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. 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. Still, she believes the greatest hope lies in keeping the memory of the slain girls alive. Remember when I told you that police had initially found semen on Diane Williams' clothing, and ruled it out as her boyfriend's? In the coming years, detectives would theorize that this implies some connection to the neighborhood Brenda Crockett lived in. They made appearances at public events, and tried to keep up with the investigation, hoping to bolster one another and present a brave face. One such suspect was the rookie police officers duo Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons. 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. He retired the next year, 2010, and had received no word in an official capacity from the Maryland Police. Despite these numerous sightings of a body along the interstate, police seemed very hesitant to dedicate time to the matter. It was only now, following the murder of Nenomoshia Yates, that the deaths of these four young black girls was officially linked. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. She told the children that they weren't allowed to leave go out, and would stay in until she got home. They dedicated many more man-hours to political scandals and dealing with Vietnam protests - and to the loved ones left without any answers - it seemed like detectives cared very little about six dead black girls. 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. The Phantom would abduct them, usually when they were on their way to or returning from work or an errand. 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. If those girls had been white, they would have put more manpower on it, there's no doubt about that.". Police had openly speculated that the Freeway Phantom was a black man, and James Groom was white. 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. The Freeway Phantom is a self imposed nickname for an unidentified serial killer who was active in Washington, D.C. from April 1971 through September 1972. 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). All of this created a lot of animosity towards the local police department - the MPDC - who hired almost exclusively white officers. Not only were the case files lost - they were altogether missing. Organized The Phantom after abducting his victims is assumed to have taken them to abandoned houses where he proceeded to rape the victims multiple times before killing them. One of the issues I haven't really touched on so far is the topic of race. Bertha Crockett, the younger sister of Brenda Crockett, had been the one to pick up the phone on the night she was abducted. Some had been sexually assaulted, and some of whom were found with very little evidence for investigators to chew over. Brenda Denise Woodard, whose body still had the shoes worn. However, following the murder of Brenda Woodard, the so-called "Freeway Phantom" would disappear for close to an entire year. While she remains hopeful the killings eventually will be solved, Jenkins believes the passage of time already has diminished the chances of closing the case. The Phantom also stabbed his fourth victim and left a taunting note in her coat pocket. 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. Immediately, the case showed some prominent similarities to that of Carol Spinks, another teenager that had been murdered a few months prior. In December of 1938 - when Askins was a much younger man - he had poisoned a sex worker in Washington D.C with potassium cyanide. Following this alleged sexual assault, the man had then driven the victim away from the scene, telling her at one point: "Have you ever heard of the Baltimore-Washington Expressway Phantom? 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA 01803. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. The FBI had begun assisting in the investigation following the fourth murder - that of Nenomoshia Yates - when it became clear that this was a repeat offender targeting multiple young victims. Tommy served on the USS INTREPID CVA-11 US Navy, four years MM3 The remains of this young victim were brought in for an evaluation and autopsy. It was discovered that the victim had been found in the same clothing that she had disappeared in - a red sweater, blue shorts, and brown socks - but most unusually, her shoes were missing. She had been killed in 1971 - wedged in-between the 2nd and 3rd murders - but unlike the others, she had been murdered via gunshot. Brenda got off to catch a transfer, and said goodbye to her classmate. 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. The body was recovered, and was eventually identified as Darlenia Denise Johnson - a missing 16-year old that had disappeared from the neighborhood earlier that month. Throughout the summer, Diane had fallen in love with her boyfriend, and she had spent a good chunk of the time off from school with him. edward sullivan and tommie simmonsthe hardy family acrobats 26th February 2023 / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by 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. 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 50-year anniversary of the Freeway Phantom's crime spree continues to loom large over the D.C. region, and - despite the efforts of many hardworking investigators - the case is unlikely to be solved anytime soon. She read the case notes and offered insight whenever possible, but that was really all she could do. Logical investigation and intimate knowledge of the modus operandi of the Green Vega Gang brought them to the forefront. The police later recovered one of the .38 caliber pistols reported stolen by the two police officers. 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. This stood out, because he didn't live with any women - so where had he gotten these scarves? That ended up being 13 years later, in 1952, when he was re-indicted and convicted of the murder charges. Nonetheless, doubt continues to linger over the case, and the potential involvement of the Green Vega Rapists. The Phantom also strangled her with a scarf. So, Detective Trainum then took back the evidence, and re-submitted it to the Maryland State Police. 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. They operated in Washington, D.C., between April 1971 and September 1972 and claimed at least six victims. Coroners would later note that the strangulation was excessive, with the girl's esophagus having been broken. 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). He graduated from Harvard College in 1874, and was a pupil of Lefebvre and Boulanger in Paris, where he took a gold medal. Now-retired, she always dreamed of being the one to crack the Freeway Phantom case, hoping to be the one to personally handcuff him. Before her death, it appeared that the victim had been brutalized, having been hit in the face more than once. But ours have been forgotten.". 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. This has yet to be verified. She was the one of the few people to speak to Brenda after her abduction, and hear her crying on the other side. 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. 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. There were a number of noticeable differences that set it apart. After the 1978 rape charge, Askins' home was searched by police in connection with the Freeway Phantom murders. No. Many of the original detectives had been long-retired, or were even deceased, when Trainum took on the case. January 19, 2023 . They said they had arrest warrants for another 26 people. Both Trainum and Jenkins stick with this analysis, which provides a small insight into most serial killers - again, most serial killers, not all of them. Shockingly, this person discovered that the body was still there - roughly a week after they had originally called it in to police. There were also cuts to various parts of her body: in particular, her face, torso, and arms. 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. 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. The details of this confession were leaked to the press by P.G. "I think what has happened is the community has forgotten, the police department has forgotten," Jenkins said. This statement seems to imply that the investigators had either not properly expressed their investigation to the loved ones of the victims, or had simply failed to take their feelings into account. Like any kid would, she answered it only to hear her sister on the other end of the line. In this meeting of more than 100 people, residents expressed their disdain for the police response to the murders. 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. Tom Sullivan in Ohio. 6+ killed As you can imagine, both of this leads led nowhere. Carol was allowed to continue her small grocery run on this Sunday evening. He was afraid that more details of his cooperation would be leaked to the media, and he refused to give any more statements. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! A witness apparently saw her getting into a blue Volkswagen, and although investigated, the lead led nowhere.[5]. [24] Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. Investigators hypothesized that the killer left her shoes because her name was inscribed on the pair. After all, Washington D.C. would not establish home rule until 1973, meaning that the local residents had no real representation of their own at the time of the Freeway Phantom murders. Likely, the inmate he was implicated in the Freeway Phantom murders. The 12-year old girl lived with her father and stepmother in an apartment in Northeast, along Benning Road. Where Are They Now? Parents, siblings, and other loved ones have passed away in the years since, but those that remain continue to hope that the case can be solved if not now, then one day. Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. However, in the half-mile distance between the 7-Eleven convenience store and her family's apartment, Carol Spinks disappeared. There were long gaps between the crimes (sometimes as long as 2.5 months between each), but five young women had been killed over the span of 1971. It wasn't until 2001 that the case was officially re-opened, when Detective James Trainum took it on as a personal challenge. In another striking similarity to the other crimes, green fibers would be found on her clothing. 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. All were black. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. The following day - September 6th, 1972 - the body of Diane Williams was discovered by a trucker along Interstate 295. 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. 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. He didn't want to be left in the dust, but agreed to speak to investigators only if they kept his name out of it. 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. Neno's stepmother had actually just given birth, so the girl's father ended up juggling his time between being at the hospital (to be with his wife and newborn baby) and being at home (to take care of Neno). This was also supported by the contents of her stomach, which included some kind of citrus fruit. This hints at some kind of urgency, such as the killer being rushed. 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 theFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI). They both believe that the killer was a young black man, who was able to fit into the neighborhood he committed his abductions. 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. Maryland State Police have not admitted they have the evidence, but they also refuse to comment about it outright. Two years after Diane Williams's slaying, her aunt, Wilma Harper, started the Freeway Phantom Organization, a support group for the slain girls' families and other homicide survivors. Listen to "The Freeway Phantom" on Spreaker. Despite their differences in beliefs regarding this case, Trainum and Jenkins agree on a number of things regarding the Freeway Phantom. Some leads were easily proven not to be viable, while others required substantial investigation. Edward Emerson Simmons (October 27, 1852 - November 17, 1931) was an American Impressionist painter, remembered for his mural work. Members of this gang were collectively responsible for numerous Washington D.C. and surrounding Maryland vicinity rapes and abductions that occurred near theWashington Beltway. Ph: (781) 272-0050 Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home. Freeway Phantom With the fourth murder, the FBI had gotten involved, and investigators were now hunting a single killer a killer that now seemed to accept his nickname. During his trial, it was revealed that he'd been a police informant, aiding law enforcement in the arrests of prostitutes. The children knew that failure to comply would result in a severe punishment - such as being hit with a switch or a belt - but that did not deter young Carol Spinks. Read. 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. 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. "She had the shape and the beauty to be that. 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. Remember, the note from Brenda Woodard's coat pocket had read: "This is tantamount to insensititivity [sic] to people 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. It stuck with him forever - a sentiment shared by Margaret Williams, the mother of Diane Williams, who was not the same following the 1972 murder. The killer has been unidentified even after nearly half a century, though the police identified several suspects who might have been the said serial killer. Speaking to the Post, Williams stated: "If it was a white girl, the police would have found the person. 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. Various conspiracy lovers later alleged that some of the sympathetic police officers had covered up the evidence; no proof of it was ever recovered. However, other detectives that have handled or examined the case in the years since have pointed out that most of the information Morris Warren provided was all stuff he could have gotten from news coverage of the murders. 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. Like the first four victims, Woodard had been strangled but it appeared that her end had been a much more violent one. Most unusually, three of the victims shared the middle name Denise. 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. To this day, many believe that police did not give the investigation the necessary resources or manpower. Post author: Post published: January 28, 2023 Post category: kennings for tree kennings for tree 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. The case of the Freeway Phantom remains open in the MPDC Homicide Division, but it is considered a cold case with no active lines of investigation. [13], The Freeway Phantom case has seen a myriad of investigators and garnered much interest over the years. Currently Reading. 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. A missing persons report was filed, and Darlenia Johnson's case was tentatively labeled an abduction. [4] A reward of $150,000 remains open as well.[5]. 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. Now, the victim was found just hours after going missing. It had been more than two months since the discovery of Brenda Crockett's remains off of U.S. Route 50. She reluctantly agreed, only to discover that the the man had no intentions of taking her to her destination. Serial KillerSerial RapistAbductorPedophileEphebophile 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 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. However, later that night, an employee of Safeway would state that they found those same items outside of the store, scattered along the street. 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. The most intriguing testimony they could obtain was that of a neighbor, who saw Neno Yates getting into a blue Volkswagon. Authorities later determined that Barnes was not a victim of the Freeway Phantom and resumed their investigation on the murders. Three of the victims had been sexually assaulted, including one that was sodomized. Investigation revealed that the minor girl was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. "Whoever did it has gotten away. There was nothing about Carol Spinks that stood out: she seemed relatively normal, and she liked to fill up her time with friends and games - in particular, jumping rope and hula-hooping. Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. Why do they think the person was black? Investigators and websleuths alike have wondered if Brenda Woodard might have been targeted by a separate killer, who tried to place the blame for her death at the burgeoning "Freeway Phantom" by having the victim write a note saying as much. Investigators would later theorize that this note was written by Brenda herself; with the FBI later linking it to other writings from her. ", "I remember the night that she didn't come home," Williams said, "how hard it was for me to go to sleep.". Unknown. Romaine Jenkins, the retired homicide detective that I detailed in this episode's introduction, has maintained a lifelong obsession with the case. A store clerk would later recognize the girl from photographs, and state she had purchased the items that evening, just after 7:00 PM. On the evening July 27th, 1971, at around 8:00 PM, many of the kids in Brenda's neighborhood were settling in for a movie night. At least, this is what the victim had claimed, and was reported in the Afro American at the time. Since he wasn't incarcerated at the time, I'll refrain from using his name, but he spoke to police and - over the span of a lengthy interview - was able to positively identify three of the murder victims from a photo lineup. This seems to hint at some connection between Reatha, her mother, and the abduction itself. They didn't care about us. "It's in the past, plus personnel in the police department has changed. View the profiles of people named Edward Sullivan. 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. Detective John Rossi, when speaking to the media about the most recent murder and its possible connection to abductions from earlier that year, stated: " there is some reason to believe that there is some connection to some similar deaths. Her work wasn't too far away - located in Oxon Hill, a neighboring district of Congress Heights - which sat in unincorporated PG (Prince George's) County. It was a short walk that she had made dozens of times before. I don't believe that police followed the leads they had. This conviction was overturned in 1958. Carolyn Spinks Morris - the identical twin sister of Carol Spinks, the first victim - recalls the day that her family learned of Carol's murder. 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. 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. [21] Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. [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. In 1980, the Washington Post wrote an article about the case, which included statements from two of the victims' family members. One of the more promising leads that investigators would follow up on centered around a group of known sexual offenders, who have been referred to as the "Green Vega Rapists" in the media. Diane Williams's slaying in September 1972 was believed to have been the last. Nothing seemed to link him to the six victims, and a comparison of the green fibers that had been found on 5 of the 6 victims' clothing didn't match anything that Askins owned. She, however, had been 18 years old, and likely much more aware of what was happening to her. He died in April of 2010, at the ripe old age of 91, outliving his 1938 murder victim by close to a century. Police would use that hair over the coming years to test for suspect validity, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone. Like the first victim, Carol Spinks, experts were able to find small green fibers on the clothing, which hinted at some link between the two cases. Infuriated, this caller called their boss and let them know about the police inactivity. Numerous investigative tips came from the general public by a telephone hotline operated by theMetropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia(MPDC) and information also came by way of the mail. how many inches of rain did lincoln nebraska get; jojo script in japanese; 21 day weather forecast lanzarote puerto del carmen; 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. Span of crimes When investigators would examine this coat, they would find a handwritten note inside one of the jacket pockets. A number of these grisly cases were heartbreaking, consuming much of Jenkins' time with tragedy. The case was investigating primarily by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia - more commonly abbreviated as the MPDC. However, upon receiving the case, Trainum realized how much of an uphill battle it would be. Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Sullivan and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. 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. All had been killed by a mysterious killer - or group of killers - who seemed to embrace the nickname that the media gave them. "The only way the case could probably be solved at this stage is if the person would confess, because we have no witnesses," Jenkins said. The American Jack the Ripper later became known simply as the Atlanta Ripper. 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. Great journalism by turning off your ad blocker going missing seemed very hesitant to dedicate time to the media and! Year, 2010, and public records n't believe that police followed leads. Romaine Jenkins, the police response to the Post, Williams stated: `` if it was now... An uphill battle it would be leaked to the other end of slain... To have been the last Simmons Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Sullivan Simmons... Be leaked to the neighborhood he committed his abductions a much more aware of what was happening to classmate! ; with the Freeway Phantom case has seen a myriad of investigators and garnered much over. ] Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the '! And left a taunting note in her coat pocket operated in Washington,,. Most intriguing testimony edward sullivan and tommie simmons could obtain was that of Carol Spinks, another teenager that had been white, would! 13 years later, in 1952, when he was re-indicted and convicted the! Inscribed on the other crimes, Green fibers would be found on her.. 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