1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Freeway Phanom, a production of iHeartRadio, 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Tenderfoot TV, and black Bar Metsphah. The views and opinions 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast 4 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: author or individuals participating in the podcast, and do not 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: represent those of Oheartmedia, Tenderfoot TV, Black Bar, MITZVAH, or 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: their employees. This podcast also contains subject matter that may 7 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: not be suitable for everyone. Listener discretion is advised. 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,160 Speaker 2: My mother was very strict with us. So the rule 9 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 2: is when she leaves, the door is closed and locked, 10 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 2: and you don't come out that door. And her favorite 11 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 2: saying was, I don't care if Jesus Christ knock on 12 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 2: that door and say open it, you better not open it. 13 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 2: So that was the rule. We didn't open the door 14 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 2: for any We were playing around, we were watching TV, 15 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 2: everybody else was playing around where and my sister Valerie 16 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 2: knocked on the door. I think I told him at first, 17 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 2: don't say anything. She knocked harder and I was like what. 18 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,559 Speaker 2: She was like, open the door and I was like, no, Mama, 19 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 2: not home. Opened the door and I was like, what 20 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 2: do you want? She said, I want one of y'all 21 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 2: to go to the store for me. I said, Mama 22 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 2: not home, we can't come out. Baby said no, i'm'a go, 23 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 2: homem'a go, ho'm'a go, cause she didn't want us to 24 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,199 Speaker 2: start a fight. Her and Valerie went out. I guess 25 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 2: about twenty thirty minutes. I'm like, she ain't back yet. 26 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 2: So I went across the hall where I knew my 27 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 2: sister was Valerie to see if she was back, and 28 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 2: she was like no. Now I'm getting scared cause she 29 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 2: not home and my mother gonna be coming soon. And 30 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 2: I'm go'a get the work it because I'm the oldest. 31 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 2: I told them to stand in the house. I'm gonna 32 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 2: run up to the store. So I took the shortcut 33 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 2: to go to the store and made it back. She 34 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 2: still wasn't at the house. I was hollering at Valerie 35 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 2: because I was upset and I was scared because she 36 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 2: hadn't gotten back home and she sent her to the store. 37 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 2: I don't know what to do. And the next thing 38 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 2: I know, was getting late in the evening. People just 39 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 2: started coming around, you know, from the neighborhood and the neighbors. 40 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 2: And then somebody was like, Okay, we're gonna just go searching. 41 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 2: Everybody was like in groups of fours and five out 42 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 2: looking and I don't remember when the police came, but 43 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 2: I remember that night detectives came. I didn't really think 44 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 2: about the police, but when the detectives came, I really 45 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 2: realized this was you know, it was serious. They never 46 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 2: spoke to us, they talked to my mother. You know, 47 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,119 Speaker 2: I didn't really know what was happening, what was going on. 48 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 2: It didn't make sense. And the only thing that I 49 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 2: was not understanding, period was what is my sister, Why 50 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 2: nobody found her? What's going on? 51 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 3: If you look up Freeway Phantom, you might find out 52 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 3: a little bit about this strange and tragic case, but 53 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 3: in all likelihood you're not going to find out much. 54 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 3: You'll learn that during the early nineteen seventies, a serial 55 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 3: killer murdered at least six young black girls in the Washington, 56 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 3: DC area. You might learn their names, you might hear 57 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 3: about a strange note left by the killer. You may 58 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 3: even come across a few suspects, but not much else. 59 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 3: And that's what makes the case of the freewaym so 60 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 3: very very strange. My name is Celeste Hedley. I'm a 61 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 3: journalist author and longtime public radio host based in Washington, DC. 62 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 3: Over the years, I've covered many stories of people of 63 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 3: color going missing in this city, a phenomenon that absorbed 64 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 3: the public consciousness. In twenty seventeen on social media. 65 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 4: When the Washington, d C. 66 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 5: Police Department tried to raise awareness about missing children and 67 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 5: teenagers by posting their images on social media, the campaign backfired, 68 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 5: sparking some national outrage and fears of an epidemic of 69 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 5: missing children of color. 70 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 6: One of the most popular stories on our NBC app 71 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 6: this week is about missing girls. Our story debunks of 72 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 6: fake reports that fourteen girls went missing from DC in 73 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 6: just one day. DC police told us there are simply 74 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 6: sharing missing person cases more often on social media. 75 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 3: It all started when a post went viral all over 76 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 3: social media saying young black girls were going missing at 77 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 3: an alarming rate in DC, and admits the firestorm that 78 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 3: particular post was proven to be untrue. However, behind the 79 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 3: social media frenzy was a certain reality that for decades, 80 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,559 Speaker 3: people of color, particularly women, have been abducted or killed 81 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 3: across the Capital region, and their cases rarely resolved or 82 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:28,119 Speaker 3: even fully investigated. That fact may be why most people 83 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,679 Speaker 3: have never heard of the Freeway Phantom case, a case 84 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 3: that involved six young black girls who were all kidnapped, killed, 85 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 3: and discarded along the DC freeways in the early nineteen seventies, 86 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 3: A case that was never solved and sadly quickly forgotten. 87 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 3: But in the wake of the DC Missing Girl's Conversation, 88 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 3: people started thinking about this case again. One of those 89 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 3: people was fellow DC journalist Cheryl Thompson, who used to 90 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 3: write for The Washington Post. 91 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 7: While I was actually working on another story at the Post, 92 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 7: I stumbled across this press release of these six little 93 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 7: black girls. And the photo struck me because it was 94 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 7: in black and white, and so the first thing I 95 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 7: thought of, Oh my god, this is old, Like what 96 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 7: is this? And then just saw these six bass of 97 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 7: these six little black girls, and you could tell by 98 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 7: their hairstyle and you know, the bows and their hair, 99 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 7: and it sort of gave me pause, and I was like, 100 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 7: what is this and why are these murders unsolved? And 101 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 7: so that's what sort of prompted me. 102 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 3: In twenty eighteen, Cheryl published a groundbreaking article about this 103 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 3: seemingly uncovered story, and that's how we and thousands of 104 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:44,039 Speaker 3: others found out about the Freeway phantom case. She says 105 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 3: the process was both difficult and significant. 106 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 7: What it was about it again was the fact that, like, 107 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 7: how could this be, like six little black girls murdered 108 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 7: in the nation's capital. And so then I started researching 109 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 7: it and saw that there had been stories, some stories 110 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 7: over the years, but it mainly faded from public view. 111 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 7: I asked one of our researchers at the Washington Post 112 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 7: to go back. I said, can you find some stories, 113 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 7: some microfish from you know, back in the early seventies 114 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 7: when this happened, and there were stories, but we were 115 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 7: really hard pressed to find stories that focus just on 116 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 7: these girls. In the early nineteen seventies, it was the 117 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 7: Vietnam War, and you know, DC was the place where 118 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 7: protesters came. There was a lot going on in the 119 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 7: nation's capital during that time. So when murders happened, when 120 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 7: killings happened, it made the news. But there were so 121 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 7: many killings at the time that they just didn't get 122 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 7: the individual attention. Like when I found one of the cases, 123 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 7: it was lumped in with some other homicides in the district. 124 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 7: But that's just the way it was. I mean, this 125 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 7: was the murder capital of the country back in the day. 126 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 3: Cheryl decided to reach out to some people, and she 127 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 3: says her best sources have always been the detectives who 128 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 3: worked on the case. 129 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 7: Yes, I have called some of my sources over the 130 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 7: years for stuff that might have happened thirty years ago, 131 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 7: and they remembered details, right, how do you remember this stuff? 132 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 7: So I then reached out to Detective Jenkins, Romaine Jenkins, 133 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 7: because I figured, man, this is a woman, a black woman, 134 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 7: and I know she had to take an interest in 135 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 7: this for a lot of reasons, and some of which 136 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 7: were the very ones that I mentioned. These kids could 137 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 7: have been her daughters. 138 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 3: Detective Romaine Jenkins was a name that we kept hearing. 139 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,559 Speaker 8: We spoke with one of the investigators, Romaine Jenkins, and 140 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 8: she was like, if there was. 141 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: Dic there was also another woman by the name of 142 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: Romayne Jenkins who was a sex squad detective. 143 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 7: One of our pick apart those files that Romayne's got, 144 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 7: it would be an exciting interview. 145 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,959 Speaker 9: Romayne Jenkins, she was one of the best. 146 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 1: She knew all adult dealers, she knew all the girlfriends, 147 00:08:58,520 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 1: she was friends with all of them. 148 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 9: She got the latest school, she knew who pulled the trigger. 149 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 3: We decided to give Romayne Jenkins a call. 150 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 10: Hello is. 151 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 3: Yes, and we soon realized just how much she knew 152 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 3: about this case. 153 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 11: I investigated many serial rape cases, and none of them 154 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 11: are liked to these today. Is this sumitar padn somewhere? 155 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 11: But the only pattern you have with these cases is 156 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 11: the fact that they were young black females. 157 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,959 Speaker 3: As it turns out, Romayne was the lead investigator on 158 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 3: the Freeway Phantom case in the nineteen eighties. That was 159 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 3: almost ten years after the case went cold, and she 160 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 3: was the right person for the job. Romayne had an 161 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 3: impressive resume up to that point as a sergeant in 162 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 3: the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC back in the seventies. 163 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 3: She was the first woman and the only woman for 164 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,679 Speaker 3: a long time in homicide. We told Romayne that we 165 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 3: were looking into the Freeway Phantom case and she agreed 166 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 3: to sit down with us. But before we made a 167 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 3: trip to DC to see her, we wanted to learn 168 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 3: more about her life and how she eventually came to 169 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:08,559 Speaker 3: investigate this case. 170 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 10: I am a native person from Washington, d C. I 171 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:18,959 Speaker 10: attended school here. I joined the Metropolitan Police Department June 172 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:25,439 Speaker 10: twenty first nineteen sixty five, and at that time there 173 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 10: were only about maybe thirty police females on the department, 174 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 10: and they were housed at something called the Woman's Bureau, 175 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 10: and they did mostly social work, abandoned children, missing children. 176 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 10: Then they joined us with something called the Youth Division 177 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 10: and that was the male counterpart of the women's guas. 178 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,560 Speaker 10: And then I stayed there for two years and I 179 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 10: basically investigated cases involving badded children, juvenile offenders. We did 180 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:00,559 Speaker 10: missing persons and things like that, and then homicides. They 181 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 10: needed a female to handle their baby deaths and abortion 182 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 10: cases because at that time abortion was illegal in the 183 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 10: District of Columbia. 184 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 3: So Romayne went to work in homicide. She was there 185 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 3: for approximately four years investigating battered children and abortion cases. 186 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 10: After about four years in the homicide squad, I went 187 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 10: to the seventh District because at that time they decided 188 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 10: they wanted to put policewomen in uniform and put them 189 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 10: in the patrol division. And at that time I was 190 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 10: a supervised I was a sergeant because I made sergeant 191 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 10: when I was in homicide. So they wanted to see 192 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:44,320 Speaker 10: if females could supervise males in the prole Division. I 193 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,719 Speaker 10: went to the seventh District and that was quite an experience. 194 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 10: Everything was solely new to me, but I made it suit. 195 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 3: During this time, Romayne got married and started a family. 196 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 3: She eventually decided being a patrol officer wasn't what she wanted, 197 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 3: so she applied for Sex Squad, which investigates sexually heinous crimes, and. 198 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 10: I stayed there ten years as a supervisor. And from 199 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 10: there I went to the US Attorney's Office, where I 200 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 10: supervised seven detectives and we handled cases. We worked up 201 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 10: cases for the US Attorney's Office, and that's basically what 202 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 10: I did. That's basically my career. 203 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,960 Speaker 3: It was while in homicide in the early seventies that 204 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 3: Romayne first heard about the so called Freeway Phantom murders. 205 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 3: Though other officers were assigned to the case, she helped 206 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:35,599 Speaker 3: canvas neighborhoods and became intimately familiar with the case details. 207 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 3: Years passed and remain heard little about the Freeway Phantom. 208 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,600 Speaker 3: Fifteen years after the murders, in nineteen eighty seven, Romayne 209 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 3: decided to reopen the case herself while working in the 210 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 3: US Attorney's office, and it ended up becoming the case 211 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 3: that would consume Romayne's career and life to this day. 212 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:59,960 Speaker 3: When we told Romayne we were investigating the Freeway Phantom case, 213 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,559 Speaker 3: she revealed to us that she had held onto boxes 214 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,560 Speaker 3: and boxes of evidence, case files, and other documents. Even 215 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 3: after retiring from the MPD. Now, at eighty years old, 216 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 3: Romayne still has those stacks of boxes sitting in her 217 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 3: bedroom or scattered across her living room floor. We asked 218 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 3: her if we could talk to her in person and 219 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 3: look through some of the boxes. At first, she was hesitant, 220 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 3: but after we talked about our mutual desire to solve 221 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 3: these murders, she started to open up, and eventually she 222 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 3: agreed to an in person interview. So the Tenderfoot team 223 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 3: met up with me in DC and we headed to 224 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 3: our house. 225 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 10: Two at a ten. 226 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 8: Okay, we got you and we can take him back up. 227 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 3: If that's now, you can leave. 228 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 12: Man that you got 'em bad, leave me, okay, cause 229 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 12: they'll either go downstairs. 230 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 10: They'll probably end up going downstairs. Okay, you wanted to 231 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 10: sit at the table, No, set him right here on 232 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 10: the floor. Okay. 233 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 3: I'm in Romaine Jenkins home in Washington, DC, not far 234 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 3: from where I live. In her home, Romayne has what's 235 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 3: likely the largest collection of documents on the freeway. Phantom case. 236 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 12: Open Open. 237 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,320 Speaker 9: I'm gonna open 'em up for you, all right. 238 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 3: I will just pull him out and we can take 239 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 3: a look at what's here. 240 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 9: This is Brenda Crockett. 241 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 3: Oh my god, she looks. 242 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 9: This is the one that was she the one that 243 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 9: was barefoot, that year old. 244 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 3: She's tiny, just a tiny baby. She was the one 245 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 3: that went to the store barefoot. 246 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 10: And the only the only way she was identified with 247 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 10: her other identified for the clothing. That's all they had. 248 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 3: The amount of information we came across was astounding. She 249 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 3: had crime scene photos, original police reports, suspect lists. Most 250 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 3: of this we had never seen before. We asked Romaine 251 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 3: how she came to acquire all of these documents. 252 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 12: Basically by talking to detectives who were on the actual 253 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,960 Speaker 12: scenes of the cases. A lot of them gave me 254 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 12: their notebooks, their notes. Some had copies of files. They 255 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 12: gave me that going to the police department, like Prince 256 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,920 Speaker 12: Georgia's County, they turned over all their files to me 257 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 12: because they micro fished the file so they didn't need 258 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 12: the hard copies and they were going to dispose of them, 259 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 12: so I said, well, I'll take them. So that's how 260 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 12: I inherited a lot of that information. Then, with the 261 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 12: cooperation of the FBI, they assigned the case agent to 262 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 12: work with me, and I was allowed to go into 263 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 12: their files. Well, they assigned me an office at a 264 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 12: desk and one of their investigators and I would go 265 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 12: to the FBI building every day and read through documents 266 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 12: and they'd make copies of whatever I needed. Also, with 267 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 12: Natal Investigative Services, they were getting ready to get rid 268 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 12: of some files, so I was able to make copies 269 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,560 Speaker 12: of the things that they had and nobody told me no, 270 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 12: even the Metropolitan Police Department. There were people who still 271 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 12: had information and they turned it over to me. So 272 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 12: that's how I amass information in the files. 273 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 3: As Romayne said, law enforcement was disposing of the original 274 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 3: case files. Had Romayne not tracked down and preserved these files, 275 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 3: we would have no original documents to view today. This 276 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,480 Speaker 3: is significant because information in those boxes may provide new 277 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 3: insight into the case. Throughout this podcast, we're going to 278 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 3: reveal what we found in those boxes and maybe get 279 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 3: one step closer to finding the Freeway Phantom. But first 280 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 3: we need to take a step back to talk about 281 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 3: the basics. What were the Freeway Phantom murders, what happened? 282 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 3: We need to go back to the beginning to fully 283 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 3: understand this story. The truth is there's not a ton 284 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:21,119 Speaker 3: of existing scholarship on this case. In our research, we 285 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 3: came across only two books written about the Freeway Phantom 286 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 3: most people have never heard of. The first book, called 287 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,160 Speaker 3: The Mystery of the Freeway Fantom, published in nineteen eighty 288 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 3: three by Wilma W. 289 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 4: Harper. 290 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 3: Miss Harper is closely related to these cases, which you'll 291 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 3: hear about later. In the book's preface, Harper explains why 292 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 3: she wrote it, saying, quote, when I first undertook the 293 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 3: task of writing a social study of the families and 294 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,679 Speaker 3: friends associated with the Freeway Phantom cases in September nineteen 295 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 3: seventy two, my one objective was to assist the police 296 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 3: department in apprehending the killer or killers of the seven 297 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:02,439 Speaker 3: black girls who'd been raped, murdered, and their bodies placed 298 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 3: on the various highways around the city of Washington, d c. 299 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 3: It was my belief that the secret of who had 300 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 3: killed the girls could be found in one or more 301 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,439 Speaker 3: of the social institutions frequented by these girls or by 302 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 3: their parents. Throughout this podcast, Harper's words will take us 303 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 3: back in time and provide us with a first hand 304 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 3: account of what it was like to live through these 305 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:32,400 Speaker 3: serial murders. The second book we found was called Tantamount, 306 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 3: The Pursuit of the Freeway Phantom serial Killer, published in 307 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 3: twenty nineteen. This book was written by a father daughter 308 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 3: team of true crime authors. 309 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 8: I'm Blamed Pardo. I've written over eighty books. I'd write 310 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 8: primarily science fiction, true crime, military history, political thrillers, things 311 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 8: along those lines. This is a topic we've been writing 312 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,159 Speaker 8: about a lot about which is true crimes, and we 313 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 8: tend to focus on the unsolved cases, especially surreal killing 314 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 8: pieces that remain open on the saviors. 315 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 13: And I'm Victoria Hester. I've written a total of four 316 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 13: true crime books alongside my dad and co author Blaine. 317 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 13: The thing that really got me into true crime was 318 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,400 Speaker 13: actually my dad. Growing up. Our bonding moment was over 319 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 13: the Zodiac, which go figure, that's a normal father daughter thing. 320 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:24,680 Speaker 13: But ever since then, I've been kind of hooked on 321 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 13: true crime and it's fun to research. We enjoy the 322 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 13: journey of research and then putting it all onto paper. 323 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 8: We had just finished our book on the Colonial Parkway 324 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 8: murders and we were looking for the next project to 325 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 8: get into. And it was really a matter of let's 326 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 8: look in the local vicinity because we like dealing with 327 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,919 Speaker 8: people we can go interview and spend time with. So 328 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:53,640 Speaker 8: we started looking in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC to see 329 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 8: if what open cold cases were out there, and there's 330 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 8: a lot of them. I outlined a number of them 331 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,399 Speaker 8: for Victoria. Okay, you get to pick this one was 332 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 8: kind of an easy one to do in the case 333 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 8: of the freeway fantom. Looking at this one, it was like, Okay, 334 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:09,920 Speaker 8: this one's got some meat to it. This is an 335 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:10,840 Speaker 8: interesting case. 336 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,320 Speaker 3: We asked Blaine in Victoria to walk us through the 337 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,359 Speaker 3: basics of the case, starting with the first victim. 338 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 8: First one that disappeared was a thirteen year old Carol 339 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 8: Denize Things. She disappeared on April twenty fifth, nineteen seventy one. 340 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 8: She's found on the Anacostia Freeway, which is IWO ninety five. 341 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 8: She's about two hundred yards south of the Suitland Parkway 342 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,640 Speaker 8: and her body's found by a group of children. It's 343 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,640 Speaker 8: a major freeway cutting right through the city. She had 344 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:46,360 Speaker 8: disappeared on the twenty fifth, but wasn't found until April thirtieth. 345 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,640 Speaker 13: So the next victim is Darlinia Denise Johnson. The reason 346 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,919 Speaker 13: why we put the middle names in with each girl 347 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:57,600 Speaker 13: is because it does play a huge role down the 348 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 13: role in the investigation of the middle named Denise. So 349 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 13: that's why we make a point to mention that she 350 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 13: was sixteen when she disappeared on July eighth, nineteen seventy one. 351 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,679 Speaker 13: Her body was found July nineteenth, nineteen seventy one, in 352 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 13: the evening. Her mother filed a missing persons report and 353 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,719 Speaker 13: her body was actually found on the Anacostia Freeway, so 354 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,399 Speaker 13: the same freeway that Carol Spinks was found off of. 355 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 8: Brenda Fake Krockett was ten years old. She disappeared on 356 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 8: July twy seventh, nineteen seventy one. Her body was found 357 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 8: off of Route fifty, which is one of the major 358 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 8: thoroughfares in Chevrolet. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. 359 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:43,440 Speaker 8: She had been left on the grassy shoulder of John 360 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 8: Hanson Highway. She was found face up, and it was 361 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:52,000 Speaker 8: really only a short period of time after she had disappeared, 362 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 8: so the killer had kind of shifted at least from 363 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 8: the first case. He's not spending as much time with 364 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 8: the victims. He's killing them now, just dumping. 365 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:05,160 Speaker 3: Just over two months later, the fourth victim was discovered. 366 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 3: Her name was Nina Mosha Yates. 367 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 13: She was twelve years old and she was found on 368 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:15,640 Speaker 13: October first, nineteen seventy one. She was a seventh grader 369 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,479 Speaker 13: and she was a very quiet and well behaved child. 370 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 13: In the evening, she went to the safeway that was 371 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 13: a few blocks away from her home to buy a 372 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 13: bag of sugar at eight forty five PM. 373 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 3: Then a month and a half later, the fifth. 374 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 8: Victim, Brenda Denise Woodard, was eighteen years old. November fifteenth, 375 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 8: nineteen seventy one, she disappeared in the evening. She had 376 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 8: gone to a night class, left with a young man. 377 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 8: They went to Ben's Chili Bowl in DC, which is 378 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:52,919 Speaker 8: this iconic restaurant, and she rode the bus to go home, 379 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 8: and she was last seen around the eighth and H 380 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 8: Street intersections, but her roommate reported by eleven thirty that 381 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 8: she hadn't come home. She was found along the Baltimore 382 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:10,879 Speaker 8: Washington Parkway as well by a Chevrolet police officer. She 383 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 8: had been strangled, and what was different with her is 384 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:15,480 Speaker 8: she had also been stabbed. 385 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 3: And finally, the following year, the sixth and last confirmed victim. 386 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:28,280 Speaker 13: Diane Williams, is seventeen. She was found on September fifth, 387 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 13: nineteen seventy two, ten months after the last case with Brenda. 388 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:38,119 Speaker 13: Her body was found the very next day. She was 389 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 13: reported missing by her father when he came home at 390 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 13: eight am that morning. She had visited her boyfriend, which 391 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 13: was pretty normal thing for her to do, and was 392 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 13: told to be home by ten thirty. The night before, 393 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 13: her boyfriend escorted her to the bus stop, so we 394 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 13: know that she got at least to the bus. 395 00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 8: If you think about it, so many of them are 396 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:03,760 Speaker 8: caught way to a grocery store running an errand it's 397 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 8: not like something that's a routine where he's following them 398 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 8: for several days and knows their pattern and how to 399 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:16,400 Speaker 8: intercept them. These are all victims of opportunity. 400 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,679 Speaker 3: Six victims, all young black girls from around the same area, 401 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:25,120 Speaker 3: all disposed of in identical ways. When we sat down 402 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 3: with Romaine Jenkins, we asked her about her first involvement 403 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:28,960 Speaker 3: in the case. 404 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 12: Well at the time when Carol Spinx was murdered. I 405 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 12: was in the homicide unit, and at that time I 406 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 12: was the only female in the unit. I was interested 407 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:45,400 Speaker 12: in the case. But what happened was we were inundated 408 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,399 Speaker 12: with the May Day demonstrations. 409 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 3: From May first to May fifth, nineteen seventy one, thousands 410 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 3: of people gathered in Washington, d C. To protest the 411 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 3: Vietnam War. This would become the May Day Protests. 412 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,439 Speaker 4: We have seventy five thousand people from all walks of life, 413 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 4: with differing ideologies and purposes, marched from the White House 414 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:08,160 Speaker 4: to the Capitol. 415 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:13,120 Speaker 3: More than five thousand Metropolitan Police Department officers, including Romayne, 416 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 3: were tasked with shutting down the demonstrations. By the end 417 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 3: of the week, over twelve thousand protesters had been arrested 418 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 3: to this day, the largest mass arrest in US history. 419 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:28,160 Speaker 12: And so I never got the chance to go and 420 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 12: dig into the investigation like I could have. The first 421 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 12: day I recalled we were going out on the case, 422 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 12: and the division command to stop me and said, where 423 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:39,359 Speaker 12: are you going. I said, well, we had a little 424 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:42,119 Speaker 12: girl murdered over in Southeast and we're going to the 425 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,800 Speaker 12: neighborhood and we're going to work on the case. He says, notice, 426 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 12: may they demonstrations. This is a red alert for the 427 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 12: police department. You will get involved in the demonstrations. 428 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 3: But Romayne went home that night and thought more about 429 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 3: Carol Spinks. She was familiar with the neighborhood and something 430 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:01,160 Speaker 3: just didn't add up. 431 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 12: The girls come from neighborhoods that are densely populated with 432 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:10,520 Speaker 12: black people, their kids in and out, their cars going 433 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 12: up and down wheel or road. You know, there's never 434 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 12: a time it's not busy. So you could send you 435 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 12: a child to the store. Nobody's gonna bother your child 436 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,440 Speaker 12: or what. The neighborhood never even thought like that. 437 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,440 Speaker 9: No, they were even safer because there's always somebody. 438 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 12: Somebody that's right. And everybody knew everybody, you know, they said, oh, 439 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 12: that's miss so and So's daughter, it's time to be 440 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 12: in the house. It's close and dark, I mean, and 441 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 12: people looked out for each other. 442 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:35,159 Speaker 10: You know. 443 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,399 Speaker 3: I've spent my entire career working in public media as 444 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:49,119 Speaker 3: a radio journalist and national talk show host. One of 445 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,680 Speaker 3: the things that I love about working for public radio 446 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:56,120 Speaker 3: is that I rarely have to report on crime. Well, 447 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 3: we never neglect a story about terrorism, Mass shootings or 448 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 3: corporate mouth. Individual crime stories don't generally get coverage, and 449 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 3: I like that. I like that I don't have to 450 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 3: dig into personal stories of infidelity or rage or greed, 451 00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:15,240 Speaker 3: or interview family members who've just lost a loved one 452 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 3: to a drive by shooting. So you might wonder what 453 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 3: I'm doing hosting a podcast series about a string of 454 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:24,879 Speaker 3: murders in Washington, d C. A city that had so 455 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 3: many homicides in the early nineteen nineties that it was 456 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:32,359 Speaker 3: known as the murder capital of the United States. There's 457 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 3: one easy answer to that question and one more complicated answer. 458 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:41,439 Speaker 3: The easy answer is that I'm so afraid of serial 459 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 3: killers that I'm fascinated by them. They terrify me. I 460 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,880 Speaker 3: simply can't understand the kind of mind that would take 461 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,880 Speaker 3: a stranger's life for no reason other than because they 462 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 3: enjoy it. That seems more than deranged to me. It 463 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 3: seems inhuman. Serial killers are incredibly rare. According to the FBI, 464 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,679 Speaker 3: less than one percent of murders are committed by a 465 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,399 Speaker 3: serial killer, but were also not very good at catching them. 466 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:15,399 Speaker 3: The founder of the Murder Accountability Project, a nonprofit that 467 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 3: collects information about murders, believes that a good number of 468 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:24,000 Speaker 3: unsolved homicides may have been committed by serial killers, So 469 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 3: the chance to dig into both the mindset of such 470 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 3: a killer and the techniques for finding them was very tempting. 471 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 3: More importantly, though, I couldn't understand why the Freeway Phantom 472 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,920 Speaker 3: had never been caught and why most people have never 473 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 3: heard of him. The Phantom killed at least six young girls, 474 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 3: probably more. The so called Son of Sam also killed 475 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 3: six people, and there are a bunch of movies about him, 476 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:56,080 Speaker 3: and even an episode of Seinfeld ed Geen. The Plainfield 477 00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 3: ghoul who inspired the killers in Psycho, Silence of the 478 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 3: Lambs and the texts Chainsaw Massacre, was convicted of killing 479 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 3: two people and may have killed as many as seven. 480 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 3: This is not admiration for perpetrators with high body counts, 481 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 3: but a legitimate question. How could someone kill so many 482 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 3: young girls and be forgotten. The Freeway Phantom is worth 483 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 3: talking about because the larger issues that surrounded his killing 484 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 3: spree still endanger the lives of girls, and especially black girls. 485 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 3: And before we go any further, we want to make 486 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 3: an important announcement. After over fifty years of waiting, we 487 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 3: believe the victims' families deserve answers. That's why Tenderfoot TV 488 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,800 Speaker 3: and iHeartMedia are matching the one hundred fifty thousand dollars 489 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 3: reward offered by the Metropolitan Police Department. This brings the 490 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 3: total reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction 491 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 3: of the person or persons responsible for these murders to 492 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:59,040 Speaker 3: three hundred thousand dollars. If you have information that may 493 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:02,200 Speaker 3: lead to the identify location of the freeway phantom, it's 494 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 3: time to speak up. Tips can be provided to MPD 495 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:11,040 Speaker 3: or Tenderfoot TV at tips at tenderfoot dot TV. With 496 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 3: all of that said, it's time we dig deep into 497 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 3: this case. So to fully understand these murders, we need 498 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 3: to examine the crimes individually, starting with the very first victim, 499 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 3: Carol Spinks. 500 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,760 Speaker 2: We grew up at ten thirty four Wall to place 501 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 2: southeast will place is on the top part of Valley Green. 502 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 2: Infamous Valley Green, very well known for a lot of activity, 503 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:05,120 Speaker 2: negative activity, but they're good people in the worst of places. 504 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 3: This is Evander Spinks, the older sister of Carol Spinks, 505 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,640 Speaker 3: the first victim. At the top of the episode, you 506 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 3: heard Evander talk about the night that her sister Carol 507 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 3: went missing. 508 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 2: I can't say my mother was the best person in 509 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:24,000 Speaker 2: the world, but my mother took care of us. We 510 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:27,000 Speaker 2: could not rip and run the street. We could not 511 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 2: go anywhere. You better not talk about no boy. You 512 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 2: stay very close to home. We played outside like any 513 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:41,520 Speaker 2: normal kids have, races in the street, played kickball, double 514 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:48,480 Speaker 2: dutch boy games outside. Water Place was a well known street, 515 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 2: but there were a lot of good families on that street. 516 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 2: Things happened on that street that were bad, but we 517 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 2: never witnessed anything because we weren't out at night. Whatever happened, 518 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 2: we would find out the next day or through your 519 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 2: friends if they saw something, or their parents saw something 520 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,520 Speaker 2: and they was discussing it with their girlfriend, the boyfriend, 521 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 2: or do you know how adults talk. It's always one 522 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 2: or two kids hanging around listening getting to school, so 523 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:19,440 Speaker 2: that everybody else couldn't know what was going on. But 524 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 2: that's how we found out things. Never that we were 525 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 2: involved around or near, because my mother didn't play that. 526 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:32,120 Speaker 3: On April twenty fifth, nineteen seventy one, the day Carol 527 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 3: would go missing, the entire Spinx family, with the exception 528 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 3: of their mother, was home. 529 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 2: I was home fourteen, Carolyn. Carolyn was home thirteen, Tanya 530 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:51,920 Speaker 2: was home twelve, One was home eleven, and Joseph was 531 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,800 Speaker 2: home one or two years old. 532 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 3: Carol and Carolyn Spinks were twin sisters. Their nicknames were 533 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 3: and Yaya, respectively. 534 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:10,040 Speaker 2: They looked identical, they were identical. They could sometimes fool us, 535 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 2: but me not that much because they had different personalities Baybe. 536 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:22,959 Speaker 2: Carol was more laid back and quiet Carly and Yaya 537 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 2: a mouthpiece and a social butterfly. But they stuck together. 538 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 2: You wouldn't see one ten feet further from the other one. 539 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:36,960 Speaker 2: They were always together. 540 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 4: My mom and all that. Brothers and sisters. They knew 541 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 4: us apart. But some of our own friends that we 542 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 4: had outside of the house, some of them knew. Some 543 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,520 Speaker 4: of them didn't. That would be dressed to Nike, you 544 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 4: can forget it. 545 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:55,640 Speaker 3: This is Carolyn Spinx. She was incredibly close with her 546 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 3: twin sister, Carol. 547 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 4: Oh, we did okay. We of course played. We all 548 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:03,120 Speaker 4: did each other's hair, We dressed it like we fold 549 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:07,040 Speaker 4: the teachers. We jumped double dutch, played Jack's, all kinds 550 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:11,480 Speaker 4: of stuff. We did everything together. She was smart, She 551 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:14,440 Speaker 4: was very smart. She wasn't a smart mouth as I was. 552 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,920 Speaker 4: Then she was smart. It was funny then she was. 553 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,640 Speaker 4: She was my friend. That was my left hand because 554 00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:25,200 Speaker 4: I'm right here, so she was my left hand. That day. 555 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,279 Speaker 4: I wish, Oh my god, I wish I could take 556 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:28,640 Speaker 4: it back. 557 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 3: Wish I could take that day back. 558 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:36,239 Speaker 4: That day, my mom told us do not go outside. 559 00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 4: So we all was in the house. I don't even 560 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,880 Speaker 4: remember what we were doing, but I know it was me, 561 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 4: event and baby, and my baby brother was home because 562 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,120 Speaker 4: he was a baby, and my other brother. All of us, 563 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:52,279 Speaker 4: all six of us was in the house. And I 564 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,319 Speaker 4: remember when Battery knocked on the door saying, see when 565 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:57,759 Speaker 4: somebody go to the store, and like, no, most in no, 566 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,680 Speaker 4: most that don't go out. I don't know what made 567 00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:06,319 Speaker 4: her say I'll go. I don't know, but I was like, 568 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:09,080 Speaker 4: I ain't gone, No, I'm gonna get us. I ain't 569 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 4: getting no beating. And my mother didn't play. 570 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,760 Speaker 3: But for whatever reason, Carol volunteered to go to the store, 571 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:18,160 Speaker 3: and so off she went. 572 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 4: Didn't think nothing of it right then and there. The 573 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,719 Speaker 4: next thing I knew, I was like, dang. An minute 574 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 4: she didn't come back, and I remember I said that 575 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:31,959 Speaker 4: I went out that door. I'm like, no, I gotta 576 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,279 Speaker 4: go to a Vatamy. She ain't come back. We got 577 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:35,560 Speaker 4: to go to the store, and I remember me and 578 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:37,719 Speaker 4: Battery went to the store and we asked the man 579 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:39,480 Speaker 4: did he see it? And he said, yeah, he seen 580 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:41,520 Speaker 4: the girl look just like me, and she had her 581 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:45,600 Speaker 4: She got her stuff, and that was it. We came 582 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:48,240 Speaker 4: back home. We called my mother and she came home, 583 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:51,600 Speaker 4: and then she called the police. I remember she called 584 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:54,840 Speaker 4: the police and they said they can't do nothing. 585 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 9: Do you remember why they said they couldn't do anything. 586 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 4: Because they said to be twenty four hours. I remember 587 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 4: that well, in like a couple of hours. No, something 588 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 4: ain't right. Mm hmmm. I knew something was wrong. I 589 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 4: knew it. I told her I'd be something wrong, something wrong. 590 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 4: Mm hmm. 591 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 9: During that time when you didn't know what had happened 592 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 9: to her, when she was just missing, what were you 593 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 9: thinking had happened? 594 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:26,399 Speaker 4: I thought somebody had got her or did something to her. 595 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:27,439 Speaker 9: He did. 596 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:30,279 Speaker 4: I knew something had happened to her. I knew it 597 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:32,799 Speaker 4: did because she wouldn't run away. We never ran away 598 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:34,239 Speaker 4: from home. We never did any of that, So I 599 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:37,600 Speaker 4: already knew something was wrong. I knew something bad had happened. 600 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 4: I knew that, I just didn't know what. But after 601 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:43,920 Speaker 4: like the second day that when I started feeling the pains, 602 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:47,960 Speaker 4: and I used to sit on the bottom month in 603 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:51,440 Speaker 4: bed and this rock and I would get pained, and 604 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:53,879 Speaker 4: oh I'd be in and out, in and out. Oh 605 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:56,719 Speaker 4: my god. It was terrible. It was Oh god, it 606 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:00,360 Speaker 4: was the worst. It was the worst. I still feel 607 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:01,640 Speaker 4: pain to this day. 608 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:08,120 Speaker 3: Search parties were dispatched, the community was determined to find Carol, 609 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:12,600 Speaker 3: but they never did. And then, according to the official reports, 610 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 3: five days after Carol Spinks's disappearance, a group of kids 611 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 3: were playing by the side of Interstate two ninety five 612 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:23,000 Speaker 3: when they discovered Carol's body. But Romayne Jenkins has always 613 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,200 Speaker 3: been skeptical of this report. Here's how she described it 614 00:37:26,239 --> 00:37:28,560 Speaker 3: when we talked to her over the phone. 615 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:31,560 Speaker 10: There's no indication how her body was discovered. 616 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:31,680 Speaker 4: No. 617 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:35,280 Speaker 10: After the crowd gets there, of course they call the police. 618 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,640 Speaker 10: But what initially caused somebody to say there's a body 619 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:42,839 Speaker 10: on two ninety five. I don't understand it. Why would 620 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 10: the kids, even kids wouldn't even be playing on two 621 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:49,040 Speaker 10: ninety five. There's nothing there's no reason for them to 622 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:51,400 Speaker 10: have been there unless they were told there was a 623 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:53,799 Speaker 10: body and they went to see what it was, you know, 624 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:57,120 Speaker 10: but who said who started it? Even though when she 625 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,759 Speaker 10: was missing, you know, they had lots of groups out 626 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:03,759 Speaker 10: searching for her and so forth, but there was just 627 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:07,320 Speaker 10: nothing but for someone to jump over the rail and 628 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:09,520 Speaker 10: turn that body over. 629 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:10,040 Speaker 11: Man. 630 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:12,759 Speaker 10: People just don't do that. Most people don't even want 631 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:17,080 Speaker 10: to see a dead body. My mind questions a lot 632 00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:18,160 Speaker 10: of things. 633 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 3: We were curious to see what Romayne was talking about. 634 00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:24,680 Speaker 3: So we found the coordinates for where Carol's body had 635 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:29,560 Speaker 3: been found, right off the Itune ninety five highway just 636 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:32,960 Speaker 3: to our right you can see in the distant Suitland Parkway, 637 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 3: and the police reports say that Carol Spink's body was 638 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:39,400 Speaker 3: found about fifteen hundred feet south of Suitland, which is 639 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 3: about where we are. The thing is is that, you know, 640 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:46,080 Speaker 3: Romayne brought up the idea that why were there people 641 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:49,440 Speaker 3: near here to find the body? And I gotta say 642 00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:53,040 Speaker 3: she has a point. I mean, even fifty years ago 643 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,640 Speaker 3: this would have still been in industrial park. There's nothing here, 644 00:38:56,680 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 3: there's no stores, there's no homes. This is clearly an 645 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:05,319 Speaker 3: highway access road with nothing but industrial buildings. And you 646 00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:07,520 Speaker 3: can look at these buildings and even though Verizon is 647 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:10,880 Speaker 3: in them now, these buildings have been here for fifty years. 648 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:15,040 Speaker 3: So what were they doing here? Why were they walking 649 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:17,320 Speaker 3: along the highway? And again, remember we're talking about a 650 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:21,640 Speaker 3: highway that didn't have these lights. It would have been dark. 651 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 3: And I just she really has a point. How could 652 00:39:26,719 --> 00:39:30,520 Speaker 3: they have stumbled on this body? It just over and 653 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:35,000 Speaker 3: over in this case, you think somebody knew something, someone 654 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 3: did It seems impossible. But here we are, and you 655 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:41,839 Speaker 3: have to imagine as you're standing at I two ninety five, 656 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:43,280 Speaker 3: and obviously I two ninety five. 657 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:44,640 Speaker 9: Did not have this many lanes back then. 658 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:47,800 Speaker 3: We saw the photos. But you have to imagine someone 659 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:52,080 Speaker 3: just driving up this highway with a dead girl's body 660 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:56,799 Speaker 3: in their car, stopping the car right here, pulling her 661 00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:00,640 Speaker 3: body out of his car, and then placing it. It's 662 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:09,200 Speaker 3: distressing and incomprehensible. Yeah, Carolyn Spinks said she doesn't remember 663 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 3: much about hearing that Carol was dead, only that she 664 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:13,680 Speaker 3: remembers feeling it. 665 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:16,880 Speaker 4: I'm feelingly was killing her when she was gone. On 666 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:18,480 Speaker 4: the days I felt everything. 667 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,480 Speaker 9: What did your family say to you they knew something. 668 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:25,399 Speaker 4: Was wrong with me. They knew something was wrong because 669 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:27,600 Speaker 4: I used to sit and rock, just sit on the 670 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:32,520 Speaker 4: bed and rock and rock and cry and hold myself. 671 00:40:33,239 --> 00:40:35,160 Speaker 4: And then something was wrong, something was hurting. 672 00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 3: A few days later, the family held a public funeral 673 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:39,920 Speaker 3: for Carol. 674 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 4: Oh my god, that was the worst day of my life. 675 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 4: I didn't know what it was. I had never been 676 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:49,480 Speaker 4: to a feeling before, so we did. I didn't know 677 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:54,839 Speaker 4: what it was. We went to this funeral home first. 678 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:58,800 Speaker 4: I remember they took us to get these white dresses 679 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:02,120 Speaker 4: and shoes and stuff. And then we went in this 680 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,440 Speaker 4: funeral home and they had this noise. I guess it 681 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:08,520 Speaker 4: was the piano or whatever it is, and that noise ooh, 682 00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 4: it was curb. And then they had the big gray casket. 683 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 4: I ain't know what it was, but it was closed. 684 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:17,640 Speaker 4: I remember that it was closed, and I remember all 685 00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:22,520 Speaker 4: these people. It was so many people. I remember there 686 00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 4: was so many people. And then we opened the casket 687 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:30,440 Speaker 4: and I said, I asked them, who was that. Then 688 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:31,600 Speaker 4: they said that's my said. 689 00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:32,440 Speaker 11: I said, no, it's not. 690 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:35,879 Speaker 4: When I looked at that face, I was like, oh, 691 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:39,200 Speaker 4: my god, who was that? He looked like a monster. 692 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:43,360 Speaker 4: And they said I passed out of something. Something happened 693 00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 4: to me. I don't know what happened. Well, when I 694 00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:49,640 Speaker 4: woke up the next time, I remember we was back 695 00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:52,080 Speaker 4: at home. I don't remember anything else. 696 00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:56,919 Speaker 9: So you said your family never talked about it after 697 00:41:56,960 --> 00:41:59,600 Speaker 9: the funeral, nobody even mentioned her. 698 00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:03,279 Speaker 4: They did, but I'd never want to hear it. I 699 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:04,200 Speaker 4: didn't want to hear it. 700 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:07,440 Speaker 9: And you think that it was an until you were 701 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:11,920 Speaker 9: an adult that you were able to hear about her 702 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:12,839 Speaker 9: or talk about her. 703 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:18,400 Speaker 4: Yeah, Actually it was after I got married to my husband, 704 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:21,960 Speaker 4: who lived on our block. He knew my sister. When 705 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:24,479 Speaker 4: he told me one day we talked about it, because 706 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:26,839 Speaker 4: we never even talked about it for a long time, 707 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:29,759 Speaker 4: but he told me he carried my sister Casky, And 708 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:31,759 Speaker 4: I said, no, you didn't. He said, yes, I did. 709 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:34,960 Speaker 14: My mother had a book, a whole book of the funeral, 710 00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:37,920 Speaker 14: and I was always I never wanted to look at it, 711 00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:41,839 Speaker 14: but this when my mother was still living. So one 712 00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:44,200 Speaker 14: day I just went over went to look at the 713 00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:47,040 Speaker 14: book and I saw him current her casket. And when 714 00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:49,160 Speaker 14: he told me that, that's. 715 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:51,600 Speaker 4: When I said I need to talk. I needed to 716 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:54,359 Speaker 4: talk to somebody because I just came, couldn't keep hold 717 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:56,080 Speaker 4: of it because I know it was hurting. It was 718 00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:59,800 Speaker 4: hurting me. After a while, after I had my kids 719 00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:02,239 Speaker 4: and my sister told the kids. That's when I just 720 00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:03,799 Speaker 4: started to try to talk about it. 721 00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:04,400 Speaker 10: Me and my. 722 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:06,920 Speaker 4: Husband talking a little bit from time to time, but 723 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:09,600 Speaker 4: I didn't want to talk about it. There was nothing 724 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:10,320 Speaker 4: to talk about. You. 725 00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:13,879 Speaker 9: Have you talked with others in your family since then? 726 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:18,719 Speaker 4: Yes, most of me and my sister Evan talk about 727 00:43:18,719 --> 00:43:21,920 Speaker 4: it more than anybody, but not nobody else really. 728 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:29,000 Speaker 2: Yvan Is Evander spinks my brothers have never mentioned one 729 00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:34,160 Speaker 2: way to other Caurling. It hurts her, she says, never 730 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:37,719 Speaker 2: wanted to talk about it, and I've always wanted to 731 00:43:37,719 --> 00:43:42,160 Speaker 2: talk about it because I can't forget. My sister Valerie 732 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:46,400 Speaker 2: has never talked or spoke about it that I know of, 733 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:53,280 Speaker 2: so I had to over the years keep talking yeah, yay, 734 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:58,360 Speaker 2: curling about it, and I know she can't forget, but 735 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:02,400 Speaker 2: I know she hurts behind that. That's why I her 736 00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:07,759 Speaker 2: entire life changed and it wasn't for the better, totally 737 00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 2: the wrong way. I think the first time all of 738 00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:18,040 Speaker 2: us got together, it was a couple of years ago 739 00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:22,600 Speaker 2: because it bothered me all my life that I could 740 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 2: go and sit where I knew my sister's body was, 741 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:30,600 Speaker 2: but there was nothing there to show me that she 742 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:34,879 Speaker 2: was there. So we got to talk about it. It's 743 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:37,799 Speaker 2: a hurtful thing, but we gotta do it. And you 744 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:42,600 Speaker 2: just never know something could pop up. Something just might 745 00:44:42,640 --> 00:44:47,400 Speaker 2: get triggered, or you may have seen something or heard something. 746 00:44:48,480 --> 00:44:50,560 Speaker 9: We don't want to do it. 747 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:55,440 Speaker 2: It's not like we want to be recognized, because we 748 00:44:55,520 --> 00:44:59,000 Speaker 2: still get recognized as soon as somebody hear the name 749 00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:03,359 Speaker 2: Space Spinks. Oh, I know about the Spinx family. You 750 00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:05,200 Speaker 2: don't know about the Spins family. You don't even know 751 00:45:05,239 --> 00:45:07,400 Speaker 2: about the incident that happened. 752 00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:08,240 Speaker 4: To the Springs family. 753 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:14,040 Speaker 2: My sister was an innocent little girl. People say, you know, 754 00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:18,960 Speaker 2: these kids fast they grow. She was out there having sex, 755 00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:26,360 Speaker 2: not with my mother, that's a no. She was an 756 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:33,359 Speaker 2: innocent little girl that was taken from her family and abused. 757 00:45:34,719 --> 00:45:43,160 Speaker 2: We want to know why. As a young teenager, I 758 00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:47,400 Speaker 2: don't think the police did a good job. I didn't 759 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:51,640 Speaker 2: feel as though they actually cared during that time, And 760 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:55,000 Speaker 2: as an adult, I know they didn't do a good job, 761 00:45:56,160 --> 00:46:00,440 Speaker 2: and I know down where they didn't care and today. 762 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:06,680 Speaker 2: I'd be sixty five years old this month, and I 763 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:10,600 Speaker 2: still feel like they don't give a damn. It probably 764 00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:14,920 Speaker 2: was the police, was somebody that worked with the police. 765 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:19,640 Speaker 2: That's the only thing really made sense to me. People 766 00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:25,279 Speaker 2: are everywhere. Somebody saw it, and we still want to know, 767 00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:30,400 Speaker 2: and it still hurts. We just want to know why 768 00:46:31,120 --> 00:46:32,040 Speaker 2: and what happened. 769 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:44,720 Speaker 12: The homicide detectives termed the cases the little girl cases. 770 00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:47,600 Speaker 4: This child was laying on the side of the road. 771 00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:51,319 Speaker 4: I wouldn't go nowhere, I wouldn't call it my house. 772 00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:55,280 Speaker 3: Those first five murderers should have been a huge warning 773 00:46:55,360 --> 00:46:58,360 Speaker 3: bell for the police. We just want to know what happened. 774 00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:01,160 Speaker 12: This person must have all that. They were thinking that 775 00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:03,640 Speaker 12: maybe it's just one person, and he says, uh, they 776 00:47:03,680 --> 00:47:04,120 Speaker 12: need to know. 777 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:08,240 Speaker 4: This is me. I thought that they would catch him. 778 00:47:08,760 --> 00:47:10,480 Speaker 4: I thought it was just a matter of time. 779 00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:19,799 Speaker 3: I'm Celeste Headley and this is Freeway Phantom. Next time 780 00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:21,080 Speaker 3: on Freeway Phantom. 781 00:47:21,600 --> 00:47:24,280 Speaker 9: People were scared. I mean parents was scared. 782 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,720 Speaker 4: Children were scared. They wanted to know what more police 783 00:47:27,719 --> 00:47:28,080 Speaker 4: could do. 784 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:29,359 Speaker 7: What were they doing. 785 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:35,080 Speaker 8: He kept her for several days as prisoner. 786 00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:39,440 Speaker 1: When the first victims went missing, there was a really 787 00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:41,800 Speaker 1: kind of a muted police response. 788 00:47:42,280 --> 00:47:45,440 Speaker 12: You follow a lead until it takes you nowhere. They 789 00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:49,000 Speaker 12: got all kinds of leads. Everybody was a suspect. 790 00:47:49,120 --> 00:47:51,240 Speaker 15: I got home in the store about six ten pm 791 00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:53,840 Speaker 15: and asked the kids if Darlenia had been home, and 792 00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:56,040 Speaker 15: they said they hadn't seen her. I sent the kids 793 00:47:56,080 --> 00:47:58,120 Speaker 15: around in the next court and they asked the people 794 00:47:58,120 --> 00:48:00,359 Speaker 15: if they had seen Darlina, and they said now. 795 00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:02,799 Speaker 3: Roy said that there was a body of a dead 796 00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:05,720 Speaker 3: lady out there. He told us that he notified the police, 797 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:07,440 Speaker 3: but the body was still out there. 798 00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:17,080 Speaker 1: Freeway Fantom is a production of iHeart Radio, Tenderfoot TV 799 00:48:17,320 --> 00:48:19,840 Speaker 1: and Black Bar Mitzvah. Our host is CELESE. 800 00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:20,160 Speaker 4: Hilly. 801 00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:24,080 Speaker 1: The show is written by Trevor Young, Jamie Albright, and CELESE. 802 00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:24,440 Speaker 11: Hiley. 803 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:28,520 Speaker 1: Executive producers on behalf of iHeart Radio include Matt Frederick 804 00:48:28,640 --> 00:48:32,720 Speaker 1: and Alex Williams, with supervising producer Trevor Young. Executive producers 805 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:36,680 Speaker 1: on behalf of Tenderfoot TV include Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay, 806 00:48:36,840 --> 00:48:41,120 Speaker 1: with producers Jamie Albright and Tracy Kaplan. Executive producers on 807 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:44,759 Speaker 1: behalf of Black Bar Mitzvah include myself, Jay Ellis and 808 00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:49,680 Speaker 1: Aaron Bergman with producer Sidney Fools. Lead researcher is Jamie Albright. 809 00:48:49,960 --> 00:48:53,719 Speaker 1: Artwork by Mister Soul two one six original music by 810 00:48:53,920 --> 00:48:57,440 Speaker 1: Makeup and Vanity Set Special thanks to a team at 811 00:48:57,560 --> 00:49:01,480 Speaker 1: Uta Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group, Tenderfoot 812 00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:04,600 Speaker 1: TV and iHeartMedia, as well as Black Bar Mitzvah, have 813 00:49:04,680 --> 00:49:07,880 Speaker 1: increased the reward for information leading to the arrest and 814 00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:11,520 Speaker 1: conviction of the person or persons responsible for their Freeway 815 00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:15,080 Speaker 1: Phanom murders. The previous reward of up to one hundred 816 00:49:15,120 --> 00:49:18,360 Speaker 1: and fifty thousand dollars offered by the Metropolitan Police Department 817 00:49:18,640 --> 00:49:21,319 Speaker 1: has been matched. A new total reward of up to 818 00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:24,480 Speaker 1: three hundred thousand dollars is now being offered. If you 819 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:27,920 Speaker 1: have any information relating to these unsolved crimes, contact the 820 00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:31,960 Speaker 1: Metropolitan Police Department at area code two zero two seven 821 00:49:32,160 --> 00:49:36,320 Speaker 1: two seven nine zero ninety nine. For more information, please 822 00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:41,520 Speaker 1: visit Freeway Dashfanom dot com. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio 823 00:49:41,719 --> 00:49:45,759 Speaker 1: and Tenderfoot TV, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or 824 00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:48,600 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thanks for listening.