NORFOLK, Va. — The FBI says it has solved a decades-old double murder that terrorized Virginia in the 1980s.
Investigators now say Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. killed Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski in 1986. Wilmer is connected to at least six murders and disappearances of young people between 1986 and 1989. Wilmer died in 2017 at age 63 at his home in Lancaster County, Virginia.
Thomas and Dowski were last seen together back in Oct. 1986. Their bodies were found inside their vehicle on Colonial Parkway.
The FBI says advances in DNA technology finally cracked the case after nearly four decades.
Watch related coverage: Dead suspect linked to another local cold case murder after decades-long investigation
The Colonial Parkway murders became one of Virginia’s most complex cold cases.
At a press conference in Nov. 2025, Virginia State Police shared they believe Wilmer is responsible for the 1988 stabbing death of 18-year-old Laurie Ann Powell from Gloucester County. Powell's family was present and visibly emotional at times as investigators explained how they cracked the case.
In Jan. 2024 — about seven years after his death — Wilmer was first linked to local cold-case murders due to forensic findings. Authorities announced Wilmer as the suspect in the following two cases:
- The 1989 strangulation death of 29-year-old Teresa Lynn Howell in Hampton. She was last seen outside a bar, the Zodiac Club, around 2:30 a.m. on July 1. Around 10 a.m., articles of clothing were found along a treeline by a construction crew. A short time later, a woman's remains were located along the same treeline.
- Teresa was sexually assaulted and strangled to death, according to the Virginia State Police.
- The 1987 double homicide of a young couple in Isle of Wight. David L. Knobling, 20, and Robin M. Edwards, 14, were last seen together on Sep. 19. The next day, Knobling's truck was found in the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge parking lot. On Sep. 23, both Knobling's and Edwards' remains were found along the shoreline of the refuge.
Watch previous coverage: One year after development in Colonial Parkway Murders, where do things stand?
The killings of Knobling and Edwards is one of the Colonial Parkway murder cases; four double murders committed in the 1980s. The victims were young couples who were in their vehicles on the 22-mile Colonial Parkway:
- October 1986: Cathy Thomas and Becky Dowski
- The couple's car was found at the edge of the York River near a pull-off area. It appears someone tried to set their car on fire, but failed. "They were strangled with rope. Their throats were cut from beyond ear to ear," Cathy's brother told News 3.
- September 1987: David Knobling and Robin Edwards
- Edwards' family says one night, it appears she snuck out of the house and met up with David. The next day, no one heard from the two. It was later discovered that someone shot and killed Edwards and Knobling in the back of the head at Ragged Island at the edge of the James River, about 30 miles away from the Colonial Parkway.
- April 1988: Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey
- The two Christopher Newport University students went on a date on April 9. The next day, Keith's car was found along the Colonial Parkway, but their bodies were not located and remain missing to this day.
- September 1989: Annamaria Phelps and Daniel Lauer
- The couple left Amelia County to Virginia Beach. At a rest area in New Kent County, police found Lauer's car in the westbound lanes facing the wrong way. Weeks later, they found the bodies.
"While today represents an important milestone, the work is not finished. Investigators continue to actively pursue unsolved cases related to the Colonial Parkway murders. The FBI remains dedicated to seeking justice for all victims," FBI Norfolk said in a press release Tuesday.
