Scissor Sisters
July 28, 2026
In March 2005, body parts were found in an Irish canal that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the infamous Scissor Sisters.
BTK Strangler
"Bind them, Toture them, Kill them"
During the early morning hours of January 15, 1974, a man entered 803 North Edgemoor Street and brutally tortured and strangled four members of the Otero family. It was the beginning of a nightmare for the residents of Wichita, Kansas, as the killer began a reign of terror. Using the self-styled initials BTK, which stood for Bind, Torture, Kill, the elusive BTK Strangler sent numerous letters to the media claiming responsibility for a series of deaths, and demanded attention and recognition for his crimes.
However, by 1979 he had vanished. A secret task-force known as the ‘Ghostbusters’ was setup to apprehend him, but after several years of investigation it ended in failure, and to many it seemed BTK had managed to elude justice. Then in 2004, the killer re-surfaced and began sending a new series of communications in which he claimed more previously unknown victims, leading detectives to suspect he was planning to kill again.
BTK Strangler: Otero Family Murders
As 15-year-old Charlie Otero arrived home from Robinson Junior High School at 3:30pm on January 15, 1974, he found his parents and two younger siblings dead inside the family home. When police arrived at 803 North Edgemoor Street, they discovered the family had been strangled, the killer had used various ligatures. There were no signs of forced entry and the killer had spent some considerable time with the victims, which was evident in the way they were murdered. Upon entering the house, 38-year-old Joseph Otero was found lying face down on the floor in the master bedroom. Both his wrists and ankles had been tied with cord cut from a Venetian blind, and he had been strangled with a brown belt and clothesline rope. There was vomit on the floor near his body. His wife, 34-year-old Julie Otero, was lying on the bed bound with the same cord, and she had a pillow covering her head and from the bruises on her face it appeared she had fought the intruder and was struck. She too had been strangled. Their son, 9-year-old Joseph Otero II was found lying face up on his bedroom floor bound the same way as his parents. However, police found he had been hooded with two t-shirts and a plastic bag, which the killer had used to suffocate him.
Searching the rest of the house police could not locate 11-year-old Josephine Otero, until they entered the basement. There they found the young girl bound and hanging by her neck from a sewer pipe. Her hands were bound behind her back and the killer had used the same cord to tie her feet, lower knees, upper knees and then wrapped it around her waist. She was partially nude, wearing only a bra, sweatshirt and socks. A single fingerprint was found on one of the chairs that had been positioned in front of some of the bodies which police believe the killer had used to watch the victims slowly die. The murder investigation began immediately and it was established the killer had cut the phone lines to the house before entering and confronting the Otero’s after the three older children had gone to school. It was later confirmed the two youngest stayed home because they were feeling unwell. Either the killer or a family member had placed the family dog outside where it was later found by police, who also suspected the family had been subdued through the use of a gun, because all of the Otero’s were proficient in martial arts and could adequately defend themselves.
Joseph Otero Snr’s watch was missing, presumably taken. The family car, a 1966 beige Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon, was later found abandoned. A neighbour reported to police they saw an unknown man driving the Otero’s car, which was found in the parking lot of a Dillon’s grocery store. Neighbours of the Otero’s reported seeing a suspicious looking man in the area before the murders, and gave police a description from which a composite sketch was made of the suspect. They described the man as 6 feet tall, with dark shaggy hair and wearing a dark coat and gave the time at roughly 8:45am. Another neighbour reported seeing an unknown man with a dark complexion and a rumpled hat leaving the residence driving the Otero car at 10:35am.
Crime lab technicians spend twelve hours in the house and found semen in the bedroom as well as the basement, but it was determined that Josephine was the primary target of the killer’s attention. Five days after the tests, it was determined the killer had type-O blood, however they later learned all semen reverts to type-O within 24 hours. It was believed the killer had planned the murders because he had brought the Venetian blind cord with him to the scene, which he used to tie up the victims. During the next two weeks of the investigation police contacted 1500 residents and reached out 500 law enforcement agencies for additional information on similar crimes, whilst the Wichita Eagle Newspaper setup a secret program for residents to send anonymous tips.
Detectives Bernie Drowatzy and Gary Caldwell spent the night in the Otero home after the murders with a psychic, hoping the killer would return. It was found the Otreros had only moved to Wichita four months before they were murdered, and were originally from Puero Rico. Police visited the Panama Canal Zone where Joseph Otero had been stationed for six months to establish if there was anything in his past that might have resulted in the deaths. They concluded the killings might have been perpetrated over a money dispute in Central America. One persistent rumour concerning the crime scene was that eggs were found throughout the Otero house, however no eggs can be seen on any of the crime scene photographs, and no eye-witnesses remember any eggs being present when the bodies were found. The rumour was apparently started by a disturbed man who worked delivering eggs, and who falsely confessed to the murders. It was suspected the killer had been an opportunistic window-peeper, but this theory was soon discounted because the killer had brought the pre-cut blind cord to the house. The Otero investigation was eventually scaled back and the public interest in the case dwindled.
BTK Strangler: Kathryn Bright Murder
On April 4, 1974, 21-year-old Kathryn Bright and her brother Kevin arrived at her home and discovered an intruder had broken in and was lying in wait. The man confronted them and brandished a gun, told them he needed money and a car to get to New York. Kevin was forced to tie his sister to a chair and was then taken to another room. When the man attempted to wrap a cord around Kevin’s neck and began to pull he fought back and a struggle ensued.
The man then shot Kevin Bright twice in the head with a .22 calibre pistol and although wounded, he managed to run outside where he flagged down a passing motorist who took him to Wesley Medical Centre. The intruder then returned to Kathryn and stabbed her three times in her abdomen and the left. When police arrived at the address on 3217 East 13th Street, they discovered Kathryn unconscious and after she was taken to hospital she died from her wounds five hours later. Kevin was able to give police a description of his attacker, who he said was male, around 25-years-old and wearing an orange shirt, orange jacket and a black stocking cap. Detectives believed the killer may have expected Kathryn to arrive home alone that day and had to change his plans when he realised Kevin was also present. It was learned that Kathryn had worked at Coleman on the same assembly line as Julie Otero, but this link between the cases was not made public. With very few leads, the murder of Kathryn Bright was went cold.
In October 1974, police made an arrest in the Otero murders when a patient in a psychiatric ward made a confession. This was later discounted by police who also disputed the confessions of two other men claiming they were responsible for the murders. That same month, on October 22, someone called the tips hotline and spoke to Don Granger of the Wichita Eagle. The caller directed him to a mechanical engineering textbook at the Wichita Public Library. Granger passed the tip onto police who located the the textbook and found a letter inside which claimed credit for the Otero family murders. The letter appeared genuine because it went into great detail about the position of each body and the circumstances of the Otero deaths.
BTK Strangler: Otero Letter
(The letter is re-produced with spelling and grammatical mistakes made by the author)
OTERO CASE
I write this letter to you
for the sake of the tax
payer as well as your time.
Those three dude you have in
custody are just talking to
get publicity for the Otero
murders, They know nothing
atall. I did it by myself and
no ones help.
There has been no talk either.
Lets put is straight……..
Joe:
Position: Southwest bedroom, feet
tie to the bed. Head pointed in
a southerly direction.
Bondage: Window blind cord.
Garrote: Blind cord, brown belt.
Death: The old bag trick and
strangulation with clothes line
rope.
Clothed: White sweat shirt, green
pants.
Comments: He threw up at one time.
Had rib injury from wreck few week
before. Laying on coat.
Jule:
Position: Laying on her back
crosswise on the bed pointed
in southwestern direction.
Face cover with pillow.
Bondage: Blind cord.
Garrote: Clothes line cord tie
in a clove-hitch.
Death :Strangulation twice.
Clothes: Blue house coat, black
slack, white sock.
Comments:Blood on face from too
much pressure on the neck, bed
unmade.
Josephine:
Position: Hanging by neck in the
northwest part of the basement.
Dryer or freezer noth of her body.
Bondage: Hand tie with blind cord.
Feet and lower knees, upper knees
and waist with clothes line cord.
All one lenght.
Garrote: Rough hemp rope 1/4 dia.,
noose with four or five turns.
Clothes: Dark (illegible words),
bra cut in the middle, sock.
Death: Strangulation once, hung.
Comments: Most of her clothes at
the bottom of the stairs, green
pants, and panties. Her glasses
in the southwest bedroom.
Joseph:
Position: In the east bedroom
laying n his back pointed in
eastern direction.
Bondage: Blind cord.
Garrote: Three hoods; white
T-shirt, white plastic bag,
another T-shirt.
Clothes line cord with clove-hitch.
Death : Suffocation once,
strangulation-suffocation with
the old bag trick.
Clothes: Brownpatns, yellow-brown
stripe T-shirt
Comments: His radio is blaring.
All victims had their hand s tie
behind their backs. Gags of pillow
case material. Slip knotts on Joe
and Joseph neck to hold leg down
or was at one time. Purse contents
south of the table. Spilled drink
in that area also, kids making
lunches. Door share in red chair in
the living room. Otero’s watch
missing. I needed one so I took
it. Runsgood.
Themostat turn down.Car was dirty
inside, out of gas.
over
I’m sorry this happen to society.
They are the oneswho suffer the
most. It hard to control myself,
You probably call me:psychotic with
sexual perversion hang-up”. Where
this monster enter my brain I will
never know. But, it here to stay.
How does one cure himself?
If you ask for help, that you have
killed four people, they will laugh
or hit the panic button and call
the cops. I can’t stop so, the monster
goes on,and hurtm an well as society.
society can be thankfull that there
war ways for people like me to relieve
myself at the time by day dreams of
some victim being torture and being
mine. It a big complicated game my
friend of the monster play putting
victims number down, follow then,
checking up on them, waiting in the
dark, waiting, waiting….the
pressure is great and some times
he run the game to his liking.
Maybe you can stop him. I can’t.
He has already chosen his nect
victim or victims. I don’t who they
are yet. The next day after I read
the paper, I will know, but it to
late.
Good luck with your hunting.
YOURS, TRULY GUILTILY
P.S Since sex criminals do not change
their M.O. or by nature cannot do so,
I will not change mine. The code words
for me will be …
Bind them, Toture them, Kill them,
B.T.K., you see he at it again. They
will be on the next victim.
The communication was a lengthy, single-spaced typed letter with numerous misspellings, bad grammar, punctuation and syntax. In it the killer claimed credit for the Otero murders and detailed how each member of the Otero family had been killed, and the position he left each body in the house. He also spoke of a monster which controlled him, and promised more victims. Investigators requested the letter be withheld from the public to prevent further false confessions. They obtained a list of people who had checked out the library textbook but gained no leads.
On October 24, police began to place a classified ad in the Wichita Eagle to communicate with the killer.
“BTK
Help is available
Call 684-6321 before 10 p.m.”
It ran for four days without any results. On October 31, Don Granger wrote a column in the Wichita Eagle and invited BTK to call the number provided. In December, a copy of the letter was given to a reporter for a weekly magazine called the Sun. On December 11, the Sun published a front page story that included excerpts from the letter. Police Chief Hannon confirmed at a news conference later that day that the letter was real. Meanwhile, the police had almost 30 psychologist analyse the letter to establish a profile of the killer. The doctors concluded BTK Strangler had a fetish for bondage and torture and due to the amount of errors, believed it had been written by someone with a limited education. Over the next three years nothing was heard from the BTK killer and no more murders were attributed to him during that time.
BTK Strangler: Shirley Vian Murder
Shirley Vian lived at 1311 South Hydraulic Street with her three children. On the morning of March 17, 1977, she was unwell and her two oldest children stayed at home from school. Sometime during that morning a stranger stopped Vian’s son on the street and showed the boy photographs of a woman and child, seeking directions to their home. Later, at 11:45am, a man knocked Vian’s door, and when the 26-year-old answered, she saw a man holding a gun who he forced his way inside. He had with him some type of bag, either a suitcase or bowling bag and told them he wasn’t going to hurt anyone. When the man began to tie up Vian’s 8-year-old son he began to cry. That is when he placed the children inside the bathroom/closet and wedged one door closed and tied the other shut with Venetian blind cord he had brought with him.
He then turned his attention to Shirley. She was undressed and bound hand and foot before he placed a plastic bag over her head and cord around her neck, which was used to strangle her. Eventually the children freed themselves and found their mother dead. When the police arrived they found Vian’s partially nude body on her bed. The Vian children told police they could hear their mother pleading with the man not to hurt them, and he kept telling her he would not. They were able to describe the stranger as a dark-haired man in his late 30’s/40’s with a paunch. Two money orders were missing from the house, which police believed were taken by the killer. At this point detectives didn’t know if the Otero, Bright and Vian murders were related, and had not yet surmised that a serial killer was stalking the streets of Wichita.
BTK Strangler: Nancy Fox Murder
On December 8, 1977, a man used a payphone at Central and St. Francis and called a Wichita Police dispatcher. He told the female dispatcher, “Yes. You will find a homicide at 843 South Pershing. Nancy Fox”. When the female dispatcher attempted to double-check the address the man replied, “Yes, that’s correct”. He then hung up, leaving the phone off the hook and walked away. When police arrived they questioned witnesses who recalled seeing a blond man, approximately 6 feet tall, dressed in a grey industrial uniform using the phone booth moments earlier. Police then proceeded to 843 Pershing and upon entry noticed a window had been broken. When officers entered the duplex apartment house they found 25-year-old Nancy Jo Fox dead in her bedroom. She was fully clothed and the killer had bound her hands and feet with nylon stockings and wrapped another stocking tightly around her neck and used it to strangle her.
The telephone call made by Nancy Fox’s killer.
Investigators found the phone-line had been cut and the killer had gained entry via a smashed window at the back of the duplex. The contents of Fox’s purse had been emptied onto a coffee table, and a sweater was neatly draped over a chair. Her driving license was missing and the police believed the killer had taken it as a memento of the crime. She had left her job at Helzberg’s Jewelers at around 9:00pm the previous evening, and it was believed the killer had ambushed Fox as she returned home. Although police did find semen at the scene, an autopsy revealed she had not been sexually assaulted. The quality of the phone call was considered too poor for police to perform any type of voice analysis they provided copies to broadcast stations.
They later received around 110 calls on a special police contact number but none of the tips led to the identity of the killer. Detectives did not publicly connect the Otero and Fox murders, even though the similarities between the two cases involved semen left at the scene and severed phone lines. The murders began to worry the residents of Wichita, and numerous people began to take precautions to safeguard themselves. Once again nothing more was heard from the killer until February 1978 when an envelope postmarked January 31, arrived at the Wichita Eagle-Beacon. Inside was a single 3-by-5 inch index card which contained a poem printed with a child’s rubber stamping set.
Shirley Locks, Shirley Locks,
wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not scream,
Nor yet fee the line.
But lay on a cushion,
And think of me,
And death and how,
It’s going to be.
wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not scream,
Nor yet fee the line.
But lay on a cushion,
And think of me,
And death and how,
It’s going to be.
The person who opened it mistook it for a Valentine’s Day advertising message and forwarded it to the classified ads department, where it was overlooked for several days. Because of the lack of publicity, BTK then sent another letter on February 10, 1978 to local television station KAKE-TV Channel 10. Attached to the letter was a detailed drawing of the Fox murder scene which when matched to the crime scene photograph’s was almost identical. In the letter the killer made reference to 7 victims and claimed responsibility for the Otero family, Vian and Fox murders, and left a fifth un-named incident for police to workout. By now most detectives believed it was the Kathryn Bright murder. In the letter the killer compared himself and his work to other serial killers and blamed his crimes on a “demon” and mysterious “factor X”.
(The letter is re-produced with spelling and grammatical mistakes made by the author)
I find the newspaper not writing about
the poem on Vian unamusing. A little
paragraph would have enough. Iknom it
not the news media fault.
The Police Chief he keep things quiet,
and doesn’t let the public know there
is a psycho running loose strangling
mostly women, there 7 in the ground;
who will be next? How many do i have to
Kill, before I get my name in the paper
or some national attention? Do the cop
think that all those deaths are not
related? Golly-gee, yes, the M.O. is
different in each, but look a pattern
is developing. The victims are tie
up_most have been women_phone cut_bring
some bondage mater sadist tendencies_no
struggle, outside the death spot_no
wintness except the Vain’s Kids. “They
were very lucky; a phone call save them.
I was going to /// tape the boys and put
plastics bag over there head like I did
Joseph, and Shirley. And then hang the
girl. God-oh God what a beautiful sexual
relief this would have been. Josephine,
when I hung her really turn me on; her
pleading for mercy then the rope took
whole, she helpless; staring at me with
wide terror fill eyes the rope getting
tigher-tigher. You don’t understand these
things because your not underthe influence
of factor)x). The same thing the made,
Son of Sam, Jack The Ripper, Harvery
Glatman, Boston Strangler, Dr. H.H. Holmes
Panty Hose Strangler of Florida, Hillside
Strangler, Ted of the West Coast and Many
more infamous character kill. Which seems
a senseless but we cannot help it. There
is no help, no cure, except death or being
caught and put away It a terrible
nightmarebut, you see I don’t lose any
sleep over it. After a thing like Fox, I
ccome home and go about life like anyone
else. And I will be / like that until the
urge hits me again. It not continuous and
I don’t have a lot of time. It take time to
set a kill, one mistake and it all over.
Since I about blew it on the phone-
handwriting is out-letter guide is to long
and type-writer can be traced too,.My
short poem of death and sound wil come
your way. Before a murder or murders
you will receive a copy of the initials
B.T.K., you keep the copy the original
will show up some day on guess who?
May you not be the unluck one!
P.S. How about some name for me, its time: 7
down and many more to go. I like the following.
How about you?
‘THE B.T.K STRANGLER’, ‘THE WICHITA
STRANGLER’, ‘POETIC STRANGLER’, ‘THE
BONDAGE STRANGLER’, OR ‘PSYCHO’,
‘THE WICHITA HANGMAN’, ‘THE
WICHITA EXECUTIONER, ‘THE GAROTTE
PHANTOM’, ‘THE ASPHYXIATER’.
#5 You guess the motive and the victim.
#6 You found one Shirley Vain lying belly
down on a unmade bed in northeast
bedroom-hand tied behind back with
black tape and cord. Feet & ankles with
black tape & legs. Ankles tied to west
head of the bed with small off white
cord, wrap around legs, hands, arm,
finally the neck many times. A off white pla
stic bag over her head loop on with a pink
nitie was bare-footed. She was sick use a
glass of water and snoke I or Two
cizrette-house a total mess-kids took some
toys with to the bathroom-bedgainst east
bath-room door. Chose at ramdom with some
pre-planning. Motive Factor X.
#7 One Nancy Fox-lying belly down on made
bed in southwest bedroom-hands tied behind
back with red panty hose-feet together with
yellow nitie-semi-nude with pink sweather
and bra small necklace-glasses on west
dresser-panties below butt-many different
colour panties hose around neck, one across
the mouth-strangled with man belt first
then the hosery. She had a smoke and went
to the bathroom before the final act-very
neat housekeeper& dresser-rifled purein
kiteken-empy paper bag-white coat in
livingroom-heat up to about 90 degrees-
Christmas tree lights on-cizrette mostly
burn down pants in bathroom rifled east
top dresser on top- nities and hose around
the room-house bag of arrange colour it
and hosery on bed-driver license gone-
seminal stain on or in blue women wear.
Chose at random with little
pre-planning. Motive factor “2”
#8 Next victim maybe: You will find her
hanging with a wire noose-Hands behind
back with black tape or cord-feet with tape
or cord-gaged-then cord around the body to
the neck-hooded maybe-possible seminal
stain in anus-or on body. Will be chosen at
random. Some pre-panning-
Motive Factor”X”.
B.T.K
I find the newspaper not writing about
the poem on Vian unamusing. A little
paragraph would have enough. Iknom it
not the news media fault.
The Police Chief he keep things quiet,
and doesn’t let the public know there
is a psycho running loose strangling
mostly women, there 7 in the ground;
who will be next? How many do i have to
Kill, before I get my name in the paper
or some national attention? Do the cop
think that all those deaths are not
related? Golly-gee, yes, the M.O. is
different in each, but look a pattern
is developing. The victims are tie
up_most have been women_phone cut_bring
some bondage mater sadist tendencies_no
struggle, outside the death spot_no
wintness except the Vain’s Kids. “They
were very lucky; a phone call save them.
I was going to /// tape the boys and put
plastics bag over there head like I did
Joseph, and Shirley. And then hang the
girl. God-oh God what a beautiful sexual
relief this would have been. Josephine,
when I hung her really turn me on; her
pleading for mercy then the rope took
whole, she helpless; staring at me with
wide terror fill eyes the rope getting
tigher-tigher. You don’t understand these
things because your not underthe influence
of factor)x). The same thing the made,
Son of Sam, Jack The Ripper, Harvery
Glatman, Boston Strangler, Dr. H.H. Holmes
Panty Hose Strangler of Florida, Hillside
Strangler, Ted of the West Coast and Many
more infamous character kill. Which seems
a senseless but we cannot help it. There
is no help, no cure, except death or being
caught and put away It a terrible
nightmarebut, you see I don’t lose any
sleep over it. After a thing like Fox, I
ccome home and go about life like anyone
else. And I will be / like that until the
urge hits me again. It not continuous and
I don’t have a lot of time. It take time to
set a kill, one mistake and it all over.
Since I about blew it on the phone-
handwriting is out-letter guide is to long
and type-writer can be traced too,.My
short poem of death and sound wil come
your way. Before a murder or murders
you will receive a copy of the initials
B.T.K., you keep the copy the original
will show up some day on guess who?
May you not be the unluck one!
P.S. How about some name for me, its time: 7
down and many more to go. I like the following.
How about you?
‘THE B.T.K STRANGLER’, ‘THE WICHITA
STRANGLER’, ‘POETIC STRANGLER’, ‘THE
BONDAGE STRANGLER’, OR ‘PSYCHO’,
‘THE WICHITA HANGMAN’, ‘THE
WICHITA EXECUTIONER, ‘THE GAROTTE
PHANTOM’, ‘THE ASPHYXIATER’.
#5 You guess the motive and the victim.
#6 You found one Shirley Vain lying belly
down on a unmade bed in northeast
bedroom-hand tied behind back with
black tape and cord. Feet & ankles with
black tape & legs. Ankles tied to west
head of the bed with small off white
cord, wrap around legs, hands, arm,
finally the neck many times. A off white pla
stic bag over her head loop on with a pink
nitie was bare-footed. She was sick use a
glass of water and snoke I or Two
cizrette-house a total mess-kids took some
toys with to the bathroom-bedgainst east
bath-room door. Chose at ramdom with some
pre-planning. Motive Factor X.
#7 One Nancy Fox-lying belly down on made
bed in southwest bedroom-hands tied behind
back with red panty hose-feet together with
yellow nitie-semi-nude with pink sweather
and bra small necklace-glasses on west
dresser-panties below butt-many different
colour panties hose around neck, one across
the mouth-strangled with man belt first
then the hosery. She had a smoke and went
to the bathroom before the final act-very
neat housekeeper& dresser-rifled purein
kiteken-empy paper bag-white coat in
livingroom-heat up to about 90 degrees-
Christmas tree lights on-cizrette mostly
burn down pants in bathroom rifled east
top dresser on top- nities and hose around
the room-house bag of arrange colour it
and hosery on bed-driver license gone-
seminal stain on or in blue women wear.
Chose at random with little
pre-planning. Motive factor “2”
#8 Next victim maybe: You will find her
hanging with a wire noose-Hands behind
back with black tape or cord-feet with tape
or cord-gaged-then cord around the body to
the neck-hooded maybe-possible seminal
stain in anus-or on body. Will be chosen at
random. Some pre-panning-
Motive Factor”X”.
B.T.K
The BTK Strangler made reference to several serial killers, most notable the Pantyhose Strangler of Florida and Ted of the West Coast, who were at that stage unidentified. Later both of crimes sprees were attributed to the serial murderer Ted Bundy, who murdered upwards of eleven women in Washington State, eight in Utah, two in Oregon, two in Idaho and three in Colorado, making him possibly one of the most prolific of serial killers. He then escaped custody and went to Florida, where he murdered a further two women during an attack on a sorority house, before committing the kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old girl. Bundy had managed to elude police, in part due to his clean-cut image, but also because of his almost chameleon-like ability to change his appearance. Accompanying the letter was a poem entitled Oh! Death to Nancy, and was believed to be in reference to the Nancy Fox murder and patterned after a poem titled “Oh Death”.
(The note is re-produced with spelling and grammatical mistakes made by the author)
Oh! Death to Nancy
What is this taht I can see
Cold icy hands taking hold of me
for Death has come, you all can see.
Hell has opened it,s gate to trick me.
Oh! Death, Oh! Death, can’tyou spare
me, over for another year!
I’ll stuff your jaws till you can’t talk
I’ll blind your leg’s till you can’t walk
I’ll tie your hands till you can’t make
a stand.
And finally i’ll close your eyes so you
can’t see.
I’ll bring sexual death unto you for me.
B.T.K
After this police went public with the KAKE letter once they realised their previous strategy of holding back information had not stopped the murders. Police Chief Richard LaMunyon told the press, “I want to restate that there is no question in my mind but that the person who wrote the letter killed these people”. He also stressed calm amongst the public, “I know it is difficult to ask people to remain calm, but we are asking exactly that”. Chief LaMunyon explained it was a difficult decision to go public with the second letter, and he had sought advice from psychologist and profilers. He decided it would be important to establish a communication link with the BTK Strangler through the media. He added, “the utmost thing on my mind was public safety, how do we prevent this from happening again?”.
BTK Strangler: Ruth Finley and the Poet
On November 6, 1978, Ed and Ruth Finley reported to Wichita Police that Ruth was the victim of harassment by an unknown individual. Someone had been making obscene phonecalls and sending her threatening letters, some with insidious poetry.
Here’s to you my tender valentine.
Red with blood and tied with twine.
Nothing to much for a valentine.
Gone from here by a whim of mine.
The police registered the complaint, but later on November 21, 1978, 48-year-old Ruth was reported missing. When she finally showed up she detailed a harrowing encounter with two men who abducted her, and drove her around for four hours before she was able to escape. There was strong suspicion at the time that the BTK Strangler was the individual known as the Poet, and behind the harassment, which continued until September 1981 when Police Chief Richard LaMunyon personally investigated the evidence and came to the conclusion that BTK was not responsible, but he knew who was.
On April 28, 1979, BTK waited inside the home of 63-year-old Anna Williams, who lived in the 600 block of South Pinecrest. When she failed to show he left, taking with him several items, including her scarf and jewellery. When she returned home at 11:00pm she believed she had been the victim of a burglary. When officers were dispatched they found an intruder had entered through a basement window and noticed the phone line had been cut. Later that year on June 15, 1979, BTK sent Anna Williams a letter which arrived at her home in an 8 and half by 11 inch manilla envelope. It contained a 19-line poem, a sketch, clothing and jewellery which had been taken during the break-in.
In the poem BTK regretted the woman had taken so long to return home because he intended to kill her. An identical copy of the envelope and poem was sent to KAKE-TV the following day, which was turned over to police. A female postal clerk opened the door at 4:00am and found a man standing there. He handed her an envelope and said, “put this in the KAKE box”. She described the man to police as a white male roughly 30-years-old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and wearing a blue jean jacket, jeans and gloves. She also remembered he was clean shaven, had his hair cropped short above his ears and had a gap in his front teeth. The poem was a direct reference to Anna Williams and pondered the question, Oh, Anna Why Didn’t You Appear?.
(The note is re-produced with spelling and grammatical mistakes made by the author)
Oh, Anna Why Didn’t You Appear
T’was the perfect plan of deviant pleasure so bold on that Spring nite
My inner felling hot with propension of the new awakening season
Warn, wet with inner fear and rapture, my pleasure of entanglement, like
new vines at night
Oh, Anna, Why Didn’t You Appear
Drop of fear fresh Spring rain would roll down from your nakedness
to scent to lofty fever that burns within,
In that small world of longing, dear, rapture, and desparation,
the game we play, fall of devil ears
Fantasy spring forth, mounts, to storm fury, then winter calm at the end.
Oh, Anna Why Didn’t You Appear
Alone, now in another time span I lay with sweet enrapture garments
across most private thought
Bed of Spring moist grass, clean before the sun, enslaved with
control, warm wind scenting the air, sun light sparkle tears
in eyes so deep and clear.
Alone again I trod in pass memory of mirrors, and ponder why for
number eight was not.
Oh, Anna Why Didn’t You Appear
Wichita police now assigned 15 detectives and 8 lab investigators to the BTK Strangler case full-time. This new squad looked for similar break-ins and began to canvas neighbourhoods and interacted with residents. A new telephone hotline was setup and was inundated with tips, but no solid leads, whilst postal inspectors were consulted to learn everything they could about the latest letters. Detectives now turned back to the recording BTK had made on December 8, 1977, and sent a copy to a New York professor who specialised in enhancing recordings and had developed a computerised method to achieve this. He had used a similar method to enhance the Watergate tapes from the 1970’s, as well as police dispatch recordings from the Kennedy Assassination in 1963. The BTK recording was also aired on Wichita radio and television stations on August 15, 1979, which produced another influx of tips, but once again no solid leads.
Once more the BTK Strangler went silent and would not make contact with authorities for another 25 years. At this time rumours about the killings became rife with speculation. People were afraid to go to laundry-mats because several of the victims had used the same laundry-mat, and it was believed he had followed them home from there. Others believed that a detective working the case was actually BTK, and this was the reason he was able to elude capture. There was a belief that BTK was an Admin of Justice student because the killings took place geographically close to WSU, and some of the language used in the BTK letters was police terminology. A Psychology professor even claimed that a friend had done some therapy for BTK and this person was scared to death of his patient.
BTK Strangler: The Ghostbusters Taskforce
In July 1984, Wichita police established a new task-force which was nicknamed “The Ghostbusters”. This team consisted of eight hand-picked detectives under the command of Gary Fulton, and they were provided with a new computer and began the investigation by hiring a computer consultant to work with them, in an attempt to try and discover the identity of the BTK Strangler. They assembled a mass collection of DNA evidence, and entered all the relevant data into an IBM computer, which then produced a list of suspects. Detectives learned some crucial evidence during the Ghostbusters investigation, such as the revelation that all of the murders occurred within a 3 and a half mile radius of one another. This meant the killer was only targeting victims in an area he felt comfortable and familiar with. The FBI profilers agreed with this assessment, and the Behavioural Science Unit developed their own psychological profile of the killer. Police now examined the Vian poem and found it had been patterned after a “Curly Locks” nursery rhyme which had appeared in a puzzle magazine called “Games”. They obtained a list of subscribers to the magazine but found no leads.
They also sent the Fox letter to Xerox headquarters in Syracuse, New York. The technicians there determined the letter was a fifth-generation copy of the original, which would make it difficult to trace to a specific typewriter. They believed it had been photocopied at the State Wichita University Library, and compiled a list of people who lived in the area during 1974 and 1979. Again there were no leads. The Fox poem was found to have been patterned after another poem entitle, “Oh Death”, which had previously been published in a Wichita State University textbook. Investigators discovered the book had been used in an American folklore class taught by Professor P.J. Wyatt, and they obtained a copy of the class roster. The task-force made lists of every male who lived within a quarter of a mile of the Otero, Bright, Vian and Fox homes, as well as a list of white male students who attended Wichita State University between 1974 and 1979.
Detectives focused their attention to the address lists, because they believed this would lead to a crack in the case, and believed the geographical focus would provide the main clue to BTK’s identity. All of these lists were then entered into the computer to give a better and more precise list of suspects. The computer produced a definitive list of 225 possible suspects, however most of the names were of men who no longer lived in Wichita. The Ghostbusters team then proceeded to interview and eliminate every suspect on the list. Lab technicians were able to determine the semen left behind by the killer at several crime scenes was a type found in fewer than 6% of all males.
BTK Killer: Murder of Marine Hedge
On May 5, 1985 the body of 53-year-old Marine Hedge was found at East 53rd Street North between Webb Road and North Greenwch Road. She had been abducted from her home at 6254 Independence Street, Park City on April 27, 1985, where police found the phone lines had been cut and apart from her missing car, nothing else was stolen. Her body was found dumped along a dirt road, and although she wasn’t tied, a knotted pair of pantyhose was found nearby. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled. Her 1967 Monte Carlo was later found abandoned, and detectives did not connect this case with the BTK Strangler because his MO involved home invasion murders in which he left the victims within their own homes, whilst Mrs. Hedge was found outside. A WSU student, 31-year-old Linda Shawn Casey was found dead on the bedroom floor of her home at 356 North Spruce on June 29, 1985. She had been bound, beaten, sexually assaulted and stabbed repeatedly. Again, this was not considered a BTK murder because the victim had been sexually assaulted, something which did not occur with previous victims.
After two years the Ghostbusters investigation ended in 1986, without an arrest. However the task-force had gained a useful insight into the case and obtained hundreds of blood and saliva samples voluntarily, which eliminated suspects from their lists. Just five men refused to give samples, and another seven could not be discounted through DNA testing which left a list containing the names of twelve prime suspects. One suspect was a former employee at the Coleman Company, and a part-time postal worker who had been treated for psychiatric illness, but had lived in the same neighbourhood as Nancy Fox at the time of her murder.
A strong suspect was a former Wichita police officer who had left the department, and was under surveillance, whilst another was a career military soldier who was previously stationed in Wichita, and was then working as a security guard. He was reportedly a practitioner of bondage, something that featured heavily in the BTK Strangler’s crimes. One of the Ghostbuster’s detectives, Lt. Al Stewart said, “We tried a hundred thousand theories, we checked house numbers, the victim’s length of residency, the phases of the moon, we read books, looking for arcane connections to mythology, witchcraft and demonology”.
BTK Strangler: Murder of Vicki Wegerle
Still more killings were occurring in Wichita that bore a striking resemblance to BTK’s particular style. On September 16, 1986, Bill Wegerle arrived home for lunch shortly before noon and found his wife Vicki on the bedroom floor, she had been strangled. When police arrived at 2404 West 13th Street, they found her body bound at the wrists and ankles, but could not locate what had been used to strangle her. She was rushed to Riverside Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed the victim had not been raped, and she had tissue under her fingernails, meaning she had fought with her attacker. This tissue was preserved for future reference. The body had been moved before police arrived, so there were never any crime scene photos of the Wegerle house crime scene. Vicki was a stay-at-home mom and had taken her 10-year-old daughter to OK Elementary School before 9:00am that morning, and then returned home with her 2-year-old son Brandon.
A neighbour reported hearing an unusual amount of barking from two dogs which were kept in a fenced back yard around 10:15am. Another neighbour saw the family car pull out of the driveway at 10:30am but could not see who was driving. At 12:10pm the police found the car, a 1978 gold Monte Carlo, parked two blocks away on the 1300 block of North Edwards. Relatives could find nothing missing from the home, except for Vicki’s driving license. Investigators believed it could be a BTK Strangler related murder but strong suspicion was focused on Bill Wegerle, who was not arrested but strongly suspected of his wife’s murder. He was working as a self-employed apartment maintenance man, and Vicki would volunteer as a baby-sitter at both St. Andrews Lutheran Church, which the family regularly attended and the Asbury United Methodist Church. Police were unsure of the motive for her murder, but a cloud of suspicion hung over Bill Wegerle for the next 18 years.
A neighbour reported hearing an unusual amount of barking from two dogs which were kept in a fenced back yard around 10:15am. Another neighbour saw the family car pull out of the driveway at 10:30am but could not see who was driving. At 12:10pm the police found the car, a 1978 gold Monte Carlo, parked two blocks away on the 1300 block of North Edwards. Relatives could find nothing missing from the home, except for Vicki’s driving license.
Investigators believed it could be a BTK Strangler related murder but strong suspicion was focused on Bill Wegerle, who was not arrested but strongly suspected of his wife’s murder. He was working as a self-employed apartment maintenance man, and Vicki would volunteer as a baby-sitter at both St. Andrews Lutheran Church, which the family regularly attended and the Asbury United Methodist Church. Police were unsure of the motive for her murder, but a cloud of suspicion hung over Bill Wegerle for the next 18 years.
Hattie Smith was found dead by her husband on June 6, 1987, when he returned to the couples home on 3193 South Clifton. 54-year-old Smith had been stripped naked, bound hand and foot with materials from the house and then beaten, strangled and drowned in the bathtub. Police could find no signs of forced entry. On October 31, 1987 a body was found dump in a pond on an industrial estate. It was the partially disrobed body of 15-year-old Shannon Olsen. Police found she had been bound hand and foot and stabbed numerous times. This murder began a series of letters and phone-calls to the police and media, with people claiming it was the work of the BTK Strangler.
Later that year on December 31, Mary Fager returned home to find her husband Philip dead. She immediately contacted police who found Mr. Fager had been shot twice in the back. Searching the rest of the house they discovered the bodies of her two daughters. 16-year-old Kelli Fager was found nude and asphyxiated from strangulation. 10-year-old Sherri was found submerged in the family hot tub. Her hands and feet were bound with black electrical tape, and she had also been strangled.
The police suspected Bill Butterworth, a worker contracted to install a solarium in the family home. Butterworth had fled, taking the family car and was later apprehended, but claimed he had no recollection of events after finding the Fagers dead. In January 1988, the BTK Strangler sent a communication to Mary Fager in the form of a letter, in which he did not claim responsibility for murdering her family, however he did show his appreciation for the real killer.
BTK – “I did not kill them, but I admire who did”
Along with the letter, BTK also sent a drawing of his imaginary fantasy of Sherri Fager, bound and cowering in fear. Although it was never confirmed the letter was a genuine BTK communication, it would be revealed decades later that the killer used a “secret symbol” he had created to authenticate his letters from those making false claims to his crimes. In 1989, Police Chief Richard LaMunyon retired and Captain Rick Stone was appointed to replace him. On June 7, 1990 a parking garage adjacent to City Hall collapsed due to poor construction and maintenance after a storm, which resulted in the loss of numerous police records on the BTK Strangler case.
BTK Strangler: Murder of Dolores Davis
On February 1, 1991, the body of Dolores Davis was found under a bridge in Northern Sedgewick County by a fifteen year old boy. She had been missing since 19 January when she had been abducted from her home located at North Hillside, about half a mile east of Park City. Her hands, feet and knees were bound with pantyhose and during the autopsy it was determined she had been strangled.
Beside the body police found a female-style porcelain decorative mask. Investigators found her telephone line had been cut and someone then threw a brick through a glass door at the rear of her home to gain entry. Davis’ son Jeff spoke to reporters for the Wichita Eagle on December 7, 1991 and stated his belief his mother had been murdered by a serial killer and noted the similarities between her murder and that of Marine Hedge in 1985.
Both the victims lived alone, less than two miles from each other and pantyhose had used to bind and strangle both women. But detectives could not conclusively prove either murder was the work of BTK, who had not claimed these murders like he did with his previous victims. That same year the Wicthia Police Department assembled a cold case squad after police received a new lead in the BTK murders. This tip eventually led nowhere, and Captain Paul Dotson refused to disclose the nature of the tip. Nothing had been heard from BTK since his purported 1988 letter to Mary Fager, which expressed his admiration for the killer of her family. Many believed the BTK Strangler was either dead, imprisoned for an un-related crime or was unable to continue killing due to ill health.
On May 11, 1997 FBI profiler Robert Ressler addressed those present at the Wilner Audtorium at the Wichita State University, concerning his belief that BTK had either left the area, was dead or was confined to a mental institution. Ressler had developed a profile of the killer believing he was probably a graduate student or a professor of criminal justice at WSU and was most likely in his mid-to-late 30’s at the time of the murders.
The investigation of similar crimes continued, and some bore striking similarities to BTK’s crimes. At 1423 South Market Street, 53-year-old Deanna Law was found strangled on May 11, 1997. She had been sexually assaulted and her nude body was found in the bathtub. In this case a neighbour was arrested and charged after admitting to the crime. However he was later released after his lawyer contended this client had faked his confession.
In February 1998, former Police Chief LaMunyon said in an interview that the, “typewritten, rambling communique, which purports to be from BTK” which was given to police a year after the Fager murders had no connection to murder of Philip Fager and his daughters. He did not confirm if the letter had been sent by the serial killer known as the BTK Strangler, but did comment that police do receive bogus letters from people claiming to be the strangler.
In 2000 Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, president of the Violent Crimes Institute created her own profile of the killer in which she stated he was most likely a single white male, aged between 28-30 at the time of the murder and resided near the Otero’s or spent time in the area to form his fantasy about Josephine. Based on evidence, she added he was over 6 foot 1, neat in appearance and wore darker clothes by choice and owned a dark coloured car. He would be considered quiet by those who knew him but suffered from an extreme pathology and would be considered a psychopath. She contended there were no voices or “factor X” and knew exactly what he was doing.
Neighbours in the 2000 block of South Pershing Avenue became suspicious on June 4, 2002, when they noticed a boarded up basement window had been opened on the Slaughter residence. Police were called and found 86-year-old Dorothy Slaughter had been savagely beaten along with her husband. She died two weeks later, however her husband survived the attack. It was discovered the phone line had been cut, and the couples car keys were missing.
The BTK Strangler’s identity had been a matter of conjecture ever since his first mass murder of the Otero family, and internet crime boards and armchair sleuths discussed a variety of theories concerning his almost phantom-like ability to remain undetected after nearly 30 years and 7 confirmed victims. Some believed he injected himself too closely into the investigation and got scared of capture and stopped. Others believed the memories, photographs and trophies were enough to contain his obsession, and that he was intelligent enough to stop. The FBI referred to the BTK case as one if its top unsolved mysteries.
The BTK Strangler Returns
On March 17, 2004, the Wichita Eagle received a package with the return address as “Bill Thomas Killmann”, 1684 S. Oldmanor, Wichita KS 67202, and which contained a letter. Inside was a single sheet of paper with a photocopy of the driving license of Vicki Wegerle, along with two photographs of the crime scene. Because Wegerle’s body had been removed before any crime scene photographs could be taken, Wichita detectives knew it could only have come from Wegerle’s killer. Lt. Kenneth Landwehr said he was 100% sure it was from the BTK Strangler because the envelope also contained BTK’s signature code which confirmed it’s authenticity. It also contained a 23-alpha numeric cypher; GBS0AP7-TNLTRDEITBSFAV14.
The murder of Vicki Wegerle was never definitively linked to BTK, and Bill Wegerle was always suspected in his wife’s death. This letter now attributed the 1986 murder to the BTK Strangler and exonerated Bill Wegerle of the crime. The DNA sample taken from Vicki Wegerle’s fingernails was tested against the saliva on the envelope of the BTK letter, it was confirmed as a match. There was no doubt, the BTK Strangler was responsible for Vicki Wegerle’s murder, and the Wichita police now began swabbing old suspects against this DNA evidence, and also started to receive an unprecedented number of tips from the public.
The TV station KAKE received a new communication on 5 May 2004. The letter was handed over to police who found it contained several pages entitled “The BTK Story”, along with a word puzzle and a photocopy of two fake ID’s. The first was of a Southwestern Bell employee and the other was for a Wichita public school’s special officer. Former detective Bernie Drowatzky commented that it appeared the letter was genuine. The return address was for 408 Clayton, a fictitious address and contained the name Thomas B. King. Both ID cards were from real employees and they were traced and later ruled out of the investigation. The multi-page letter containing the “BTK Story” was typed in block capitals and structured as chapters from a book, and it appeared the killer was planning on documenting his own crimes.
THE BTK STORY
1.A SERIAL KILLER IS BORN
2.DAWN
3.FETISH
4.FANTASY WORLD
5.THE SEARCH BEGINS
6.BTK’S HAUNTS
7.P.J.’S
8.M.O-ID-RUSE
9.HITS
10.TREASURED MEMORIES
11.FINAL CURTAIN CALL
12.DUSK
13.WILL THERE MORE?
1.A SERIAL KILLER IS BORN
2.DAWN
3.FETISH
4.FANTASY WORLD
5.THE SEARCH BEGINS
6.BTK’S HAUNTS
7.P.J.’S
8.M.O-ID-RUSE
9.HITS
10.TREASURED MEMORIES
11.FINAL CURTAIN CALL
12.DUSK
13.WILL THERE MORE?
One of the pages from this intended story was an excerpt from chapter 7 “P.J’S”, and another contained breaking and entering hints. The word puzzle contained numerous words associated with the BTK case and his crimes such as, address, anderson, builds, cruise, details, fake ID, fantasies, follow, for sale, go for it, handyman, help, insurance, kid, larry, mo, model, my DNA, officer, pig, pin, plan, poet, prowl, real, realtors, rum, ruse, school, serviceman, sex, slit, spot, steam, strong, telephone, time, victim, wichita, WPD and wrong. Concerning the fake ID’s, it was believed the killer was attempting to explain to detectives how he gained entry to some of his victims home.
Former Police Chief Richard LaMunyon commented that in the Vian and Wegerle cases, police were unsure how the BTK Strangler had gained entry to the residences, and surmised he must have been welcomed in by his victims who believed he was a city employee, or worked in a position of trust. On June 9, 2004 a third communication was sent to the Wichita Police Department. Inside was a letter which described the Otero murders in graphic detail, along with a drawing of a nude woman in bondage, gagged with a noose around her neck beside the words, “The Sexual Thrill Is My Bill”. This drawing also contained the BTK “secret code” to verify the authenticity. It also contained another page from the “BTK Story” entitled Chapter 1; A Serial Killer is Born. This was significant because the DNA from the Otero murders had degraded to a standard that it could no longer be used to link the BTK Strangler to the Otero murders.
With this letter, the killer had implicated himself in the murders and if caught, could be charged. On July 17, 2004 a package was left at the downtown public library, and was dropped into the return slot. It contained more material from BTK, including a confession in which he claimed responsibility for the death of 19-year-old Jake Allen from Argonia, Kansas earlier that month. This was later revealed to be a false claim and Allen’s death was ruled a suicide. During this time an unidentified individual began a series of posts on the Crime and Justice message board, in which they implicated their brother-in-law in the BTK murders, and who they referred to by his initials TK. The posts went into detail about the alleged crimes of TK and described him as a paedophilic Satanist who committed the Otero murders with his abusive uncle, and later on his own. There was never any indication that TK was the BTK Strangler and when an arrest was made in the case nothing more was heard about this potential suspect.
On August 20, the Wichita Police released the “Oh! Death” poem from the Nancy Fox murder, and publicly acknowledged the P.J Wyatt involvement in the case. This was only known to Detective John Garrison in 1978, and was investigated and discounted as a dead end. Professor Wyatt taught the poem as part of her American folklore class which was attended by many police officers. Similarly on August 26, they released the “Oh, Anna, Why Didn’t You Appear” poem, which had previously been examined by Columbia University professors who declared it to be an original work.
An 8 and a half by 11 inch manila envelope was dropped into a UPS Box on October 22, 2004. It was unsealed with no address, and contained a poem threatening the life of Lt. Ken Landwehr, the lead investigator as well as ten five to three inch cards which depicted images of bondage and terror of children pasted onto them. Most significantly it contained a supposed biography detailing many aspects of the killers life. These details were subsequently released to the public.
He was born in 1939, which would make his current age 64/65.
His father died in World War II, and his mother raised him.
His mother was forced to work, so his grandparents raised him.
His mother worked during the day near the railroad.
He had a cousin named Susan, who moved to Missouri.
His family moved a lot, but always lived near a railroad.
His grandfather played the fiddle and died of a lung cancer.
His mother started dating a railroad detective when BTK was around 11 years old.
This relationship would have occurred during the years, 1950-1955.
In the early 1950’s he built and operated a ham radio.
He participated in outdoor hobbies including hunting, fishing and camping.
As a youth, he attended Church and Sunday school.
He had a female, Hispanic acquaintance named Petra, who had a younger sister named Tina.
Around 1960, he went to tech military school.
He then joined the military for active duty and was discharged in 1966.
He has a basic knowledge of photography and the ability to develop and print pictures.
In 1966 he moved back in with his mother who had re-married and was renting out part of her house.
His first job was as an electro-mechanic, requiring some travel.
After attending more tech school, he worked repairing copiers and business equipment.
This sometimes required travel and he was away from home for extended periods.
He admits to soliciting prostitutes.
He has a lifetime fascination with railroads and trains.
Has written or still writes poetry.
An example of this is the “Oh Anna, Why Didn’t you Appear” poem and the “Oh! Death to Nancy” poem that were released in earlier media advisories.
Utilised fake identification to gain access to people’s homes or to conduct surveillance.
The latest communication arrived on the 30th anniversary of BTK’s first letter to police in which he claimed credit for the Otero murders. It was impossible to verify if any of the information in this letter was correct, false and merely intended to mislead the investigation. Also included was a revised chapter list of the previously titled “The BTK Story”, which was sent on May 5, 2004 and now titled, “The BTK Files”. Two lines are drawn through Chapter’s 1 and 8 which were already sent to police. One of the cards contained a photograph of a woman bound, on her knees on the floor her hands tied behind her back and a rope tied around her mouth. She is looking into the camera with an expression of terror on her face.
Wichita Police hold a press conference on November 30, 2004, in which they acknowledge the biographical information BTK sent in his latest communication, and requested the help of the public in locating an individual with the corresponding personal information. Police began surveillance of one suspect after his name is given by several different people who suspect him of being the BTK Strangler. On December 1, 2004 after a surveillance operation, an arrest was made in the case. However, later that same day the suspect was released. Chief Norman Collins told reporters, “We have not, and I repeat not made an arrest in connection with BTK.” The arrested man was later cleared by DNA testing.
On December 14, 2004, a man walking through Murdock Park noticed a white bag which seemed to contain something. Retrieving it, he noticed it held several items including the Kansas photo driving license of Nancy Fox. He took it home and called KAKE TV who determined it was from BTK. Police examined the package which contained Nancy Fox’s driving license, a child’s PJ doll which was bound at the hands and feet with a plastic bag over the head, some pantyhose, and Chapter 2; Dawn of the BTK Files and BTK’s secret code on a piece of paper.
The BTK Task Force now began working with the FBI, and Chief Williams announced that more officers and resources would be devoted to the case. On January 25, 2005, KAKE TV Channel 10 received a package from BTK which was identified as Communication #08 and had the return address of S. Killett, 803 N. Edgemoor. This was the address of the Otero residence and it contained a postcard which directed police to North Seneca Street between Sixty-ninth and Seventy-seventh streets near Valley Centre. This was a small town where Kathryn and Kevin Bright were from. KAKE reporters found a Toasties cereal box leaning against a sign post which was weighted down with a brick.
On the cereal box was stencilled a large B above the T of Toasties which was circled, and below was stencilled a large K. The police were notified and found it contained jewellery, Chapter 9; HITS from the BTK Files, and a note enquiring if they had found Communication #07 which had been left at a home improvement store on 8 January. Police had previously found this communication, and it supposedly contained items similar to the Toasties Box, such as more jewellery placed inside a Rice Krispies cereal box. It had been placed in the bed of a pick-up truck at a Home Depot, but was discarded by the truck owner. Detectives then checked the CCTV surveillance tape of the parking lots and found it contained footage of an individual driving a black Jeep Cherokee leaving the box in the pick-up. The footage was too distorted to make out the license plate or the features of the individual. This package contained another bound doll, which police believe was meant to symbolise Josephine Otero.
Also inside this package was a piece of paper with a typed message. It read;
COMMICATION
Can I communicate with Floppy and not be traced to a computer. Be honest. Under
Miscellaneous Section, 494, (Rex, it will be OK), run it for a few days in case I’m out of
town-etc. I will try a floppy for a test run some time in the near future-February or
March.
3216912
More postcards were sent to KAKE on February 3, 2005. This postcard entitled, Happ Kakemann, was notified by KAKE live on air after it directly mentioned evening anchors Susan Peters and Jeff Herndon. The BTK Strangler was now gaining the attention he had always craved, however police decided to set a trap. On February 16, they ran the requested ad in the Wichita Eagle which stated, “Rex, it will be ok, Contact me PO Box 1st four ref. numbers at 67202.” Two weeks later, on 26 February, BTK sent Communication #11 to the Fox News Station affiliate KSAS-TV. Inside was a letter, a photocopy of the cover of the 1989 novel Rules of Prey by John Sanford, a gold-coloured necklace with a large medallion and a purple 1.44-Megabyte Memorex floppy disk.
The Capture of the BTK Strangler
The disk contained one valid file which contained the message “this is a test” and directed police to read the accompanying index cards with instructions for further communications. However, computer technicians found the file contained personal information in the properties section of the word document and were able to ascertain it had last been saved by someone named Dennis. They were also able to learn that the disk had been used at both the Park City library and the Christ Lutheran Church. Detectives now began to search for anyone matching that first name to people associated with the Church. An internet search brought up the Church website which identified one Dennis Rader as President of the Congregation.
Rader was a 59-year-old supervisor of the Park City compliance office, married with two grown children, and was unknown to police with no criminal record. Investigators now placed Rader under surveillance, and found he owned a black Jeep Cherokee identical to the one seen on the Home Depot surveillance tape on January 8, 2005. Because police had DNA from the killer they approached Rader’s daughter to obtain a DNA sample, and waited for the results. It was a match. On February 25, 2005, Dennis Rader was arrested on his way home to Park City. One officer asked, “Mr. Rader, do you know why you’re going downtown?” to which Rader replied, “Oh, I have suspicions why.”
At a press conference the next morning, Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams announced, “the bottom line: BTK is arrested.” After his arrest police raided Rader’s home and found numerous items which implicated him in the BTK serial murders. In his possession detectives found hundreds of Polaroid pictures, some of which were of the BTK crime scenes, whilst most depicted Rader in acts of self-bondage imitating his victims. In some of these Polaroids Rader is seen wearing the same female-style porcelain decorative mask which was left with the body of Dolores Davis. There were numerous drawings of his bondage fantasies, several books and magazines on serial killers and serial murder, an assortment of bondage paraphernalia which included handcuffs, rope and tape, and most importantly the original BTK letters and trophies from his murders, including jewellery and clothing.
Police also found information he had collection on his victims which he kept in separate folders on his home computer labelled “projects”. The Otero murders were Project Little Mex, named after Josephine Otero, whom detectives always believed was the primary target. Kathryn Bright was; Project Lightsout, Shirley Vian; Project Blackout, Nancy Fox; Project Foxhunt, Marine Hedge; Project Cookie, Vicki Wegerle; Project Piano and Dolores Davis; Project Dogside. There was also information on potential future victims who Rader had already begun stalking. These unknown targets were labelled, Project Crest, Project West Lincoln, Project Green, Project Delano, Project Waco and Project Steaks and Ale.
The Christ Lutheran Church, his Park City Hall office and the main branch of the Park City library were also searched by police. Lt. Landwehr conducted Rader’s interrogation during which he asked, “I need to ask you, how come you lied to me? How come you lied to me?”. Landwehr replied, “Because I was trying to catch you”. Rader understood the fatal mistake he had made in sending the computer disk and said, “The floppy did me in.”
On February 28, Rader was charged with 10 counts of first degree murder. The items taken from his residence, and his confession implicated him in the murders associated with the BTK case. On 1 March his bail was set at $10 million, and on 5 March 2005, it was confirmed by various media sources that Rader had confessed to the 10 murders associated with the BTK Strangler investigation. He admitted to the murders of the four members of Otero family, Kathryn Bright, Shirley Vian, Nancy Fox, Marine Hedge, Vicki Wegerle and Dolores Davis, and confessed to interviewers he had planned to begin killing again and had even set a date of October 2004. He denied involvement in any others murders and police found no more evidence to charge him with any additional crimes.
His wife and children denied any knowledge of his actions and Mrs. Rader subsequently began divorce proceedings. Despite his confession, Rader entered a plea of not-guilty on May 3, 2005, and the trial was scheduled for June 27. On that date Rader changed his plea to guilty and described in detail the murders for which he was accused. Rader did not apologise to the victims families or appear repentant, which experts believed was a clear indication of his psychopathic personality. Because Kansas had no death penalty at the time of the murders, Dennis Rader was sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences, with a minimum of 175 years. On August 19, 2005, he was moved to the El Dorado Correctional Facility where he will be kept in solitary confinement indefinitely.
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