A suspected serial killer linked to multiple Virginia murders spanning nearly four decades is accused of killing two women who were found murdered along a state highway in 1986, according to the FBI.
The FBI’s Norfolk field office announced Tuesday, Jan. 20, that advances in forensic technology and DNA testing revealed Alan Wade Wilmer Sr.of Lancaster County, murder Cathleen Thomas i Rebecca Dowski.
The deaths of Thomas and Dowski are part of a series of eight murders and disappearances, dubbed the “Colonial Parkway murders,” that occurred on or near the Colonial Parkway between 1986 and 1989, according to an FBI news release.
Wilmer, who died aged 63 in 2017, was previously connected to the murder of three victims: David Knobling, Robin Edwardsi Teresa Lynn Spaw Howellauthorities announced in 2024, NBC News reported.
According to the FBI, Thomas, 27, and Dowski, 21, were with each other when they disappeared in October 1986. They were eventually found dead together in their car along the side of the road.
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After a jogger came across her vehicle, authorities discovered the two women’s throats were cut, The Virginia-Pilot informed It also appeared that someone tried to light the car on fire, the newspaper reports.
“Despite extensive investigative efforts at the time, the case remained unsolved for decades,” the FBI said.
Breakthroughs in the case came with the help of forensic science as investigators continued to seek justice for Thomas and Dowski, according to the FBI.
The women were romantically involved and began dating months before they were killed, NBC News reported.
The FBI described Thomas as “a vibrant young woman known for her compassion, intelligence and close relationships with family and friends.”
The agency said Dowski “was a talented musician and college student with a promising future, remembered for her creativity, kindness and love of music.”
“Their lives were tragically cut short, but they were never forgotten by the investigators who continued to seek justice on their behalf,” the FBI said.
If Wilmer had still been alive, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said he would have been federally prosecuted in the deaths of Thomas and Dowski, according to the FBI.
brother of Cathleen Thomas, Bill Thomashe told WTKR he was surprised when he heard that the FBI determined that Wilmer was a suspect in his sister’s death.
“We had 150 people interested in this case, and I was still shocked that it was Wilmer,” Thomas told the television station. “I always knew it was a possibility, but other suspects had sounded more likely somehow.”
The FBI continues to investigate other unsolved cases as part of the Colonial Parkway murders, the agency said.
“Our message today emphasizes that we will not stop, we will not forget and we will seek justice no matter how long it takes,” Dominique Evansspecial agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, said in a video shared by the agency on Jan. 20.
The Colonial Parkway is a 23-mile stretch of road connecting Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.