The most notable case, which police had originally attributed to the Phantom, was the murder of 14-year old Angela Barnes. Were they the Phantom Freeway killer? They were giving the Freeway Phantom credit for six murders: those of Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard, and now Diane Williams (in that order). 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. She was asking for some groceries - all of which could be picked up from a 7-Eleven convenience store just down the street. 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. 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. Brenda was still wearing her black boots, which stood in direct contrast to the first few victims. There, she was sexually assaulted and beaten, before being freed by her kidnapper. In the fall of 1971, she began taking night classes at Cardozo High School, hoping to improve her working skills (such as typing). [14][15] They also speculated that, given the absence of indications of duress in the writing, apart from evidence of dysgraphia, she may have known her kidnapper. It appeared to be in her own handwriting, written in pencil, and seemed to be written on a piece of paper that had been torn out from her notebook. The cause, he said, was revenge: for him contracting a venereal disease from another sex worker earlier that year. FRee-wAy PhanTom. . It was around 9:20 PM that this call came in, approximately two or so hours after Brenda had left for the store. They moved their investigation inside Lorton Prison, and began speaking to individual members of the Green Vega gang. Investigators were unable to link the existing evidence to any real suspects, and the witness statements they could gather were hardly helpful. 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. [8] "A white man picked me up, and I'm heading home in a cab," Crockett told her sister, adding that she believed she was in Virginia before abruptly saying, "Bye" and hanging up. 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. [7], A short time later, the phone rang again and was this time answered by the stepfather of Crockett. Brenda's 7-year old sister, Bertha, had remained at-home while the rest of her family was out scouring the neighborhood. [18] As with other victims, her shoes were missing, but no signs of sexual assault were found although traces of semen (assumed to be from the boyfriend) were found. 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. However, despite there being no sign of sexual assault, police would find semen on Diane's clothing. Investigators believed this suggested some kind of connection, so they continued to look into this lead. Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons. Immediately, the case showed some prominent similarities to that of Carol Spinks, another teenager that had been murdered a few months prior. This leads us to the events of October 1st, 1971. 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. Brenda Denise Woodard, whose body still had the shoes worn. A number of these grisly cases were heartbreaking, consuming much of Jenkins' time with tragedy. 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. The most notable thing about the discovery was that the body was dressed except for the missing shoes. Upon this third - and final - submission, the custody of this evidence became a matter-of-debate. Edward Emerson Simmons (October 27, 1852 - November 17, 1931) was an American Impressionist painter, remembered for his mural work. The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb. Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. Investigators eventually obtained a search warrant for Askins' home, and a search revealed many tantalizing clues about the man. 6+ killed insensititivity [sic] to people A privilege that the family members of the Freeway Phantom victims have been waiting for for close to half-a-century. 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. 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. No. She felt responsible for the brutal murder of her little sister, and in return, would often end up walking the same route that Carol had simply hoping to be approached by the same mysterious man that had taken her sister. 3.90 avg rating 40 ratings published 2007. 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. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. hugh o'brian estate; senior analyst job description accenture. The investigations resulted in 53 individual charges of selling heroin, and 43 individual charges of selling crack cocaine, among other charges. And, over the next several years, it seemed to the community that the police weren't taking it seriously. Are Green Vega Rapists Freeway Phantom? I will Admit the others As he later recalled: "I shined my flashlights into her eyes to see if there was life. [21][2] With current evidence and any information of the case from when it happened, no leads produced sufficient evidence for prosecution. It was believed that these had come from a vehicle or a carpet/rug of some kind, but would provide police a very minuscule lead as the investigation began to stretch out over several weeks. The Phantom would abduct them, usually when they were on their way to or returning from work or an errand. 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. In her teenage years, as a result of her sister and best friend's tragic death, she ended up turning to drugs as an escape - a rabbit hole she would struggle to escape over several years of her life. Freeway Phantom A missing persons report was filed, and Darlenia Johnson's case was tentatively labeled an abduction. In 1980, the Washington Post wrote an article about the case, which included statements from two of the victims' family members. The inmate who provided the information said he was not involved in the homicide, and provided an alibi which was found to be verifiable. 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. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, her body dumped about 200 yards south of the Suitland Parkway near Interstate 295. 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. meadowbrook country club estates; michael mullen obituary; pamela gluckin obituary new york; antonio tonyboy floirendo jr biography The inmate being interviewed stipulated that he would provide the information only if he could remain unidentified, which was agreed upon. The body was too severely decomposed by the time officials got to it, and medical examiners would be unable to determine if the victim had been sexually assaulted before her death. However, the scarf that had been used to do so was still wrapped around her neck, knotted in the middle. 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. Less than three hours after her mysterious disappearance, the remains of Nenomoshia Yates would be found. This was less than two miles away from Diane's home. 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. 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. In fact, Maryland police claimed there were no similarities between Angelas death and the murder of six other girls in D.C. Romaine Jenkins is a retired police officer, who - during her tenure in law enforcement - became a pioneer. County, Maryland) discovered the body of the missing 10-year old. The only notable exception wasBrenda Denise Woodard, whose body still had the shoes worn. 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. Trainum was able to recover many of the documents from the Maryland State Police - who had carefully stored the files - but had no idea what had been lost in the preceding decades. January 19, 2023 . When Brenda left, she was wearing curlers in her hair and did not seem to be wearing shoes. The investigation into the abduction and murder of Neno Yates was just as unsuccessful as the first three murders. 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. 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. [5] Her stepfather asked her to have the man come to the phone. 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. Ph: (781) 272-0050 In the early 1970's, a mysterious killer targeted young black girls along the Washington Beltway. Percival Pembroke - "Pembroke-Schaffer Manifold (Parts 1 & 2)", Sann Gusmao - "Reescrever Fotografias Sobre Dias Que Me Rasgam", Indiana Evening Gazette - Washington, D.C. Police Seek Clues To Freeway Phantom. They said they had arrest warrants for another 26 people. Here was a lead, that was as promising as any thus far, which had now evaporated into nothing. Where Are They Now? Join Facebook to connect with Edward Sullivan and others you may know. 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA 01803. Unknown After all, Brenda had asked specifically "Did my mother see me?" edward sullivan and tommie simmons. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. Females Vanished in the 70s, The Washington Post - Killings Unsolved 25 Years Later, Ivan Reports - DNA test in Freeway Phantom cold case not confirmed, Washington City Paper - Why the Freeway Phantom Still Hasnt Been Caught, The Washington Post - D.C. 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. For the first few years of the investigation into the Freeway Phantom, police had linked Barnes' death to the unknown killer targeting young black girls in the D.C. region. The other victims had had their shoes taken from them. 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. 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. However, by the time the 1980's had rolled around, the case was still unsolved. 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. jennifer 8 filming locations; what is a state vendor for nj familycare; the vintage new orleans happy hour menu Now, she continues to ponder over the case, which still haunts her. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. Were Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Freeway Phantom? Modus Operandi Robert Elwood Askins was a middle-aged black man that worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital as a computer technician through the 1970's. 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