The Silver Linings Handbook

In this episode, Bill Thomas, the brother of Colonial Parkway murder victim Cathy Thomas, and I continue our discussion on the cases. We revisit how Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. became a major but mishandled suspect after the 1988 disappearance of Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey, whose abandoned car coincided with reports of a man in a distinctive, waterman‑rigged pickup confronting couples while posing as law enforcement. His work on the water gave him plausible access to remote roads, docks, and peninsulas without attracting attention.
Bill walks through the FBI’s early search of Wilmer Sr.’s home and truck—where agents found weapons and restraints—yet he was released after polygraphs. Only years after his death in 2017 did manual DNA comparisons revive the case, ultimately linking him to multiple murders, including Cathy and Becky Dowski.
We also introduce Liberty Security, a small local company with repeated proximity to several victims and their families, and its owner, Ron Little— one reason Wilmer Sr.’s identification does not close the cases. The episode reframes the pattern of violence as a broader set of “Peninsula Murders,” shaped by waterways, jurisdictional seams, and Wilmer Sr.’s ability to move fluidly between them.
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Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at:
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The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music.
See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Bill Thomas, the brother of Colonial Parkways murder victim Cathy Thomas, and I examine the series of homicides that occurred in Virginia between 1986 and 1989. The case began in 1986, when Bill’s sister, Cathy, and her girlfriend were found dead in Cathy’s Honda Civic just off the Colonial Parkway. For more than three decades, the murders remained unsolved.
That shifted in 2024, when a Northern Neck waterman, Alan Wade Wilmer Sr., was linked to two of the Colonial Parkway cases—and to several additional homicides across Virginia’s three peninsulas, including some not previously connected to the series. Then, in January, more than 39 years after Cathy’s death, Bill learned that her killing had been formally tied to Wilmer Sr.
Even with this development, Bill’s search for answers continues—particularly how Wilmer Sr., once on the FBI’s radar and ruled out early on, was able to continue killing. His investigation now reaches beyond the crimes themselves to the failures that allowed them to continue.
Contact me at [email protected]
Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at:
https://silverliningshandbook.com/
Check out our Patreon to support the show at:
https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandbook
Join our Facebook Group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623
Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store
Visit The True Crime Times Substack at:
https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com
The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music.
See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ellie Taylor was a young mother when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Ellie, the host of the Version of Events podcast, joins me to discuss the physical and emotional toll of treatment and the meaning and the mechanics of suffering. Ellie and I shared a profound friendship with the late Jessica Olive Cash, and we discuss how pain strips us down to our truest selves and how it opens the door, as it did with Jessica and us, to belonging, compassion and community.
Contact me at [email protected]
Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at:
https://silverliningshandbook.com/
Check out our Patreon to support the show at:
https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandbook
Join our Facebook Group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623
Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store
Visit The True Crime Times Substack at:
https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com
The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music.
See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For most people, “SVU” is a television franchise. For Roger Canaff, it was real life. The former Special Victims prosecutor for the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office, the Alexandria, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the New York Attorney General and the military takes us inside the world of handling cases involving sexual assault, child abuse, and other crimes against the most vulnerable. He explains how Special Victims investigations and prosecutions actually work— the emotional toll, the quiet victories that rarely make headlines, and the societal and structural challenges that make this work so complex.
Contact me at [email protected]
Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at:
https://silverliningshandbook.com/
Check out our Patreon to support the show at:
https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandbook
Join our Facebook Group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623
Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store
Visit The True Crime Times Substack at:
https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com
The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music.
See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the second half of our conversation, Stacia Schnoor walks us through the courtroom battle that followed Sabrina’s death — the evidence, the testimony and the moments that forced her to relive the worst day of her life. She speaks candidly about the weight of the trial, the community’s response, and the complicated mix of relief and heartbreak that comes with a verdict. This episode captures the inadequacy of what justice looks like after unimaginable loss and how a mother keeps fighting to protect her daughter’s story long after the headlines fade.
Find out more about Stacia's work:
SavageMother (@savagemothers) | TikTok
Contact me at [email protected]
Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at:
https://silverliningshandbook.com/
Check out our Patreon to support the show at:
https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandbook
Join our Facebook Group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623
Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store
Visit The True Crime Times Substack at:
https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com
The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music.
See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.