Freeway Phantom
Between 1971 and 1972, six black girls went missing in the Washington D.C. area. Their bodies were discarded alongside DC freeways. And their killer was never found. The media dubbed him “The Freeway Phantom.” From iHeartRadio and Tenderfoot TV, a new podcast reinvestigates the 50 year old unsolved murders of these young girls. Journalist and Public Radio veteran Celeste Headlee (NPR, PBS, TEDx) examines old case files and interviews the investigators and family members who are still haunted by these killings. Headlee will ask the questions: Why didn’t these murders make the news headlines? Did law enforcement do enough to solve these crimes? And how do racial disparities impact these types of investigations, past and present? Plus, we’ll explore new evidence which may crack the cold case wide open again. If you have any information relating to these unsolved crimes, contact the Metropolitan Police Department at (202) 727-9099. If you have a tip and would like to reach out directly to Tenderfoot TV, email us at tips@tenderfoot.tv.
Episodes
'Freeway Phantom' is a new investigative true crime podcast from Tenderfoot TV, iHeartRadio, and Black Bar Mitzvah. Hosted by Celeste Headlee. The first two episodes drop on May 17th, 2023.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On April 25th, 1971, 13-year-old Carol Spinks mysteriously disappeared from her neighborhood in southeast Washington D.C. Six days later, her body was discovered off a nearby freeway. Investigators assumed this was a one-off murder. Little did they know, Carol was the first victim of D.C.'s first serial killer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In early July of 1971, multiple drivers reported seeing a dead body just off a freeway in D.C. Only weeks later was the cadaver recovered. Police eventually discovered it was the body of 16-year-old Darlenia Johnson, who had gone missing weeks earlier. The killer had struck again...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On July 27th, 1971, 10-year-old Brenda Crockett did not return home from a trip to the grocery store. Hours later, Brenda called home to deliver a cryptic message. And then, the line went dead. Her body was discovered just hours later...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On October 1st, 1971, a fourth victim was taken and later found dead: 12-year-old Nenomoshia Yates. Finally, news outlets begin to pick up the story of these murdered black girls. And the media gives the killer a name...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the early morning hours of November 16th, 1971, police discovered the body of 18-year-old Brenda Woodard. But this time, it's clear that the victim fought back against the killer. And in Brenda's coat pocket, police discover a handwritten note from the Phantom.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After a hiatus of 10 months, police find the body of 17-year-old Diane Williams on September 6th, 1972. Diane would be the final confirmed victim of the Freeway Phantom. Sadly, police attention would be diverted away from the case by the Watergate Scandal. Plus, a suspect is revealed.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More suspects come to light. And we learn about two other murdered girls who may have been unconfirmed victims of the Phantom: 18-year-old Teara Bryant and 14-year-old Angela Barnes.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why was the Phantom never caught? Is it possible he's still alive, walking freely? We explore all evidence pointing to his identity. And we ask: what hope is left?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We recruit a former FBI profiler to create a new profile of the Freeway Phantom. And we look at the systemic issues that led to the Phantom's success.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Freeway Phantom case is but one example of a wider epidemic of missing black girls in DC who don't get the attention they need. How can we fix this? And how can we finally bring the Phantom to justice?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, on July 11th, marked “Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day'' in Washington, DC. As you heard in Freeway Phantom, back in 2014, Relisha Rudd, an 8 year old Black girl, went missing from Northeast, DC. Her whereabouts are still unknown. The timeline of Relisha’s disappearance is somewhat unclear but what is clear is that multiple systems failed to keep her safe and the failure of those systems is why no one even knew that she was ...
We explore an issue deeply connected to the missing persons cases we've disccused this season: domestic trafficking. Tina Frundt of Courtney's House in D.C. takes us through her story as a survivor, and how her nonprofit works to combat the effects of human trafficking.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Henderson Long has worked on missing persons cases for over a decade. Long was also instrumental in the early stages of our Freeway Phantom investigation. We talk with him about his personal connection to the issue and his work to help families searching for answers in Washington D.C.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the early evening on New Year’s Eve, in 1973, a 34 year old man was found bleeding to death on a downtown street in Stockton, California. In his dying moments, he named the men behind his murder: Calvin Jones and Rosalio Estrada. 50 years later, Rosalio’s son, Alex Estrada sets off to find out if his father was actually involved in the murder.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hi, Freeway Phantom fans! Tenderfoot TV, iHeartPodcasts, and Campside Media have teamed up for a riveting podcast called Radical. Hosted by journalist Mosi Secret, Radical investigates an Atlanta crime story to assess if justice was truly served. Since you enjoyed Freeway Phantom, we think you'll like this podcast too. Don't just take our word for it, though. Check out this trailer and start listening on 12/5!
Show Description: On...
Popular Podcasts
"McCartney: A Life in Lyrics" offers listeners the opportunity to sit in on conversations between Paul McCartney and poet Paul Muldoon dissecting the people, experiences, and art that inspired McCartney’s songwriting. These conversations were held during the past several years as the two collaborated on the best selling book, “The Lyrics: 1965 to Present.” Over two seasons and 24 episodes of “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics”, you’ll hear a combination master class, memoir, and improvised journey with one of the most beloved figures in popular music. Each episode focuses on one song from McCartney’s iconic catalog – spanning early Beatles through his solo work. Season 1 premieres on October 4th. “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” is a co-production between iHeart Media, MPL and Pushkin Industries. Cover Portrait © 1967 Paul McCartney / Photographer: Linda McCartney
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Unforgettable true crime mysteries, exclusive newsmaker interviews, hard-hitting investigative reports and in-depth coverage of high profile stories.