BTK, Bind, Torture. Kill; How the Internet Gave Away the Identity of Dennis Rader

Dennis Rader: Biography, BTK Killer, Serial Killer

    

    It was March 22, 2004. This was like any normal day in the office for the Wichita Police Department. Until a chilling letter was sent to the homicide unit. In the letter, it had polaroids of a dead woman. Detectives recognized the victim as Vicki Wegerle. Vicki was a victim of a previous case that all the detectives knew and only meant one thing. BTK was back, and the police department was ready to catch him once and for all.
  The police then started to dig through his crimes all those years ago and find any bit of evidence to lead them in the right direction. The first case that is the Otero family, BTK broke into the house and gruesomely strangled each family member, including the two children. BTK was also responsible for the murders of several victims. At this time, the killer decided to send letters to the police and multiple media outlets, taunting them. In one of his letters, he wrote, "The code words for me will be bind them, torture them, kill them, BTK". With BTK surfacing, the police had decided they had to get him to send more letters. This time around, if BTK made a mistake, they were ready. With the development in technology for DNA and fingerprinting, a single mistake would give them the identity of the killer. One mistake was all the police needed.
    BTK wanted to have the citizens of Wichita to be put into a panic. The police department then decided to go public with the letter, trying to get BTK to send something else so they could get any fingerprints or DNA samples. The police went to new stations to talk about the case trying to appeal to BTK. This is similar to advertisements trying to get the audience to buy a certain product, or appealing to their character. The police tried to influence BTK to send another letter and he would six weeks later. The letter was sent to a media station and was immediately taken to the police department, but was unsuccessful in finding anything. In the letter there was a word search, BTK was trying to toy with the police. The police then opened a tip line, trying to find anymore evidence that might lead to the person behind the crimes. The big part of the case was that detectives in 1974 took great care of the evidence of the Otero home, and had a DNA profile of BTK. This was important when people were claiming that people they know might be a suspect. The police would simply swab the inside of the suspects mouth and able to know if they were BTK or not. Multiple weeks went by and police were not able to catch the killer, however, many letters and packages were found. One of which BTK described that he found another victim and was going to kill them soon. This was chilling to the police and they were not able to find any DNA evidence from the package. BTK later sent another letter describing how he found another victim and was planning. The police knew that they had to act before it was too late.
    BTK had been leaving multiple packages and letters for the police. BTK was trying to push the buttons of the police, and little evidence was being found. One box was then reported in the back of a truck of a Home Depot. In the box, it had a letter from BTK asking if he could send a floppy disc without being traced and that he was going to send one soon. At the same time the owner of the truck has able to pin point a date that the box was placed in his car. The police then looked through the footage and were able to see the car which was a Jeep Cherokee. The detectives then did what BTK requested and put an ad in the paper on where to send a floppy disc. Two weeks later the floppy was send to a media station and the police recovered it. They were able to trace the floppy to Christ Lutheran Church and was last edited by someone named Dennis. The police then looked up the church and there they found Dennis Rader. The police then realized they needed more evidence to able to make the arrest. Through the internet, they were able to find he had a daughter that was in college and were able to get a DNA sample from her. The evidence then came back and their was a match. They had found BTK once and for all. The terror he had cause was over. They were able to arrest him and was charged with ten counts of first-degree murder. One crucial parts of finding the identity of Dennis Rader was the internet. They were able to track Dennis through the floppy disc and able to look him up and were able to find his daughter through the college records. Dennis Rader's digital footprint was important to tracking him down. This just shows how the internet is important for police investigations and were able to catch BTK after thirty one years. It was finally over. 

References

Catching Killers. (2021, November 4). Netflix.com. https://www.netflix.com/watch/81291781?trackId=255824129&tctx=0%2C0%2C9f4ba5ec-6c6e-4748-901d-7b02e2c1b885-4035776%2C9f4ba5ec-6c6e-4748-901d-7b02e2c1b885-4035776%7C2%2Cunknown%2C%2C%2CtitlesResults%2C81264650%2CVideo%3A81291781%2CdetailsPageEpisodePlayButton

Digital Forensics and the BTK Killer: A Case Study in Solving Crimes - Blue Goat Cyber. (2024, February 18). Bluegoatcyber.com. https://bluegoatcyber.com/blog/digital-forensics-and-the-btk-killer-a-case-study-in-solving-crimes/

Police Might Have Identified Another Victim of Infamous BTK Killer Dennis Rader. (2023,

           September 5). Biography. https://www.biography.com/crime/dennis-rader#first-victims

‌

    












  















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Murder, Memory, and Misrepresentation: The Controversial Impact of 'In Cold Blood'

Image
         It was like any morning in the small town of Holcomb. A nice quiet small town in Kanas. Susan Kidwell and Nancy Ewalt walked to the house of Nancy Clutter. They knocked on the door of the Clutter home, but there was no response. Little did they know they would walk into the tragedy that would effect the whole town of Holcomb. It would cause reporters flooding to the small town, crafting headlines about 'The Clutter Family Murders' and 'Family of Four Tragically Murdered'. But one author would make the story of the Clutters heard across the nation. One book that would be read by millions and would help start the genre of true crime.       Before we get into the book, we need to dive into the facts of the case. On the night of November 14, 1959, the Clutter home was broken into. The intruders entered through an unlocked door and woke the Clutter family. The intruders put Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon Clutter into the upstairs bathroom and ...
Read more

The Menendez Brothers: Unpacking the Real Story Behind Netflix's Gripping Series

Image
           The Menendez Brothers. A case that has been riveting in media and has many renditions of books, movies, and TV shows for years. Not just of the brutal murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez, but the alleged abuse of the brothers. Many opinions about the case have been shared over the last 34 years since they were arrested. Some say they were driven by greed and money to kill their parents. While some say the murders were self-defense from years of verbal and sexual abuse. Now, many have relooked at the case with Netflix show, Monsters: The Menendez Brothers. Now a new generation is shedding light on the case and the same question is being asked. Are the Menendez brothers cold blooded killers that were driven by greed and money or did they act in self-defense after years of abuse?       Now, let's get into the story of the crime and the history of the Menendez family. Jose was originally from Havana, Cuba, but moved to the United S...
Read more