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Missing persons cases along U.S. Route 29 in Virginia

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Since 1996, there has been an unusually high number of cases involving young women disappearing along U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Virginia, or an area known as the "Route 29 Corridor".[1] Five young women disappeared in five years between 2009 and 2014, earning it a particularly notorious reputation.[2] Of the nine murders/disappearances, only the cases of Morgan Dana Harrington (2009), Alexis Murphy (2013) and Hannah Graham (2014) were solved ending in convictions of their murderers, the other cases are still unsolved.

Route 29

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Route 29 is a United States federal highway that stretches from Pensacola, Florida to Silver Spring, Maryland.[3] It was originally constructed in October 1925. Currently, U.S. Route 29 stretches around 1,036 miles up and down the East coast.[3] It has also been more recently known for a number of disappearances since 1996.

Possible serial killer

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Richard Marc Evonitz was a serial killer active in the area from 1996 until 2002. While it was never confirmed, Evonitz was also suspected of being the Route 29 Stalker. In hindsight, detectives had claimed that it was highly unlikely to have multiple offenders in one area at one time.[4] Evonitz was involved in the murder of three girls from Spotsylvania County, Virginia and the kidnapping and assault of a teenage girl in South Carolina. In addition, Evonitz was also suspected of two rapes prior to his offenses in Spotsylvania County. This was never confirmed.

In June 2002, Evonitz committed suicide while surrounded by police.

Richard Evonitz

Route 29 "Stalker"

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The route 29 stalker was never caught nor identified after over 20 years. Police and investigators are still unsure whether the route 29 stalker was Richard Marc Evonitz, the serial killer active in the area around the same time.[4]

According to witnesses on Route 29, the unidentified stalker would flag down women who appeared to be driving alone.[5] The incidents reported of the Route 29 stalker occurred between Manassas, Virginia and Charlottesville, Virginia.

Cases

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Alicia Showalter Reynolds

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Alicia Showalter Reynolds disappeared on her drive to Charlottesville, Virginia to shop with her mother in 1996. Sources say Reynolds never made it to her destination. Alicia is thought to be the first of many disappearances along U.S. Route 29.[5]

Police claim Alicia's killer must have known the area in which her body was found. Alicia's remains were found in what was said to be the middle of an isolated field that sources claim only a local could have known about in Culpeper County. Neighbors of the area say they only found the remains once they noticed vultures circling the area,[4] however, the police stated she was most likely murdered the day she was abducted.[5] Originally, officials believe Alicia was a victim of Richard Marc Evonitz, a serial killer active during her disappearance.[4] This was never confirmed, and Reynolds' case still remains cold today.

Julianne Williams and Laura "Lollie" Winans

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Julianne Williams,[6] 24, and Laura "Lollie" Winans,[7] 26, were found dead at their campsite in Shenandoah National Park in May 1996.[8] In June 2024, a deceased convicted rapist from Ohio, Walter "Leo" Jackson Sr., was identified as a suspect based on DNA testing, but was not considered a suspect for other cases along Route 29.[9][10]

Anne Carolyn McDaniel

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20-year-old Anne Carolyn McDaniel was last seen leaving a group home in the town of Orange on September 18, 1996. Her burned remains were found four days later within just 10 miles (16 km) of the location where Alicia Showalter Reynolds's body was found.[8]

Morgan Dana Harrington

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Morgan Dana Harrington was a 20-year-old student at Virginia Tech when she disappeared from Charlottesville near John Paul Jones Arena while attending a Metallica concert on October 17, 2009. Her body was found at Anchorage Farm in Albemarle County months later on January 26, 2010. On September 15, 2015, Jesse Matthew was formally charged with first degree murder and abduction with intent to defile in the murder of Morgan Harrington.[11][12]

Samantha Clarke

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19-year-old Samantha Ann Clarke was last seen in Orange shortly after midnight on September 13, 2010.[13] On Friday, January 15, 2021, the Town of Orange Police Department reclassified her disappearance as a murder. “Due to new information and advances in investigative and forensic technology, Samantha’s missing person investigation has been reclassified as an active abduction and murder investigation,” according to OPD Chief.[14]

Sage Smith

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Sage Smith, also known as Dashad and Unique, was a 19-year-old transgender woman who went missing on November 20, 2012. She was last seen waiting for a date near downtown Charlottesville, approximately three and a half miles south of the Albemarle County location where Alexis Murphy's abandoned car was found in August 2013.[15] Sage Smith's case went cold and remains unsolved. Erik McFadden remains a missing person of interest in the case.[16]

Alexis Murphy

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Alexis Tiara Murphy, 17-year-old went missing after leaving her home in Shipman reportedly headed to Lynchburg on August 3, 2013.[17] She was seen on security footage at a gas station in Lovingston, Virginia and her car was later found outside a theater off US 29 just north of Charlottesville. Her remains were discovered on private property on December 20, 2020, and were positively identified by a Virginia crime lab on February 5, 2021. Law enforcement waited to announce confirmation to the public until February 17, 2021, in order to allow the family time to grieve and make proper arrangements. Despite not knowing the location of Alexis' body until 2020, a suspect was taken into custody and charged with her abduction in 2013. Randy Taylor was later found guilty of first-degree murder in the commission of an abduction and abduction with intent to defile in connection with the disappearance of Murphy.[18]

Hannah Graham

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Hannah Elizabeth Graham, 18-year-old University of Virginia student went missing and was last seen at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville on the early morning of September 13, 2014. On September 24, 2014, Jesse L. Matthew was arrested in Galveston County, Texas, while being wanted for the abduction and abduction with intent to defile Graham.[19][20] On October 18, 2014, Graham's remains were found at an abandoned property in Albemarle County, Virginia.[21] Jesse L. Matthew was scheduled to appear in court on December 4, 2014.[22] Jessie Matthew entered an Alford plea and was sentenced to three life terms.

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Given the short time frame and similarities between the cases, specifically the small geographic region where they occurred and the age and gender of the victims, it is often wondered whether the cases are linked.

Taylor, the man charged with the abduction of Murphy, was a friend of Clarke's and is known to have called her cell phone several times on the night of her disappearance, but he has never been charged with anything in relation to her case.[23] Despite many people suggesting Taylor was the Route 29 Stalker, police have said there is nothing linking him to the case and, as well, Taylor was in prison when Reynolds was killed.[24]

References

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  1. ^ DePompa, Rachel (August 12, 2013). "12 Investigates: Women Disappearing from Route 29". Richmond, VA: WWBT-TV. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  2. ^ *Fox, Peggy (September 26, 2014). "Hannah Graham Is 5th Girl to Go Missing near Rt. 29". Washington, DC: WUSA-TV. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. 29 Maryland to Florida - General Highway History - Highway History - Federal Highway Administration". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Police still hunting Rt. 29 Stalker after 21 years". WUSA. March 2, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Horsfall, Ashley (May 8, 2019). "The Disappearance & Murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds". Medium. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "JULIANNE "JULIE" WILLIAMS". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "LAURA "LOLLIE" WINANS". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "U.S. 29 corridor has string of unsolved cases involving young women | Justice Forum". Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  9. ^ "WALTER "LEO" JACKSON SR". Federal Bureau of Investigation. June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  10. ^ Spencer, Hawes (June 20, 2024). "28 years later, grisly Shenandoah National Park murders solved". The Daily Progress. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "Jesse Matthew charged with murder in death of Morgan Harrington". WDBJ7.com Central and Southwest VA. September 15, 2015. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "findmorgan.com". Retrieved November 29, 2014.[self-published source]
  13. ^ Good, Meaghan Elizabeth. "Samantha Ann Clarke". The Charley Project. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  14. ^ Paschall, C. J. (January 16, 2021). "Samantha Clarke disappearance case reclassified as an abduction and homicide investigation". www.nbc29.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  15. ^ Lohr, David (November 28, 2012). "Dashad 'Sage' Smith Missing: Virginia Police Searching For Transgender Teen" – via Huff Post.
  16. ^ Busey, Kelli (July 3, 2019). "Seven years after the murder of Sage Smith, Erik McFadden remains free". Planet Transgender. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  17. ^ Lohr, David (January 7, 2014). "Missing Teen Alexis Murphy Presumed Dead; Family 'Devastated'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  18. ^ Faulconer, Justin (May 8, 2014). "Randy Taylor Found Guilty; Jury Recommends Life Sentences". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  19. ^ Helsel, Phil (September 24, 2014). "Hannah Graham: Suspect Arrested in Case of Missing UVA Student". NBC News. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  20. ^ George, Cindy; Lezon, Dale; Rice, Harvey (September 24, 2014). "Tipster Led Officers to Suspect in Missing UVa Student Case". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  21. ^ "Medical Examiner Confirms Hannah Graham's Remains Found in Albemarle". Charlottesville, VA: WVIR-TV. October 24, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  22. ^ Flaherty, Mary Pat; Shapiro, T. Rees (October 1, 2014). "U-Va. Suspect Jesse L. Matthew Jr. Twice Accused of College Sex Assaults". Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  23. ^ "Suspect Connected to the Samantha Clarke Case". Lynchburg, VA: WSET-TV. August 12, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  24. ^ "Abduction Suspect not Linked to 'Route 29 Stalker'". Charlottesville, VA: WVIR-TV. August 14, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
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