Jenkins believes that the killer was either in the military, or lived some kind of transient lifestyle. Many of the original detectives had been long-retired, or were even deceased, when Trainum took on the case. "And this is probably one of the most massive and extensive investigations that was ever conducted in D.C.". [25][26] Authorities later determined that Barnes was not a victim of the Freeway Phantom and resumed their investigation on the murders.[12]. Sellman and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. It had housed everyone from psychotic killers to returning Vietnam veterans suffering from undiagnosed PTSD. Hence their nickname, the "Green Vega's.". They would be called back later on, but by that time, the case had grown stagnant. 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. Authorities later determined that Barnes was not a victim of the Freeway Phantom and resumed their investigation on the murders. edward sullivan and tommie simmonsmark anthony ontario. As you can imagine, she never made it home. Not only did Askins seem to commit a similar crime in the vicinity of the abductions, but he lived and worked in the region. 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. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! A short distance down the road, he was able to flag down a police officer, who reported the scene. Both were ex-cops that were arrested in relation to the 1971 murder of Angela Barnes. Five months after being released in April 1952, Askins strangled 42-year-old Laura Cook to death. He retired the next year, 2010, and had received no word in an official capacity from the Maryland Police. Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home. Yazoo City. Dumping his victims next to the freeway Pathology Due to the brutality of the crimes the police suspected the offender to be a psychopath. 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. Brenda then told her younger sister that she was in Virginia, before the call came to an abrupt end. 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. Free-way Phantom!" During this encounter, the man also told the victim that he had recently returned from Vietnam, was lonely, and was sick of no one understanding him. 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. 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. . and Montgomery Counties, the Maryland State Police, and the FBI itself. ", "(Wanted Poster) Up to $150,000 Reward 'Freeway Phantom' Murders", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freeway_Phantom&oldid=1139343201, CS1 Chinese (Taiwan)-language sources (zh-tw), Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from February 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 17:04. [5], The Phantom's final victim was claimed almost a year later, on September 5, 1972. ". When investigators would examine this coat, they would find a handwritten note inside one of the jacket pockets. 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. I will Admit the others The bail bond for the alleged perpetrators was set at $250,000. Tommy Musgrove joined the MPDC in 1972, and eventually climbed up the ranks enough to head the entire homicide unit. 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 surmised that the body had only been decomposing for 2-3 days, despite her body being found close to a week after her abduction. 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. 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. She had also been fully clothed, minus her shoes (which were missing). 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. 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. This conviction was overturned in 1958. Edward Emerson Simmons (October 27, 1852 - November 17, 1931) was an American Impressionist painter, remembered for his mural work. Angela fitted seamlessly into the victim profile of the Freeway Phantom she was a minor, African American, and her body was found near an abandoned road. He ultimately let the victim go without harming her any further, and the incident was reported to police. Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. Alias Tom Sullivan in Ohio. As of this episode's recording, the storeis of Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard, and Diane Williams remain unresolved. "From that moment on, our lives were never the same," said Williams, 40, who is a police officer. 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. The other victims had had their shoes taken from them. 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. 6+ killed 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. 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 at Lorton Prison had given the information. On July 8th, 1971, Darlenia said goodbye to her mother, and began walking to work. The investigation into the Freeway Phantom has long been considered a "cold case." 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. best used midsize suv under $20 000; lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after. 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. 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. 7 The Alphabet Killer Photo Credit: calafellvalo / Flickr Like the case of Dr. 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). In the case of the third victim, Brenda Crockett, the Phantom forced her to call her family twice, likely as a way to both taunt them and throw the Police of the trail, very similar to the way The Gilgo Beach Killer taunted his victim's families with phone calls. The most notable thing about the discovery was that the body was dressed except for the missing shoes. During their correspondence, Askins continued to deny having any part in the Freeway Phantom murders, stating that he did not have: " the depravity of mind required to commit any of the crimes.". 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. Detective James Trainum last worked on the case in 2009, and as far as he knew, Maryland State Police had received the evidence but done nothing with it. Crockett was on the other line, crying. Were Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Freeway Phantom? 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. 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. The first of which was from Leon Williams, the father of Diane Williams - the sixth and final murder victim of the Freeway Phantom. Infuriated, this caller called their boss and let them know about the police inactivity. West Point. While there, he broke free of his restraints and assaulted three orderlies with a chair before being subdued. They believe that the Freeway Phantom was a young black man in his 20's or 30's, and agree with the FBI profile. Most of the people in the homicide unit now would know nothing at all about the Freeway Phantom." Now, the victim was found just hours after going missing. 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