What Happened to Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski? Inside the Hunt for the Colonial Parkway Killer

Aon the evening of Oct. 12, 1986, a white-nosed passerby crashed into a Honda Civic, which first crashed on the edge of a 15-foot harbor on the beautiful edge of the Virginia Park Colony. The car looked as if it had been driven to a thick base of brush trees on the banks of the York River, or perhaps pushed, and was largely hidden from view by anyone for driving.

Something was clearly wrong and the man called the police. The respondent’s staff initially thought they were dealing with a drunk driving accident. The car doors did not open and a garden guard at the scene broke the glass behind Honda to rescue the two women trapped inside. But the first respondents quickly realized that they could not save the two, however the restoration of two bodies.

The car was recorded to the driver, Kathleen Thomas, a 27-year-old graduate of the U.S. Navy Academy, whose remains were found under a hatchback. The passenger, 21-year-old Rebecca Dowski, was a senior at William and Mary College. His body was found in the back seat.