freeway phantom

On 15 November 1971, Brenda Denise Woodard, 18, dined with a high school classmate at Ben’s Chili Bowl. Around 11:30 pm, she boarded a city bus to return to her home on Maryland Avenue. Approximately six hours later, a police officer discovered her body. Her killer had strangled her; he also stabbed her multiple times. 

Her body lay in a grassy area on Hospital Drive, an on-ramp and off-ramp for the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Hospital Drive is also an on-ramp to Route 202, a short distance from Prince George’s County Hospital. Unlike the other victims, she was still wearing her shoes, and a coat had been placed over her chest. The police found green fibres on her body.

The killer left a note in Brenda’s coat pocket which read:

this is tantamount to my

insensititivity [sic] to people

especially women.

I will admit the others

when you catch me if you can!

Free-way Phantom

The authorities confirmed that Brenda wrote the note on paper cut from a school notepad. As the writing exhibited no signs of duress, the police speculated that Brenda may have known her kidnapper.