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There were a number of noticeable differences that set it apart. 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. Investigators had now followed up several leads at this point - including Robert Askins and the Green Vega's - but had little to show for it. Nenomoshia Yates had been sent by her family to a Safeway grocery store, which was just down the street from their apartment - literally less than a block away. To this day, many believe that police did not give the investigation the necessary resources or manpower. Angelas body was also wearing her shoes which did not fit the bill of the victims of the concerned serial killer. 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. 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. At 5:50 am the next day, a hitchhiker discovered Crockett's shoeless body in a conspicuous location on U.S. Route 50, near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Prince George's County, Maryland. And, over the next several years, it seemed to the community that the police weren't taking it seriously. It was a word that had been used in his prior legal paperwork, during his murder trial from the 1950's and subsequent release, but had also been included in the Freeway Phantom's note. He ultimately let the victim go without harming her any further, and the incident was reported to police. The first victim was 13-year-old Carol Denise Spinks, whose body was found May 1, 1971. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. However, upon receiving the case, Trainum realized how much of an uphill battle it would be. insensititivity [sic] to people Unknown However, the modus operandi of the homicide differed significantly from the other killings she was shot and not sexually assaulted, unlike the other six victims. Approximately eight hours after Brenda's disappearance - the early morning hours of July 28th, 1971 - a hitchhiker that was traveling on U.S. Route 50 (near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in P.G. Like the other two victims, she had been strangled. They were all African American females between the ages of 10 and 18 that lived along the Washington Beltway, who had been abducted while walking, and whose bodies had been dumped off of busy roads (such as interstates and freeways). Organized Today, Williams and other relatives of the victims will hold a memorial service in honor of the girls, whose slayings, with the exception of one, remain unsolved. especiAlly women. Brenda Denise Woodard, whose body still had the shoes worn. He seemed to be an amiable man, who was known for his propensity to use the word "tantamount" - seemingly at random - but a further look at Askins revealed a bit of a sketchy past. and Montgomery Counties, the Maryland State Police, and the FBI itself. Danh mc . Trainum was able to recover many of the documents from the Maryland State Police - who had carefully stored the files - but had no idea what had been lost in the preceding decades. There is no closure," Williams said. The Phantom also strangled her with a scarf. This returned him to the scene of the first two crimes, and police would determine that this most recent victim, Diane Williams, had been abducted not too far away from where Carol Spinks and Darlenia Johnson had been kidnapped from. Still, she believes the greatest hope lies in keeping the memory of the slain girls alive. Carol, who knew that she was risking punishment if it was discovered she had left the family's apartment, walked briskly along Wheeler Road. Patricia Williams sat at a table near a window in a restaurant in Northwest Washington this week, her hands clasped. They had cataloged the evidence, and kept it all in-storage. 13-year-oldCarol Denise Spinks body was discovered by the authorities six days later from the day she was reported missing on April 25, 1971. West Point. Post author: Post published: January 28, 2023 Post category: kennings for tree kennings for tree Diane Denise Williams was a 17-year old was known for her impeccable fashion sense. However, in an unusual twist of fate, they were resting right next to her body, as if they had been gently placed there by the killer after he disposed of her body. In the coming years, detectives would theorize that this implies some connection to the neighborhood Brenda Crockett lived in. In the aftermath of this most recent discovery, police struggled to come to terms with the idea that Brenda Woodard had been killed by the same person that murdered Carol Sprinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, and Nenomoshia Yates. Some had been sexually assaulted, and some of whom were found with very little evidence for investigators to chew over. When Brenda left, she was wearing curlers in her hair and did not seem to be wearing shoes. Unknown. It wasn't even a case she investigated at the time, but watched unfold from afar. She told her mom that she was going to be staying the night at the rec center, as they were hosting a sleepover event for kids that would stretch into the following morning. So he began scouring for anything that fit the bill and, surprisingly, found something. 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. She, however, was sent by her mother to a nearby Safeway grocery store to pick up some bread and some food for the family's three dogs: Ringo, Rex, and Romeo. The classmate of Brenda's usually drove them whenever they hung out, but with his car in the shop temporarily, they had to take the city's buses home. 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. During their correspondence, Askins continued to deny having any part in the Freeway Phantom murders, stating that he did not have: " the depravity of mind required to commit any of the crimes.". During these interviews, one gang member initially implicated another gang member, who he said told him he was involved and gave information as to one of the beltway homicides. Despite seeming to know specific details about the various murders, this inmate - Morris Warren - had alibis for the days of several crimes, so investigators began to surmise that he had gotten his information from elsewhere. In addition, Allenteen - a single mother of eight - would organize a neighborhood search for the missing teenager that evening, but the volunteers (primarily friends and family members) would be unable to find any trace of Carol Spinks. [14][15] They also speculated that, given the absence of indications of duress in the writing, apart from evidence of dysgraphia, she may have known her kidnapper. 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. Now, she continues to ponder over the case, which still haunts her. Despite the bodies of Sheila and Katherine Lyon never being found, a man named Lloyd Welch confessed to their murders, bringing some resolution to the surviving loved ones. He would spent the next several years inside an actual prison, until he was released in January of 1958 - due not to a completion of his sentence or any kind of parole, but a legal snaffu that resulted in his freedom. But ours have been forgotten.". Occupation When investigators would examine this coat, they would find a handwritten note inside one of the jacket pockets. [7], On July 27, 1971, 10-year-old Crockett from Northwest failed to return home after having been sent to the store by her mother. Their resignation came following an incident after their guns went missing after Tommie, 26, claimed they were burglarized from his Temple Hills home in Maryland. He immediately recanted all prior statements and rescinded his prior confessions, calling it an "elaborate hoax" in the process. Due to the brutality of the crimes the police suspected the offender to be a psychopath. In the middle of July 1971, an employee of the D.C. Department of Highways and Traffic began experiencing car troubles. Police believed that the culprit of this violent death had fed her in the interim few days. He was afraid that more details of his cooperation would be leaked to the media, and he refused to give any more statements. It was a short walk that she had made dozens of times before. [22] Members of this gang were collectively responsible for numerous Washington D.C. and surrounding Maryland vicinity rapes and abductions that occurred near the Washington Beltway. 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. [5] Her body was found within three hours of her abduction, just off the shoulder of Pennsylvania Avenue in Prince George's County, Maryland. They rode together on a bus for a few blocks, but eventually had to split up. Unfortunately, they would be unable to link these to any particular victims. One suspect that I haven't seen discussed in any major publications was a young man named James Groom, whose name was mentioned in the October 21st, 1972 edition of the Baltimore Afro American - a regional newspaper. 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. 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. When she failed to return home in a timely manner, her family began conducting a search for her throughout the neighborhood, knocking on doors and making calls to anyone that Brenda knew. With a deep and misogynistic hatred towards women. 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. An aspiring model, she had just started her senior year at Ballou High School in Washington D.C. The name was coined by reporters at the now-defunct tabloid, the Daily News, who noted that all of the victims had been disposed of alongside major roads and freeways. Remember when I told you that police had initially found semen on Diane Williams' clothing, and ruled it out as her boyfriend's? In addition to all of these violent details, it was also discovered during this autopsy that the victim, Carol, had likely been kept alive after her disappearance (which police were now ruling an abduction). They didn't want to let their lives be forever ruined because of the actions of one mad killer, and joined together to combat that. On December 30, only two days later, he stabbed to death another prostitute, 26-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, at the same location. Police investigators initially linked a total of seven slayings, including that of Barnes, to the same killer. He retired the next year, 2010, and had received no word in an official capacity from the Maryland Police. She had been raped and strangled, and a scarf was knotted around her neck. He would probably be masked and not want to show his victims his face. He may have begun with a series of attacks dubbed the "Green Vega Rapes" which occurred from 1968 to 1970. However, by the time the 1980's had rolled around, the case was still unsolved. Furthermore, colleagues at the National Science Foundation where Askins was employed reported that "tantamount" was a word that frequently cropped up in his speech. The Phantom would abduct them, usually when they were on their way to or returning from work or an errand. . 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. fisher funeral home portsmouth, va obituaries ABOUT US; IFR WORKWEAR. County, Maryland) discovered the body of the missing 10-year old. It was just destroyed.". It alleged that the Green Vega's - all of whom had been locked up for crimes of sexual violence - were responsible for more than 100 rapes in the region. 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. She didn't blink. Carol was allowed to continue her small grocery run on this Sunday evening. In her teenage years, as a result of her sister and best friend's tragic death, she ended up turning to drugs as an escape - a rabbit hole she would struggle to escape over several years of her life. During his trial, it was revealed that he'd been a police informant, aiding law enforcement in the arrests of prostitutes. In the cases of all the Freeway Phantom victims, the girls were stabbed or strangled, and in some cases had been sexually assaulted, according to police. A restaurant in Northwest Washington this week, her hands clasped reported missing on April 25, 1971 give more!, Maryland ) discovered the body of the missing 10-year old official capacity from the day she wearing. 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