Often stayed on his workboat; sometimes docked in Middlesex
A deceased Lancaster County man has been linked to the sexual assault and murder of a woman who went missing in Gloucester County in 1988.
Through advanced DNA technology, Alan W. Wilmer Sr. has been identified as the person responsible for the death of Gloucester teen Laurie Ann Powell 37 years ago. Powell disappeared on March 8, 1988, when she was walking along Route 614 in Gloucester. Her body was discovered April 2, 1988, in the Elizabeth River near Craney Island. The then-18 year old had been stabbed multiple times.
The announcement was made during a Virginia State Police and Isle of Wight Commonwealth’s Attorney press conference Friday, Nov. 14, in Suffolk County. This is the fourth homicide linked to Wilmer, who died alone in his home in Ottoman in 2017. DNA collected for identification purposes at the time of his death has been used to help solve multiple cold case homicides.
It was announced in January 2024 that Wilmer’s DNA definitively linked him to the death of Teresa Howell in Hampton in 1989 and Robin Edwards and David Knobling in 1987. Edwards’ and Knobling’s deaths were among those collectively known as the Colonial Parkway Murders. Wilmer has not been linked to the other Colonial Parkway murders or any other cold case homicides. However, the state police said during the press conference the resolution of this case “does not conclude the investigation to see if Wilmer is connected to other cases.”
Police said Wilmer was definitively linked to Powell’s death as a result of her being sexually assaulted.
Because Wilmer had never been convicted of a felony, despite being a suspect in one of the Parkway’s double homicides at the time it occurred, his DNA had never been entered into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. In 2023, following the DNA collected after Wilmer’s death, the Virginia Department of Forensic Science issued a “certificate of analysis” confirming a genetic match to Wilmer based on evidence collected from the Isle of Wight County and Hampton homicide victims.
A Virginia law prohibits Wilmer’s DNA from being entered into CODIS, because he was never convicted of a felony crime while he was alive.
Wilmer’s family released a statement following last week’s press conference, stating, “we continue to be deeply impacted by the revelations of AWW Sr.’s previous crimes. Learning another crime has been connected to him is devastating. While this is a difficult time for us, our first thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends on the tragic loss of Miss Powell. Thirty-seven years is far too long to not have answers, and we cannot begin to fathom what they have had to endure all this time. As a family, we would like to commend Virginia State Police on their endless diligence in resolving these crimes and continue to cooperate with them.”
Powell went missing around midnight in 1988 in Gloucester County following an argument with her boyfriend. She got out of his car and began walking along Route 614 towards U.S. 17 when investigators believe she was offered a ride or abducted by Wilmer. Although she was stabbed several times, the cause of death was determined to be a stab wound to the rear of the neck, according to investigators.
The break in Powell’s case came through the collaborative efforts of agents assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Chesapeake and Richmond Field Offices, and analysts assigned to the Homeland Security Division’s Violent Crime Analytical Support Team (VCAST). Additional support for this investigation was provided by the Office of the Attorney General Jason Miyares, who funded analytical support and testing via the Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). The testing was completed by DNA Labs International in Deerfield, Fla. This investigation is part of the continuing collaborative efforts of VSP, FBI and the Hampton Police Department.
Partnering agencies continue to reconstruct the movements of Wilmer during the 1980s and 90s.
A waterman who worked in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, he was 5’5” with a muscular build and weighed approximately 165 pounds. He had sandy-brown hair, blue eyes and a close-cropped beard. He drove a blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the Virginia license plate “EM-RAW.” The Dodge was just one of several pickup trucks Wilmer was known to drive.
During the 1980s, Wilmer often stayed on his workboat, which he docked at various locations in Middlesex, Gloucester and Northern Neck counties.
Anyone who may have worked with Wilmer or hunted with him, farmed oysters and clams with him, docked next to him at marinas, or socialized with him is encouraged to email the VSP at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.
