Like several of the other victims, she was known for her incredibly tiny frame - standing just 4.5 feet tall and weighing around 75 pounds. Which, as you can guess, has played a major role in the reporting of this story over the years. Yeah, that came back into play roughly 30 years later, in 2002, when Trainum submitted that piece of evidence for forensic testing. It is her sister, Diane Williams, who -- like the other girls -- was murdered. This particular inmate was also serving a sentence at Lorton Prison for the Green Vega convictions. However, with her body being found not too far away, just eight hours after her abduction, we can reasonably surmise that wasn't the case. In 1983, Harper and Helen B. Collins wrote and published a book called "The Mystery of the Freeway Phantom," which details the killings. However, in all of these cases, one kept Romaine Jenkins up at night. Both girls went missing just blocks away from one another, and both of their bodies were found just feet away from one another - likely dumped off of a road overlooking the grassy embankment they had been found in. edward sullivan and tommie simmonsmark anthony ontario. Carol, who knew that she was risking punishment if it was discovered she had left the family's apartment, walked briskly along Wheeler Road. Police were called to the scene, and it was immediately theorized that Diane was a victim of the dormant Freeway Phantom. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! We know that Carol made it to the store - a 7-Eleven along Wheeler Road - because a clerk working that evening later told police that they sold the girl some items - TV dinners, bread, and some soda - before watching her leave. Edward Simmons in North Carolina We found 46 records for Edward Simmons in Charlotte, Tarboro and 29 other cities in North Carolina. She was the one of the few people to speak to Brenda after her abduction, and hear her crying on the other side. Currently Reading. Considr comme le premier tueur en srie de Washington, D.C., ce meurtrier qui n'a pas encore t identifi tait responsable du meurtre d'au moins 6 filles mineures Washington, D.C. d'avril 1971 septembre 1972. A search warrant was eventually obtained, and investigators dug through Askins' backyard. The bail bond for the alleged perpetrators was set at $250,000. Her mother, Reatha, later stated that she told Brenda to take a friend with her, but it seems like 10-year old Brenda left by herself. The bottom of her shoes bore her first name, "DIANA," in big bold letters. Want to Read. [1][2], On the evening of April 25, 1971, 13-year-old Spinks from Southeast was sent by (Carlo) an older sister to buy groceries at a 7-Eleven located a half-mile away from her home, just across the border in Maryland. He retired the next year, 2010, and had received no word in an official capacity from the Maryland Police. 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). 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. After all, Brenda had asked specifically "Did my mother see me?" The most intriguing testimony they could obtain was that of a neighbor, who saw Neno Yates getting into a blue Volkswagon. Some people believe that the Phantom himself called in tips to mislead police and stall the investigation. Want to Read. 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. She didn't do anything.". The investigators agreed. One witness reported having seen Johnson in an old black car, driven by an African-American male, shortly after her abduction. The usage of the word 'tantamount' had often stood out to investigators, and here was a prime suspect that seemed to use the word regularly - as verified by his coworkers, who said as much. Following this casual dinner, they each began heading home. Sellman and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. As you can imagine, she never made it home. Diane Williams's slaying in September 1972 was believed to have been the last. All were black. This has yet to be verified. You see, not only was he a current employee of St. Elizabeth's Hospital - a psychiatric facility that focused on mental health. Police would use that hair over the coming years to test for suspect validity, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone. FRee-wAy PhanTom. Were they the Phantom Freeway killer? She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, her body dumped about 200 yards south of the Suitland Parkway near Interstate 295. The Green Vega Gang members were individually interviewed by MPDC Homicide Detectives Fickling, Irving, and Richardson, atLorton Prisonin Virginia, where the gang members were serving sentences in conjunction with the successful prosecutions of those crimes in theSuperior Court of the District of Columbia. 7 The Alphabet Killer Photo Credit: calafellvalo / Flickr Like the case of Dr. He might have received some kind of psychiatric treatment to help deal with negative emotions, like depression and anger towards women. Why was this case never solved? 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. A witness apparently saw her getting into a blue Volkswagen, and although investigated, the lead led nowhere.[5]. In March, 1977, a 58-year-old computer technician, Robert Elwood Askins, was charged with abducting and raping a 24-year-old woman inside his Washington, D.C. home. He replaced Joel Dabney Courtney, who portrayed Nathaniel Malick in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The investigation into the abduction and murder of Neno Yates was just as unsuccessful as the first three murders. especiAlly women. She took it on in the mid-1980's, hoping to spark some kind of revival, but lacked the necessary resources and hours to do so. Warning: set_time_limit() has been disabled for security reasons in /data/web/virtuals/167612/virtual/www/index.php on line 63 Because of this decomposition, authorities had to remove the victim's fingers for fingerprinting to determine her identity. They operated in Washington, D.C., between April 1971 and September 1972 and claimed at least six victims. Hairs of two unknown males were found on the clothing of Brenda Woodward, hairs whose origin is unknown. In another striking similarity to the other crimes, green fibers would be found on her clothing. In the second case - Darlenia Johnson - her remains were too decomposed to tell how quickly she had been killed or disposed of. After that announcement, the inmate who provided the information declined any further interviews, and denied that he had ever provided the information. 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. Robert Askins would later be convicted on kidnapping and rape charges, stemming from two separate incidents - including the one that had put him on the investigators' radar. The classic prime time variety show most famous for its vaudeville acts and rock music performances. Why was this case never solved?, The Washington Post - Would the Freeway Phantom case already be solved if the victims werent black?, The Washington Post - The Freeway Phantom Revisited (Youtube video), Washington Examiner - DNA discovery could solve 1972 Freeway Phantom slaying, The Washington Post - Freeway Phantom Slayings Haunt Police, Families Six Young D.C. The 12-year old girl lived with her father and stepmother in an apartment in Northeast, along Benning Road. During her time as a homicide detective, Jenkins mainly investigated the deaths of children and babies. 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. However, he traces the killer's origins to the neighborhood of Congress Heights, where, as Trainum states: "He felt safe there, he felt he could do his dirt and get away with it.". 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. 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. In 2013, an employee at the Maryland Chief Medical Examiner's officer spoke (under the veil of anonymity), and stated that trying to find out any information about the Freeway Phantom case: It is unknown if the DNA sample from Diane Williams' clothing still exists, and if it can be tested. 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. 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA 01803. 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. 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. That signature information was correct. When he returned nearly a year later - in September of 1972 - he had lashed out at another victim in the neighborhood of Congress Heights. Through the 1960's and 1970's, more than 70% of the region's population was African American, who had had to endure an entire lifetime of racial tension and struggles. January 19, 2023 . St. Elizabeths Hospital was less than a mile away from the scene of Carol's disappearance, and was the area's primary mental health facility. All of these victims had a number of traits in common. He didn't want to risk being exposed to the other gang members, for fear of retribution. He died in April of 2010, at the ripe old age of 91, outliving his 1938 murder victim by close to a century. Ph: (781) 272-0050 Powered by WordPress.com VIP. James Groom was later arrested for the incident, and charged with both kidnapping and sexual assault. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Holland, OH Leesburg, VA Ashburn, VA West Lafayette, IN Germantown, MD State College, PA. Jury Convicts Man Accused in Green Vega Rapes, Talk Murder With Me - The Freeway Phantom Murders, Baltimore Afro American - Is he the Freeway Phantom (October 21st, 1972 issue), Indiana Evening Gazette - Washington, D.C. Police Seek Clues To Freeway Phantom (November 19th, 1971 issue), Santa Ana Register - 5-Man Gang Tied To Rapes, Killings (July 9th, 1975 issue), Two ex-cops from Washington held for Freeway Phantom murder of girl', Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). 4 distinct works. Despite being just seven years old at the time, she continues to describe the day she learned of Brenda's death as the "most devastating" day of her life. Some leads were easily proven not to be viable, while others required substantial investigation. Infuriated, this caller called their boss and let them know about the police inactivity. 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. In this meeting of more than 100 people, residents expressed their disdain for the police response to the murders. On December 28, 1938, Askinsthen a 19-year-old student and member of the science club at Miner Teachers Collegeserved cyanide-laced whiskey to five prostitutes at a brothel, resulting in the death of 31-year-old Ruth McDonald. 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. Despite these numerous sightings of a body along the interstate, police seemed very hesitant to dedicate time to the matter. 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. She told the children that they weren't allowed to leave go out, and would stay in until she got home. They may be living somewhere else, doing it again. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, Jenkins joined the Washington D.C. police force. Now, on the other side of town, another child found themselves walking along the side of the road as evening approached. Three of the victims had been sexually assaulted, including one that was sodomized. However, that changed in 1974, when Sellman and Simmons were arrested for the crime, and charged with murder. The body also had a coat on its chest, in the pockets of which was a note with a poem , this is tAntAmount to my The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb. I will Admit the others Bertha recalls her sister crying on the other end of the phone, and sounding somewhat distracted. The remains of this young victim were brought in for an evaluation and autopsy. One of the issues I haven't really touched on so far is the topic of race. It wasn't even a case she investigated at the time, but watched unfold from afar. He would receive a life sentence, and ended up spending several decades inside a penitentiary. Like the first four victims, Woodard had been strangled but it appeared that her end had been a much more violent one. It's really infuriating, knowing that investigators might have come so close to solving at least one of the major mysteries in this case, but it got lost in a sea of bureaucracy and legalities. There, she was sexually assaulted and beaten, before being freed by her kidnapper. Coroner reports of the Freeway Phantom's victims tell us that the victims were brutally raped with penetration up to 9 inches deep, with both anal and vaginal assaults taking place. Sullivan and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. However, the scarf that had been used to do so was still wrapped around her neck, knotted in the middle. In 1974, two more names were entered into the suspect fray: Edward Sellman - sometimes referred to as Edward Sullivan in reporting of the case - and Tommie Simmons. A reward exists for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of people or persons responsible, totaling $150,000 as of this year. 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. 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. It was after this murder that the "Freeway Phantom" moniker was first used in a Daily News article describing the murders. Romaine Jenkins is a retired police officer, who - during her tenure in law enforcement - became a pioneer. 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?". of Victims She wasn't found with any shoes, but police didn't find that odd - after all, she had left her house without wearing shoes, as far as anyone knew. They moved their investigation inside Lorton Prison, and began speaking to individual members of the Green Vega gang. 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. 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