The families of Becky Dowski and Cathy Thomas waited nearly 40 years for this news. The young couple are the first two known murders committed by Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. — the dead man now believed to be a serial killer behind one of the most infamous killing sprees in Virginia history: the Colonial Parkway Murders.
From 1986-1989, four double murders were committed in the same region, and through DNA evidence decades later, were posthumously linked to Wilmer.
Watch related: FBI closes case on Colonial Parkway double murder
Dowski and Thomas's case was the first known to be committed by Wilmer, according to new information released by the FBI in January 2026. Wilmer had previously been tied to the double murder of David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, as well as 18-year-old Laurie Powell and 29-year-old Theresa Howell — though the latter two are not officially considered part of the Colonial Parkway Murders due to specific circumstances.
In this episode of True Crime 757, we speak with reporter Brendan Ponton, who has been covering the Colonial Parkway cases at WTKR for a decade and has spoken with family members of several victims.
We discuss the resolution of the Thomas/Dowski case, the other cases tied to Wilmer, and which cases connected to the Colonial Parkway Murders are still left unsolved.
Watch a previous episode of True Crime 757 on the case of Angelina Resendiz
True Crime 757 is sponsored by Korslund Law
