09/01/2024
DNA has linked a suspect to three unsolved homicides from the 1980s including two that are among the infamous Colonial Parkway Murders cases.
The suspect is Alan W. Wilmer and the victims are 20-year-old David L. Knobling and 14-year-old Robin M. Edwards, who were found shot to death on Sept. 23, 1987 along the shore of the Ragged Island Wildlife Management and Refuge Area.
Wilmer, who died in 2017 at age 63, has also been linked to the 1989 murder of Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell, 29 who was last seen alive outside of Hampton nightclub. Her body was discovered later that morning. Authorities say she was sexually assualted and strangled.
Wilmer has not been linked at this time to the deaths of the three other couples who are part of the Colonial Parkway Murders. "Although the similarities in the series of double homicides that spanned a three-year period cannot be ignored, at this time, there is no forensic nor physical evidence to link the Isle of Wight County homicides to those other double homicides," said Corinne Geller, a spokesperson for Virginia State Police.
Wilmer drove a distinctive, blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the Virginia license plate “EM-RAW". He also had a small commercial fishing boat, named the Denni Wade, that he would dock at marinas in the counties of Gloucester and Middlesex, and around the Northern Neck. He worked as a fisherman, farming mainly clams and oysters. He also ran a business called Better Tree Service.
Anyone who may have worked with Wilmer, docked next to him at marinas, or hung out with him is encouraged to contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online at www.tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI is also still looking for tips that can help them solve the Colonial Parkway murders. Anyone with information is asked to email the FBI at [email protected].
