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"). Since then, the police department found the bodies of 6 more minor black girls, all of whom were strangled, assaulted, and shoes missing. He drove her to a secluded area, where she was then sexually assaulted. Five months after being released in April 1952, Askins strangled 42-year-old Laura Cook to death. Her mother, Reatha, later stated that she told Brenda to take a friend with her, but it seems like 10-year old Brenda left by herself. If the killer fit this profile, and was in his 20's or 30's, it is possible that he is still alive. The most notable case, which police had originally attributed to the Phantom, was the murder of 14-year old Angela Barnes. 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. They had cataloged the evidence, and kept it all in-storage. Investigators had created a timeline of events, which they forced themselves to adhere to. This was less than two miles away from Diane's home. With current evidence and any information of the case from when it happened, no leads produced sufficient evidence for prosecution. Reports on this seem to vary, with some sources claiming that the call came in three hours after she disappeared, but one record listed the specific time, 9:20, so I'm going to stick with that. Thomas E. Sullivan portrayed Nathaniel Malick in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Now-retired, she always dreamed of being the one to crack the Freeway Phantom case, hoping to be the one to personally handcuff him. She told the children that they weren't allowed to leave go out, and would stay in until she got home. 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. Want to Read. It wasn't until September of 1972 that investigators would declare him active once again. I will Admit the others We found 15 records for Tom Sullivan in Maumee, Holland and 10 other cities in Ohio. 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). He may have begun with a series of attacks dubbed the "Green Vega Rapes" which occurred from 1968 to 1970. The most notable thing about the discovery was that the body was dressed except for the missing shoes. The body was found by a 16-year old hitchhiker, that had stumbled upon it through mere happenstance. Eventually, the FBI would enter the fray once again in 1974. A witness apparently saw her getting into a blue Volkswagen, and although investigated, the lead led nowhere.[5]. Angela Denise Barnes was a 14-year old that disappeared on July 12th, 1971, just days after Darlenia Johnson had gone missing. 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. He also could've complained about how society was wronging him, and probably tried contacting a person of power by some means; however, said person presumably refused to listen to him, further fueling his anger and leading to the murders. However, he traces the killer's origins to the neighborhood of Congress Heights, where, as Trainum states: "He felt safe there, he felt he could do his dirt and get away with it.". Maryland State Police have not admitted they have the evidence, but they also refuse to comment about it outright. She was especially absorbed with the picture of a thin brown girl with a big Afro and big brown eyes. 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. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! I don't believe that police followed the leads they had. She told her mom that she was going to be staying the night at the rec center, as they were hosting a sleepover event for kids that would stretch into the following morning. Remember, the note from Brenda Woodard's coat pocket had read: "This is tantamount to insensititivity [sic] to people especially women. Just one of eight children, Carol had an identical twin sister named Carolyn. 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. He ultimately let the victim go without harming her any further, and the incident was reported to police. godzilla, mothra twins. ", Following this development, it was announced that the FBI would be getting involved in the investigation. [4], 12-year-old Yates was walking home around 7:00 pm from a Safeway store in Northeast on October 1, 1971 when she was kidnapped, raped, and strangled. Unfortunately, an autopsy of the remains wouldn't be very efficient at locating any specific details. Brenda Faye Crockett was a 10-year old girl that lived with her family in Northwest, about a block away from Cardozo High School. REAL CRIMINAL Not only was Johnson's body found incredibly close to the area that Spinks had been recovered - their bodies had been found a grand total of fifteen feet apart from one another. However, despite there being no sign of sexual assault, police would find semen on Diane's clothing. [22] Members of this gang were collectively responsible for numerous Washington D.C. and surrounding Maryland vicinity rapes and abductions that occurred near the Washington Beltway. 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. 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. Tom Sullivan in Ohio. Despite happening just a few years after the Freeway Phantom murders, the case of the Lyon sisters was worked on constantly over the years, and everything regarding the case was well-documented and preserved a far cry from the haphazard way the Freeway Phantom crime spree was investigated. 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. She didn't blink. Prosecutors at the time said there was no evidence linking the pair to the other slayings. A search of Robert Askin's vehicle the next month ended up raising some more alarms, when police found two buttons and a gold earring underneath his back seat. Investigators believed this suggested some kind of connection, so they continued to look into this lead. Considr comme le premier tueur en srie de Washington, D.C., ce meurtrier qui n'a pas encore t identifi tait responsable du meurtre d'au moins 6 filles mineures Washington, D.C. d'avril 1971 septembre 1972. 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. The Phantom also most likely lives in the Washington area, as he seems to have knowledge of the region, especially the local stores. 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. Upon this third - and final - submission, the custody of this evidence became a matter-of-debate. Death Notices and Obituaries in the Buffalo News 2010 by Name 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. A short distance down the road, he was able to flag down a police officer, who reported the scene. "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. ". Early 1970's newspaper reports hint at a perceived hatred of those names by the killer, but police have not stated that this was a belief of theirs. 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. 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. It is unknown whether or not police investigated Groom as a legitimate suspect, but I have not found any reporting or mention of him in the months and years after this one incident. 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. Former Washington police officers, Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons, were convicted of murdering Angela Denise Barnes, age 14. Were they the Phantom Freeway killer? So, Detective Trainum then took back the evidence, and re-submitted it to the Maryland State Police. 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. Danh mc . When Brenda left, she was wearing curlers in her hair and did not seem to be wearing shoes. [5], The Phantom's final victim was claimed almost a year later, on September 5, 1972. This angry sentiment was also shared by the sister of Carol Spinks, Evander Spinks, who stated: "You better bet that if these had been white girls, the police would have solved the cases. She was found wearing the clothing she had disappeared in, but her shoes had been removed. She ended up managing the child abuse squad for several years, hoping to make life better for children around the D.C. region. Not only did Askins seem to commit a similar crime in the vicinity of the abductions, but he lived and worked in the region. Despite the bodies of Sheila and Katherine Lyon never being found, a man named Lloyd Welch confessed to their murders, bringing some resolution to the surviving loved ones. Investigators would later theorize that this note was written by Brenda herself; with the FBI later linking it to other writings from her. Alias He would probably be masked and not want to show his victims his face. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, the son of a Unitarian minister. One of the known acquaintances of the Green Vega's was interviewed by police. 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. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. [21][2] With current evidence and any information of the case from when it happened, no leads produced sufficient evidence for prosecution. Not only were the case files lost - they were altogether missing. Bryant, of Maryland, was the only victim not from the District. The cause, he said, was revenge: for him contracting a venereal disease from another sex worker earlier that year. 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