Deadly Truths

Colonial Parkway Murders Explained: The Killer, the Couples, and What DNA Solved

Between 1986 and 1989, a series of attacks on young couples and victims in secluded areas across southeastern Virginia became known as the Colonial Parkway murders. In this episode of Deadly Truths with Becca, we break down the four core cases, the victims behind the headlines, the decades of dead ends, and the modern DNA breakthrough that identified Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. in some of the killings. But this is not a neatly solved story. Even after major forensic advances, key parts of the Colonial Parkway case remain unresolved. This episode examines what investigators know, what they still do not know, and why this case continues to haunt American true crime history. Call to action If this episode stayed with you, follow Deadly Truths with Becca on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with someone who cares about forgotten victims, unresolved cases, and the darker corners of American history. Disclaimer This episode discusses murder, missing persons, and violence against young victims. Listener discretion is advised. This episode is based on publicly available reporting and law-enforcement statements. Some aspects of the broader Colonial Parkway murders remain unresolved, and any discussion of offender psychology is interpretive unless directly stated by investigators or official records. References * Federal Bureau of Investigation, Norfolk Field Office. “FBI Norfolk Announces Resolution of 1986 Colonial Parkway Murders of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski.” January 22, 2026. * Federal Bureau of Investigation, Norfolk Field Office. “Colonial Parkway Murders Investigation Update.” December 18, 2009. * Federal Bureau of Investigation archive. “Colonial Parkway Murders case summary / reward notice.” January 7, 2010. * Associated Press. Coverage of the January 2024 DNA identification of Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. in the murders of David Knobling and Robin Edwards. * Virginia State Police cold case materials on Daniel Lauer and Annamaria Phelps. * WHRO reporting on the 2024 closure announcement for two linked Colonial Parkway homicide cases.

Texarkana Moonlight Murders: The Phantom Killer and the Last Kiss on Lovers’ Lane

In the spring of 1946, fear spread across Texarkana as an unknown attacker targeted young couples parked on secluded back roads and lovers’ lanes. The press would come to call them the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, and the killer became a legend of Southern true crime: the Phantom Killer. The attacks left five dead, several more wounded, and a city gripped by paranoia. In this episode of Deadly Truths with Becca, we dig into the real case behind the legend — the lovers’ lane attacks, the panic that swept through Texarkana, the masked figure described by witnesses, the investigation that followed, and why the case remains unsolved nearly eighty years later. We also separate the documented history from the myth that grew around it in books, newspapers, and film. Research on the case consistently notes that the attacks took place in and around Texarkana during the spring of 1946, that five people were killed and three wounded, and that the crimes were never solved. Disclaimer This podcast episode is based on historical reporting, archived records, and secondary research. Some details may vary between sources, especially in older unsolved cases where rumor, retelling, and later dramatization shaped public memory. This episode is intended for historical and informational purposes and does not present speculation as proven fact. Listener discretion is advised. Call to action If you found this episode compelling, follow Deadly Truths with Becca on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone who loves forgotten true crime history. And remember — understanding the past doesn’t require defending it. Context explains behavior—but it doesn’t absolve power. References used for research * Federal Bureau of Investigation. Texarkana Phantom Moonlight Murders (FBI Records: The Vault). Official FBI release page for the case files. * Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Texarkana Moonlight Murders. Overview of the 1946 attacks, victim count, injuries, and unsolved status. * Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Texarkana (Miller County). Background on the city and the murders’ place in local history, including the witness description of the head covering with eyeholes. * Encyclopedia of Arkansas. The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Useful for noting how the case influenced later film and public memory. * Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Miller County. Helpful for local historical context and the murders’ long-term significance in the region.

Ted Bundy: Interstate Predator | How the Highway System Helped a Serial Killer Keep Moving

Ted Bundy is one of the most heavily covered killers in American history, but this episode takes a different route. Instead of retelling the same old story, we examine Bundy through the lens of mobility, interstate travel, and the expanding highway system that gave him room to move, cross jurisdictions, and keep killing. From Washington to Utah, Idaho, Colorado, and finally Florida, Bundy exploited distance, speed, and a law enforcement system that was not yet built to connect violent crimes across multiple states in real time. This is not a glamorized retelling. It is a hard look at how one predator used a connected America to widen his hunting ground. In this episode, I break down Bundy’s early image, the reality behind the mask, his movement across the West, his arrests and escapes, the catastrophic final chapter in Florida, and the bigger question at the center of this case: would Ted Bundy have been able to do this much damage without the Interstate era? Listener discretion is advised. This episode contains discussion of rape, murder, necrophilia, and violence against women and a child. If you found this episode compelling, follow Deadly Truths with Becca on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, wherever you listen or watch, and share this episode with someone who loves true crime history. And remember… the past isn’t dead. It’s walking the shoulder… after dark. Resources: You can list them like this: * Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — Ted Bundy case history and serial murder analysis * FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin — behavioral analysis and serial offender investigations * Biography.com — Ted Bundy timeline * Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ted Bundy biography and execution details * Florida Sheriffs Association — Chi Omega murders retrospective * University and archival reporting on Bundy’s multi-state crimes and law enforcement response

Billy Cook: The Hitchhiker Who Turned Route 66 Into a Hunting Ground

Long before America feared interstate killers, there was Billy Cook. In this episode of Interstate: Highly Deadly, we go back to Route 66 and the brutal murder spree that helped destroy the old American idea that a stranded stranger was probably harmless. Billy Cook was young, violent, and already deeply damaged by the time he began moving across the road system with a gun in his hand and rage in his bloodstream. This episode covers Cook’s early life, the “Hard Luck Kid” myth, the first known roadside attack, the kidnapping and murder of the Mosser family, the manhunt that followed, and the final arrest that ended one of the earliest moving murder sprees in modern American history. This is not a story about excusing evil. It is a story about what happens when violence, grievance, mobility, and opportunity collide on the open road. If you’re interested in true crime history, Route 66, early serial murder cases, American roadside culture, and the origins of interstate-style predation, this episode is for you. Sources used in this episode include archival reporting from TIME and LIFE, historical newspaper coverage, court records including People v. Cook, and background research on Billy Cook, Route 66, and postwar American roadside culture.Call to Action If this episode pulled you in, follow Deadly Truths with Becca on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, and share it with someone who loves true crime history, roadside America, and the darker side of the open road. This episode discusses murder, kidnapping, child victims, and graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised. This content is intended for historical and educational purposes and does not glorify offenders or violent crime. Disclaimer

Wayne Adam Ford, the California Trucker Killer

On November 3, 1998, long-haul trucker Wayne Adam Ford walked into the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office carrying part of a woman’s body. What followed exposed a case stretching across California: four murdered women, remains found in different waterways, and a pattern built on mobility, vulnerability, and delay. In this episode of Interstate: Highly Deadly, we look at Ford’s crimes, the women he killed — Lanett White, Tina Renee Gibbs, Patricia Tamez, and Kerry Ann Cummings — and the grim advantage the road gave him. Kerry Ann Cummings, whose remains were found in 1997, was not publicly identified until 2023 through forensic genealogy. If this episode stayed with you, follow, rate, and share Interstate: Highly Deadly. That helps more people find the stories behind the headlines — and the victims too often pushed to the edge of their own cases. Disclaimer This episode discusses sexual violence, mutilation, and murder. Listener discretion is advised. Resources If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, contact RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline for free, confidential 24/7 support. RAINN offers phone, chat, and text-based help and can also connect survivors with local sexual assault service providers. If you are in emotional distress or crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24/7, free, and confidential, and people do not have to be suicidal to contact it. If you need help finding mental health or substance use treatment, use SAMHSA’s FindTreatment.gov, a confidential and anonymous treatment locator. If you are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of losing housing, 2-1-1 can help connect you with local referrals for shelter, food, health care, and related services, and the National Coalition for the Homeless has additional guidance on finding help and prevention resources.