So, Detective Trainum then took back the evidence, and re-submitted it to the Maryland State Police. The Freeway Phantom is an unidentified pedophilic and ephebophilic serial killer, rapist, and abductor active in Washington, D.C. from April 1971 through September 1972. He claimed at least one specific gang member in the murders, and began giving details of specific dates, times, and locations. 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. Tom Sullivan in Ohio. Carol, who knew that she was risking punishment if it was discovered she had left the family's apartment, walked briskly along Wheeler Road. She, like the majority of people in Washington DC, also happens to be black. 4 distinct works. Sadly, Darlenia Johnson never made it to work that day. A missing persons report was filed, and Darlenia Johnson's case was tentatively labeled an abduction. This hints at some kind of urgency, such as the killer being rushed. They were identified as rookie cops who had resigned from the force during their one-year probationary period. The investigation into the Freeway Phantom has long been considered a "cold case." One of the few pieces of evidence that police would find, during a thorough examination of Carol Spinks' remains, were small green fibers that were found on her clothing. This conviction was overturned in 1958. Robert Elwood Askins was a middle-aged black man that worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital as a computer technician through the 1970's. For close to six months - stretching from April to November - the Freeway Phantom had struck almost regularly. After all, Brenda had asked specifically "Did my mother see me?" The most notable thing about the discovery was that the body was dressed except for the missing shoes. This inmate - Morris Warren - began feeding investigators information about the Freeway Phantom crimes, which he alleged were perpetrated by a member of the Green Vega's. Valerie Moore - the older sister that had sent Carol Spinks to the 7-Eleven down the street to fetch some soda and TV dinners - was wracked with guilt. Despite finding these two hairs pretty early on, they were unable to make heads from tails of them - unable to confirm if either of them had come from the actual killer. He died in April of 2010, at the ripe old age of 91, outliving his 1938 murder victim by close to a century. 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 . No. In attendance was a local resident named Glendora Thomas, who stated: "The police are committing crimes by not taking care of our children.". This is the story of Washington D.C.'s first known serial killer, the Freeway Phantom. Morbidly, the body of Brenda Woodard had been disposed off of another busy road, near a bus-stop that Brenda's mother used almost every single day. FREEWAY PHANTOM' VICTIMS Carol Denise Spinks May 1, 1971 Nenomoshia Yates October 1, 1971 Teara Ann Bryant November 26, 1972 Diane Williams September 6, 1972 Brenda Denise Woodard November 16, 1971 Darlenia Denise Johnson July 19, 1971 Brenda Fay Crockett July 28, 1971 CAPTION: Teara Ann Bryant CAPTION: Brenda Denise Woodard CAPTION: Carol Denise Spinks CAPTION: Nenomoshia Yates CAPTION: Diane Williams CAPTION: Brenda Fay Crockett CAPTION: Darlenia Denise Johnson. "I think what has happened is the community has forgotten, the police department has forgotten," Jenkins said. [7], A short time later, the phone rang again and was this time answered by the stepfather of Crockett. The investigations resulted in 53 individual charges of selling heroin, and 43 individual charges of selling crack cocaine, among other charges. Crockett was on the other line, crying. He had pulled over to the side of the road, just south of the border separating Washington D.C. and the state of Maryland. episode Paradise . I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! Allenteen spotted her defiant 13-year old daughter, and let her know that her punishment would be waiting for her at home. 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. This did inspire plenty of tips - primarily through telephone hotlines and mail correspondence - but none of them would prove useful to investigators. 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. This was just a stone's throw away from the first two abduction scenes - those of Carol Spinks and Darlenia Johnson - from more than a year beforehand. According to most behavior analysts - such as John Douglas, the grandfather of the study of serial killers, who wrote the popular book "Mindhunter" - most serial killers tend to target those in their own racial demographics. Many of the original detectives had been long-retired, or were even deceased, when Trainum took on the case. He was able to get close to his victims, and then overpower them. 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). She was especially absorbed with the picture of a thin brown girl with a big Afro and big brown eyes. 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. The Freeway Phantom has been described as a loner motivated by rage that was focused on overall society. 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. According to investigators at the time, Warren had begun providing details beyond what was reported in the media. However, along the way, she encountered her mother, who just-so-happened to be returning home. Another exception of the modus operandi was the body of 14-year-old Angela Denise Barnes; her bullet-riddled body was found on an abandoned Maryland road in 1971. The police later recovered one of the .38 caliber pistols reported stolen by the two police officers. 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. 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. 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. 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 other, which Detective Romaine Jenkins believes might be related, was the murder of Teara Ann Bryant, who was killed in November of 1972 - two months after the last known Freeway Phantom murder. The Phantom also most likely lives in the Washington area, as he seems to have knowledge of the region, especially the local stores. Remember, the note from Brenda Woodard's coat pocket had read: "This is tantamount to insensititivity [sic] to people especially women. This leads us to the events of October 1st, 1971. Now-retired, she always dreamed of being the one to crack the Freeway Phantom case, hoping to be the one to personally handcuff him. He identified the man who gave him the information, the date and location of the crime, and signature detail which was not provided to the public, but which was known only to the perpetrator, and to detectives. [21] Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. Carol obliged, and accepted the five dollars from her older sister. 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. Were they the Phantom Freeway killer? Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. Their boss then decided to make a call to a friend of theirs - Charles Baden, a police sergeant in Washington D.C. Baden, was wasn't even on-duty that day, was able to make his way to the scene, where he finally got the police involved. All of this created a lot of animosity towards the local police department - the MPDC - who hired almost exclusively white officers. Want to Read. He might have received some kind of psychiatric treatment to help deal with negative emotions, like depression and anger towards women. "Signature details," they called them - intimate details that would be known only by the responsible parties and investigators. He identified the man who gave him the information, the date and location of the crime, and signature detail which was not provided to the public, but which was known only to the perpetrator, and to detectives. Upon his arrest, Askins declared to police that he was a "woman hater" and was placed under mental observation at Washington, D.C.'s Gallinger Hospital. However, in all of these cases, one kept Romaine Jenkins up at night. Tommy served on the USS INTREPID CVA-11 US Navy, four years MM3 fisher funeral home portsmouth, va obituaries ABOUT US; IFR WORKWEAR. The details of this confession were leaked to the press by P.G. 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. wheN you cAtch me iF you cAn! County, Maryland. All of the known members of this gang had been locked up on charges relating to sexual violence at around the time that the Freeway Phantom crime spree came to an end, and had been incarcerated inside Virginia's Lorton Prison. Diane Denise Williams was a 17-year old was known for her impeccable fashion sense. The prior decade had seen some major pieces federal legislation - such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - and the racial divide was still fresh in everyone's mind. how many inches of rain did lincoln nebraska get; jojo script in japanese; 21 day weather forecast lanzarote puerto del carmen; Police investigators initially linked a total of seven slayings, including that of Barnes, to the same killer. 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. A store clerk would later recognize the girl from photographs, and state she had purchased the items that evening, just after 7:00 PM. After kissing her boyfriend goodbye, Diane Williams was last seen boarding a city bus, directed towards her family's home in Halley Terrace. 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. 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 the coming years, detectives would theorize that this implies some connection to the neighborhood Brenda Crockett lived in. [5], The Phantom's final victim was claimed almost a year later, on September 5, 1972. Experts believe that it might have only been a tragic coincidence that Angelas murder loosely mirrored the victims of the Freeway Phantom. As you can guess, this early nickname would stick and soon, the killer himself seemed to embrace it. Hairs of two unknown males were found on the clothing of Brenda Woodward, hairs whose origin is unknown. 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). [25][26] Authorities later determined that Barnes was not a victim of the Freeway Phantom and resumed their investigation on the murders.[12]. 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. Darlenia Denise Johnson was a 16-year old girl that lived in Congress Heights - the same neighborhood that Carol Spinks and her family had been living in. Investigators hypothesized that the killer left her shoes because her name was inscribed on the pair. As of this episode's recording, the storeis of Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard, and Diane Williams remain unresolved. Occasionally, she flipped through a thick manila folder containing smiling portraits of eight black girls forever frozen in time. One of the original Freeway Phantom detectives, who long suspected Askins to be the killer, continued corresponding with the convict until his death in 2010. Warning: set_time_limit() has been disabled for security reasons in /data/web/virtuals/167612/virtual/www/index.php on line 63 [9] As with the other cases, her shoes were missing and unidentified green fibers would also be found on her clothing. 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. especiAlly women. Two days later, police discovered the body of Angela Denise Barnes, 14. Police would use that hair over the coming years to test for suspect validity, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone. Despite being unable to determine the official cause-of-death, the coroner would later state that there was evidence of strangulation, which was loosely applied to the case of the murdered Darlenia Johnson. Likely, it had been dictated to her by the killer. 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. It was just destroyed.". Vicksburg. All had been killed by a mysterious killer - or group of killers - who seemed to embrace the nickname that the media gave them. Like the first four victims, Woodard had been strangled but it appeared that her end had been a much more violent one. 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. 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. He ultimately let the victim go without harming her any further, and the incident was reported to police. Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. 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. One of the known acquaintances of the Green Vega's was interviewed by police. Brenda's 7-year old sister, Bertha, had remained at-home while the rest of her family was out scouring the neighborhood. A police department spokesman said the cases have been assigned to the cold case squad, which will review the files periodically and investigate any new leads actively. Since then, the police department found the bodies of 6 more minor black girls, all of whom were strangled, assaulted, and shoes missing. Her father had put aside education money for college. wheN you cAtch me iF you cAn! The Freeway Phantom case has seen a myriad of investigators and garnered much interest over the years. To this day, many believe that police did not give the investigation the necessary resources or manpower. "She had said she wanted to be a model," Harper, now 81, said of her niece. Unknown. Investigators would theorize that the phone calls made to Brenda's family were facilitated by the kidnapper, who wanted to feed false information to the police. The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb. Abduction and rapeManual strangulationLigature strangulation (once)Stabbing (once) At least one witness would claim having seen her with her boyfriend that afternoon, but that boyfriend's mother refused to let police speak to her son. They would be called back later on, but by that time, the case had grown stagnant. It's not too late to say something. This was, truthfully, based off of statistical analysis at the time - which did show that killers tend to target their own racial demographic, more often than not - but had come after months of inactivity and perceived apathy. Sellman and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. 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. 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. 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. This has yet to be verified. The other, they claimed, belonged to an African American man. 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. Robert Askins would be sent to St. Elizabeth's Hospital shortly thereafter, until he was mentally fit enough to stand trial. In the first murder attributed to this spree - that of Carol Spinks - it was discovered that she had been held captive for some time before her death. Warren was taken out of prison to specific locations, and began pointing out where victims had been abducted, killed, assaulted, and then disposed of. Court documents were found in a desk drawer in which a judge had used the word "tantamount," an uncommon word that had appeared in the note dictated by the killer of Brenda Woodward. The FBI profile of the Phantom Killer stated that the killer would likely: - Have at least a high school education, with either "average or above-average intelligence", - Be a charming young man, who often struggled to maintain healthy relationships, - Likely lived alone or with an older woman (creating some kind of resentment towards females), - Having known the neighborhood that he committed his crimes in. Organized He wanted to tout his record for voters, and announced to the media that he was closing in on an arrest for the Freeway Phantom cold case. [3] On her way home from the store, Spinks was abducted; her body was found six days later at 2:46 pm behind St. Elizabeths Hospital on a grassy embankment next to the northbound lanes of I-295, about 1,500 feet south of Suitland Parkway. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, the son of a Unitarian minister. 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. In the second case - Darlenia Johnson - her remains were too decomposed to tell how quickly she had been killed or disposed of. 6+ killed ", Following this development, it was announced that the FBI would be getting involved in the investigation. 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. Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Sullivan and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. 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. 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. [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. However, police struggled to come to grips with some other differences: such as the note found in Brenda's coat pocket - which seemed to taunt investigators - and the fact that Brenda was found still wearing her boots. 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. THOMAS SIMMONS OBITUARY. We found 15 records for Tom Sullivan in Maumee, Holland and 10 other cities in Ohio. 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. Read. They said they had arrest warrants for another 26 people. They believe that the Freeway Phantom was a young black man in his 20's or 30's, and agree with the FBI profile. James Groom was later arrested for the incident, and charged with both kidnapping and sexual assault. 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). When he returned nearly a year later - in September of 1972 - he had lashed out at another victim in the neighborhood of Congress Heights. 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. Pathology This was also felt by Patricia Williams, the sister of Diane. "She had the shape and the beauty to be that. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. Described as both shy and petite, Carol had just cracked five feet tall, and was near the end of her seventh grade year at Johnson Junior High School. Perhaps she knew her abductor, and wasn't too far away from her family's home at the time of the call. 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. While at home, anxious and slightly unaware of the situation's severity, the phone rang. 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. These were the type of cases that her male colleagues tried to avoid. 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. 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. Now, the victim was found just hours after going missing. The following day - September 6th, 1972 - the body of Diane Williams was discovered by a trucker along Interstate 295. 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. 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. If the killer fit this profile, and was in his 20's or 30's, it is possible that he is still alive. In the most unusual development in the case thus far, investigators discovered what seemed to be a taunt from the culprit - which was found at the scene. Like the other two victims, she had been strangled. Where Are They Now? Lets find out. All these leads were investigated to their logical conclusion. "From that moment on, our lives were never the same," said Williams, 40, who is a police officer. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. Romaine Jenkins, the homicide detective I introduced in this episode's introduction, wouldn't be directly involved in this case. He obtained employment at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, where he worked as a computer technician, and lived a quiet life on his own. That ended up being 13 years later, in 1952, when he was re-indicted and convicted of the murder charges. Perhaps he was a Vietnam veteran suffering with some untreated PTSD, or perhaps he was someone with a vicious grudge against law enforcement. It was around 9:20 PM that this call came in, approximately two or so hours after Brenda had left for the store. There were a number of noticeable differences that set it apart. Edward Simmons in North Carolina We found 46 records for Edward Simmons in Charlotte, Tarboro and 29 other cities in North Carolina. [16] She was last seen boarding a bus at 11:20 pm near his house. It was surmised that the body had only been decomposing for 2-3 days, despite her body being found close to a week after her abduction. 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?". 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. [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. The classic prime time variety show most famous for its vaudeville acts and rock music performances. Her thoughts seemed to be scattered, and she gave concerning details about her whereabouts. Edward Emerson Simmons (October 27, 1852 - November 17, 1931) was an American Impressionist painter, remembered for his mural work. However, one of the victims was too decomposed for authorities to rule out it out, and another was found with semen on her clothing - raising the possibility that five had been the victim of sexual assault. 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. He would receive a life sentence, and ended up spending several decades inside a penitentiary. As the group of kids were playing in this area, just off of Interstate 295's northbound lanes, an 11-year-old boy wandered off. "It's in the past, plus personnel in the police department has changed.
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