Colonial Parkway Murders Solved? Not Quite...

Between 1986 and 1989, the Colonial Parkway thoroughfare in Virginia served as a serial killer’s hunting grounds. The killer responsible for the Colonial Parkway murders targeted couples as they sat in their vehicles, each incident taking two lives at a time. Six people are confirmed dead. Another couple remains missing and presumed killed.

Victims of the Colonial Parkway Murders.

Usually a tranquil and scenic area of the USA, the Colonial Parkway murders were one of the country’s biggest serial killer mysteries.

Colonial Parkway

The Colonial Parkway is a 22-mile long thoroughfare that intersects three points of the Historic Triangle of Virginia; Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

A serial killer or killer(s) roamed scenic Colonial Parkway in the late 1980s. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

Known for idyllic scenery and historical monuments, Colonial Parkway makes for breathtaking sightseeing for any passersby. During the daytime hours, driving through it is an enjoyable, effortless experience, but the route can be much more daunting by night.

Long stretches of the road are devoid of streetlamps or road lights, making harrowing work for inexperienced drivers. Sometimes, young lovers park along these secluded stretches of road, isolated and shrouded in darkness.

First Murders: Rebecca Dowski and Cathy Thomas

On October 12, 1986, a jogger spotted a white Honda Civic sitting on the riverbank at the Cheatham Annex Overlook in Williamsburg, Virginia. The vehicle had veered off the beaten path and into thick, dense shrubbery, only a few feet from a 15-foot drop into the York River. The jogger assumed that a drunk driver might have accidentally swerved there.

The Colonial Parkway Murders first victims were Cathy Thomas (L) and Rebecca Dowski (R).

He called the authorities, who discovered that it wasn’t a drunk driver at all. Inside, they found the dead bodies of 21-year-old Rebecca Dowski and 27-year-old Cathleen “Cathy” Thomas, a couple from Virginia who had been missing for three days.