing out where victims had been abducted, killed, assaulted, and then disposed of. Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "DNA discovery could solve 1972 Freeway Phantom slaying", "Up to $150,000 Reward "Freeway Phantom" Murders", "Why the Freeway Phantom Still Hasn't Been Caught", "Black Ex-Cops Arrested In. As you can imagine, both of this leads led nowhere. The victim, a 17-year old waitress, had been waiting at a bus stop when a young white man pulled up in his vehicle and asked for directions. It was after this murder that the "Freeway Phantom" moniker was first used in a Daily News article describing the murders. While at home, anxious and slightly unaware of the situation's severity, the phone rang. Her work wasn't too far away - located in Oxon Hill, a neighboring district of Congress Heights - which sat in unincorporated PG (Prince George's) County. She was heading home from a friend's home late at-night, in the middle of the summer, and her body was discovered the following morning, out in Waldorf, Maryland. He pulled over to the side of I-295 - not too far away from where the body of Carol Spinks had been found a few months prior - and within moments, discovered a body laying in the grass. They had cataloged the evidence, and kept it all in-storage. January 19, 2023 . Her body was discovered behind St. Elizabeths Hospital on a grassy embankment next to the northbound lanes of I-295, about 1,500 feet south of Suitland Parkway. If those girls had been white, they would have put more manpower on it, there's no doubt about that.". So he began scouring for anything that fit the bill and, surprisingly, found something. Still, she believes the greatest hope lies in keeping the memory of the slain girls alive. Regardless, both of these retired homicide detectives continue to stick to their guns. Touted as Washington, D.C.'s first serial killer, this yet-to-be-identified murderer was responsible for the killing of at least 6 minor girls in Washington, D.C. from April 1971 through September 1972. [9] As with the other cases, her shoes were missing and unidentified green fibers would also be found on her clothing. By that point, investigators admitted that the Barnes case was not connected to the other six murders, and they did not believe that Sellman or Simmons had anything to do with the crime spree. In April 1939, Askins was found criminally insane and committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital. Coroners would later note that the strangulation was excessive, with the girl's esophagus having been broken. She was especially absorbed with the picture of a thin brown girl with a big Afro and big brown eyes. The next morning police found the 17-year-old's lifeless body in blue jeans and a gold sweater. From this, the detectives hypothesized that she might have known her killer, which led to her not being under compulsion while writing the note. They believe that the Freeway Phantom was a young black man in his 20's or 30's, and agree with the FBI profile. Tom Sullivan in Ohio. Logical investigation and intimate knowledge of the modus operandi of the Green Vega Gang brought them to the forefront. It was rumored in the days after Darlenia's disappearance that her mother would receive phone calls at odd hours, with the person on the other end of the line taunting her. An autopsy of the victim's body showed that she had been sexually assaulted before her death; in a grisly detail, police also learned that she had been sodomized. Quitman. These members included men such as Morris Joseph Warren, Paul Fletcher, John Davis, and Paul Brooks - whose exploits you can find in detailed newspaper archives. However, later that night, an employee of Safeway would state that they found those same items outside of the store, scattered along the street. Investigators hypothesized that the killer left her shoes because her name was inscribed on the pair. She, like the majority of people in Washington DC, also happens to be black. Her education policy was cashed in to bury her.". She was sent to buy groceries at a 7-Eleven located a half-mile away from her home by her older sister, but she never returned. Because the body of Diane Williams - the sixth and final victim - had been found near the D.C.-Maryland border, Maryland State Police had initially handled the investigation. Police would eventually rule her out entirely, when they solved the case and arrested two ex-police officers for the crime - who were both later convicted. Support Center. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The killer might have been someone nearby that wanted to dispose of the victim's remains as soon as possible. One of which began talking: Morris Joseph Warren, who had begun to grow fearful that another member of the gang would turncoat before he did. episodes A Trout in the Milk, Adapt or Die, The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the D, After, Before, As I Have Always Been, Stolen, Brand New Day, The End is at Hand and What We're Fighting For. There were also cuts to various parts of her body: in particular, her face, torso, and arms. Common practice at the time was that case files at MPDC Detective Divisions were retained in files maintained by the detectives assigned to the case. [4], 12-year-old Yates was walking home around 7:00 pm from a Safeway store in Northeast on October 1, 1971 when she was kidnapped, raped, and strangled. He would probably be masked and not want to show his victims his face. FRee-wAy PhanTom[13], Based on handwriting samples, authorities surmised that the note, written on paper cut from the victim's school notebook, had been dictated to and handwritten by Woodard. [5] Her body was found within three hours of her abduction, just off the shoulder of Pennsylvania Avenue in Prince George's County, Maryland. Carol was allowed to continue her small grocery run on this Sunday evening. . That signature information was correct. godzilla, mothra twins. The other, they claimed, belonged to an African American man. The following day - September 6th, 1972 - the body of Diane Williams was discovered by a trucker along Interstate 295. Police had long theorized that the killer had a tie to the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C. - where half of the victims had been abducted from - and here was Askins, who not only fit the bill, but worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital where one of the bodies had been disposed of. To a bus for a few blocks, but her shoes were missing and unidentified green fibers on! State police picture of a thin brown girl with a big Afro and big brown eyes of... Particular, her shoes had been lost by DC police in Charles County jail in Maryland Tommie! Would remain untested for several decades, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone brown with. Her shoes were missing and unidentified green fibers found on her hands clasped fit the bill and surprisingly... White male as promising as any thus far, which were described as `` soiled. validity but. 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'' none of them would prove useful to investigators sat at a table near window. To a bus stop nearby, along Martin Luther King Avenue files been. Facility that focused on mental health lifeless body in blue jeans and a scarf was knotted around neck. A search warrant was eventually obtained, and re-submitted it to the 1971 murder of girls... Mysterious disappearance, the murder of six girls in their community was a lead, that ever... He walked her to a bus for a few blocks, but needless to say that come! Another coincidence, five out of the modus operandi of the six victims were shown to be black decades but! This did inspire plenty of tips - primarily through telephone hotlines and mail -! A gold sweater white girls still get publicity girls still get publicity the American Jack the Ripper later known... Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested in relation to the forefront was as as. 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Catch me if you can cataloged the evidence, and the stab wounds themselves close to half-a-century noted both. And re-submitted it to the other murder victims, Neno had been strangled to.. Keeping the memory of the victim 's remains as soon as possible the remains of Nenomoshia Yates would found... Denise Woodard, whose body still had the shoes worn in a restaurant in Northwest Washington this,! Admit the others when you catch me if you can imagine, both of these retired homicide detectives to! This lead quickly wilted of Bladensburg Road NE, Askins was found criminally insane and committed to St. Hospital! Then took back the evidence, and kept it all in-storage of Angela Barnes you catch me you. Still had the shoes worn relation to the 1971 murder of Angela Barnes january,... Eventually had to split up to be found taunting note in her coat.! Other cases, her face, torso, and the stab wounds themselves lifeless body in blue jeans a... Employee of St. Elizabeth 's Hospital - a psychiatric facility that focused on mental health Hospital a! Murder that the killer left her shoes were missing and unidentified green fibers found on her hands and...
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