Five months after being released in April 1952, Askins strangled 42-year-old Laura Cook to death. Coroners would later note that the strangulation was excessive, with the girl's esophagus having been broken. 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. Modus Operandi The case was investigating primarily by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia - more commonly abbreviated as the MPDC. This, at least, provided investigators with some kind of a lead, but finding the driver of a blue Volkswagon - in 1971 - was like finding a needle in a haystack. Which, as you can guess, has played a major role in the reporting of this story over the years. They rode together on a bus for a few blocks, but eventually had to split up. Freeway Phantom No physical evidence was obtained and Askins was not charged in connection with the Freeway Phantom killings. Furthermore, colleagues at the National Science Foundation where Askins was employed reported that "tantamount" was a word that frequently cropped up in his speech. It was Crockett again, and she merely repeated what she'd said in the last telephone call, adding "Did my mother see me?" Numerous investigative tips came from the general public by a telephone hotline operated by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC) and information also came by way of the mail. Females Vanished in the 70s, The Washington Post - Killings Unsolved 25 Years Later, Ivan Reports - DNA test in Freeway Phantom cold case not confirmed, Washington City Paper - Why the Freeway Phantom Still Hasnt Been Caught, The Washington Post - D.C. Signature On Saturday, May 1st, 1971 - six days after the disappearance of Carol Spinks - a group of kids were playing in a grassy area behind St. Elizabeths Hospital. 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. As you can imagine, this was as frustrating to the victims' loved ones as it was to the investigators. Were Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Freeway Phantom? 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. That ended up being 13 years later, in 1952, when he was re-indicted and convicted of the murder charges. The same coroner would state that she had been sexually assaulted before her death. In this meeting of more than 100 people, residents expressed their disdain for the police response to the murders. All of these victims had a number of traits in common. By the time the 1980's had come around, the case was already dormant, and it would remain that way for more than two decades. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. 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. He tried to be more forceful on the phone than Bertha had been, but received most of the same information from Brenda: that a white man had picked her up, and she was going to head home in a cab. 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. It was a short walk that she had made dozens of times before. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as: names, dates, place of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. We found 15 records for Tom Sullivan in Maumee, Holland and 10 other cities in Ohio. 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). edward sullivan and tommie simmons. All suspects are charged with state drug offenses and were cited and released with future dates to appear in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Courts across the state. In face, the case of the Lyon sisters was reported on frequently in the media, and in 2017 - just a year or so ago - the case was finally resolved after more than 40 years. Investigation revealed that the minor girl was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. 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. So, Detective Trainum then took back the evidence, and re-submitted it to the Maryland State Police. godzilla, mothra twins. The Green Vega Gang members were individually interviewed by MPDC Homicide Detectives Fickling, Irving, and Richardson, at Lorton Prison in Virginia, where the gang members were serving sentences in conjunction with the successful prosecutions of those crimes in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. 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. We know that this article of clothing was not tested for DNA by either the Maryland State Police or the FBI, but it was last in the possession of the Maryland State Police - who have not confirmed that they actually have the evidence. In the early 1970's, a mysterious killer targeted young black girls along the Washington Beltway. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. She didn't do anything.". 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. This was roughly a month after the last crime attributed to the Freeway Phantom, and Groom - who lived in Northwest Baltimore - had just been arrested for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a young woman. They said they had arrest warrants for another 26 people. Their mother, Allenteen - a strict disciplinarian - was heading out to visit a nearby relative. 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 16th, he took them to the areas where Brenda Woodard, a homicide victim, had allegedly been kidnapped, raped, and murdered. So, Trainum took back the evidence, and submitted it to the FBI forensic database where the same thing happened. ". Shortly after leaving the store, another kid from the neighborhood saw her walking back home, with a bag of groceries in her hands. [21] Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. He immediately recanted all prior statements and rescinded his prior confessions, calling it an "elaborate hoax" in the process. Despite all of the tentative connections investigators had made between Askins and the Freeway Phantom crimes, there was no direct evidence connecting him. The other, they claimed, belonged to an African American man. 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. He owned many scarves which belonged to women, which were described as "soiled." They didn't even get out of the car to look for the remains, before using their radio to call in "10-8" (aka "nothing to see here"). A second call would be received at the family's home a short time later, at around 10:00 PM. They believe that the Freeway Phantom was a young black man in his 20's or 30's, and agree with the FBI profile. The investigation was conducted by a law enforcement task force that included Detectives from the MPDC Homicide and Sex Squads, investigators from Prince George's County and Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). edward sullivan and tommie simmons. Four victims had their bodies left in Prince George's County, Maryland, while another two were disposed of inside Washington D.C. Investigators believed that this might have been done intentionally, with the killer trying to muddy the waters of the investigation by overlapping jurisdictions. She began walking down the street, towards the 7-Eleven. The bail bond for the alleged perpetrators was set at $250,000. "She had said she wanted to be a model," Harper, now 81, said of her niece. After kissing her boyfriend goodbye, Diane Williams was last seen boarding a city bus, directed towards her family's home in Halley Terrace. For close to six months - stretching from April to November - the Freeway Phantom had struck almost regularly. 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. Yeah, that came back into play roughly 30 years later, in 2002, when Trainum submitted that piece of evidence for forensic testing. It was just destroyed.". [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. However, authorities would note that her feet seemed to be incredibly clean for someone that had been walking outside, become an odd footnote in the case-file. Detective Romaine Jenkins would later theorize that the kidnapper was someone that knew Brenda's mother, who wanted to make sure that they had not been spotted with Brenda. 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 atLorton Prisonhad given the information. 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. Crockett was on the other line, crying. 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. [11] Unlike the other victims, she was still wearing her shoes, and a coat had been placed over her chest. He would receive a life sentence, and ended up spending several decades inside a penitentiary. 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. Warning: set_time_limit() has been disabled for security reasons in /data/web/virtuals/167612/virtual/www/index.php on line 63 School was out for the summer, and she was occupying her time with her friends, her boyfriend, and her summer job: working as a counselor at a nearby rec center. As they spoke, her bus had come and gone, so the man offered to give her a ride home. 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. More than two months had passed since the 13-year old had gone missing and her remains were found, and the story was a blip on the radar for 16-year old Darlenia. She had been raped and strangled, and a scarf was knotted around her neck. They had done the brunt of the early investigation, such as speaking to key witnesses and canvassing the neighborhoods of the abductions, but were unable to advance the case in any major way. In the middle of July 1971, an employee of the D.C. Department of Highways and Traffic began experiencing car troubles. In 1971, Carol Denise Spinks was a thirteen-year old that lived in Washington, DC. 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. This did inspire plenty of tips - primarily through telephone hotlines and mail correspondence - but none of them would prove useful to investigators. While the Freeway Phantom was never directly mentioned or referenced, he appears to have been an inspiration for the following unsubs: Criminal Minds Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! In addition to the stab wounds, investigators considered it bizarre that the victim was found with her shoes. "This is tantamount to insensititivity [sic] to people especially women. Angela Denise Barnes was a 14-year old that disappeared on July 12th, 1971, just days after Darlenia Johnson had gone missing. 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. However, as I already hinted at, the FBI cooperation had quickly evaporated, when it became clear that the Watergate scandal wasn't going away anytime soon. 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. hugh o'brian estate; senior analyst job description accenture. The Phantom also stabbed his fourth victim and left a taunting note in her coat pocket. The 12-year old girl lived with her father and stepmother in an apartment in Northeast, along Benning Road. And, over the next several years, it seemed to the community that the police weren't taking it seriously. On April 25th, 1971 - a Sunday, which was described as being unusually warm for the springtime - Carol and her siblings were shut up inside their apartment, in Washington D.C.'s Congress Heights. wheN you cAtch me iF you cAn! . But he began working his way backwards, hoping to recreated the investigation that had long since remained inactive. Investigators analyzed the notes handwriting to determine that Brenda herself wrote the message, and the writing showed no signs of distress. Gender When Brenda Woodard's body had been found, her coat had been found draped over her body. Morris Warren actually heard this on the radio while being driven back from an alleged crime scene, and following this break in the story, he fell silent. This stood out, because he didn't live with any women - so where had he gotten these scarves? 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. Nonetheless, doubt continues to linger over the case, and the potential involvement of the Green Vega Rapists. Despite these numerous sightings of a body along the interstate, police seemed very hesitant to dedicate time to the matter. The local newspaper "The Evening Star" hoped to inspire tips with a reward, announcing $5,000 for anyone that provided information which led to an arrest. Many of the original detectives had been long-retired, or were even deceased, when Trainum took on the case. The only notable exception wasBrenda Denise Woodard, whose body still had the shoes worn. Romaine Jenkins, the retired homicide detective that I detailed in this episode's introduction, has maintained a lifelong obsession with the case. [21][2] With current evidence and any information of the case from when it happened, no leads produced sufficient evidence for prosecution. Upon this third - and final - submission, the custody of this evidence became a matter-of-debate. 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. 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. A store clerk would later recognize the girl from photographs, and state she had purchased the items that evening, just after 7:00 PM. Authorities could never conclusively link Edward and Tommie with the other killings and mark them as the Phantom Freeway killer. There was virtually no other way, with the victim's physical features having decomposed after days of exposure to humid, swamp-like temperatures. The Phantom also most likely lives in the Washington area, as he seems to have knowledge of the region, especially the local stores. In the early morning of November 16th, 1971 - just hours after Brenda Woodard was last seen by her classmate - Cheverly city police officer David Norman happened to be driving in the region near Prince George's County Hospital. fisher funeral home portsmouth, va obituaries ABOUT US; IFR WORKWEAR. Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons. All these leads were investigated to their logical conclusion. [5] Her body was found within three hours of her abduction, just off the shoulder of Pennsylvania Avenue in Prince George's County, Maryland. edward sullivan and tommie simmons; edward sullivan and tommie simmons. She, like the majority of people in Washington DC, also happens to be black. Investigators were unable to link the existing evidence to any real suspects, and the witness statements they could gather were hardly helpful. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. D.C. Phantom Murder", "Six black girls were brutally murdered in the early '70s. One of the known acquaintances of the Green Vega's was interviewed by police. Some time had passed since the end of the Freeway Phantom's crime spree, when an anonymous tip forwarded to police hinted at some kind of connection between the "Green Vega's" and the still-unsolved crime spree. The next morning police found the 17-year-old's lifeless body in blue jeans and a gold sweater. [5] By that time, Johnson's body (again dressed but without her shoes) was far too decomposed to determine the cause of death or if she had been sexually assaulted, but law enforcement was able to find evidence of strangulation. The killer might have been someone nearby that wanted to dispose of the victim's remains as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they would be unable to link these to any particular victims. Investigators believed this suggested some kind of connection, so they continued to look into this lead. In fact, Maryland police claimed there were no similarities between Angelas death and the murder of six other girls in D.C. In 1980, the Washington Post wrote an article about the case, which included statements from two of the victims' family members. episode Paradise . It's very possible that he had nothing to do with the Freeway Phantom crimes, but his name is one I haven't seen mentioned before, and thought it worth bringing up. That was when she learned of her 18-year old daughter's brutal murder. However, along the way, she encountered her mother, who just-so-happened to be returning home. This semen sample would remain untested for several decades, but needless to say that would come up much later. 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. The victim, Ruth McDonald, had actually died as a result of the poisoning, and Askins was later convicted for her murder. Both would eventually be convicted for the crime, and sentenced to lengthy stays in prison. You see, not only was he a current employee of St. Elizabeth's Hospital - a psychiatric facility that focused on mental health. It had been more than two months since the discovery of Brenda Crockett's remains off of U.S. Route 50. Now, on the other side of town, another child found themselves walking along the side of the road as evening approached. Investigators would continue to ponder this theory over the coming months, as they began to inquire into possible leads. Are Green Vega Rapists Freeway Phantom? As you can guess, this early nickname would stick and soon, the killer himself seemed to embrace it. Like any kid would, she answered it only to hear her sister on the other end of the line. He ultimately let the victim go without harming her any further, and the incident was reported to police. Join Facebook to connect with Edward Sullivan and others you may know. Brenda Faye Crockett was a 10-year old girl that lived with her family in Northwest, about a block away from Cardozo High School. His information seemed legitimate, albeit somewhat scattered, and investigators took his words seriously. As it was with all of the other murdered girls, she simply did her best to stay in-the-loop, and watched the investigation unfold from afar. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, the son of a Unitarian minister. He ended up walking roughly 1500 feet south of Suitland Parkway, towards a grassy embankment along the Anacostia Freeway, where he discovered the body of a murdered young woman. County, Maryland. Robert Elwood Askins was a middle-aged black man that worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital as a computer technician through the 1970's. 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. Police would use that hair over the coming years to test for suspect validity, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone. saving. She didn't blink. To police, this explained the defensive wounds on her hands, and the stab wounds themselves. 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. Angelas body was also wearing her shoes which did not fit the bill of the victims of the concerned serial killer. 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA 01803. The investigations resulted in 53 individual charges of selling heroin, and 43 individual charges of selling crack cocaine, among other charges. This particular inmate was also serving a sentence at Lorton Prison for the Green Vega convictions. This case is open as a cold case in the MPDC Homicide Division as of September 2018. One of the issues I haven't really touched on so far is the topic of race. Criminal profiling was still in its infancy, but the FBI was eager to help solve this case, which they had labeled the work of a "repeat offender.". She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, her body dumped about 200 yards south of the Suitland Parkway near Interstate 295. Where Are They Now? However, upon receiving the case, Trainum realized how much of an uphill battle it would be. 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. They were a small gang that had operated in the region around Washington D.C. - primarily along the Washington Beltway, but extending out into Maryland. A 17-year-old Ballou High School senior, Williams cooked dinner for her family and then visited her boyfriend's house. The fact that this victim had been stabbed multiple times pointed to this being a separate incident - perhaps one perpetrated by an individual that wasn't connected to the first four crimes. Her body was found November 26, 1972, under a bridge in the 4000 block of Bladensburg Road NE. Of those effected by the Freeway Phantom crime spree, none were hit harder than the loved ones - whose children and siblings were taken by the unknown killer, and their lives ended way too prematurely. It was after this murder that the "Freeway Phantom" moniker was first used in a Daily News article describing the murders. Jim Henson's Muppets made 25 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show between 1966 and 1971. The police solved Angelas killing after they arrested two individuals named Edward Leon Sullivan and Tommie Bernard Simmons. They moved their investigation inside Lorton Prison, and began speaking to individual members of the Green Vega gang. Listen to "The Freeway Phantom" on Spreaker. After that announcement, the inmate who provided the information declined any further interviews, and denied that he had ever provided any information. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Thomas E. Sullivan portrayed Nathaniel Malick in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. One of the known victims didn't have green fibers, and because of the investigation's scarce reporting, I have struggled to determine who the outlier is or was. They made appearances at public events, and tried to keep up with the investigation, hoping to bolster one another and present a brave face. It wasn't until September of 1972 that investigators would declare him active once again. This time, the call would be answered by Brenda's mother's boyfriend, who had returned to the news of the first call. A vote in favor is a vote to end debate and move to a vote on the issue itself, while a vote against is a vote to prolong debate or to filibuster. 6+ killed The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb. Like the other victims, Diane Williams had been strangled to death, but an autopsy would find no sign of sexual assault. 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. While most of the family was out-and-about, looking for the missing 10-year old, trouble began brewing at home. Just one of eight children, Carol had an identical twin sister named Carolyn. "I think what has happened is the community has forgotten, the police department has forgotten," Jenkins said. In addition, Darlenia Johnson - just like Carol Spinks - had been found in the clothes she was wearing when she went missing, but was missing her shoes. [6] Eleven days later, her body was located only 15 feet (4.6 meters) from where Spinks had been found[4] even though police had been notified of the location of the corpse nearly a week earlier by an anonymous caller who had details only her killer could have known. Investigators would later theorize that this note was written by Brenda herself; with the FBI later linking it to other writings from her. Edward Sullivan et Tommie Simmons Freeway Phantom taient-ils ? The body also had a coat on its chest, in the pockets of which was a note with a poem . The police later recovered one of the .38 caliber pistols reported stolen by the two police officers. "From that moment on, our lives were never the same," said Williams, 40, who is a police officer. There were also cuts to various parts of her body: in particular, her face, torso, and arms. 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. Now, the victim was found just hours after going missing. Name Warren was taken out of prison to specific locations, and began pointing out where victims had been abducted, killed, assaulted, and then disposed of. These leads were investigated to their logical conclusion, her face, torso, and investigators his... Its chest, in the process thirteen-year old that disappeared on July 12th, 1971 up... 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