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Walter Leo Jackson, Sr., who lived to the age of 70, has been identified as a suspect in the murders of Laura "Lollie" Winans, and Julianne "Julie" Williams, who were found at a Virginia campsite near the Skyland Resort in May 1996, and their bodies were located a week later after family members alerted National Park Service personnel that they had not returned home.
In 2021, investigators reviewing the case "reassessed hundreds of leads and interviews, spent countless hours to identify and prioritize evidence from the crime scene to retest and submitted the items to an accredited private lab, leading to Jackson being identified as a suspect."
According to the FBI, a re-test of that evidence led to a positive match to Jackson, a convicted serial rapist from Cleveland
“Even though we had this DNA match, we took additional steps and compared evidence from Lollie and Julie’s murders directly to a buccal swab containing Jackson’s DNA," Stanley M. Meador, the FBI Richmond special agent in charge, said.
"Those results confirmed we had the right man and finally could tell the victim’s families we know who is responsible for this heinous crime.”
Jackson died in prison in March 2018 while in prison in Ohio.
His criminal history includes kidnapping, rapes, and assault, authorities say.
"Jackson, a residential painter by trade, was an avid hiker and was known to visit Shenandoah National Park," they added. "At the time of Lollie and Julie’s murders, we believe he was driving a 1984 Chestnut Brown AMC Eagle 30."
Jackson later drove a 1979 model Ford Econoline 250 van. Jackson was known to use temporary tags, alter license plates, and frequently change vehicles.
“After 28 years, we are now able to say who committed the brutal murders of Lollie Winans and Julie Williams in Shenandoah National Park,” US Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh stated. “I want to again extend my condolences to the Winans and Williams families and hope today’s announcement provides some small measure of solace.”
The FBI is now working to determine if Jackson is connected to any other unsolved crimes in the region.
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