Case 337: Test A.rtf (Part 2/4)

For early access and date-free episodes, check out our Patreon, Apple Premium, and Spotify subscription memberships. Our episodes deal with serious and often-distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all listeners. What is this that I can see? Cold icy hands taking hold of me. The death is calm you all can see. Hell has opened its gate to trick me. Oh death, oh death, can't you spare me over for another year? I'll stuff your jaws till you can't talk. I'll bind your legs 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 into you for me. The poem arrived on Friday, February 10, 1978, two months after the murder of Nancy Fox. It was delivered in an envelope addressed to the studio office of local Kansas news television station Cake TV. Titled, "Oh, death, Nancy. The poem was a twisted parody of the folk song "Oh Death" in which a man pleads with the grim rebar to spare his life. Listed four times along the left margin were the letters BTK, each paired with a small hand drawn hangman's news. He had also included a highly detailed sketch of a partially naked woman bound face down on a bed, depicting Nancy Fox's body with striking accuracy. The scene was further brought to life in an accompanying two-page type written letter marked by BTK's characteristic poor spelling and grammar. It described the layout of Nancy's apartment, the clothes she was wearing, how her body was positioned and restrained, and the condition of her belongings, including the theft of her driver's license. These were details only Nancy's killer could have known. The letter contained unreported details from Shirley Vianne's crime scene as well. BTK claimed responsibility for Shirley's murder too, admitting he had planned to kill Shirley's three young children by suffocating the boys with plastic bags and hanging the girl. He lamented that it would have been a "beautiful sexual relief" to do so, before describing an obscene detail the pleasure he took in killing 11-year-old Josio Tarot the same way. Ultimately, he said he gave up the idea of killing Shirley's children only because the ringing telephone spooked him. Fearing the unanswered call might prompt someone to visit the house and check in on the family, he entered his plans prematurely to secure his escape. BTK expressed frustration that a poem he claimed to have previously sent to the witcher to regal about Shirley Vianne hadn't received media attention. "I find the newspaper not writing about the poem on Vianne, unamusing," he wrote. "A little paragraph would have been enough. I know it's not the news media's fault." He went on to blame police chief Richard Lamanian for the lack of coverage, even though neither he nor anyone at the Eagle's office had any knowledge of the supposed poem. The police chief, he keeps things quiet and doesn't let the public know there is a psycho running around loose, strangling mostly women, BTK complained. Following this revelation, staff at the witcher to regal reviewed all there recently received mail. In the classified advertising department's dead letter pile, they found a three by five inch index card which had arrived nine days earlier. Stamped onto it with the children's rubber letter kit was a short, poorly written poem. It was an adaptation of the children's nursery rhyme Curly Locks about a girl who gets lost in the woods and befriends three bears who live in a cabin. The index card version referenced Shirley Vianne. Shirley Locks, Shirley Locks, will to vow be mine. They'll show not scream, nor yet flee the line, but lay on cushion and think of me and death, and how it's going to be. Signed BTK, it was followed by a post script stating, "Polem for Fox next." Given that the card didn't list the specific department or recipient at the eagle, it had been inspected by a clerk in the mail room. They assumed it was a cryptic Valentine's poem intended for the personal section in the papers upcoming February 14 edition. The card was forwarded to classified advertising, but as it lacked the required payment for publication, it was ultimately discarded into the dead letter pile. In the cake TV letter, BTK attempted to offer an explanation for his crimes. "You don't understand," he wrote, "because you're not under the influence of Factor X." He blamed his actions on this vague, seemingly supernatural force, claiming it had also driven many other killers, including Jack the Ripper, son of Sam, and the Boston Strangler. BTK appeared to draw inspiration from these other notorious killers. His crimes echoed aspects of theirs, and they too had taunted police through their writings. In the words of one psychiatrist, each of them chose to share themselves with society in their own ways, to imprint themselves on history. BTK claimed the only cure for Factor X was death, or being caught and put away. He described living with it as a terrible nightmare, yet noted he didn't lose any sleep over it. The letter ended with BTK proposing a list of names he wished to be known by. His first suggestion was the BTK Strangler, followed by alternatives such as Wichita Strangler, Powetic Strangler, and Bondid Strangler. He also offered darker monarchers, including the Wichita Hangman or Executioner, the Garrett Phantom, the Asphyxiator, or simply just Psycho. But it was two specific lines in his letter that drew the most alarm. One read, "There are seven in the ground, who will be next," the other said, "seven down and many more to go." But the four members of the Otero family, in addition to Shirley Vien and Nancy Fox, accounted for just six victims. When it came to his unnamed seventh victim, BTK wrote, "You guess motive and victim." Police chief Richard Alamunyan read BTK's latest letter slowly and silently. It was clear the man behind the basona relished not only notoriety and fear, but also took pleasure in taunting the police by turning his unidentified victim into a puzzle he dared them to solve. The way he numbered his known victims suggested that this murder had occurred after the Oteros, but before Shirley Vien. Alamunyan began reviewing homicides from this three-year two-month period, which had previously been considered a hiatus for the killer. He found that just three months after the Otero murders, an incident occurred that, in hindsight, bore several familiar hallmarks. After midday on Thursday April 4, 1974, 21-year-old Catherine Bride arrived at her home on East 13th Street in Northeast Wichita with her 19-year-old brother Kevin. Kevin had spent the previous night at Catherine's house to avoid having to drive through recent snowfall. As they entered the dwelling, the siblings were laughing about a joke Catherine had told. They moved down a hallway and passed a bedroom when a voice startled them. Holded right there. Waiting for them was a man the siblings had never seen before. He was white, approximately 25-28 years old, just under six feet tall. tall and to look to weigh around 180 pounds. He had a few days worth of stubble with a thick moustache that reached the corners of his mouth. A yellow and black stocking cap covered his head and a silver wristwatch with an expansion band was visible on his left wrist. He brandished an automatic pistol with gloved hands while a revolver sat holstered in a shoulder rig on his left side. Katherine demanded to know who the man was and what he was doing in her home. He claimed he was wanted in California and needed provisions, specifically a car, money and firearms to make a clean getaway to New York. The words the man used struck Kevin as odd. He spoke as if he was reading from a turn of the century detective novel, sounding far more polished and intelligent than his backstory implied. People just don't say provisions when they mean food or firearms when they mean guns, Kevin thought. Stranger still, the man thought he recognized Kevin. Don't I know you? I think I've seen you up by the university he asked, seemingly in reference to which it are state university. There was little conversation after that. The man told Katherine and Kevin he was going to tie them up, but assured them they wouldn't be hurt. He said he was only there to rob them and would leave once he had what he needed. Because he hadn't brought anything to bind the siblings, the man rummaged through a dresser and collected bandanas, belts, scarves, pinnios and t-shirts. He then led them into another room and ordered Kevin to tie Katherine to a chair. Afterwards, he forced Kevin into a front bedroom and ordered him to life face down on the floor. The man tied Kevin's hands behind his back, stuffed a washcloth into his mouth and then secured it with the scarf before leaving the room. Kevin heard the man rifling through the house, presumably searching for money. At one point, he turned a radio up so loud that it drowned out almost all other noise. Minutes later, the man returned to Kevin and asked if he thought he could untie himself. Gagged, Kevin could in answer. The man then looped a pair of pantyhose around Kevin's neck and pulled tight. As Kevin felt his life slipping away, he thrashed it desperately and managed to free his hands. He stood and charged at the man who quickly raised his pistol and fired. The bullet hit Kevin, dropping into the floor as blood pulled around his head. The gunman then fled the room. From across the house, Katherine screamed, "What have you done to my brother?" The man eventually returned to Kevin only to discover that he was still alive. The bullet had only grazed his forehead. A violent struggle ensued as the man attempted to strangle Kevin again. Kevin clawed at the revolver in the man's shoulder holster and had almost wedged his finger against the trigger when the man drew his pistol and shot Kevin again. Kevin went limp as blood gushed from another wound in his head. By this point, the man had lost all control and composure. Sweat tripped down his tired face. Believing Kevin was finally dead, he left the room once more. Against all lords, Kevin was still alive. The second bullet had struck his upper jaw, knocking out two teeth. He lay still, playing dead, until he heard his sister moaning in distress in the other room. Kevin tried to formulate a plan. Despite the reassurances the intruder had given them, it was clear he had intended to kill them both from the very beginning. Kevin knew he was unlikely to survive another confrontation in his condition. Summoning the little strength he had left, Kevin got up and snuck out the front door. He ran out onto the street and flagged down a passing car. Bleeding from the head with the pair of pindy-hosts still around his neck, Kevin told the two men inside the car about the gunman. He's in there now doing a number on my sister. "Please help me," he cried. The driver rushed Kevin to the hospital while the passenger went to call 911. Police radios crackled with reports of a resident's robbery and progress, as officers Dennis Landon and Raymond Fletcher raced to the scene. Catherine's house was still and silent when Officer Fletcher approached the front door and knocked. Meanwhile, Officer Landon went to the rear of the property and noticed the glass in a back door was broken, revealing the intruder's entry point. As Landon moved into the house, he sighted a young woman lying face down in a pool of blood outside a bedroom. It was Catherine Bright. She was cold and clammy and her face was tinged with a bluish hue. Pindy-hosts was tied tightly around her ankles and another pair secured her wrists. A blue scarf and a length of white robe were looped loosely around her neck and tangled in her hair. Officer Landon carefully rolled Catherine over. She was still alive and begged him to untie her legs. Landon cut through the Pindy-hosts using a pocket knife and Officer Fletcher arrived as an ambulance was summoned. With Catherine teetering on the edge of consciousness, the two officers questioned her together as much information as possible. When asked what had happened, Catherine lifted her blouse, revealing several open wounds in her abdomen. The officers pressed kitchen rags to the injuries and elevated Catherine's legs. She managed to tell them that she didn't know her attacker, who had since fled. At one point, Catherine grabbed Fletcher's arm and repeated, "I can't breathe. Help me." He tried to keep her calm but her pupils remained fixed and blank and her breathing grew increasingly shallow. Catherine had been stabbed five times in the front and twice in the back. She muttered one more "help me" as she was taken into surgery but died of her injuries while on the operating table. Despite being shot twice in the head, her brother Kevin miraculously survived. The crime scene suggested a violent robbery, yet something about it didn't quite add up. The contents of Catherine's purse were scattered beneath the table in the entryway and a several of her dresser drawers had been rifled through. Yet, nothing appeared to be missing. Kevin's recollections allowed investigators to create a suspect sketch but it didn't match any offenders wanted in California. When no leads emerged, a $5,000 reward was offered and the case was added to the secret witness program alongside the still unsolved Otero murders. Investigators did consider whether the two cases were linked as both involved fatal home invasions but the differences made any connections extremely tenuous. The Otero killer brought his own restraints whereas Catherine and Kevin were bound with items from Catherine's home. Even the knots differed with clove hitches used on the Oteros and granny knots for the brides. The killer broke into the bright residence and a lay in wait whereas he entered the Otero home when the family was present. Catherine's phone lines were intact and the bright scene contained no sexual undertones while none of the Oteros had been shot or stabbed. Coincidentally, police officer Raymond Fletcher, one of the first responders at the Bright Scene, was also the first to arrive at Shirley-Veyance murder three years later. While Fletcher immediately recognized Shirley as likely being a victim of BTK, he didn't draw the same conclusion with Catherine. In the latter sent to KegTV following the murder of Nancy Fox, BTK taunted. Did the cops think that all those deaths are not related? Golly G. Yes, the MO is different in each, but look, a patent is developing. The victims are tied up, most have been women, phone card, bring some bondage, sadist tendencies, no struggle, outside the death spot, no witnesses, except of Veyance kids. Police chief Richard Lamanion deduced that Catherine Bright was likely BTK's unknown victim. While the patent was evident, it was incomplete. It appeared that BTK had intended to carry out his signature killing, but when Kevin Bright escaped, the plan was cut short, much like what happened with Shirley-Veyance. He likely altered his methods in subsequent killings, such as abandoning the use of a knife to avoid being linked back to the Bright Case. Lamanion suspect jected, BTK had avoided naming Catherine in his latter not merely as a part of a depraved guessing game with authorities, but because the crime had been sloppy and riddled with mistakes. Most significantly, Kevin Survival presented a major threat. He provided a reliable and credible account of his sister's murder, including a detailed physical description of her killer, and his possible connection to which it asked state university. How many do I have to kill before I get a name in the paper or some national attention, BTK threatened in his KTV letter? Up until that point, Chief Lamanion had kept news of the serial killer under wraps to maintain order. But now, with seven confirmed victims and threats of more, Lamanion spoke with KTV 's news director. He fully expected the Chief to urge him to bury the story entirely, but to his surprise, Lamanion said, "For the good of everybody, it's time we tell what we know. We've got to warn people." Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Case File to continue to deliver quality content. That evening, Chief Lamanion held a press conference in which he announced, the purpose of this news conference is to advise the public of an extremely serious matter involving a series of murders which have occurred in our city. This person has consistently identified himself with the initials BTK and wishes to be known as the BTK Strangler. The decision for the police to officially go public with the news of BTK had its detractors. When Lamanion had doubts, if BTK struck again, the chief worried he would be blamed for provoking him through the publicity, yet he faced seven unsolved murders and the public remained oblivious to the danger. Before the conference, Lamanion consulted several psychologists to determine whether publicly announcing the case might prompt a BTK to communicate again and provide valuable intelligence. Their guidance persuaded him to move forward. Carmly and with resolve, Lamanion informed the people of Wichita that a serial killer was among them. He also addressed the difficult question of why news of BTK had been withholded for so long. We felt the lack of news coverage would for stall any more killings. That was what was hoped at the time, he admitted, before adding that investigators were never fully certain all the murders were connected until recently. There were of course very definite similarities, but at the same time there were very significant differences. Lamanion explained that the police had every reason to believe BTK had the capability to kill again, but they didn't know if, when or where he might strike next. They were still, they had no worthwhile leads or suspects. He urged residents to remain vigilant. After murdering Nancy Fox, BTK wrote that he simply went home and carried on with his life, quote, "like anyone else". He went on to warn, and I will be like that until the urge hits me again. Based on this information, Lamanion emphasized that BTK wouldn't appear to be an obvious monster within their community, nor would he seem insane. He would be hiding in plain sight, living a seemingly normal life outside of his crimes and appearing like any ordinary man in every respect. A psychologist agreed, explaining, "I don't think one could get very close to the guy, but he might not appear particularly different, superficially." FBI criminal profilers suspected BTK was a lone wolf in his mid-30s who performed well at work, but rarely stayed in one job as he disliked being told what to do. He likely had military training and an interest in law enforcement, reading detective magazines that gave insight into police procedures and ways to avoid detection. He would criticize the BTK investigation in casual conversations and would be known to drive around frequently. Profilers believed he likely lived within a few miles of the crime scenes and might have known one or more of the Oteros personally. In his private life, BTK likely consumed pornography and engaged in sadomasochistic acts, involving both the inflection and reception of pain. While he clearly derived sexual gratification from torture, it was notable that he hadn't committed a rape. As a killer, he was controlling and sadistic. Megalomania was the term used to describe him, someone gripped by delusions of grandeur and power. He dared people to catch him almost as if he wanted to get caught, yet was exhilarated by the chase. Once psychologist emphasized, the unfortunate part of this is that he's stimulated by publicity. Much to his embarrassment, police chief Richard Lamanyan admitted that authorities didn't know how to stop a BTK. Research from the FBI indicated that serial killers were extraordinarily difficult to catch. Most of the time it was a game of waiting and hoping, waiting for the killer to strike again and hoping they made a mistake. I'll say this about BTK, Lamanyan said, "He's very good. He doesn't leave much behind for us to work with." To anticipate BTK's next possible target, investigators attempted to create a victim profile. All the murders had occurred within a three and a half mile radius in Wichita's East, suggesting the killer was intimately familiar with the area and likely considered it his home turf. His victims were analysed for similar characteristics, including details as specific as eye colour, but they varied widely. However, several of his victims wore eye glasses. BTK had even mentioned 11-year-old Josie Otero's glasses in his first letter and included Nancy Fox's glasses in the sketch depicting her murder. Thinking they might hold particular significance, this gave police an idea. Given that BTK had sent a letter to Kake TV, it was likely he watched their broadcast. Chief Lamanyan arranged to discuss the case on their newscast, during which an image flashed on the screen for a fraction of a second. It showed Nancy Fox's eye glasses exactly as BTK had sketched them, accompanied by the words, "Now call the chief." The subliminal message was intended to entice BTK to respond. While many viewers saw it and contacted police, BTK did not. It marked the first and last time Wichita police used subliminal messaging to reach a killer. Although BTK wasn't speaking to police, there were countless reports of him contacting others. Various households and women received calls from people announcing, "This is BTK, you're next." Although they were deemed cranks, the calls did little to ease the panic and distrust of the gripping Wichita under BTK's looming presence. Knowing he had the capacity to indiscriminately strike anyone anywhere through carefully planned attacks or spontaneous violence, everyone feared the killer equally. Man, women, children and entire families were at risk. Wichita's deputy police chief explained, "What makes this person so terrifying to people is that they fear they could be the next person chosen. It's this fear of the unknown that makes the terror so personal and so powerful." On the night of Saturday, April 28, 1979, 63-year-old widow Anna Williams arrived at her small two-bedroom home on South Pinecrest Street in Wichita's East. She had been expected home hours earlier but had deviated from her normal routine, deciding to go square dancing and then visit her 24-year-old granddaughter, Rebecca. Rebecca had planned to accompany Anna to spend the night at her place, but her boss had called her in for over time on the evening shift. By the time Anna arrived home alone, it was around 11pm. contrast to how she left it. She noticed the door to her spare bedroom was ajar. Inside, the drawers of a dresser had been opened and clothes were scattered across the floor. Someone had stolen jewelry, clothing, and a sock in which Anna had hidden $35. Even more disturbing, belts, bindings, and ropes had been laid out on the bed. Anna rushed to call the police, only to find her phone line was dead. Terrified, she ran to a neighbor's house who called for help. When officers arrived, they found no sign of the intruder, but they noticed Anna's phone line had been cut and her basement window had been broken into. The following month, Anna received a package in the mail. It was addressed to her deceased husband, his name spelled out in big block letters. Inside were various items, including a scarf and a piece of jewelry stolen from Anna's home during the April burglary. There was also a drawing of a bound and gagged woman on a bed, naked except for a pair of pantyhose. Her hands and feet were tied to a pole in a manner reminiscent of how safari hunters trust the big game and designed so that any struggle to free herself would only tighten her restraints. There was also a poem originally addressed to someone named Lois, but the name had been crossed out and replaced with Anna. Riddled with typos, the poem was titled "O Anna, why didn't you appear" and referred to her within the text by the letter A. "Twas the perfect plan of deviant pleasure so bold on that spring night. My inner feeling hot with propension of the new awakening season. Warm, wet within a fear and rapture, my pleasure of entanglement, like new vines so tight. O A, why didn't you appear?" Drop of fear fresh spring rain would roll down from your nakedness to scent the lofty fever that burns within. In that small world of longing, fear, rapture and desperation, the games we play fall on devil's ears. Fantasy spring forth mounts to storm fury, then winter calm at the end. O A, why didn't you appear?" Now in another time span I lay with sweeten rapture garments across most private thought. Bed of spring moist grass cleaned before the sun, enslaved with control, warm wind santing the air, sunlight sparkled tears in eyes so deep and clear. Alone again I tried in past memory of mirrors and ponder why you #8 was not. O A, why didn't you appear?" The poem was signed with a peculiar signature. The letter B had been scored sideways to resemble a pair of eyeglasses, with a T next to it joined to the following K forming a smile dangling beneath the glasses. BTK It was the first time he had marked his correspondence in such a stylized way. Curiously, a similar package had been sent to cake TV. It contained copies of the O Una poem and the drawing of the restraint woman, as well as a few other items stolen from Anna's house. It was now abundantly clear that it was BTK who had broken into Anna William's home intending to kill. He must have had knowledge of her schedule, but because she had made spontaneous plans that night, she wasn't home when he expected. Eventually, he got tired of waiting and left. Anna was a perplexing target. At 63, she was older than BTK's other victims who were all under 40. Investigators wondered whether BTK had actually intended to target Anna's 24-year-old granddaughter Rebecca, who would have been with her that night had she not worked late. Whatever the case, the close call rattled Anna and she fled Kansas as a result. BTK had eluded police once again, but at least he hadn't claimed another life. He seemed to go dormant after he's failed attack on Anna Williams, leading investigators to consider whether personal distractions in his daily life prevented him from committing crimes more regularly. 1984 marked the 10th anniversary of the Otero family killings and the ongoing cat and mouse game between BTK and the authorities. But times had changed. Advancements in technology and forensics in the new decade were proving invaluable to police work. Computers saved thousands of man hours that were previously spent searching and comparing documents while enabling vast amounts of data to be stored efficiently. For the first time, police also had the capability to perform a DNA testing. With these developments opening new investigative opportunities in cold cases, police chief Richard Lemunian handpicked several detectives and computer consultants to form a secret task force to reexamine the BTK case. A recently released film inspired their code name, The Ghost Busters. The task force was housed in a dedicated office, off limits to other police personnel, where they spent their first month painstakingly reading over the thousands of pages of reports in the BTK case file. Afterward, they began reviewing the vast quantities of evidence stored securely in underground avalts, 50 miles northwest of Wichita. Every detail of the crime scenes was scrutinized while previously ruled out suspects were re-interviewed. The audio recording of BTK's 911 call reporting Nancy Fox's murder was released publicly. Investigators wondered whether the number three appearing in each victim's house number was more than a coincidence. They studied books on numerology, mythology, witchcraft, and demonology to explore its possible significance. They even analyzed the moon phases during age attack, searching for a connection. Advice was sought from interstate agencies that had recently faced their own serial killer investigations, including the detectives who caught son of Sam in New York, and those still pursuing the hillside strangler in Los Angeles. At one stage, confidential files, including crime scene photos, were shared with trusted members of the press. They weren't meant for publication. Investigators simply wanted to see if a fresh set of eyes noticed something they had overlooked. BTK's written correspondence remained one of the cases few substantial clues, though he had been careful not to lay fingerprints or DNA on any of them. All of these letters, except the very first one, were determined to be photocopies of an original document. Some were several generations removed from the original. It appeared he had made the copies to obscure the text to prevent authorities from identifying the typewriter he had used, while also preserving the original as a keepsake. Photocopiers leave toolmark fingerprints along the edges of each sheet they process, which can potentially be traced back to the specific machine used. BTK had the foresight to trim the margins of his messages. Nevertheless, the Ghostbusters became experts in the hundreds of copies available in Wichita, learning everything about them from their parts to their ink components. They studied the types of trees used to produce different kinds of paper, and learnt which companies manufactured various pulp varieties. They even analyzed the trace minerals present in different paper brands, a byproduct of the fertilizers used on the trees from which the paper originated. This line of investigation received a boost when star from the US printing corporation Xerox offered their expertise. As pioneers of the photocopier market, they offered to examine BTK's letters in their lab and determined that the Palm Center Anna Williams in 1979 had likely been copied at the Wichita Public Library. It was in this same library that BTK had hidden his first letter confessing to the Otero murders. The poem and letter sent to KKTV following Nancy Fox's murder were definitively traced to a copy are located in the life sciences building at Wichita State University. The institution had come up in the case before, when the killer had told Kevin Bright that he might have seen him on campus. The yellow and black stocking cap he wore during the attack on the bright siblings also echoed the school's colors. Furthermore, the text O Death. which had inspired the Nancy Fox poem was found in a textbook used in an American folklore class there. However, which at our stage shredded their student records after three years, leaving no official enrollment information for 1978, the year the Nancy Fox letter had been copied on site. The ghost busters began compiling extensive lists. They started by cataloging every local white male fitting BTK's age profile, dead or alive. They then tracked men who had lived within a quarter mile of the Oteros, Catherine Bright, Shirley Vayanne, and Nancy Fox at the time of their murders. Those connected to which at our state university were included, along with known animal abusers, windowpapers, prison inmates, sex offenders, and men who owned the type of pistol used against Kevin Bright. If a name appeared on two or more of the lists, it was considered significant. But this barely narrowed things down, as tens of thousands of men fell into this category. One individual appeared in four lists, while the smallest list contained just eight names. These were men who had checked out the textbook applied engineering mechanics from the public library around the time the Otero confession letter had been hidden within its pages. Each individual was systematically ruled out until the total number of names was narrowed down to 30 men who were living in Wichita and another 185 who were living elsewhere. Two teams of detectives worked seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day, traveling to visit each of these men in person. They collected blood and saliva samples, searched homes for clues such as detective magazines or bondage equipment, and interviewed current and former wives and partners to determine if any of the men engaged in sadomasochism. The biological samples were compared to the semen left by BTK at the Otero and Fox crime scenes, but there were no matches. The task force didn't relent. They simply compiled new lists and continued to search. At noon on Thursday December 31, 1987, Wichita mother of two Mary Fager returned to her family's one-story brick ranch home on East 14th Street after visiting relatives out of town. The Fager's grave Volkswagen rabbit was missing from the driveway. Mary assumed that her oldest daughter, 16-year-old Kelly, had taken her nine-year-old sister Sherry out for a drive. It wasn't until Mary entered the house that she realised something was horribly wrong. Her 37-year-old husband, Philip, laid dead on the living room floor, having been shot twice in the back at close range. When first responders arrived, they discovered a horrific scene in the basement. Beneath the fabric cover of a bubbling above ground hot tub were the bodies of Kelly and Sherry Fager. Nine-year-old Sherry was in her pajamas and had been bound with half-inch wide black electricians' tape before being strangled to death and her body then dumped in the tub. 16-year-old Kelly was naked and had been as fixated, but was still alive when placed into the 92-degree hot tub eight hours after Sherry. The lid was then sealed over Kelly, leaving her to drown. Rumors swirled in the aftermath of the killings. Police chief Richard Lamanion was quick to assert doubt over any links between the Fager murders and any other unsolved cases. Instead, police focused on Bill Butterworth, a contractor who had recently built the Fager's sunroom. He was tracked down to Florida after stealing the Fager's car, with drawing all the money from his bank account and buying new clothes. On Tuesday, January 5, less than a week after the triple homicide, a letter arrived at the Fager residence. Mary opened it to find a poorly-written anonymous poem titled, "Oh God, he put Kelly and Sherry in the tub." It was accompanied by a drawing of a young girl lying beside a hot tub with her hands bound behind her and fear edged across her face. In the lower right corner was a familiar symbol. The letter B on its side, with a T and K below, this time forming a frown. This marked a BTK's first communication in eight years. However, the letter contained no insider details of the Fager murders and the drawing was inaccurate, suggesting it was inspired by news coverage rather than first-hand knowledge. BTK did not confess or claim responsibility for the crime. Instead, he expressed admiration for the family's alleged killer, Bill Butterworth. This letter marked an unusual shift for BTK, who was now composing taunting verses and illustrations for crimes he hadn't committed, purely to provoke fear, distress and uncertainty. His self-insertion into the Fager case left his figurative DNA all over it, and was believed to have contributed to Bill Butterworth's acquittal. By this point, thousands of man-hours and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars had been spent chasing an overwhelming number of tips, theories, persons of interest, hoaxes, alleged confessions and false correspondence in the BTK investigation. Every lead had reached a dead end, and the case remained stone-cold. Police chief Richard Lemunian assured the public the case file wouldn't gather dust, but behind the scenes the ghost busters were being reassigned. Only one detective remained actively working the case, though he was periodically pulled away for other investigations until he was transferred to the homicide unit. The three-year investigation had taken a heavy toll on the ghost busters team, who felt they had exhausted every lead, yet unanswered questions plagued them daily. Their relentless work brought fatigue, self-doubt and personal strain. They endured sleepless nights and some turned to alcohol to cope. Their family suffered too, living in constant fear that BTK might harm them as payback. This threat became very real for chief Lemunian. During BTK's reign, a parallel investigation in which it are targeted a mysterious individual known only as the poet. Some suspected that the poet and BTK were one and the same, given their shared interest in writing cryptic sexually charged poems about murder. When the poet sent a letter threatening Lemunian's wife, the chief personally entered the investigation to track down the elusive figure. This story is covered in episode 308 of Case File titled Ruth Finley. Richard Lemunian had begun his tenure as police chief determined to catch the Otero family's killer. Over the years, he oversaw investigations into three more BTK victims. Yet, when he stepped down in 1988, the cases remained unsolved. He called it the greatest disappointment of his 12 years as chief, a devastation that was shared by the ghost busters. During an interview, one former member broke down in tears, feeling as if he had failed young Josie Otero. Another told the Wichita Regal. "When I think of the ghost busters, all I can think of is what a failure it was, and what I didn't do, and how I could have done more if only I'd been smarter." As time passed with no word from BTK, people wondered whether he had moved away, being incarcerated, confined to a mental health facility, or had died. Perhaps he had found a partner willing to indulge his violent sexual fantasies, satisfying urges that might otherwise have driven him to attack others. Whenever a Wichita homicide bore a hint of BTK's ammo, questions arose about his involvement. But since he never claimed responsibility, the answer was always the same. Maybe. Maybe not. Some held out hope that BTK would eventually be discovered, perhaps over something as simple as someone noticing him wearing Jo Otero's wristwatch. An investigator who worked on the case in 1978 was far less optimistic. He told the Wichita Regal, "It's sad to say the only way that we'll ever find out who this individual is, will have to be a victim." Another investigator noted. If the bid. The BTK Strangler died tomorrow of natural causes or some accident, society might never know who he was. But if he lived on, one question remained. Would he kill again, or was he satisfied to fade away into obscurity? Case file will be back shortly. By the 2000s, life in which it had returned to normal. Those who had lived through BTK's reign of terror had moved on with their lives, and the younger generations didn't even know what the initials stood for. As far as police knew, BTK hadn't claimed any victims since 1977, and it had been over a decade since it sent any correspondence. He barely made the news anymore, appearing only in brief mentions on the anniversaries of his murders. One such article appeared in the January 2004 edition of The Wichita Regal to mark the 30th anniversary of the killer's first known crime, the 1974 Otero family quadruple homicide. The piece suggested that many Wichitaans probably have never heard of BTK, a claim supported by local lawyer and criminal justice lecturer Robert Beatty. When Beatty referenced the case during his class, the response surprised him. I had zero recognition from the students, not one of them had heard of it, he recalled. This prompted Beatty to write a book about the case, slated for release of that coming April. He predicted it would draw attention, remarking. "I'm sure we will be contacted by both crack parts and well-meaning people who have little to contribute, but I do not think we'll be contacted by BTK." Two months later, on Friday, March 19, 2004, an envelope arrived at the Wichita Regal addressed to the paper's newsroom. According to the return label, it had been sent by a man named Bill Thomas Killman, listing an address on South Old Manor Road in Wichita. The newspaper received about 700 pieces of mailed daily, but this one stood out. Inside was a single sheet of paper that contained grainy photocopies of several images, including three polaroid photographs depicting a woman bound on the floor. At the top of the page was a cryptic string of stenciled letters, GBS-OAP7-TNLT-RDE-ITBS-F-A-V-14. At first, who was assumed to be just a senseless, incoherent letter from a mentally unwell individual, and it was almost discarded. What drew attention was a faint graffiti-like symbol in the lower right corner of the page. It consisted of a letter B tipped over to resemble a pair of breasts, each curved marked with a dot for a nibble. Underneath it were the letters T and K fused together to suggest arms bound behind the breasts and legs splayed wide. Coming to the unease was the sender's name. Bill Thomas Killman bore the initials B t k and the surname Killman didn't seem coincidental. The letter had been postmarked two days earlier on March 17, which happened to be the 27th anniversary of Shirley Vianne's murder. Newspaper star found no record of a man named Bill Thomas Killman in Wichita and the address he listed on South Old Manor Road led to a vacant apartment building. It was assumed to be part of the joke. Old Manor sounded a lot like an old man, and nod to the stage of life B t k would presumably now be in. The polaroid photos of the bound woman looked disturbingly like crime scene photographs, but it was quickly pointed out that the woman's arms were in different positions across the photos. In some, she was fully clothed, while in others, her top and bra were pushed up to partially expose her breasts. Police never moved a body around like that when documenting a crime scene, meaning they couldn't possibly be genuine. Everything suggested the letter was just an elaborate, distasteful hoax, hardly the first in B t k's long history. Yet, something else stood out. Among the images of the bound woman was a photocopy of a Kansas driver's license. The accompanying photo showed a woman looking pleasantly at the camera, her thick shoulder-length blonde hair and fringe framing her face. Her date of birth was listed as March 25, 1958, and her address was on West 13th Street North in Wichita. Her name was Vicky Legally. The eagle staff felt a chill run down their spines. Over 17 years earlier, late on the morning of Tuesday, September 16, 1986, a 911 call was placed from Wichita. I think someone has killed my wife, the distressed male caller reported, wailing repeatedly. Vicky, Vicky, Vicky, oh God, no, no, no. Two firefighters arrived first on scene, a multi-story family home on West 13th Street North. On the front porch, they found the man who had called 911, Bill Wiggley. He was punching a wall in anguish, saying, "If I could have been here five minutes earlier, I could have done something." Inside the main bedroom, the firefighters found Bill's wife, 28-year-old Vicky Legally. Her body was wedged in a three-foot space between the bed and a television cabinet. Her jeans were unzipped and her breasts were partially exposed, with her wrists tied behind her back. Her ankles were bound with leather shoelaces and a deep ligature mark encircled her neck. Vicky had fought fiercely, clawing some of her killer's skin under a fingernail, but she was ultimately overpowered and strangled with a pair of pantyhose taken from her own dress or drawer. Bill Wiggley, who was a house painter by trade, told the police that he had gone home for lunch that day as he was working on a sight nearby. Vicky was there with their youngest child, two-year-old Brandon, while their oldest daughter was at school. As Bill drove home, a gold 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo luxury coupe passed in the opposite direction. For a moment, Bill thought it was Vicky's car as she drove the exact same vehicle. But when he saw a tall man alone at the wheel, he realized he was mistaken. Upon arriving home, Bill noticed that Vicky's car was gone and he found Brandon alone inside. Though it wasn't like Vicky to leave Brandon behind, Bill assumed she had just stepped out briefly and he waited for her to return. When 45 minutes passed with no sign of her, he searched the house, discovered her bound body in the bedroom, and promptly called 911. Vicky's zeroed in on who they thought was the most logical suspect in cases like these. The husband. They thought that Bill Wiggley appeared suspicious. He showed little visible emotion, coming across as cold-hearted, and the fact that he'd been at home for 45 minutes before discovering Vicky's body, seemed like a convenient cover. Vicky's car was ultimately found within walking distance of the Wiggley home, parked in a lot next to a meat market. Nothing was found in or around the vehicle to indicate that a stranger had driven it. If the car had been stolen and Bill saw it being driven away on his journey home, investigators wondered how it had ended up so close by. Bill took two polygraph tests and failed both of them. Realising he was being viewed as the prime suspect, Bill refused to cooperate further with police. Though there was insufficient evidence to charge him with Vicky's murder, many detectives remained convinced that he was responsible. Rumors that Bill had killed his wife followed him for years to come, and his children were teased for it. Throughout it all, Bill Wagerley maintained his innocence, consistently asserting that he had loved Vicky and would never have harmed her. Those who knew the family agreed. In their view, the Wagerley's had a happy marriage. Their home was always filled with warmth, laughter and the occasional sound of Vicky's beautiful piano playing. Bill had always been a reserved man who didn't show much emotion, but he regularly visited his family during his workday because he enjoyed doing so. Given that Vicky's body wasn't visible from the bedroom doorway, it made sense that he might not have noticed it immediately. At the time of Vicky's murder, the task force re-investigating BTK was winding down, though a few detectives had visited the Wagerley crime scene to rule out any connections. There were several details that struck them as significant. Two-year-old Brandon had told the police, "Man hurt mummy." The Ghostbusters reasoned that a child wouldn't use the word "man" if he meant daddy. What stood out most, however, was that Vicky's driver's license appeared to be the only item missing from her home. Her wallet, money and credit cards had been left behind. A driver's license held a little value to an ordinary burglar, and, less, it was taken as a trophy. While the victim profile, bindings, method of killing and missing driver's license were notable, there was nothing to definitively prove BTK was responsible for the crime. The Ghostbusters came away believing Bill Wagerley was likely innocent, but they refrained from imposing their judgment on the detectives actively investigating Vicky's case. As far as they were concerned, their soul focus was BTK. By the following year, the Ghostbusters had effectively disbanded, and the Wagerley case remained unsolved. Almost two decades later, the Wichita Regal received a letter from someone claiming to be BTK, taking responsibility for Vicky Wagerley's murder. He hadn't claimed a victim since Nancy Fox, nearly nine years before Vicky was killed. While the newspaper assumed it was likely a hoax confession, they reported it to the police regardless. They confirmed that the woman in the Polaroid photographs was indeed Vicky Wagerley. The problem was, no crime scene photos have been taken of her body in situ, as first responders had moved her from the bedroom to a larger room to attempt CPR before police arrived. In fact, no official photographs were taken of Vicky inside her home, as she was rushed to the hospital before any could be captured. This meant the Polaroids could only have come from one person, her killer. These killer had also provided authorities with his DNA in the form of skin scrapings collected from beneath her fingernails. With forensic tests available in 2004, investigators were finally able to conclusively clear Bill Wagerley after nearly 18 years as the crime's prime suspect. The exoneration came as a relief for Bill, who told the police, "I'm glad you cleared me. All I ever wanted was for you to find who killed Vicky." The DNA from the scrapings were compared to the semen left at BTK's crime scenes. Upon receiving the results, one detective remarked, "Fuck, it's him. Oh shit, shit, shit." After all the years of speculation about what had become of BTK, it turned out he had never left Wichita at all. He had victims, the police didn't even know about, and he wasn't prepared to let them go unaccounted for. BTK's DNA was entered into a newly developed national database of criminals, but there was no match. Vicky Wagerley was now the eighth known victim of BTK. While the realization that she had been killed by the notorious serial killer was deeply distressing for her family, they remained hopeful that the person responsible might finally be caught and the case be solved. It was a hope shared by the loved ones of BTK's other victims. Though it was troubling to know he was still at large, his recent contact abroad investigators are mixed of exhilaration and relief, as it meant they still had a chance to catch him. But it wouldn't be easy. BTK was careful not to leave any forensic traces on the latest documents he sent to the Wichita Regal and to the meaning behind the string of 23 stenciled letters at the top of the page remained a mystery. With BTK's return, the Ghostbusters task force was reactivated, bringing together several original members, along with the new detectives. What led BTK to come forward after all those years could only be speculated? Did the article about the anniversary of the Otero family murder two months earlier prompt him to step back into the spotlight out of fear of irrelevance? Or maybe he wanted to reveal all his crimes so that nothing would be missed in the book being written about him? Perhaps he wanted to control his legacy instead of leaving it to a random author? Two FBI criminal profilers, BTK simply couldn't resist coming forward. He was essentially saying, "Look at what I've done." The profilers believed that knowing the truth about Vicky Wiggie's murder all these years was a heady intoxicating experience that left BTK feeling as though he was playing God. Being BTK appear in the headlines again stirred up long dormant fears in Wichita. Familiar warnings were issued for residents. If you're being followed, don't go home. If you return home and notice anything unusual like lights on or doors open, don't go inside. Check your telephone. If it isn't working, get out. Keep windows and doors closed and locked. Let anyone in without verifying their identity first. As the BTK case became a top priority for police once again, they were left wondering where had he been all these years? The prevailing theory by 2004 was that he had died, but this clearly wasn't the case. Whatever the explanation, BTK had gotten Wichita's full attention once again, just as he intended. A retired forensic psychologist told the Wichita Regal. Everything he does has a purpose and elaborate forethought. I think he'll save her the next few days. He's got the pot stirred. With the rise of the internet, the case became an obsession for online sleuths. Some theorized that that BTK and the zodiac killer were the same person. Others suspected that BTK could be responsible for other infamous unsolved cases, including the strangling of six-year-old John Bonnet Ramsey in Colorado. The finger was pointed at everyone from Wichita State University professors to homicide detectives and journalists who covered the case. When Robert B.D., the lawyer writing the book about BTK was accused. On Tuesday, May 4, 2004, 46 days after the Wichita Regal received the letter linking BTK to the murder of Vicky Wegeley, an envelope arrived at cake TV. This one was sent from Thomas B. Kingman, whose initials formed an anagram of BTK. It contained several items. One was a complex full-page word puzzle titled Chapter 8. Similar to a word search, it was divided into three sections, M-O, ID, and ROOS. Each section contained words related to its heading. The words "Cruise, follow, prowl" and the phrase "go for it" were found in the M-O section. These included handyman, serviceman, insurance, realtor, and wrong address. The ID section contained strong, Anderson, telephone company, officer, and school. This information related to another document that contained photocopies of handmade and falsified ID cards with their photos blacked out, as well as a fake police badge. One of the ID cards bore the name Francis Strong, and claimed he was a supervising service foreman for a telecommunications company. The other was a school security ID, featuring the name Larry Anderson. These items confirmed a long-standing police theory that BTK sometimes gained access to victim homes by pretending to be on official business. This aligned with the story given by Shirley Viance, young children, that their mother's killer had posed as a detective. The KTV envelope also contained a piece of paper with the chapter headings for what was described as the BTK story. They were presented like a table of contents as follows. One, a serial killer is born, two, dawn, three, fetish, four, fantasy world, five, the search begins, six, BTK's haunts, seven, PJs, eight, ammo, ID, ruse, nine, hits, ten, treasured memories, eleven, final curtain call, twelve, dusk. The title of the final chapter, number thirteen, asked, "Will there be more?" To be continued, next week.