Home / Crime and Justice / Colonial Parkway Killer Identified After Decades
Colonial Parkway Killer Identified After Decades
22 Jan
Summary
- Suspect Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. identified in 1986 murders.
- Wilmer Sr. linked to at least six murders and disappearances.
- Forensic advances provided the crucial DNA evidence.
Federal investigators have identified Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. as the suspect in the 1986 Colonial Parkway murders of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski. The FBI announced Tuesday that advances in forensic science and DNA analysis led to this identification. Wilmer Sr., a local fisherman, died in 2017 at the age of 63. He is believed to be responsible for at least six murders and disappearances of young people in Virginia between 1986 and 1989. The Colonial Parkway murders remain one of Virginia's longest cold case investigations.
The bodies of Thomas and Dowski were discovered along the Colonial Parkway in October 1986, days after they were last seen at The College of William and Mary. Wilmer Sr. was also linked to the 1987 murders of David Knobling and Robin M. Edwards in Isle of Wight, and the 1989 homicide of Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell. Authorities confirmed that had Wilmer Sr. been alive, evidence would have supported federal prosecution.
The families of the victims expressed a hope for closure, although some believe Wilmer Sr. may be responsible for more killings. Efforts are underway to amend laws to allow for the DNA of deceased suspects like Wilmer Sr. to be entered into databases for potential links to other unsolved cases. The FBI continues to actively pursue other unsolved cases related to the Colonial Parkway murders.
