Romaine Jenkins is a retired police officer, who - during her tenure in law enforcement - became a pioneer. 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. Of those effected by the Freeway Phantom crime spree, none were hit harder than the loved ones - whose children and siblings were taken by the unknown killer, and their lives ended way too prematurely. By that point, investigators admitted that the Barnes case was not connected to the other six murders, and they did not believe that Sellman or Simmons had anything to do with the crime spree. 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. He walked her to a bus stop nearby, along Martin Luther King Avenue. He replaced Joel Dabney Courtney, who portrayed Nathaniel Malick in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She still regrets not going to the store with her older sister, believing that if they had been together, things might have ended differently. Despite these numerous sightings of a body along the interstate, police seemed very hesitant to dedicate time to the matter. She recalls her mother's devastating sobbing, and the gloom that fell upon the entire neighborhood. Two days later, police discovered the body of Angela Denise Barnes, 14. 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. A 1975 memorandum order by D.C. Superior Court Judge Fred B. Ugast read: "On May 16th, Mr. Warren began to direct the government agents to the locations he had described to them regarding two Freeway deaths. As you can imagine, she never made it home. Investigators would theorize that the phone calls made to Brenda's family were facilitated by the kidnapper, who wanted to feed false information to the police. The 12-year old girl lived with her father and stepmother in an apartment in Northeast, along Benning Road. Here was a lead, that was as promising as any thus far, which had now evaporated into nothing. Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. At 5:50 am the next day, a hitchhiker discovered Crockett's shoeless body in a conspicuous location on U.S. Route 50, near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Prince George's County, Maryland. Despite their differences in beliefs regarding this case, Trainum and Jenkins agree on a number of things regarding the Freeway Phantom. The case files had been lost by DC police in the years since, and were nowhere to be found. Diane would spent the next few hours with her boyfriend, before the time came to head home. 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. It was only now, following the murder of Nenomoshia Yates, that the deaths of these four young black girls was officially linked. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! 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. 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. 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 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. 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. Regardless, both of these retired homicide detectives continue to stick to their guns. edward sullivan and tommie simmonsmark anthony ontario. This was beyond the date of the known killer's crime spree, and was ruled out as a possible connection due to a lack of evidence, but remains a real possibility. "Signature details," they called them - intimate details that would be known only by the responsible parties and investigators. January 19, 2023 . These differences seemed to point to Brenda being an outlier, perhaps even an incorrectly-labeled victim. Some people believe that the Phantom himself called in tips to mislead police and stall the investigation. From this, the detectives hypothesized that she might have known her killer, which led to her not being under compulsion while writing the note. Now, on the other side of town, another child found themselves walking along the side of the road as evening approached. 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. 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. But Jenkins, who said she reopened the case in 1987 after it had sat dormant for years, also linked the killing of Teara Ann Bryant, 18, to the Freeway Phantom case. A missing persons report was filed, and Darlenia Johnson's case was tentatively labeled an abduction. When investigators announced that the Freeway Phantom killer was most likely a black individual, this animosity towards the local police force began to turn into widespread distrust. Authorities could never conclusively link Edward and Tommie with the other killings and mark them as the Phantom Freeway killer. In 1971, a town hall was arranged in Congress Heights by a local antipoverty agency. One witness reported having seen Johnson in an old black car, driven by an African-American male, shortly after her abduction. 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. It's very possible that he had nothing to do with the Freeway Phantom crimes, but his name is one I haven't seen mentioned before, and thought it worth bringing up. 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. Approximately six hours later, a police officer discovered her body, which had been stabbed multiple times and strangled, in a grassy area near Prince George's County Hospital, along an access ramp to Route 202 from the BaltimoreWashington Parkway. 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. D.C. Phantom Murder", "Six black girls were brutally murdered in the early '70s. . Valerie, Carol's 24-year old sister that lived across the hall in the apartment building, asked the kids if any of them would walk down to a nearby store for her. When she failed to return home in a timely manner, her mother called the police and was able to file a missing persons report that night. Type She wasn't found with any shoes, but police didn't find that odd - after all, she had left her house without wearing shoes, as far as anyone knew. In another coincidence, five out of the six victims were shown to be related via green fibers found on their clothing. Investigation revealed that the minor girl was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. Touted as Washington, D.C.s first serial killer, this yet-to-be-identified murderer was responsible for killing at least six minor girls in Washington, D.C., from April 1971 to September 1972. The area that these crimes unfolded - primarily, Washington D.C. - held a predominant black population. [13], The Freeway Phantom case has seen a myriad of investigators and garnered much interest over the years. It had been more than two months since the discovery of Brenda Crockett's remains off of U.S. Route 50. During her time as a homicide detective, Jenkins mainly investigated the deaths of children and babies. On December 30, only two days later, he stabbed to death another prostitute, 26-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, at the same location. Despite more than 25 D.C. police officer being handed over to the investigative effort at one point, this sentiment is shared by at least one high-ranking police officer - who worked for the department at the time of the murders. She ended up managing the child abuse squad for several years, hoping to make life better for children around the D.C. region. There were a number of noticeable differences that set it apart. The Freeway Phantom is an unidentified pedophilic and ephebophilic serial killer, rapist, and abductor active in Washington, D.C. from April 1971 through September 1972. Her body was discovered behind St. Elizabeths Hospital on a grassy embankment next to the northbound lanes of I-295, about 1,500 feet south of Suitland Parkway. Infuriated, this caller called their boss and let them know about the police inactivity. Most unusually, investigators would discover that Askins loved to use the word "tantamount." On May 17th, he showed them the alleged locations dealing with Darlenia Johnson, although while showing them where her body was abandoned, he took them to the place where Brenda Crockett's body was found. 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. 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. This was also supported by the contents of her stomach, which included some kind of citrus fruit. These members included men such as Morris Joseph Warren, Paul Fletcher, John Davis, and Paul Brooks - whose exploits you can find in detailed newspaper archives. He also owns a car or truck, which he would drive the distances between the stores where the victims were abducted. Yeah, that came back into play roughly 30 years later, in 2002, when Trainum submitted that piece of evidence for forensic testing. Their boss then decided to make a call to a friend of theirs - Charles Baden, a police sergeant in Washington D.C. Baden, was wasn't even on-duty that day, was able to make his way to the scene, where he finally got the police involved. 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. He tried to be more forceful on the phone than Bertha had been, but received most of the same information from Brenda: that a white man had picked her up, and she was going to head home in a cab. Trainum believes that the killed lived in Congress Heights, just south of St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and had likely begun branching once he started to fear being seen or recognized. Rhode Island State Police said Thursday that they arrested 62 people in a sweeping investigation into welfare fraud. 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. This was also felt by Patricia Williams, the sister of Diane. 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. 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. [5] Her body was found within three hours of her abduction, just off the shoulder of Pennsylvania Avenue in Prince George's County, Maryland. 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). Most unusually, three of the victims shared the middle name Denise. County's State's Attorney Arthur A. Marshall, who was running for reelection at the time. These family members banded together in 1973, to form the Freeway Phantom Organization - a grouping of loved ones, who wanted to support one another in the wake of this tragedy. 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. Are Green Vega Rapists Freeway Phantom? 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. Modus Operandi Hairs of two unknown males were found on the clothing of Brenda Woodward, hairs whose origin is unknown. This lead seemed to be going places which is why it pains me to say that it eventually fell off the rails. Askins, who died at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland on April 30, 2010 at the age of 91,[27] remained in prison for two D.C.-area abductions and rapes in the mid-70s, and had been contacted by both Davis and press regarding the Freeway Phantom slayings. Since then, the police department found the bodies of 6 more minor black girls, all of whom were strangled, assaulted, and shoes missing. Due to the brutality of the crimes the police suspected the offender to be a psychopath. She had been raped and strangled, and a scarf was knotted around her neck. 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). They were identified as rookie cops who had resigned from the force during their one-year probationary period. Following this casual dinner, they each began heading home. With the cooperating inmate no longer speaking, this lead quickly wilted. Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. 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? The other, they claimed, belonged to an African American man. Despite seeming to know specific details about the various murders, this inmate - Morris Warren - had alibis for the days of several crimes, so investigators began to surmise that he had gotten his information from elsewhere. Abduction and rapeManual strangulationLigature strangulation (once)Stabbing (once) It wasn't until September of 1972 that investigators would declare him active once again. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! It was just destroyed.". The investigations resulted in 53 individual charges of selling heroin, and 43 individual charges of selling crack cocaine, among other charges. Dumping his victims next to the freeway The police solved Angelas killing after they arrested two individuals named Edward Leon Sullivan and Tommie Bernard Simmons. She, like the majority of people in Washington DC, also happens to be black. Likewise, Lewis Crockett - Brenda's father - states that he was never able to emotionally recover from the death of his daughter. 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. He ultimately let the victim go without harming her any further, and the incident was reported to police. 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. This linked it to the Carol Spinks and Brenda Crockett murders. Eventually, the FBI would enter the fray once again in 1974. The police later recovered one of the .38 caliber pistols reported stolen by the two police officers. [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. 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. Like the other victims, Diane Williams had been strangled to death, but an autopsy would find no sign of sexual assault. Police were unable to uncover much evidence other than what I've just described, but noted that the victim had been strangled to death, just like the first two cases. In addition, Allenteen - a single mother of eight - would organize a neighborhood search for the missing teenager that evening, but the volunteers (primarily friends and family members) would be unable to find any trace of Carol Spinks. With current evidence and any information of the case from when it happened, no leads produced sufficient evidence for prosecution. A witness apparently saw her getting into a blue Volkswagen, and although investigated, the lead led nowhere.[5]. 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. It is unknown where this piece of evidence now stands. Investigators believed this suggested some kind of connection, so they continued to look into this lead. The most intriguing testimony they could obtain was that of a neighbor, who saw Neno Yates getting into a blue Volkswagon. Investigation revealed that the minor girl was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. It wasn't until 2001 that the case was officially re-opened, when Detective James Trainum took it on as a personal challenge. It's not too late to say something. She had been sent to buy sugar, flour, and paper plates, and all indications would point to her having done so. Most of the people in the homicide unit now would know nothing at all about the Freeway Phantom." The following day - September 6th, 1972 - the body of Diane Williams was discovered by a trucker along Interstate 295. 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. This particular inmate was also serving a sentence at Lorton Prison for the Green Vega convictions. One such suspect was the rookie police officers duo Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons. Status The victim, Ruth McDonald, had actually died as a result of the poisoning, and Askins was later convicted for her murder. This stood out, because he didn't live with any women - so where had he gotten these scarves? A privilege that the family members of the Freeway Phantom victims have been waiting for for close to half-a-century. Ph: (781) 272-0050 That signature information was correct. 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. 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. Perhaps he was a Vietnam veteran suffering with some untreated PTSD, or perhaps he was someone with a vicious grudge against law enforcement. He mentioned a cooperating inmate at Lorton Prison, who had recently confessed to investigators, and was currently singing like a bird. Criminal profiling was still in its infancy, but the FBI was eager to help solve this case, which they had labeled the work of a "repeat offender.". FREEWAY PHANTOM' VICTIMS Carol Denise Spinks May 1, 1971 Nenomoshia Yates October 1, 1971 Teara Ann Bryant November 26, 1972 Diane Williams September 6, 1972 Brenda Denise Woodard November 16, 1971 Darlenia Denise Johnson July 19, 1971 Brenda Fay Crockett July 28, 1971 CAPTION: Teara Ann Bryant CAPTION: Brenda Denise Woodard CAPTION: Carol Denise Spinks CAPTION: Nenomoshia Yates CAPTION: Diane Williams CAPTION: Brenda Fay Crockett CAPTION: Darlenia Denise Johnson. 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. However, the modus operandi of the homicide differed significantly from the other killings she was shot and not sexually assaulted, unlike the other six victims. Her thoughts seemed to be scattered, and she gave concerning details about her whereabouts. 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