DNA Links 1988 Elizabeth River Murder to Deceased Suspect

Virginia State Police announced on November 14, 2025 that new DNA evidence has linked the 1988 stabbing death of Laurie Ann Powell to a deceased suspect. "Police say DNA ties the 1988 stabbing of Laurie Ann Powell to Alan W. Wilmer Sr., who died in 2017." The revelation marks a significant step in a decades old investigation and ties Powell's death to a man who has surfaced repeatedly in inquiries into late 1980s regional killings.

Powell was 18 when her body was discovered floating in the Elizabeth River near Portsmouth after she was last seen following a roadside dispute. Investigators concluded she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed. That case went unsolved for decades until advances in forensic techniques permitted a new look at preserved evidence. The identification brings some measure of closure to details that have long reverberated in community conversations about unresolved violence along local roadways and waterways.

Alan W. Wilmer Sr. died in 2017. Investigators say he had ties to regional waterways and worked as a waterman. He also drove a distinctive blue 1966 Dodge Fargo truck, a detail that repeatedly drew attention in earlier inquiries. Over the years Wilmer was linked by DNA to other late 1980s killings that investigators associate with what has been referred to as the Colonial Parkway killings. Those cases include the 1987 deaths of David L. Knobling and Robin M. Edwards, and the 1989 strangulation of Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell. The recent findings do not close the broader investigative files but they add a critical piece to the forensic picture connecting multiple cases.

Authorities said modern DNA testing and new forensic methods applied after Wilmer's death helped police make connections that were not possible with earlier technology. The announcement underscores how developments in forensic science can reopen old investigations and alter long standing theories about perpetrators and patterns. For hobbyists who follow cold cases and investigative methods, the Wilmer link is a concrete example of persistence and the impact of technological progress on unsolved crimes.

Virginia State Police said they continue to investigate other possible victims and are asking anyone with relevant information to contact them. For true crime enthusiasts, archivists, and amateur investigators who track cold case developments, this case is a reminder that preserved evidence and renewed attention can produce results even decades later, and that community tips remain vital to completing the picture for victims and their families.