Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
"The freeway phantom just stopped. And unfortunately, so did the leads in this case. I mean, it seemed like no one saw anything." — Britt
"You better bet that if these had been white girls, the police would have solved the cases. They didn't care about us. All the cases involving white girls get publicity. But ours have been forgotten." — Evander Spings (quoted from The Washington Post)
"When technology advanced, cold case detectives for Metro PD decided to begin their own reinvestigation into the phantom murders. But when they went to go pull the case files, they ran into a huge problem. They found that all of the files for the freeway phantom victims were completely missing." — Britt
This episode of Crime Junkie delves into the chilling and unresolved case of the "Freeway Phantom," a serial killer responsible for the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of at least six young Black females in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area between 1971 and 1972. The podcast meticulously outlines each victim's disappearance and discovery, highlighting the disturbing pattern of similarities: the victims were all young, Black, from middle-class families, walking alone when abducted, and found murdered with specific physical evidence such as foreign hairs from a Black male and green synthetic fibers. The initial police response is critically examined, with hosts Ashley Flowers and Britt pointing out perceived dismissiveness and lack of urgency, particularly in contrast to how cases involving white victims were reportedly handled.
The narrative stresses the limitations imposed by the era's forensic technology, where DNA analysis was not yet feasible, leaving investigators to rely on older methods. The case took several perplexing turns, including a supposed confession note that was later determined to be written by one of the victims, suggesting she may have known her killer. The episode also discusses potential suspects and theories, such as the "Green Vega Rapists" and a more focused investigation into Robert Askins, a man with a history of violence against women. Despite circumstantial evidence and a notable coincidence with the word "tantamount" found in Askins' possession and in the victim's note, no definitive conclusion was reached.
A significant obstacle to solving the case has been the subsequent mishandling and alleged intentional destruction of the investigation files by law enforcement agencies. This loss of crucial documentation, coupled with the scattering of evidence across different jurisdictions and a lack of inter-agency cooperation, has rendered modern reinvestigation efforts exceedingly difficult. The episode concludes by emphasizing the enduring mystery, the lack of convictions, and the lingering pain for the victims' families, underscoring the systemic issues that contributed to the case remaining unsolved.