GLOUCESTER, Va. – A recently identified suspect in three cold-case homicides from the 1980s has been revealed. DNA evidence has linked deceased fisherman Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. to the murders of David L. Knobling, 20, and Robin M. Edwards, 14, in 1987, and the murder of Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell, 29, in 1989.
Wilmer, who passed away in December 2017 at the age of 63, was identified through forensic evidence by the Virginia State Police. He would have faced charges if he were alive. The Virginia Department of Forensic Science positively linked him to the three slayings after finding a genetic match to evidence found on the victims.
The case, which police had revisited, led to the discovery of Wilmer’s connection to the crimes. The Colonial Parkway Murders had once terrorized the area, and the identities of the perpetrators had remained a mystery for decades.
The victims, Knobling and Edwards, were found shot along the shore line of Ragged Island, and Edwards had been sexually assaulted. The families of the victims expressed a sense of relief and justice, knowing that Wilmer could no longer victimize others.
The brutal death of Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell was also connected to Wilmer through forensic evidence. She had been sexually assaulted and died by strangulation. Her family expressed gratitude to the investigators for bringing them closure after 34 years of seeking answers.
After combing through decades of evidence and witness statements, authorities identified Wilmer as a suspect through a fresh probe. They legally obtained his genetic material and obtained a hit in June 2023. Now, authorities are seeking information about Wilmer to see if he could be linked to more cases.
Wilmer, a fisherman, was known to own a small 1976 wooden commercial fishing boat and was a member of a hunt club in the Middle Peninsula region. Investigators are now looking into whether he could be connected to other Colonial Parkway Murders. Even though Wilmer is deceased, authorities are urging the public to come forward with any information.