Original subtitles

♪♪

Lamunyon: WE DO HAVE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM.

WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO APPARENTLY

HAS THE UNCONTROLLABLE DESIRE TO KILL.

THERE WASN'T A BOGEYMAN IN THIS TOWN -- IT WAS BTK.

YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO IMAGINE SOMETHING TO BE AFRAID OF.

IT WAS THERE.

AND GOOD EVENING, WE HAVE EXCLUSIVE DETAILS AND NEW

COMMUNICATION THAT COULD BE FROM THE SERIAL KILLER, BTK.

IT WAS A DOLL SENT DEPICTING HER

AND BONDAGE ON HER BODY WHEN SHE WAS FOUND MURDERED.

HE WAS TAUNTING EVERY FEMALE OUT THERE.

SCARED US HALF TO DEATH.

Narrator: THE NOTORIOUS BTK SERIAL KILLER

HELD WICHITA, KANSAS,

ON A RAZOR'S EDGE FOR 30 YEARS.

Kelly: PEOPLE WERE TERRIFIED.

LIFE HAD CHANGED FOREVER FOR THEM.

Narrator: NOW UNVEILED IS THE MOST IN-DEPTH

AND DISTURBING ACCOUNT OF HIS REIGN OF TERROR EVER TOLD.

ALL THOSE KIDS, ALL THESE MURDERS,

EACH ONE WAS ANOTHER NIGHTMARE.

Narrator: FEATURING EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

WITH VICTIMS WHOSE LIVES HE LEFT FOREVER SCARRED,

INCLUDING THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM.

Rawson: IF YOU HAD ASKED ME BEFORE 2005, I WOULD'VE TOLD YOU

MY LIFE WAS PRETTY MUCH THE AMERICAN DREAM WITH,

LIKE, THESE GREAT PARENTS AND THIS GREAT HOUSE.

AND THEN I LEARNED EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE WAS A LIE.

♪♪

♪♪

[ CHEERING AND SHOUTING ]

Kelly: WICHITA WAS THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE KIDS

RAN AROUND IN THE SUMMER,

CATCHING FIREFLIES AND RIDING THEIR BIKES.

YEAH, I WAS A GOOD PLACE TO GROW UP.

WE NEVER LOCKED OUR DOORS.

I WAS RAISED HERE, MY FAMILY WAS RAISED HERE.

OUTSTANDING PEOPLE, GREAT ECONOMY.

MANY OF US ARE STILL RIGHT HERE IN THE REGION.

WICHITA WAS A MANUFACTURING TOWN.

WE STARTED TO MAKE AIRPLANES -- BACK IN THE SEVENTIES,

I THINK WE HAD CESSNA, WE HAD BEECH,

WE HAD WHAT WAS THEN LEARJET,

AND ALONG WITH THAT, THE COLEMAN COMPANY WAS HERE.

Narrator: THE PROSPEROUS MIDWEST CITY ATTRACTS PEOPLE FROM

ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND BEYOND.

THE OTERO FAMILY HAD ONLY RECENTLY MOVED HERE FROM

PANAMA FOR PATRIARCH JOSEPH OTERO'S NEW JOB

REPAIRING AIRCRAFT.

WE WERE SEVEN YEARS OF GROWING UP IN THE PANAMA CANAL ZONE.

HE FOUND A JOB IN WICHITA.

WE PACKED UP ALL OUR STUFF IN A SUITCASE

AND LEFT MY GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE IN PUERTO RICO

AND FLEW TO WICHITA.

I WAS 15 YEARS OLD, FIRST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.

I WAS THE OLDEST OF FIVE CHILDREN.

[ INDISTINCT VOICE ON RADIO ]

DANNY AND CARMEN WERE IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL,

AND JOEY AND JOSIE WERE IN ELEMENTARY,

SO WE GOT UP IN STAGES.

I'D GET READY FOR SCHOOL.

DANNY AND CARMEN, THEY'D BE UP, AND JOEY

AND JOSIE WOULD WAIT TILL MAYBE A HALF HOUR.

THREE NIGHTS BEFORE, I SAW A MOVIE ON TV --

TRUMAN CAPOTE'S "IN COLD BLOOD."

A FAMILY IN KANSAS IS KILLED BY

TWO KILLERS WHO ESCAPED FROM JAIL.

I TOLD MY DAD, I SAID, "DAD, I SEEN THIS MOVIE.

IT WAS HORRIBLE." YOU KNOW WHAT MY DAD TOLD ME?

HE SAID, "THANK GOD, NOTHING LIKE THAT HAS EVER

HAPPENED TO YOU," AND IT HAPPENED THREE DAYS LATER.

I REMEMBER WALKING UP TO MY HOUSE,

WENT THROUGH OUR BACKYARD GATE,

AND I SAW MY DOG LUCKY OUTSIDE.

LUCKY WAS NEVER OUTSIDE.

AND I WENT IN THE BACK, SENSED SOMETHING NOT RIGHT.

MY MOM'S PURSE WAS ON THE STOVE,

FLIPPED OVER AND EVERYTHING OUT OF IT.

SO I YELLED OUT, "IS ANYBODY HOME?"

ONE OF MY SIBLINGS SAID, "CHARLIE, COME QUICK.

MOM AND DAD ARE PLAYING A BAD TRICK ON US."

AND I RAN DOWN THE HALL

AND I SAW MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER.

[ DOOR CREAKING ]

IT JUST FELT LIKE SOMEBODY HAD

RIPPED MY CHEST OPEN AND TORE MY HEART OUT PHYSICALLY.

MY FATHER'S EYES WERE BULGING.

HE HAD A BELT AROUND HIS NECK, HE WAS DEAD COLD.

SOON AS I TOUCHED THEM, I KNEW THEY WERE DEAD.

Lamunyon: THE PHONE LINE WAS CUT.

THE FATHER AND THE MOTHER WERE BOTH FOUND IN THE BEDROOM.

THE MOTHER WAS ON THE BED ON HER BACK.

SHE WAS BOUND.

THE FATHER WAS BOUND, OBVIOUSLY STRANGLED.

HIS FEET WERE TIED, AND HIS HANDS WERE TIED

BEHIND HIS BACK.

OTHER POLICE CAME,

AND I KEPT TELLING THEM I NEED JOEY AND JOSIE.

DON'T LET 'EM COME HOME TO THIS.

BRING 'EM TO ME.

FINALLY, THEY TOLD ME JOEY AND JOSIE

WERE IN THE HOUSE WITH MY FOLKS, AND THEY WERE DEAD.

I HARDLY REMEMBER A THING AFTER THAT.

TO THIS DAY, IT BREAKS MY HEART.

Lamunyon: THE LITTLE BOY WAS IN HIS ROOM.

HE WAS ALSO BOUND WITH VENETIAN BLIND CORDS

AND PLASTIC OVER HIS FACE WITH T-SHIRTS OVER HIS FACE.

IT WAS CLEAR FROM IMPRESSIONS IN THE CARPET THAT THE KILLER

HAD TAKEN A CHAIR AND WATCHED THIS LITTLE BOY SUFFER AND DIE.

THAT REALLY UPSET AN AWFUL LOT OF THE COPS.

AND THE LITTLE GIRL, WHO WAS 11,

SHE WAS ACTUALLY IN THE BASEMENT

AND HAD BEEN SEMI-HUNG.

SHE HAD A NOOSE AROUND HER NECK

THAT WAS OVER ONE OF THE DRAINAGE PIPES.

SHE HADN'T BEEN VIOLATED,

BUT THERE WAS SEMEN THAT WAS FOUND IN THE BASEMENT.

I REMEMBER ARRIVING AT THE SCENE,

AND DETECTIVES WHO NORMALLY WOULD SAY SOMETHING WERE QUIET.

IT WAS SHOCKING,

AND IT WAS TERRIFYING FOR EVERYBODY.

Narrator: POLICE ARE AT A LOSS TO EXPLAIN THE BIZARRE

AND BRUTAL MURDERS.

Lamunyon: ALL OF THE INVESTIGATORS

WENT FOR THE PREMISE IN THAT

THE PERSON THAT COMMITTED THIS ACT

HAD TO HAVE A GRUDGE TOWARDS THE OTEROS.

Kelly: THEY WERE THINKING THIS MUST HAVE BEEN

SOME SORT OF A FEUD OR VENDETTA.

SOMEBODY HAD TAKEN NOT JUST GREAT TIME

BUT ALSO HAD APPLIED GREAT SKILL.

Narrator: AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE

THE OTERO FAMILY'S HISTORY.

THEY STUDY THE EXPERT KNOTS THE KILLER TIED, SEARCH FOR

SIMILAR CRIMES FROM ACROSS WICHITA,

THE STATE, AND THE ENTIRE NATION.

THEY INVOLVE THE FBI, BUT THEIR EFFORTS GO NOWHERE,

AND THE CITY IS SHAKEN TO ITS CORE.

WICHITANS WERE IN SHOCK.

AND AS THE DETAILS BEGAN TO EMERGE,

IT DID STRIKE FEAR IN THE HEART OF THE CITY.

IT WAS A VERY DISTURBING TIME.

ORDINARY WICHITANS WHO HAD NEVER LOCKED

THEIR DOORS BEFORE,

SUDDENLY WERE LOCKING EVERY DOOR.

THEY WERE CHECKING THEIR PHONE LINES.

Otero: WHEN MY FAMILY WAS KILLED,

YOU HAVE A EMPTY FEELING IN YOUR HEART.

IT'S LIKE THERE'S -- IT'S NOT THERE ANYMORE.

I FEEL THEIR PAIN.

I FEEL THEIR ANGUISH THAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH

AS THEY'RE DYING -- TO THIS DAY, I FEEL IT.

IT WAS HEART-WRENCHING, SOUL-SHATTERING STUFF.

Narrator: THE OTERO KILLINGS ARE STILL HAUNTING WICHITA

WHEN, ONLY MONTHS LATER, RESIDENTS ARE ROCKED BY

ANOTHER VICIOUS SLAYING.

Lamunyon: KATHY BRIGHT WAS A COLLEGE STUDENT.

SHE WAS COMING HOME, BUT HER BROTHER WAS WITH HER.

Kelly: SOMEBODY HAD BROKEN IN.

WHEN KATHRYN AND HER BROTHER ARRIVED,

THEY WERE CONFRONTED BY A KILLER.

HE TIED THEM BOTH UP IN SEPARATE ROOMS.

Narrator: KEVIN MANAGES TO BREAK HIS BONDS AND CONFRONT

THE KILLER, WHO SHOOTS HIM TWICE IN THE HEAD.

INCREDIBLY, HE IS STILL ABLE TO ESCAPE AND RUN FOR HELP.

Kelly: THE KILLER REALIZED HE HAD LOST CONTROL

OF THE SITUATION -- HE PULLED OUT A LONG KNIFE

AND BEGAN STABBING KATHRYN.

♪♪

AT THE TIME, THEY HAD NOT

CONNECTED IT TO THE OTERO MURDERS,

BECAUSE THE M.O. WAS JUST NOT SIMILAR AT ALL.

Narrator: GRAVELY WOUNDED, KEVIN PROVIDES POLICE

WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACKER --

A TALL WHITE MALE.

IT'S NOT MUCH TO GO ON.

Kelly: IT CAME TO THE ATTENTION OF REPORTERS

THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE OF BROTHERS

WHO WERE IN JAIL CLAIMING CREDIT

FOR THE OTERO MURDERS.

MISGUIDED PEOPLE WILL SEEK ATTENTION,

CONFESSING TO CRIMES THEY DID NOT COMMIT.

THAT DIDN'T SET WELL WITH THE REAL KILLER.

HE LIKED THE ATTENTION TO BE FOCUSED ON HIM AND HIM ALONE,

AND SO HE CONTACTED THE NEWSPAPER,

CALLED THE WICHITA EAGLE,

AND HE EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS A LETTER THAT HAD BEEN

PLACED IN A BOOK AT THE WICHITA PUBLIC LIBRARY.

THE POLICE FOUND THE CONTENTS QUITE CHILLING.

Lamunyon: IT SHARED INFORMATION REGARDING THE CRIME SCENE

THAT ONLY SOMEONE

WHO HAD BEEN IN THERE WOULD KNOW ABOUT.

"JOSEPHINE, POSITION, HANGING BY THE NECK

"IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE BASEMENT,

"HAND-TIED WITH BIND CORD.

"NOOSE WITH FOUR OR FIVE TURNS.

"YOU PROBABLY CALL ME PSYCHOTIC.

"WHERE THIS MONSTER ENTERED MY BRAIN,

"I WILL NEVER KNOW, BUT IT'S HERE TO STAY.

"HOW DOES ONE CURE HIMSELF?

"IF YOU ASK FOR HELP,

"THAT YOU HAVE KILLED FOUR PEOPLE,

"THEY WILL LAUGH AND HIT THE PANIC BUTTON

"AND CALL THE COPS.

"I CAN'T STOP IT, SO THE MONSTER GOES ON.

"THE MONSTER HURTS ME AS WELL AS SOCIETY.

"THE PRESSURE IS GREAT, AND SOMETIMES

"HE RUNS THE GAME TO HIS LIKING.

"MAYBE YOU CAN STOP HIM. I CAN'T.

"HE'S ALREADY CHOSEN HIS NEXT VICTIM OR VICTIMS.

GOOD LUCK HUNTING."

Kelly: HE SAID, "YOU CAN REFER TO ME BY BIND, TORTURE, KILL,

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DO."

LATER SHORTENED TO BTK.

Lamunyon: WE REALIZED RIGHT AWAY THAT MAYBE WE DO HAVE SOMEONE

IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT, UH, IS A SERIAL KILLER.

MY WHOLE THOUGHT PROCESS WAS OKAY,

LET'S COMMUNICATE BACK TO HIM.

KEEP IN MIND, HE'S LOOKING FOR RECOGNITION.

SO WHAT WE DID THEN IS ATTEMPT MORE

THAN ONCE TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIM THROUGH THE NEWSPAPER.

FAR AS I KNOW, HE NEVER CALLED ME.

AT THAT POINT, YOU'RE THINKING TO YOURSELF,

WE NEED TO FIND THIS PERSON

OR WE WILL, IN ALL PROBABILITY,

HAVE ADDITIONAL VICTIMS.

Narrator: BUT TO THE SURPRISE OF AUTHORITIES,

BTK GOES DARK FOR THE REST OF 1974

THROUGH ALL OF 1975 AND '76.

Lamunyon: AND YOU'RE THINKING, WHERE IS HE?

WHERE DID HE GO? IS HE DEAD?

IS HE IN PRISON?

IS HE OUT KILLING SOMEWHERE ELSE?

BECAUSE WE'RE BEING TOLD, IF THIS IS TRULY A SERIAL

KILLER, HE'S GOING TO KILL AGAIN OR HE STILL IS KILLING.

SOMEONE THAT'S A PSYCHOPATH, THEY WANNA BLEND IN.

THEY DON'T WANT TO SHOW YOU WHO THEY REALLY ARE.

SO THEY'RE GONNA PUT LAYER ON LAYER ON LAYER SO THAT YOU JUST

THINK HE'S YOUR BROTHER,

YOUR NEIGHBOR, YOUR SON, YOUR HUSBAND,

YOUR FATHER.

MY BROTHER WAS BORN IN 1975.

MY MOM REMEMBERS TELLING MY DAD, YOU KNOW,

I'M WORRIED ABOUT BEING ALONE, BECAUSE BTK'S MURDERING

THESE WOMEN, AND MY DAD TOLD HER,

"IT'S OKAY, DON'T WORRY, YOU'RE SAFE."

AND NONE OF THIS WAS TRUE AT ALL.

Narrator: WITH BTK OUT OF THE NEWS FOR OVER TWO YEARS,

WICHITA BELIEVES IT'S SAFE AGAIN.

BUT ON MARCH 17, 1977, THAT ILLUSION IS

VIOLENTLY SHATTERED.

[ KNOCKING NOISES ]

Narrator: THE TRAUMATIZED CHILD ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE

HIS MOTHER'S ATTACKER TO POLICE,

BUT LIKE KEVIN BRIGHT BEFORE HIM, HE'S TOO VAGUE

TO BE HELPFUL.

Peters: HOW DO YOU EVER RECOVER FROM THAT?

HOW DOES A FIVE-YEAR-OLD EVER RECOVER FROM THAT?

THIS WAS A GUY WHO NEVER HAD A CHANCE

TO GROW UP AND HAVE A LIFE,

BECAUSE HE PEEKED THROUGH THE DOOR THAT DAY

AND SAW HIS MOTHER BEING STRANGLED.

Hatteberg: WE KNEW THAT WE HAD SOMEONE IN

THE COMMUNITY WHO WAS REALLY A MONSTER.

NOT A PERSON, NOT A HUMAN, BUT A MONSTER

TO LET THAT HAPPEN.

Narrator: THOUGH THERE ARE SOME SMALL DIFFERENCES

IN THE KILLER'S M.O.,

POLICE STRONGLY SUSPECT THIS IS THE WORK

OF THE SAME MAN WHO MURDERED THE OTEROS.

Kelly: BUT THEY WERE AFRAID OF CAUSING A PANIC.

THEY DIDN'T WANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW

THAT THOSE CASES WERE CONNECTED UNTIL THEY WERE

ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THEY WERE.

Lamunyon: WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE, NUMBER ONE, THAT WE WERE,

IN FACT, DEALING WITH THE BTK STRANGLER,

WHICH WE WERE PRETTY SURE WE WERE.

BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN, WE WANTED TO

FOLLOW UP WITH THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD COMMUNICATE

THROUGH THE NEWSPAPER, THROUGH ONE OF THE LOCAL

TV STATIONS AND GET HIM TO COMMUNICATE WITH US.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS KEEP A LID ON THE STORY,

BUT NINE MONTHS LATER, THAT EFFORT BECOMES MUCH

MORE DIFFICULT WHEN THE KILLER HIMSELF CALLS

POLICE TO REPORT HIS LATEST VICTIM.

WELL, NANCY FOX WAS A SINGLE FEMALE, LIVED ALONE.

Kelly: WHEN THE POLICE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE,

THEY WERE DISTURBED BY WHAT THEY FOUND.

Foulston: SHE HAD BEEN FOUND IN HER BED, STRANGLED TO DEATH.

THERE WAS CLOTHING THAT WAS TAKEN,

AND SHE HAD ALSO HAD HER FEET TIED UP AND HER HANDS

TIED UP, AS WELL.

Kelly: THE KILLER PUTS HANDCUFFS ON HER,

AND INSTEAD OF USING A ROPE AS HE DID IN

THE FIRST TWO MURDERS,

HE THREADS A BELT AROUND HER NECK

AND STRANGLES HER WITH THE BELT.

THE KILLER EJACULATES ONTO HER NIGHTGOWN AND TOSSES IT ASIDE,

LEAVES IT AT THE SCENE.

Lamunyon: THERE WAS NO QUESTION.

IT WAS OBVIOUSLY CLEAR THAT THIS WAS BTK.

Man: VIEWERS ARE ASKED TO CALL THE MAJOR CASE SQUAD

A 268-4156 IF THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD IDENTIFY THIS VOICE.

Voice of BTK: YES, YOU WILL FIND A HOMICIDE

AT 843 SOUTH PERSHING STREET, NANCY FOX.

Narrator: VOICE EXPERTS STUDY THE RECORDED CALL,

ESPECIALLY THE STRANGE PRONUNCIATION

OF THE WORD HOMICIDE.

Voice of BTK: ...FIND A HOMICIDE [ "HOME-ICIDE" ]

Narrator: BUT NOTHING COMES OF IT.

WE'RE TRYING TO TIE THESE VICTIMS TOGETHER,

AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO TIE THEM TOGETHER.

Man: MOST OF THE CALLS WERE RECEIVED

LAST EVENING AFTER THE FIRST BROADCAST.

SO FAR, NO SOLID LEADS HAVE DEVELOPED.

Lamunyon: WE FLEW OUR OFFICERS TO THE FBI HEADQUARTERS.

WE HAD SPECIALISTS COME IN HERE.

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO?

Narrator: NINE WEEKS LATER, A LETTER SENT TO KAKE-TV

IN WICHITA MAKES KEEPING THE FULL HORROR OF BTK

FROM THE PUBLIC IMPOSSIBLE.

Hatteberg: "HOW MANY DO I HAVE TO KILL BEFORE I GET

"A NAME IN THE PAPER OR SOME NATIONAL ATTENTION?

"DO THE COPS THINK THAT ALL THOSE DEATHS ARE NOT RELATED?

"JOSEPHINE, WHEN I HUNG HER, TURNED ME ON,

"HER PLEADING FOR MERCY.

"THEN THE ROPE TOOK HOLD.

"SHE, HELPLESS, STARING AT ME WITH WIDE,

"TERROR-FILLED EYES, THE ROPE GETTING TIGHTER

AND TIGHTER."

AND THEN ABOUT SHIRLEY VIAN'S KIDS,

HE SAID, "I WAS GOING TO TAKE THE BOYS

"AND PUT PLASTIC BAGS OVER THEIR HEADS LIKE I DID JOSEPH

"AND SHIRLEY AND THEN HANG THE GIRL.

GOD, OH, GOD, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SEXUAL RELIEF THAT WOULD BE."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS, BECAUSE YOU'RE

NOT UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF FACTOR X."

WHETHER IT WAS A SEXUAL URGE, A VOICE IN HIS HEAD,

WHAT -- A DEMON -- FOR HIM, IT MEANT

THAT THAT'S WHY HE DID THE KILLINGS.

Lamunyon: HE OBVIOUSLY HAD READ BOOKS OR MATERIALS

ON OTHER SERIAL KILLERS,

AND HE WANTED SOME KIND OF IDENTITY.

HE WANTED TO LET US KNOW HE BELONGED WITH THESE

OTHER, QUOTE, HALL OF FAMERS, UNQUOTE,

FROM THE SERIAL MURDER, UH, GALLERY.

BTK ALSO WANTED TO NAME HIMSELF,

AND IN THAT LETTER SAID, "HOW DO YOU WANT TO NAME ME?"

AND HE GAVE SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS IN THERE.

BTK WAS PUBLICITY-MINDED.

Narrator: THE COMMUNICATION ALSO INCLUDES

A DISTURBING POEM FOR NANCY FOX,

ALONG WITH A GRAPHIC DRAWING OF HER BOUND ON HER BED.

Foulston: IT WAS LIKE HE SAT THERE AND SKETCHED HER

WHILE SHE DIED -- IT WAS HORRIBLE.

Kelly: AT THE END OF THE NANCY FOX LETTER, HE SAID,

"SEVEN DOWN AND MANY MORE TO GO."

Narrator: DAYS LATER, THE WICHITA EAGLE RECEIVES

A POEM THE KILLER WROTE ABOUT SHIRLEY VIAN.

ITS AUTHOR CLEARLY REVELS IN DEPRAVITY.

Hatteberg: "SHIRLEY LOCKS, SHIRLEY LOCKS

"WILT THOUGH BE MINE?

"THOU SHALT NOT SCREAM NOR YET FEEL THE LINE,

"BUT LAY ON CUSHION AND THINK OF ME IN DEATH

"AND HOW IT'S GOING TO BE.

BTK."

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS CLEAR ABOUT THE BTK LETTERS

WAS EITHER SOMEONE WAS A TERRIBLE TYPIST

OR A TERRIBLE SPELLER.

IT SEEMED ALMOST LIKE IT MIGHT BE SOMEONE WRITING WHERE

ENGLISH WAS NOT THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE

OR SOMEONE WHO WAS TRYING TO HIDE THE FACT THAT

THEY WERE A NATIVE SPEAKER.

EVERYTHING IS A CLUE, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S DIFFICULT

TO TELL WHAT THAT CLUE IS LEADING TOWARDS.

Narrator: CHIEF LAMUNYON REALIZES HE HAS NO CHOICE

BUT TO INFORM WICHITANS OF THE GRAVE THREAT IN THEIR MIDST.

WE NEEDED TO STEP FORWARD AND GIVE HIM WHAT HE WANTED,

WITH THE IDEA OF DETERRING HIM

FROM KILLING AGAIN.

WITH US RIGHT NOW IS CHIEF OF POLICE RICHARD LAMUNYON.

WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO APPARENTLY

HAS THE UNCONTROLLABLE DESIRE TO KILL AT TIMES.

WE WERE NOT ONLY COMMUNICATING WITH THE CITIZENS

OF THE CITY OF WICHITA,

BUT WE WERE COMMUNICATING WITH HIM,

LETTING HIM KNOW HEY, WE HEAR YOU,

YOU'RE GETTING YOUR NOTORIETY. NOW WORK WITH US.

THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION THAT THE ONLY PERSON

WHO WOULD HAVE THE TYPE OF INFORMATION

THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE LETTER

WOULD HAVE TO BE THE KILLER HIMSELF.

AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT

THE PUBLIC EVER KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT BTK.

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE PUBLIC KNEW

WE HAD A SERIAL KILLER.

PEOPLE WERE TERRIFIED.

THEY KNEW THAT LIFE HAD CHANGED FOREVER FOR THEM.

Narrator: YET IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS

THAT FOLLOW LAMUNYON'S TELEVISED BOMBSHELL,

BTK AGAIN GOES SILENT, AND THE CASE GOES COLD.

WE COULDN'T FIND ANY CONNECTION WITH ANY OTHER CASE.

WE SENT DETECTIVES

LITERALLY ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER SENDING SOME TO NEW ORLEANS.

I REMEMBER SENDING SOME TO WASHINGTON.

I REMEMBER SENDING THEM TO, YOU KNOW,

4 OR 5 DIFFERENT PLACES WHERE WE THOUGHT THERE WAS

A SIMILAR CASE INVOLVED,

AND IT TURNED OUT THEY WEREN'T.

WE WERE BEING TOLD THAT A SERIAL KILLER WILL KILL WITHIN

A CERTAIN CATEGORY OF PEOPLE,

WHETHER BE YOUNG BOYS, NURSES, PROSTITUTES.

IN OUR CASE, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THAT.

THE VICTIMS WERE LITERALLY RANDOM.

EXPERTS IN THE FIELD SAID,

"WELL, SERIAL KILLERS ARE LONERS."

I WAS CONVINCED THAT THAT'S NOT TRUE.

THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY,

AND THAT THE REASON WE COULDN'T FIND HIM

WAS BECAUSE HE'S ONE OF US.

I WAS BORN IN JUNE OF 1978 IN WICHITA, KANSAS.

WE WERE ABOUT AS TRADITIONAL, LIKE, COOKIE CUTTER FAMILY

AS YOU CAN GET.

I WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT MY DAD HAD SECRETS, BECAUSE HE'S

PRETTY MUCH LIKE THE MOST TRANSPARENT, ORDINARY, NORMAL,

BORING PERSON YOU WOULD EVER KNOW.

AND IT'S JUST THE MOST AWKWARD, SURREAL, AWFUL THING

TO FIND OUT THAT HE'S A SEXUAL SADISTIC PSYCHOPATH.

BTK HAS KILLED SEVEN PEOPLE, CHIEF.

WHAT KIND OF LEADS DO YOU HAVE?

VERY HONESTLY, WE HAVE NO SOLID LEADS AT ALL.

WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT WILL POINT US

TO ANY ONE PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL.

IN 1978, AFTER THE EXPOSURE BY THE POLICE CHIEF ON TELEVISION

TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAD A SERIAL KILLER,

BTK WENT QUIET FOR A WHILE.

BUT WHY HE GOES QUIET DURING THESE TIMES,

THAT'S ONLY KNOWN TO BTK.

Narrator: THEN, ON APRIL 28, 1979, A SENIOR NAMED

ANNA WILLIAMS NARROWLY AVOIDS BECOMING THE KILLER'S

EIGHTH VICTIM.

SHE COMES HOME LATE ONE NIGHT,

REALIZES SOMEONE HAS BROKEN INTO HER HOUSE

AND TAKEN A FEW THINGS.

HER UNDERWEAR DRAWER HAS BEEN RIFLED THROUGH.

WEEKS LATER, SHE GETS A LETTER FROM BTK

THAT'S QUITE CHILLING.

AND IT EXPLAINS

THAT HE WAITED FOR HER,

AND HE'S UNHAPPY THAT SHE DID NOT APPEAR.

Lamunyon: IT ALSO CAME WITH A SKETCH

DEPICTING WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO TO HER.

BTK ALSO SENT A LETTER TO KAKE -- AGAIN,

HE WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW

THAT I'M BACK, AND I'M READY TO KILL AGAIN.

ANOTHER WAVE OF PANIC ROLLS ACROSS THE CITY.

Narrator: AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THE MAN

TERRORIZING WICHITA GOES COMPLETELY SILENT.

FIVE TENSE YEARS GO BY.

Man: SINCE 1974, POLICE HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS

OF MAN HOURS ON THE CASE.

TO MANY COPS, THE HUNT FOR BTK HAS

BECOME MORE THAN JUST A POLICE INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: IN 1984, CHIEF LAMUNYON ASSEMBLES

A TASK FORCE OF BOTH VETERAN

AND ROOKIE INVESTIGATORS WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF WORKING

THE BTK CASE.

LOCAL MEDIA DUBS THEM THE GHOSTBUSTERS.

I THINK WE'LL SOLVE THE CRIME.

THE QUESTION IS, WHEN WILL WE SOLVE THE CRIME?

AND THE NEWS MEDIA DUBBED IT "GHOSTBUSTERS," BECAUSE,

IN THEIR OPINION, WE'RE LOOKING FOR A REAL LIVE GHOST,

A MONSTER,

AN INDIVIDUAL WHO'S PREYING ON CITIZENS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

OF COURSE, KEEP IN MIND YOU'RE NOT DEALING

WITH A, QUOTE, NORMAL CRIMINAL.

YOU'RE DEALING WITH A PERSON WHO IS PERVERTED,

A PERSON THAT IS SICK, AND WITH ALL PROBABILITY,

ASSUMING THAT THE PERSON IS STILL ALIVE,

THAT PERSON IS GONNA KILL AGAIN.

Narrator: DETECTIVES ORGANIZE YEARS WORTH OF FILES

AND PAINSTAKINGLY TRANSFER THEM TO COMPUTERS.

THEY DEVELOP NEW PROFILES AND LISTS OF SUSPECTS.,

THEY TALKED TO HUNDREDS OF MEN,

RAN DOWN THOUSANDS OF LEADS.

WE HAVE GONE TO PSYCHIATRISTS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS,

AND WE HAVE GOTTEN THEORIES FROM THEM

BASED ON WHAT THEY THINK THIS PERSON

WOULD BE, PROFILES AND THINGS LIKE THIS.

WE THOUGHT THE INDIVIDUAL WAS EITHER A POLICE OFFICER

ARE A WANNABE POLICE OFFICER.

WE THOUGHT THAT HE WAS EITHER A WSU STUDENT

OR HAD BEEN A WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT.

WE THOUGHT THAT HE WAS PROBABLY A SEX OFFENDER

OR A POTENTIAL SEX OFFENDER.

WE JUST COULDN'T CONNECT THE DOTS,

BUT WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD FEELING THAT

THE WAY TO TREAT THIS INDIVIDUAL IS TO

PLAY TO HIS EGO, TO DRAW HIM OUT.

Narrator: LAMUNYON IS GRATEFUL THAT BTK HASN'T TAKEN

ANY LIVES IN WICHITA SINCE NANCY FOX IN 1977,

AT LEAST NONE KNOWN TO POLICE.

BUT IT MIGHT BE A DIFFERENT STORY UP THE HIGHWAY

IN PARK CITY.

THERE ARE SIX CITIES THAT LITERALLY ADJOIN

WICHITA -- PARK CITY IS ONE OF THOSE.

Kelly: IT'S A TOWN THAT PEOPLE PASS BY ON THE HIGHWAY, FRANKLY,

AND DON'T STOP IN.

Narrator: FOR YOUNG KERRI RAWSON,

PARK CITY IS HER HOME AND HEARTH.

Rawson: WE HAD THREE BEDROOMS.

MINE WAS ACROSS FROM MY PARENTS.

MY DAD WAS MORE IN CHARGE OF OUTDOORS,

AND MY MOM WAS MORE IN CHARGE OF INDOORS.

DAD LIKES TO SIT A CERTAIN PLACE,

AND HE LIKES HIS THINGS A CERTAIN WAY.

YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN DAD'S STUFF.

IT'S BETTER IF YOU CAN GET DAD OUTSIDE AND GARDEN

WITH HIM OR GO ON A WALK WITH HIM.

AS A KID, YOU LEARN THESE THINGS ABOUT YOUR FATHER,

AND THEN YOU ALMOST LEARN HOW TO MANAGE HIM.

AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH MY PARENTS, ESPECIALLY MY DAD.

WE WENT CAMPING. WE WENT FISHING.

[ CHURCH BELL TOLLING ]

WE WERE PRETTY MUCH REQUIRED TO GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY.

JUST A NORMAL AMERICAN FAMILY, YOU KNOW, IN THE MIDWEST.

[ SNIFFLES ]

A LOT OF TIME, I WOULD HAVE SAID MY DAD WAS MY BEST FRIEND.

♪♪

Narrator: PARK CITY IS FAR REMOVED FROM

THE HORRORS BTK INFLICTED ON WICHITA.

BUT ON A CHILLY APRIL NIGHT IN 1985, A SHOCKING MURDER

LEAVES SOME INVESTIGATORS WONDERING IF

THE MONSTER HAS VENTURED FURTHER AFIELD.

MRS. HEDGE WAS OUR NEIGHBOR.

SHE LIVED SEVEN HOUSES DOWN FROM US.

OCCASIONALLY, MRS. HEDGE WOULD BE OUT IN THE YARD,

AND I REMEMBER JUST PASSING BY, WAVING, MY PARENTS SAYING HI.

AND THEN LATER, I KNEW THAT MRS. HEDGE'S BODY

HAD BEEN FOUND, AND THAT SHE HAD BEEN STRANGLED.

Woman: THE BODY WAS NUDE AND, POLICE SAY, BADLY DECOMPOSED.

A PAIR OF KNOTTED PANTYHOSE WERE FOUND LYING

IN THE DITCH BESIDE IT,

BUT POLICE SAY THAT'S ABOUT ALL THE EVIDENCE

THEY HAVE TO GO ON.

Lamunyon: WE COULDN'T PROVE IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER,

BUT I REMEMBER TWO OF THE INVESTIGATORS

SPECIFICALLY SAID, "THIS IS BTK,"

AND A COUPLE OF THE OTHERS SAID, "I DON'T THINK SO."

Narrator: BACK IN WICHITA, ONE YEAR LATER,

A 28-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF TWO, VICKI WEGERLE,

IS STRANGLED TO DEATH IN HER HOME WHILE HER TODDLER

PLAYS IN THE NEXT ROOM.

SUSPICION FALLS ON HER HUSBAND.

HER HUSBAND CAME HOME FOR LUNCH.

HE FOUND HIS SON IN THE HOUSE ALONE, AND HE WALKED AROUND

THE HOUSE BRIEFLY, CALLING FOR HIS WIFE, AND HE ACTUALLY

THOUGHT INITIALLY, MAYBE SHE HAD MADE A QUICK RUN TO

THE GROCERY STORE -- 30 TO 40 MINUTES AFTER ARRIVING HOME,

WENT IN THE BEDROOM AND FOUND VICKI LAYING BETWEEN THE BED

AND THE DRESSER, WHICH WASN'T VISIBLE

FROM THE DOORWAY, WHICH IS WHY HE DIDN'T SEE HER ORIGINALLY.

♪♪

♪♪

Peters: NATURALLY, THE POLICE ARE GONNA SUSPECT

HER HUSBAND, BECAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS THE FIRST SUSPECT,

NUMBER ONE, NUMBER TWO,

HE HAD BEEN IN THE HOUSE FOR

A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND HADN'T FOUND HER.

Otis: BUT THE CASE WAS NEVER SOLVED.

IT NEVER GOT TO AN ARREST STAGE.

Narrator: BY THE END OF 1986,

AS FAR AS WICHITA POLICE ARE AWARE,

BTK HASN'T CLAIMED ANY VICTIMS IN A DECADE.

TWO YEARS AFTER IT WAS FORMED TO APPREHEND HIM,

THE GHOSTBUSTERS TASK FORCE IS DISBANDED.

IT DIDN'T CATCH THE GUY, BUT IT PUT TOGETHER

A ROCK-SOLID FOUNDATION.

Narrator: IN 1988, CHIEF LAMUNYON HANGS UP HIS BADGE.

Lamunyon: WHEN I RETIRED, THE FILES WERE ALL IN ORDER.

IT WAS A COLD CASE,

BUT IT WAS OBVIOUSLY AN OPEN CASE.

YOU NEVER CLOSE A CASE LIKE THIS,

BUT WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD PHYSICALLY DO

AT THE TIME.

Narrator: AND YET THE STING OF NOT HAVING CAPTURED

THE KILLER LINGERS.

Lamunyon: AS A POLICE OFFICER, YOU GET EVERYTHING

UNDER CONTROL,

AND HERE'S A SITUATION THAT YOU CAN'T CONTROL.

IT WAS SO FRUSTRATING THAT

WE COULDN'T IDENTIFY THIS INDIVIDUAL.

EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING.

Narrator: BY 1991, BTK IS NOT KNOWN TO HAVE STRUCK

FOR NEARLY 14 YEARS.

Kelly: MEMORIES BEGAN TO FADE -- BIGGER STORIES

BEGAN TO TAKE OVER NEWS OF THE DAY.

THERE WAS AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IN WICHITA,

AND PEOPLE FOCUSED ON THAT, A DIFFERENT KIND OF SURVIVAL.

Narrator: THEN, ONCE AGAIN, ANOTHER HORRENDOUS CRIME

IN PARK CITY LEAVES SOME IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

BELIEVING THE KILLER COULD STILL BE ON THE HUNT.

Kelly: DOLORES DAVIS LIVED ALONE, WITH A CAT OR TWO.

AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HER CASE WHERE PUZZLING.

SOMEONE HAD THROWN A CINDER BLOCK THROUGH

A PATIO DOOR.

Davis: MY SISTER CALLED AND SAID THAT

MOTHER WAS MISSING, SO IMMEDIATELY I'M GOING,

HOW DID YOU -- WHO TOLD YOU, AND HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OUT?

Narrator: THE SCENE IS DISCOVERED BY DAVIS'S BOYFRIEND.

BESIDES THE CINDER BLOCK AND THE SMASHED GLASS,

HE SEES HER SHOES PILED UP AND SHEETS MISSING FROM THE BED.

THE SEARCH FOR DOLORES DAVIS DRAGS ON FOR DAYS.

SON, JEFFREY, FLIES IN FROM HIS HOME IN ORLANDO

JUST IN TIME FOR THE WORST NEWS POSSIBLE.

Otis: DOLORES'S BODY WAS FOUND UNDER

A BRIDGE IN RURAL SEDGWICK COUNTY.

SHE WAS TIED UP AT THE WAIST.

SHE HAD BEGUN TO DECOMPOSE.

Davis: THERE WAS THE PANTYHOSE

AS THE LIGATURE,

AND THERE WAS MULTIPLE LIGATURES THAT TELLS YOU THAT

THE KILLER IS HAVING FUN

MAKING SURE THAT SHE IS ALMOST DEAD AND THEN REVIVED.

Otis: THERE WAS A PORCELAIN MASK LAYING IN

THE DIRT NOT TOO FAR FROM HER BODY.

THESE WERE CASES THAT WERE WORKED BY THE PARK CITY

POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SEDGWICK COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

THEY COULD CONFIRM THAT SHE HAD

BEEN MOVED IN HER OWN CAR,

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THE POLICE

REALLY WEREN'T WORKING WITH MUCH.

IT WAS COVERED BY THE LOCAL MEDIA,

BUT JUST AS ONE MORE UNSOLVED MURDER.

Narrator: MONTHS LATER, JEFFREY RECEIVES A BIZARRE,

ANONYMOUS LETTER FROM SOMEONE WHO CLAIMS THE MAN WHO MURDERED

HIS MOTHER LIKELY ALSO KILLED VICKI WEGERLE,

BECAUSE HE SUFFERS FROM A SEXUAL ADDICTION.

SO, OF COURSE I WENT TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE,

AND I SAY, "HEY, LOOK AT THIS, WHAT IS THIS?"

AND, YOU KNOW, THEY KIND OF TOOK THE POSITION.

"WELL, THIS IS A HIGH-PROFILE CASE.

"THERE'S A LOT OF NUTS OUT THERE

FOLLOWING THIS, IT REALLY DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING,"

AND I KINDA SAID, "WELL, OKAY, I SUPPOSE IT DOESN'T."

Narrator: JEFFREY WRITES A BOOK ABOUT HIS STRUGGLES

WITH HIS FAITH IN THE WAKE OF HIS MOTHER'S SLAYING.

UPON ITS PUBLICATION IN 1996,

HE RECEIVES A SECOND STRANGE

LETTER BY THE SAME ANONYMOUS WRITER FROM FIVE YEARS BEFORE.

Davis: "DEAR MR. DAVIS, FIRST OF ALL,

"THANKS SO MUCH FOR WRITING YOUR BOOK.

"I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU EXPRESSED MANY OF THE SAME

"EMOTIONS THAT I'VE EXPERIENCED WHEN CONFRONTED

"WITH EVIL AND VIOLENCE.

"PERSONALLY, I BELIEVE THAT THE SAME MAN DID

"KILL MARINE HEDGE, VICKI WEGERLE, AND YOUR MOTHER.

"I'M SURE YOUR MOTHER WAS TERRIFIED.

"MY HEART POUNDED DURING THE PART WHERE YOU WENT BACK ON

"THE ANNIVERSARY OF YOUR MOTHER'S DEATH TO SIT

"AND WAIT FOR THE KILLER.

"IT'S TOO BAD THAT 'UNSOLVED MYSTERIES' DIDN'T ACCEPT

"THIS STORY.

"IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN INTERESTING ONE

"AND WOULD HAVE ADAPTED WELL TO THE SCREEN.

"BLESS YOU.

A TAXPAYER, NORTH SEDGWICK COUNTY."

THERE'S THIS UNDERCURRENT OF BOASTING, THERE'S THIS...

INFURIATING CONDESCENSION.

I MEAN, IT'S JUST THIS MUDDLE OF EMOTIONS,

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS WAS AND WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.

I JUST KIND OF FILED THAT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

Narrator: AS THE YEARS ROLL ON,

PEOPLE START TO WONDER WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE BTK

SERIAL KILLER.

Hatteberg: THERE WAS ONE THEORY THAT HE WAS INCARCERATED

FOR ANOTHER CRIME SOMEWHERE ELSE.

ANOTHER THEORY THAT HE WAS OUT OF

THE COUNTRY, AND THE OTHER THEORY, THAT HE WAS DEAD.

SOME BELIEVED THAT HE WAS STILL LIVING RIGHT HERE

AMONGST US.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT HE WOULD

STILL BE LIVING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

BOY, WAS I FOOLED.

♪♪

IN ALL, BTK CLAIMED SEVEN VICTIMS HERE IN WICHITA

BETWEEN 1974 AND 1977.

FOUR MEMBERS OF THE OTERO FAMILY WERE FOUND BOUND,

GAGGED, AND STRANGLED IN THEIR HOME JANUARY 15, 1974.

IN APRIL OF THAT SAME YEAR CAME THE FIFTH VICTIM,

21-YEAR-OLD KATHRYN BRIGHT.

THREE YEARS LATER, 24-YEAR-OLD SHIRLEY VIAN WAS

FOUND BOUND AND STRANGLED AT HER HOME ON SOUTH HYDRAULIC,

AND THEN, NINE MONTHS LATER,

25-YEAR-OLD NANCY FOX WAS FOUND IN HER HOME

ON SOUTH PERSHING.

Narrator: JANUARY 15, 2004, MARKS THE 30th ANNIVERSARY

OF BTK'S FIRST MURDERS.

THE MEDIA DO STORIES ABOUT HIM,

NOTING THAT A SERIAL KILLER WHOSE LAST KNOWN VICTIM WAS

STRANGLED 27 YEARS AGO CAN'T EXPECT TO BE REMEMBERED.

A LOCAL CRIMINOLOGIST TALKED TO THE MEDIA ABOUT THE ANNIVERSARY

OF THE OTERO KILLINGS,

AND HE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT HOW MANY OF HIS STUDENTS HAVE

NEVER EVEN HEARD OF BTK, BECAUSE

SO MUCH TIME HAD PASSED.

AND THE GUY MADE THE COMMENT,

YOU KNOW, THAT HE DIDN'T THINK BTK WOULD RESURFACE.

IN 2004, MOST PEOPLE HAD NO MEMORY OF THE CASE.

IN 2004, I WAS LIVING IN

THE WESTERN SUBURBS OF MICHIGAN WITH MY HUSBAND, DARIAN.

I WAS SUBSTITUTE TEACHING.

I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF THAT ACRONYM,

BTK, OR THAT THERE WERE UNSOLVED MURDERS.

Man: BTK, BIND,

TORTURE, KILL -- 30 YEARS HAVE GONE BY SINCE THE OTERO

FAMILY MURDERS.

Narrator: DESPITE WORDS TO THE CONTRARY,

IT'S APPARENT THAT EVEN POLICE HAVE LARGELY MOVED ON.

Man: WICHITA LIEUTENANT KENNETH LANDWEHR SAYS THE BTK KILLINGS

ARE CONSIDERED A COLD CASE,

BUT AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION.

WE STILL GET TIPS, WE PROBABLY GET ABOUT FIVE OR SIX A YEAR.

WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT IT FOR, UH, SEE IF THERE'S

ANY NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD BE USED

TO HELP FIND THE PERPETRATOR.

[ MAN ON TV, DISTANTLY ] THE BTK KILLINGS

CHANGED THE WAY PEOPLE LIVED IN WICHITA.

Narrator: NO ONE WAS AWARE THEY WERE DEALING

WITH SOMEONE WHO WON'T BE SO EASILY DISMISSED.

Kelly: THE KILLER REALIZED HE WAS BEING FORGOTTEN.

AND HIS EGO TOOK A HARD HIT.

HE COULD NOT ALLOW HIMSELF TO BE FORGOTTEN.

HE MAY NOT HAVE KILLED IN A WHILE, BUT HE DESERVED,

IN HIS OWN MIND, THE NOTORIETY FOR WHAT HE HAD DONE.

♪♪

SO BTK SENDS A LETTER TO THE EAGLE TO LET US KNOW

THAT HE WAS STILL THERE, AND HE WAS STILL VERY MUCH A THREAT.

Narrator: THE SUSPICIOUS LETTER IS TURNED OVER TO

HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS KELLY OTIS AND DANA GOUGE.

Otis: IT WAS POLAROID PHOTOGRAPHS OF VICKI WEGERLE

LAYING ON THE FLOOR OF HER BEDROOM.

A COPY OF A DRIVER'S LICENSE WAS ON THE SAME PIECE OF PAPER,

WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN RECOVERED AFTER HER DEATH.

IN EACH PICTURE, HER BODY HAD BEEN POSED.

OBVIOUSLY, THE PHOTOS HAD TO BE TAKEN EITHER

BY HER ATTACKER OR SOMEONE WITH HER ATTACKER.

Narrator: VICKI WEGERLE

WAS STRANGLED IN 1986, AND NOW, WHEN DETECTIVES DISCOVER

AN ALARMING SYMBOL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LETTER,

THEY MIGHT FINALLY KNOW WHO KILLED HER.

Gouge: THERE WAS A SIMILAR SYMBOL

ON OTHER WRITINGS THAT I HAD SEEN BEFORE --

A "B" IN THE FORM OF BREASTS WITH A "T" AND A "K"

ALL PUT TOGETHER,

AND THAT EMBLEM WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE.

SO IT SEEMED AS THOUGH BTK WAS

CLAIMING THAT HE HAD KILLED VICKI WEGERLE.

Narrator: IF IT'S TRUE, IT MEANS THE YOUNG MOTHER WAS

THE NOTORIOUS MURDERER'S EIGHTH VICTIM,

AND IT LIFTS THE BURDEN OF SUSPICION FROM HER HUSBAND.

AFTER ALMOST TWO DECADES -- THE DETECTIVES RUSH THE LETTER

TO THEIR SUPERVISOR, LIEUTENANT KEN LANDWEHR.

HE LOOKED AT THE PICTURES OF VICKI WEGERLE, HE LOOKED AT US

AND SAID, "GENTLEMEN, GO HOME,

"KISS YOUR FAMILIES, WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING FOR A LONG,

LONG TIME," AND BOY, WAS HE RIGHT.