What a Father Told His Kids... #truecrimestories #truecrimeshorts #crimejunkies #podcast | Forensic Files

In late 2016, investigators do track down two of his adult children, including the daughter who was allegedly
forced to help dispose of the body. >> Mhm. Now, she describes a father who was cruel and abusive, like in every way,
physically, sexually, psychologically. She says that he was obsessed with Stephanie's case and with like true
detective magazines. He would make the kids read what he called Root River Killer stories out loud and then tell
them everything the stories got wrong, which he says he knew because he was the real killer. And his daughter says she
does have this early childhood memory of being forced to throw heavy, sticky bags
into Root River. And her father told her to make sure that they sank. Afterwards, she said Wilbert scrubbed
his car clean. And their family property was overrun with dogs, like more than a
hundred of them. And when they got sick, Wilbert would kill them, butcher them, and then feed them to the other dogs.
I'm telling you, like this dude was the stuff nightmares are made of. But as damning as all of this sounds, none of
it was provable. Investigators nowadays can't even confirm that, you know, he called it the Root River Killer, like
they don't even know that as a real moniker. Like it was never used by the media, it was never used by law
enforcement. So, there's a world where Wilbert just invented it to terrorize his kids.

She described a deeply abusive father who was obsessed with Stephanie Casberg’s case and would claim he was the “Root River Killer,” even forcing his children to read crime stories out loud while correcting them.

She also recalled being made to throw heavy bags into the Root River while he later cleaned his car.

Despite these disturbing allegations, investigators have never been able to verify his claims or tie him to the crime.

Even the name “Root River Killer” was never officially used, raising the possibility that it was something he invented to frighten his kids.

Watch The Full Case Tagged Below. -------- Follow Crime Junkie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimejunkiepodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeJunkiePodcast/ Crime Junkie is created and hosted by Ashley Flowers.

Text Ashley to chat this episode and more: https://my.community.com/ashleyflowers?t=Hi%20Ashley%21

About Ashley Flowers Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of Audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families.

Follow Ashley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ASHLEYFLOWERS/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyflowerscrimejunkie

Purchase Ashley’s highly anticipated second novel, The Missing Half now! | https://ashleyflowers.com/books

Brief Summary

Wilbert's abusive behavior and chilling actions haunt his children, raising questions about truth and memory in a disturbing narrative.

Key points

The Root River Killer. A father's dark obsession with crime stories and his abusive behavior towards his children.

Episode highlights

The Root River KillerA father's dark obsession with crime stories and his abusive behavior towards his children.“He would make the kids read Root River Killer stories out loud.”0:21Apr 23, 2026

Episode quotes

He was obsessed with Stephanie's case and true detective magazines.

Describing the father's obsession with crime stories.

0:16WatchApr 23, 2026

More from Crime Junkie

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.