Ep 118: The Murders of Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski and the Colonial Parkway Murders, Part 1

Crime Analyst

Laura Richards

True Crime

4.9 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 28 February 2023

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Laura interviews Bill Thomas, brother of Cathy Thomas, and researcher, writer and advocate Kristin Dilley about the brutal murders of Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski and the other three double murders often referred to as the ‘Colonial Parkway Murders.’ From 1986 to 1989 six young people were murdered and two disappeared and the FBI believed it was most likely a serial killer. The cases included Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski who were murdered between October 9/10 1986; David Lee Knobling and Robin Edwards who were found dead on September 23 1987; Richard Keith Call and Cassandra Lee Hailey who disappeared on April 10 1988 and who were never found, and; Daniel Lauer and Annamaria Phelps who disappeared on September 5 1989 and whose bodies were later found under a blanket, near a rest stop. In this episode, Laura, Bill and Kristin discuss Cathy and Becki’s victimology including Cathy’s determination to excel at all that she did, including her mental fortitude to succeed and graduate from the US Naval Academy in the second class to admit women, making her one of the true trail blazers in the service. We also start to dive in to whether these four cases are linked and whether there are links to Lollie Winans and Julie Williams’ murders given the similarities in victimology and possible targeting to Cathy and Rebecca and that the murders happened less than 200 miles away in isolated locations and on long holiday weekends. Coincidence? Join us as we dive into the difficult and complex details of each case. Content warning: This is not an easy listen. Listener discretion is advised. #CathyThomas #BeckyDowski #LollieWinans #JulieWilliams #Trailed #KathyrnMiles #DavidKnobling #RobinEdwards #RichardCall #CassandraHailey #DanielLauer #AnnamariaPhelps #Virginia #LanguageMatters #WomenMatter #CrimeAnalyst #Expert #Analysis #TrueCrime #Podcast #Crime Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvxxWBGivA Information about the DASH, Coercive Control and Train the Trainer Masterclasses with Laura https://shoutout.wix.com/so/eeOI-OpnS?languageTag=en Subscribe to Crime Analyst You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCksfRSwfwFqUCjcxKYju6_Q Crime Analyst Merch https://crime-analyst.myshopify.com/ Leave a Review Support Laura’s work and Crime Analyst by leaving a 5-star review here: https://www.crime-analyst.com/reviews/new/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The colonial parkway stretches for 23 miles in Virginia, bringing together what's referred to as the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown.
0:10.0	Although for many traveling through the parkway, it's a scenic passageway through American history.
0:15.0	For locals, several pockets became known as lovers lanes, where couples could rendezvous in secluded areas.
0:21.0	Beginning in 1986, spots along the historic parkway took a dark turn.
0:25.0	Six people were murdered and two were missing, or believed to be killed as well.
0:29.0	The homicides became known as the colonial parkway murders, and remain a series of unsolved mysteries with little answers for loved ones.
0:37.0	The thing about the colonial parkway murders is that it's four double homicides that were committed about a year apart.
0:45.0	The bodies were found in some cases, not found in other cases.
0:49.0	Sometimes they were left right where the crime occurred, sometimes they were put in the water, sometimes they were moved.
0:57.0	I'm Stephanie Gamolka, oxygen.com correspondent. Here are some of the details of the case explained.
1:03.0	The first known case is Kathy Thomas and Becky Dowski.
1:08.0	Kathy, 27, was the graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
1:12.0	Becky, 21, was a student at the College of William and Mary.
1:16.0	The couple's bodies were discovered, Columbus Day weekend, 1986, at an overlook along the colonial parkway in Williamsburg, Virginia.
1:24.0	They were strangled, and their throats were slashed.
1:27.0	Their deaths still shrouded in mystery, have been theorized as the work of a serial killer or a targeted hate crime, but remain unsolved today.
1:35.0	The next pair to be found murdered was David Nobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14.
1:42.0	After Nobling's car was discovered at Rocket Island Wildlife Refuge in September 1987, a search for them ended a few days later, with their bodies being discovered near the James River.
1:53.0	They were both shot to death, execution style.
1:58.0	In April 1988, Cassandra Hailey, 18, and Keith Call, 20, disappeared.
2:07.0	They were last seen at a friends party in Newport, New Virginia, and both were college students.
2:12.0	Keith's car was discovered at a turnout along the colonial parkway.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -760 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Laura Richards, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Laura Richards and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.