The Freeway Phantom murders remain one of the most haunting unsolved serial murder cases in Washington, D.C. history. Between April 1971 and September 1972, six young Black girls and young women were abducted and killed in the Washington, D.C. area and nearby Prince George’s County, Maryland. The victims were Carol Denise Spinks, 13; Darlenia Denise Johnson, 16; Brenda Faye Crockett, 10; Nenomoshia Yates, 12; Brenda Denise Woodard, 18; and Diane Williams, 17.
The unknown killer became known as the Freeway Phantom because the victims’ bodies were found near highways, freeways, or major roads. The name captured the fear that spread through the region, but it could never fully express the grief felt by six families whose daughters were taken from them. These were not just names in a case file. They were children, teenagers, daughters, sisters, students, and young women with futures that were stolen.
The crimes happened during a turbulent time in Washington, D.C. The city was dealing with social unrest, political tension, crime concerns, and strained police resources. But for Black families in the neighborhoods where the girls disappeared, the danger felt immediate and personal. Parents worried about sending children to the store, to work, or outside alone. The murders seemed to show that someone was targeting young Black girls and young women, taking them from ordinary places and leaving them dead in areas connected by roads and highways…