The Unsolved Case of the Freeway Phantom.

In the spring of 1971, 13-year-old Carol Spinks left her Washington, D.C., neighborhood to make a quick trip to the store. She never came home. Six days later, Carol’s body was discovered near Interstate 295. She had been assaulted and strangled. Her murder would become the first in a terrifying series of killings that haunted Washington, D.C., and neighboring Maryland for the next seventeen months. The victims were Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard, and Diane Williams—six Black girls and young women ranging in age from 10 to 18. They disappeared while doing ordinary things: going to the store, traveling to work, returning from school, or heading home. Their bodies were later found along highways and roadsides throughout the D.C. area. The unidentified killer became known as the Freeway Phantom. Then, after the murder of 18-year-old Brenda Woodard, investigators found something chilling inside her coat pocket: a handwritten note believed to have been dictated by her killer. In it, the writer taunted police and signed himself “Free-way Phantom.” The note made one thing horrifyingly clear. Someone wanted police to know the murders were connected—and believed he could get away with them. A massive investigation followed involving D.C. police, Maryland authorities, and the FBI. Yet important evidence and portions of the original case files were later lost or destroyed, severely limiting the ability of future investigators to use modern forensic technology to solve the crimes. Over the decades, investigators examined numerous suspects, including convicted predator Robert Askins, but no evidence was ever strong enough to charge anyone with the six murders. And the families were left waiting. More than fifty years later, the identity of the Freeway Phantom remains unknown, and the murders of Carol, Darlenia, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia, Brenda Woodard, and Diane remain among the most haunting unsolved serial killings in Washington, D.C., history. The Metropolitan Police Department still lists the cases as unsolved and continues to seek information. This is the true crime story of the Freeway Phantom—six young lives stolen, a killer who taunted police, an investigation plagued by lost evidence, and a mystery that has endured for more than half a century. If you have information that could assist the police or FBI in this case call: 202-727-9099 or email [email protected] Sources for this Podcast Support the show Send Kris and Rob a Message JOIN THE  HITCHED 2 HOMICIDE IN-LAWS AND OUTLAWS START KRIS CALVERT'S BOOKS TODAY FOR FREE H2H WEBSITE H2H on TWITTER H2H on INSTA Freeway Phantom, Freeway Phantom murders, Washington DC serial killer, Washington DC Freeway Phantom, DC serial killer, unsolved serial killer, Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard, Diane Williams, Freeway Phantom victims, Freeway Phantom note, I-295 murders, Anacostia Freeway murders, Washington DC cold case, Maryland murders, Prince George’s County murders, Black girls murdered Washington DC, 1971 murders, 1972 murders, historical true crime, unsolved true crime, true crime podcast #FreewayPhantom, #FreewayPhantomMurders, #WashingtonDCTrueCrime, #DCTrueCrime, #UnsolvedSerialKiller, #CarolSpinks, #DarleniaJohnson, #BrendaCrockett, #NenomoshiaYates, #BrendaWoodard, #DianeWilliams, #ColdCase, #UnsolvedMurders, #HistoricalTrueCrime, #TrueCrime, #TrueCrimePodcast, #TrueCrimeCommunity, #Hitched2Homicide   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.