Overview of Brenda Crockett
Brenda Crockett was only 10 years old when she was killed.
Brenda Faye Crockett was only 10 years old. Brenda had lots of friends, loved taking photos, and went to church. She was a sister, daughter, and friend. There is very little information about Brenda as a person.
Brenda was last seen on the evening of July 27, 1971. Her mother sent her out to grab a few groceries at the local Safeway. That evening, the neighborhood kids were having movie night, and her mother assumed that Brenda had brought a friend with her. Brenda went to the store by herself. The Safeway store was located five blocks from her Northwest DC, Maryland, home.
Around 9:20 p.m., a series of phone calls are made to the Crockett residence. Brenda’s younger sister picked up the phone and told her that she was taken by a white man and that she would be heading home in a cab. Brenda was unsure of her location, but told her younger sister she thought she was in Virginia. Brenda calls for a third time, and this time she speaks to her step-father. Brenda asked her stepfather: “Did my mother see me?”. This would have been impossible for her mother to see her if she was in a different state. Her stepfather asked to speak to the man who kidnapped Brenda, but replied, “I’ll see you” and hung up. It is believed that the killer gave Brenda incorrect information about her location in an attempt to figure out his next steps.
On July 28, 1971, at 5:50 a.m., Brenda’s body was discovered by a motorist. Brenda Fay Crockett's body is found along a grassy shoulder along US Route 50. She was strangled with a scarf wrapped around her neck and sexually assaulted. Brenda’s shoes were missing, and her feet appeared to be clean as if they were just washed.
Is Brenda Faye Crockett a victim of the Freeway Phantom?
Between April 1971 and September 1972, six young black girls were abducted and murdered. Their names are Carol Spinks (age 13, abducted on April 15, 1971), Darlenia Johnson (age 16, abducted on July 8, 1971), Brenda Crockett (age 10, abducted on July 27, 1971), Nenomoshia Yates (age 12, abducted on Oct. 1, 1971), Brenda Woodard (age 18, abducted on Nov. 15, 1971), and Diane Denise Williams (age 17, abducted on Sept. 5, 1972).
Each victim left their home to run an errand and never returned home. Days later, their remains were found near the I-295 freeway. Unfortunately, each victim was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. All victims except Brenda Denise Woodard were found barefoot. Brenda Woodward’s body was found with a handwritten note signed by the Freeway Phantom that read:
This is tantamount to my insensitivity to people, especially women. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can!
-Freeway Phantom
Where the case stands today.
Currently, the Metropolitan Police Department are offering a $150,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest. The “Freeway Phantom” is the main suspect, but their identity remains a mystery. There have been some publicly named suspects, including the Green Vega Rapists, a gang responsible for multiple rapes and abductions throughout the Washington Beltway area. However, these cases remain unsolved.