ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. — On September 23, 1987, a beachcomber at Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge in Isle of Wight County made a gruesome discovery.
It was the bodies of 14-year-old Robin Margaret Edwards and 20-year-old David Lee Knobling.
Investigators determined the two were shot to death but had very few leads, and the case has remained cold for more than 30 years.
The families of the victims have never received justice.
“Start putting these stories back out there,” said Virginia Del. Danica Roem. “Start talking about these cases again.”
Roem has pushed for resources in the General Assembly to thaw out cases just like the Isle of Wight murders from 1987.
Two years after getting a bill passed, a brand-new online database managed by the Virginia State Police is getting the public involved.
“Your viewers have a chance to see some of these cases and weigh in and tell law enforcement you know something about this,” said Roem.
The Virginia Cold Case Database allows people to search for the unidentified, the missing, and the unsolved cases across the Commonwealth dating decades back.
Not only that, you can submit a tip directly from a specific case’s page and see the agent’s contact information at Virginia State Police. The tool will help investigators pursue new leads and help families finally find closure.
“Even if we solve one unsolved homicide, one missing persons case, or one unidentified persons case, then that $100,000 investment of taxpayer dollars will be money well spent at that point,” said Roem.