The Hunt for the B.T.K. Killer Continues (Part 2/4) | Forensic Files

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What is this that I can see? Cold, icy hands taking hold of me. The death has come. 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 unto you for me.
The poem arrived on Friday, February 10, 1978, 2 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 to Nancy. The poem was a twisted parody of the folk song Oh Death
in which a man pleads with the grim reaper to spare his life. Listed four times along the left margin
were the letters BTK, each paired with a small handdrawn hangman's noose. 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 typewritten
letter marked by BTK's characteristic poor spelling and grammar. It described the layout of NY'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 NY'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 quote beautiful sexual relief to do so before describing in obscene detail the
pleasure he took in killing 11-year-old Josie Oro 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 ended his plans prematurely to secure his escape.
BTK expressed frustration that a poem he claimed to have previously sent to the Witcher Eagle about Shirley Vanne hadn't
received media attention. I find the newspaper not writing about the poem on Venne 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 Lemonan 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 Eagle reviewed all their recently received mail.
In the classified advertising department's dead letter pile, they found a 3x5 in index card which had
arrived 9 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 Venne. Shirleys Shirleys wilt to thou be mine? Thou shalt 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
postcript stating, "Poem for Fox next." Given that the card didn't list a specific department or recipient of the
Eagle, it had been inspected by a cler 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 Rex."
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 Witchita Strangler, Poetic Strangler,
and Bondage Strangler. He also offered darker monikers, including the Witcher hangman or
executioner, the Garrett Phantom, the esphyxiator, 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 Venne 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 Lemonan read BTK's latest letter slowly and silently.
It was clear the man behind the persona 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 Vennean
began reviewing homicides from this 3-year 2-month period, which had previously been considered a hiatus for
the killer. He found that just 3 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 Katherine Bride arrived at her home on East 13th Street in Northeast Witchah 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 past a bedroom when a voice startled them. Hold it right there.
Waiting for them was a man the siblings had never seen before. He was white, approximately 25 to 28 years old, just
under 6 ft tall, and looked to weigh around 180 lb. He had a few days worth of stubble with a thick mustache 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. Catherine 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 Witchita State University.
There was little conversation after that. The man told Catherine 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, pantyhos, and t-shirts.
He then led them into another room and ordered Kevin to tie Catherine to a chair.
Afterwards, he forced Kevin into a front bedroom, and ordered him to lie 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 a 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 couldn't 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 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 him to the floor as blood pulled around his head.
The gunman then fled the room. From across the house, Catherine 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 dripped down his tired face. Believing Kevin was finally dead, he
left the room once more. Against all odds, 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 a pair of
panty hoes 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 in 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 cited a young woman lying face down in a pool
of blood outside a bedroom. It was Katherine Bright. She was cold and clammy, and her face was tinged with
a bluish hue. Panty hose was tied tightly around her ankles, and another pair secured her
wrists. A blue scarf and a length of white rope 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 panty hose using a pocketk knife and officer Fletcher
arrived as an ambulance was summoned. With Catherine teetering on the edge of consciousness, the two officers
questioned her to gather 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 a table in the entryway, and 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 Otteros and granny
knots for the Brightes. The killer broke into the Bright residence and lay in wait whereas he
entered the Otto home when the family was present. Catherine's phone lines were intact and
the bright scene contained no sexual undertones while none of theos 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 Van's murder 3 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 letter sent to Cake TV 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 pattern is developing. The victims are tied up. Most have been
women. Phone cut. Bring some bondage. Sadist tendencies. No struggle. Outside the death spot. No witnesses except
Vianne's kids. Police Chief Richard Lmanion deduced that Catherine Bright was likely BTK's
unknown victim. While the pattern was evident, it was incomplete. It appeared that BTK had intended to
carry out his signature killing, but when Kevin Bride escaped, the plan was cut short. Much like what happened with
Shirley Vanne, 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. Lemanion suspected BTK had avoided
naming Catherine in his letter, 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's 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 Witchah 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 Cake TV letter. Up until that point, Chief Lemonion had
kept news of the serial killer under wraps to maintain order. But now with seven confirmed victims and threats of
more, Lunan spoke with Cake TV's news director. He fully expected the chief to urge him
to bury the story entirely. But to his surprise, Lemanion said, "For the good of everybody, it's time we tell what we
know. We've got to warn people. That evening, Chief Lemonan 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. Even Lmanion 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, Lemanion 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. Calmly and with resolve, Lemanion informed the people of Witchita that a
serial killer was among them. He also addressed the difficult question of why news of BTK had been withheld for
so long. We felt the lack of news coverage would forall 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. Lemonan 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.
Worse 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, Lmanionan
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 mid30s 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 sedom masochistic acts involving both the
infliction and reception of pain. While he clearly derived sexual gratification from torture, it was
notable that he hadn't committed rape. As a killer, he was controlling and sadistic.
Megalamania 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. One
psychologist emphasized the unfortunate part of this is that he is stimulated by publicity.
Much to his embarrassment, police chief Richard Lemonan admitted that authorities didn't know how to stop 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. Lemanion 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 3 and 1/2 mile radius in Witchita's East,
suggesting the killer was intimately familiar with the area and likely considered it his home turf.
His victims were analyzed for similar characteristics, including details as specific as eye color, 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 Cake
TV, it was likely he watched their broadcasts. Chief Lemanion 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 eyeglasses 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
Witchita 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 cranked, the
calls did little to ease the panic and distrust gripping Witchita 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. Men, women, children, and entire
families were at risk. Witchita'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 Pinerest Street in Witchita'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 overtime on the evening shift.
By the time Anna arrived home alone, it was around 11 p.m. In contrast to how she left it, she
noticed the door to her spare bedroom was a jar. 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 panty hoes. Her hands and feet were tied to a pole in a manner reminiscent of how safari
hunters trust a 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, "Oh, Anna, why didn't you appear and
referred to her within the text by the letter A." It was 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 with
inner fear and rapture. My pleasure of entanglement like new vines so tight. Oh, 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. Olay, why didn't you appear?
Now in another time span I lay with sweet en raptured garments across most private thought. Bed of spring moist
grass clean before the sun enslaved with control warm wind scenting the air. Sunlight sparkle tears in eyes so deep
and clear. Alone again I trod in past memory of mirrors and ponder why you number eight
was not. O A, why didn't you appear? The poem was signed with a peculiar signature.
The letter B had been scrolled 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 OA poem and the drawing of the restrained 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 Williams
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
24year-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 his 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
Otto 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-hour 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 DNA testing. With these developments opening new investigative opportunities in cold
cases, police chief Richard Lemonan handpicked several detectives and computer consultants to form a secret
task force to re-examine the BTK case. A recently released film inspired their code name, The Ghostbusters.
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 vaults 50 mi northwest of Witchita.
Every detail of the crime scenes was scrutinized, while previously ruled out suspects were reintered.
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 each 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 case's few substantial clues, though he had been careful not to lay
fingerprints or DNA on any of them. All of his letters, except the very first one, were determined to be photo
copies 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. Photocopters 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 copiers available in Witchita, 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
learned 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 staff 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 poem sent to Anna Williams in 1979 had likely been copied at the Witchita 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 Cake TV following Nancy Fox's murder were
definitively traced to a copier located in the life sciences building at Witchah
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 Oh, Death, which
had inspired the Nancy Fox poem, was found in a textbook used in an American folklore class there.
However, Witchah State shredded their student records after 3 years, leaving no official enrollment information for
1978, the year the Nancy Fox letter had been copied on site. The Ghostbusters 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,
Katherine Bright, Shirley Vanne, and Nancy Fox at the time of their murders. Those connected to Witchita State
University were included along with known animal abusers, window peepers, prison inmates, sex offenders, and men
who owned the type of pistol used against Kevin Bride. 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 OTO 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 Witchita and another 185 who were living elsewhere.
Two teams of detectives worked 7 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 Sedo masochism. The biological samples were compared to
the seaman left by BTK at the Oro and Fox crime scenes, but there were no matches.
The task force didn't relent. They simply compiled new lists and continued the search.
At noon on Thursday, December 31, 1987, Witchita mother of two, Mary Fagger, returned to her family's one-story brick
ranch home on East 14th Street after visiting relatives out of town. The Fagger's gray Volkswagen rabbit was
missing from the driveway. Mary assumed that her oldest daughter, 16-year-old Kelly, had taken her
9-year-old sister Sher out for a drive. It wasn't until Mary entered the house that she realized something was horribly
wrong. Her 37year-old husband, Philip, lay 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 Sher Fagger. 9-year-old Sher 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 esphixxiated, but was still alive when
placed into the 92° hot tub 8 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 Lammanion
was quick to assert doubt over any links between the Fagger murders and any other
unsolved cases. Instead, police focused on Bill Butterworth, a contractor who had
recently built the Fagger's sun room. He was tracked down to Florida after stealing the Fagger's car, withdrawing
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 Fagger 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 etched 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 BTK's first communication in
8 years. However, the letter contained no insider details of the Fagger murders, and the drawing was inaccurate,
suggesting it was inspired by news coverage rather than firstirhand 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 Faker case left
his figurative DNA all over it and was believed to have contributed to Bill Butterworth's acquitt.
By this point, thousands of man-hour 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 correspondents in
the BTK investigation. Every lead had reached a dead end, and the case remained stone cold.
Police Chief Richard Lemonan assured the public the case file wouldn't gather dust. But behind the scenes, the
Ghostbusters 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 3-year investigation had taken a heavy toll on the Ghostbusters 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 Lemanion.
During BTK's reign, a parallel investigation in Witchita 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 Leman'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 Lemanion 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 Ghostbusters. During an interview, one former member
broke down in tears, feeling as if he had failed young Josie Oro. Another told the Witchita Eagle, "When I
think of the Ghostbusters, 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, been 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 Witchita homicide bore a hint of BTK's MMO, 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 Joe's wristwatch. An investigator who worked on the case
in 1978 was far less optimistic. He told the Witchita Eagle, "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 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? By the 2000s, life in Witchah 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 he'd sent any correspondents. 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 Witchita Eagle to mark the 30th anniversary of the killer's first known crime, the 1974
Otero family quadruple homicide. The piece suggested that many Witcherans probably have never heard of BTK, a
claim supported by local lawyer and criminal justice lecturer Robert Bey. When Bey 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 Bey to write a book about the case slated for release that coming
April. He predicted it would draw attention, remarking, "I'm sure we will be contacted by both
crackpots and well-meaning people who have little to contribute, but I do not think we'll be contacted by
BTK." 2 months later, on Friday, March 19, 2004, an envelope arrived at the Witchita Eagle addressed to the papers
newsroom. According to the return label, it had been sent by a man named Bill Thomas
Kilman listing an address on South Old Manor Road in Witchita. The newspaper received about 700 pieces
of mail 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 stencled letters. GBS OAP7- TNL TD
ITBS FAV14. At first, it was assumed to be just a senseless, incoherent letter from a
mentally unwell individual, and it was almost discarded. But what drew attention was a faint
graffiti-ike symbol in the lower right corner of the page. It consisted of a letter B tipped over
to resemble a pair of breasts. Each curve marked with a dot for a nipple. Underneath it were the letters T and K
fused together to suggest arms bound behind the breasts and legs spled wide. Adding to the unease was the sender's
name. Bill Thomas Killman bore the initials BTK and the surname Killman didn't seem
coincidental. The letter had been postmarked 2 days earlier on March 17, which happened to
be the 27th anniversary of Shirley Van's murder. Newspaper staff found no record of a man
named Bill Thomas Killman in Witchah 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 old man, a
nod to the stage of life BTK 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 BTK'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, shoulderlength 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 Witchita.
Her name was Vicky Wgaly. 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 Witchita. "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 Waggley.
He was punching a wall in anguish, saying, "If I could have been here 5 minutes earlier, I could have done
something." Inside the main bedroom, the firefighters found Bill's wife, 28-year-old Vicky Wgley.
Her body was wedged in a 3-FFT 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 liature mark encircled her neck. Vicki had fought fiercely, clawing some
of her killer's skin under a fingernail, but she was ultimately overpowered and strangled with a pair of panty hoes
taken from her own dresser drawer. Bill Waggley, 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 site nearby. Vicki was there with their youngest
child, 2-year-old Brandon, while their eldest 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
Vickiy'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 Vickiy's car was gone, and he found
Brandon alone inside. Though it wasn't like Vicki 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.
Police zeroed in on who they thought was the most logical suspect in cases like these. the husband.
They thought that Bill Waggley 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 Vickiy's body seemed
like a convenient cover. Vicky's car was ultimately found within walking distance of the Waggley 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.
Realizing he was being viewed as the prime suspect, Bill refused to cooperate further with police.
Though there was insufficient evidence to charge him with Vickiy'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 Waggley maintained his innocence, consistently asserting that
he had loved Vicki and would never have harmed her. Those who knew the family agreed.
In their view, the WGs had a happy marriage. Their home was always filled with warmth, laughter, and the
occasional sound of Vickiy'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 Vickiy's murder, the task force reinvestigating BTK was winding
down, though a few detectives had visited the WGLY crime scene to rule out any connections.
There were several details that struck them as significant. 2-year-old Brandon had told the police,
"Man hurt mommy." The Ghostbusters reasoned that a child wouldn't use the word man if he meant
daddy. What stood out most, however, was that Vickiy'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 little value to an ordinary burglar unless 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 Wgaly was likely innocent, but they refrained from imposing their judgment on the detectives actively investigating
Vickiy's case. As far as they were concerned, their sole focus was BTK. By the following year, the Ghostbusters
had effectively disbanded and the WGLY case remained unsolved. Almost two decades later, the Witchita
Eagle received a letter from someone claiming to be BTK taking responsibility for Vicky Waggle's murder.
He hadn't claimed a victim since Nancy Fox nearly 9 years before Vicki 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 Waggley.
The problem was no crime scene photos had 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 Vicki 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. Vickiy's 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 Waggley 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 Vicki."
The DNA from the scrapings were compared to the seaman left at BTK's crime scenes.
Upon receiving the results, one detective remarked, "Fuck, it's him. Oh [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ]
After all the years of speculation about what had become of BTK, it turned out he
had never left Witchita 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 Wgley 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 had brought investigators a mix 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 Witchitaar Eagle, and the meaning behind the string of 23 stencled 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 new detectives. What led BTK to come forward after all
those years could only be speculated. Did the article about the anniversary of the Otto family murder 2 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. to 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 Waggle's murder all these years was a heady, intoxicating experience that left BTK feeling as
though he was playing God. Seeing BTK appear in the headlines again stirred up long dormant fears in
Witchita. 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.
Don't 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 Witchita's full attention once again, just as he intended.
A retired forensic psychologist told the Witchita Eagle, "Everything he does has a purpose and
elaborate forethought. I think he'll savor 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 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 6-year-old John Bernet Ramsay in Colorado. The finger was pointed at everyone from
Witchita State University professors to homicide detectives and journalists who covered the case. Even Robert Bey, the
lawyer writing the book about BTK, was accused. On Tuesday, May 4, 2004, 46 days after
the Witchita Eagle received the letter linking BTK to the murder of Vicky Waggley, 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 ruse. Each section contained words related to
its heading. The words cruise, follow, prowl, and the phrase go for it were found in the MO
section. Ruse 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 photo copies 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's homes by pretending to be on official business.
This aligned with the story given by Shirley Vianne's young children that their mother's killer had posed as a
detective. The cake TV 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, Mo ID Ruse. Nine hits. 10 treasured memories. 11. Final curtain core. 12. Dusk.
The title of the final chapter number 13 asked, "Will there be more?" To be continued next week.

[Part 2 of 4] After claiming seven victims and terrorising Wichita for nearly three decades, the unidentified killer known as B.T.K. suddenly fell silent.

Then, in 2004, a letter bearing his unmistakable signature arrived at a local newspaper…

CREDITS Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Production & music – Mike Migas Audio editing – Anthony Telfer

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Brief Summary

The episode details BTK's chilling letters, murders, and police investigations, highlighting his psychological manipulation and resurgence in the 2000s.

Key points

The Poem to Nancy Fox. A chilling poem delivered to a news station, revealing BTK's twisted psyche.
Catherine Bright's Attack. A violent home invasion leaves one sibling dead and the other fighting for survival.
Public Warning of BTK. Police Chief Lemonan announces the existence of a serial killer to the public.
Anna Williams' Close Call. Anna Williams narrowly escapes a potential attack from BTK, who had knowledge of her routine.
The Ghostbusters Task Force. A secret task force is formed to re-examine the BTK case using new technology.
BTK's Return. After years of silence, BTK sends a taunting letter following a triple homicide.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You guess motive and victim.

8:12WatchMar 14, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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