LANCASTER, Virginia – The death of Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. went unnoticed for weeks, with his body decomposing in his home in Northern Neck. It wasn’t until a delivery driver stumbled upon an open door and alerted the authorities that Wilmer was discovered. His DNA, collected at the time of his death more than six years ago, was found to be crucial evidence that linked him to the Colonial Parkway murders – a notorious string of killings of young couples in the late 1980s.
The Virginia Department of Forensic Science matched Wilmer’s DNA to one of the Colonial Parkway cases, the slayings of 20-year-old David Knobling and 14-year-old Robin Edwards in 1987. Their bodies were found near the shoreline of the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge in Isle of Wight County. The DNA also connected Wilmer to the killing of 29-year-old Teresa Lynn Howell in Hampton in 1989.
Wilmer, who was never convicted of any felonies, had evaded having his genetic profile submitted to DNA databases. His DNA was collected at the time of his death, ultimately leading to the breakthrough in these cold cases. The FBI and the Virginia State Police are now investigating whether Wilmer might be linked to the other sets of Colonial Parkway slayings and other unsolved homicide or sexual assault cases in the region.
At a news conference last week, officials mentioned that Wilmer had once been a suspect in the killings of another couple in 1988. However, further evidence has not definitively linked him to those cases. Despite his connections to the crimes, Wilmer has not been ruled out as a suspect, and law enforcement agencies continue to seek information about his activities and whereabouts over the years.
Anyone with information about Wilmer or his movements is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.