Victims, Crimes, Suspects and Speculation

B.T.K.
Victims, Crimes, Suspects and Suspicions

***CRYPTIC NOTE!***

Victim/Crime Information

Victim:	Joseph Otero, male, age 38
Residence:	803 N. Edgemoor
Date & Time of Death:	Jan. 15, 1974, between 8:15 & 8:45 a.m.
Occupation:	Retired from Airforce on August 31, 1973
	At time of death, was a mechanic and Flight Engineer at
	Cook Air Field, Rose Hill
Items Stolen:	Watch
Sexual Assault:	No sign of penetration, killer may have masterbated in
	victims presence. Semen found near body
Location of body:	Victim found face down at foot of bed (This may not be true,
	as his children were the first to find him. It's possible that they
	may have moved him upon finding him, a natural reaction.)
Method of entry:	Unknown. No sign of forced entry.
Phone line cut?	Yes
Vehicle stolen?	Yes, car was seen leaving Otero residence with one person
	inside. It was found around 7:00 p.m. in a "Dillons" parking lot
	at Central & Oliver, less than a mile from the home. The keys
	were not recovered.
Drivers License?	No info on whether Mr. Otero's license was taken
Bags placed on victim:	No
Binding Material:	Venetian blinds cord and tape were brought to the scene by
	the killer. He was bound, but not gagged.
Cause of Death:	Strangulation by cord wrapped around neck.
	Son Charlie removed a belt around neck.
Other Info:	Possibility that Joseph Otero had a broken rib from a recent
	car accident. His son Charlie has stated that he recalls no
	such injury, only that his father was sore and had bitten his
	tongue.
	He had driven the three older children to school that morning
	at approximately 8 am.
	Some sources state he was born and raised in New York,
	Others state that he was born and raised in Puerto Rico.
	According to his son Charlie, in Oct. 2004, both Joseph &
	Julie were born in Puerto Rico, and were raised as neighbors
	New York.
	The Social Security Death Index notes only that his SS number
	was issued in NY.
	Otero entered the Airforce May 28, 1952, and had at one time
	been stationed in Wichita with the 384th Flying Wing. According
	to AFHSO Research, there was no such group: "There was no
	384 Flying Wing. The 384 Bombardment Wing Was activated
	on 1 Aug 1955 at Little Rock AFB, AK and discontinued , and
	inactivated on 1 September 1964. Redesignated 384 Air
	Refueling Wing, Heavy on 15 Nov 1972 and activated on 1 Dec
	1972 at McConnell AFB, KS."
	-Air Force Historian
	Joseph Otero's birthday as March, 18,
	1935. If this is correct, that would have made him just barely 17
	years old when he entered the service, which doesn't seem
	right to me. Either the birthday or date of entry is incorrect, or
	he managed to enter the Airforce at a younger age than he
	should have been able to, or there was some type of delayed
	enlistment, I don't know which.
	It is reported that there was a break in Otero's service in 1956.



Victim:	Julie Otero, age 34
Residence:	803 N. Edgemoor
Date & Time of Death:	Jan. 15, 1974, between 8:15 & 8:45 a.m.
Occupation:	At time of death, Julie Otero had been laid off as a short term
	assembler for Coleman Co., with recommendation for rehire.
	Layoff occurred 1/3/74
Items Stolen:	Unknown, purse was turned upside down.
Sexual Assault:	No sign of penetration, killer may have masterbated in
	victims presence. Semen found near body
Location of Body:	Bedroom, laying across bed
Method of Entry:	Unknown. No sign of forced entry.
Phone Line Cut?	Yes
Vehicle Stolen	Yes, car was seen leaving Otero residence with one person
	inside. It was found around 7:00 p.m. in a "Dillons" parking lot
	at Central & Oliver, less than a mile from the home. The keys
	were not recovered.
Drivers License?	No info on whether Mrs. Otero's license was taken
Bags placed on victim:	No
Binding Material:	Venetian blinds cord and tape were brought to the scene by
	the killer.
Cause of Death:	Strangulation by cord around neck.
Other Info:	Julie was struck, bound, and gagged. There were bruises on
	her cheeks.
	Reportedly her right cheekbone was broken, and her
	fingernails were torn and ragged.



Victim:	Josephine Otero, age 11
Residence:	803 N. Edgemoor
Date & Time of Death:	Jan. 15, 1974, between 8:15 & 8:45 a.m.
Occupation:	Student at Adams Elementary, 1002 N. Oliver
Items Stolen:	Unknown.
Sexual Assault:	No sign of penetration, killer may have masterbated in
	victims presence. Semen found near body
Location of Body:	Victim was found hanging by neck from a pipe in the base-
	ment, wearing a top and socks.
	Some sources say she was wearing a sweatshirt ,
	others say it was a sweater and that she was gagged.
Method of Entry:	Unknown. No sign of forced entry.
Phone Line Cut?	Yes
Vehicle Stolen	See Joseph & Julie Otero
Bags placed on victim:	No
Binding Material:	Venetian blinds cord and tape were brought to the scene by
	the killer.
Cause of Death:	Strangulation by cord around neck.



Victim:	Joseph Otero II, age 9
Residence:	803 N. Edgemoor
Date & Time of Death:	Jan. 15, 1974, between 8:15 & 8:45 a.m.
Occupation:	Student at Adams Elementary, 1002 N. Oliver
Items Stolen:	Unknown.
Sexual Assault:	No sign of penetration, killer may have masterbated in
	victims presence. Semen found near body
Location of Body:	Bedroom
Bags placed on victim:	3 bags were found on victims head, resembling a hood or
	hoods. WPD was not able to trace the bags to a manufac-
	turer anywhere in the world.



Otero Family:	The bodies of the four family members who were killed were
	flown to Puerto Rico for burial. Joseph Otero had been
	stationed in the Panama Canal Zone for 6 years, just prior to
	moving to Kansas.
	In February, Chief Floyd Hannon & Major William Cornwell
	flew to Puerto Rico to interview relatives. They returned after
	8 days, concluding that the murders may have been motivated
	by a dispute over money in Central America.
	The Otero dog was found fenced in the back yard when the
	other children returned home from school.
	The family had moved to Wichita 4 months earlier
	The other Otero children were Charlie (15), Danny (14), and
	Carmen (13)
	Julie was a brown belt in judo and the children took classes
	in judo in Panama
	Wirecutters, venetian blind cord, and tape were brought to
	the scene by their killer.
	John Douglas talked about how the killer cut through the phone
	lines, how he brought a gun and knife to the scene, how he got
	family members to tie each other up.
	Investigators said the knots used to bind the victims hands
	and feet appeared to be tied by an expert
	One source said that victims were bound using material found
	in the home. This was in comparison to a case in Oregon that
	was found to not be related to the Otero killings.
	Bernie Drowatzky and Detective Caldwell sat in the Otero
	house that night with a psychic, watching traffic and hoping that
	the killer would return.
	The rumor that a set of car keys belonging to the Oteros was
	recovered proved to be false. A set of keys was found in a car
	at Lincoln & Woodlawn by a Wichita youth. They did start the
	ignition, lock & unlock doors, and operated the tailgate of the
	Otero vehicle, but the keys turned out to belong to a friend of
	a friend of the youth, said friend also being the owner of a '66
	Vista Cruiser station wagon.



Victim:	Kathryn Bright
	sources report her age as 20 or 21
Residence:	3217 E. 13th St
Date, Time of Death:	April 4, 1974, shortly after 2:00 p.m.
	one source says shortly after 1:00 p.m.
Occupation:	Short term assembler for Coleman Co., same assembly line
	as Julie Otero as of March '74. Prior to that she worked
	elsewhere in the company.
The Attack:	Kathryn and her brother Kevin entered her apartment and were
	confronted by a man with a gun. He forced Kevin to tie Kathryn
	up, then forced him to another room. When he began to pull
	cord around Kevins neck, Kevin struggled. Kevin managed to
	grab the killers gun, and attempted to fire it twice into their
	attackers stomach. When the gun failed to fire, the killer took it
	back and shot Kevin twice in the face.
	Leaving Kevin for dead, the killer went back into the room with
	Kathryn. Kevin escaped and flagged down a car for help. One
	occupant of the car drove Kevin to the emergency room while
	the other called the police. Katheryn was pronounced dead
	around 7:00 p.m.
Items Stolen:	None known of
Sexual assault?	No sign of penetration.
Location of Body:	Miss Bright was found still tied to a chair and unconscious on
	her living room floor. She was partially undressed.
Method of Entry:	There was broken glass in a back window, and the killer
	hid in the back bedroom until the victims arrived.
Phone Line Cut?	No info
Vehicle stolen?	No, but the killer told them he was wanted in California and
	wanted their car. Possibility that car was left due to fact that
	Kevin escaped.
Drivers License?	No info.
Bags involved?	No
Binding Material:	Some type of cord or rope. I cannot seem to find a report of
	a specific type.
	Kevin was tied with a knotted up stocking
Cause of Death:	Victim was stabbed 3 times in the abdomen.
	Obvious signs of ligature activity.
	Kevin was shot with a .22 caliber pistol.

More Information:	At the time, media reports said that Kevin claimed their
	attacker was wearing a black stocking cap, orange shirt, and
	orange jacket.
	In an interview in 2004, Kevin remembers the jacket was not
	orange, but camouflage
	There were reports that a quantity of drugs was found in the
	home, but what drugs was never revealed.
	Kathryn Bright has never been officially publically claimed by
	BTK.
	It is believed that some knots used here were similar to those
	at the Otero murders.
	There are rumors that a "murder kit" was found in the back of
	a pick-up truck near the Bright home.



Victim:	Shirley Vian, age 26
Residence:	1311 S. Hydraulic
Date & Time of Death:	Mar. 17, 1977, between 11:45 and 1:00 pm
Occupation:	Mother of 2 boys, age 8 & 6, and 1 girl, age 4
Items Stolen:	Two money orders, totalling $40
Sexual Assault:	No sign of penetration. Semen found at scene
Location of Body:	Found nude, face down on bed
Method of Entry:	Ms. Vians children answered the door to a man with a gun and
	a small bag, which has been described as similar to a bowling
	bag or small suitcase. The opinion has also been offered that
	it may have been a doctors bag or duffel bag.
Phone Line Cut?	No
Vehicle Stolen?	No vehicle
Drivers License?	No info on whether Ms. Vian had one or if so, whether it was
	taken
Bags on Victim?	Yes. A single garment bag was found over the victims head
Binding Material:	Venetian blinds cord was brought to the scene by the killer.
	Her hands and feet were bound, with cord looped around her
	neck
Cause of Death:	Strangulation
Other Information:	Ms. Vians children were locked in a bathroom by the killer but
	left alive. He wedged one door closed, and tied a second
	door. In a later communication, the killer claimed that the
	children were spared by a ringing phone.
	The killer had approached one of her sons earlier in the day
	and asked the child if he knew someone in a picture.



Victim:	Nancy Fox, age 25
Residence:	843 S. Pershing
Date & Time of Death:	Dec. 8, 1977, shortly after 9:00 p.m.
Occupation:	Secretary for a construction co. Part time at Helzburgs
	Jewellers.
Items Stolen:	Purse contents were dumped on coffee table, evidence of
	burglary.
Sexual Assault?	Victim was found partially clothed, no sign of penetration.
	Semen found at scene.
Location of Body:	Found face down on bed
Method of Entry:	A rear window was smashed
Phone Line Cut?	Cut outside, plus phone was found off the hook
Vehicle Stolen?	No. Her car was found in her driveway the next morning.
Drivers License?	Stolen
Bags placed on victim:	No
Binding Material:	Her own nylon pantyhose were used
Cause of Death:	Strangulation with a stocking
Other Information:	On December 9th, at about 8:20 a.m., a phone call was
	placed through the operator to the police, reporting the
	murder of Nancy Fox. The caller is believed to be her killer.
	She had lived in her home for about 2 1/2 years, the other half
	of the duplex was empty.
	Her sweater was found neatly draped over a chair, indicating
	that she was unaware of an intruder immediately.



Intended Victim:	Anna Williams, age 63
Residence:	615 S. Pinecrest
Date and Time:	April 28, 1979, killer was present at house at some point
	between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Items Stolen:	Several articles of clothing, some jewelry, $35 in cash.
Method of Entry:	Basement window broken
Phone Line Cut?	Yes
Other Information:	Anna Williams was out at a dance that evening. When she
	returned home around 11:00 p.m. she found evidence of
	burglary and police were dispatched to her home.
	On June 15th, an 8 1/2" x 11" manilla envelope was delivered
	to her home by the postman. It contained a poem, a sketch,
	and clothing and jewelry that had been taken during the
	break-in.



Possible Near Victim:	"Sandy", age 20
	The only iformation on this can all be found at the
	referenced article.



Victim:	Vicky Wegerle, age 28
Residence:	2404 W. 13th
Date & Time of Death:	Sept. 16, 1986, sometime between 9:00 a.m. and noon
Occupation:	Homemaker
Items Stolen:	Drivers license.
Sexual Assault:	No sign of penetration. Unknown if there was semen at the
	scene
Location of Body:	Found on bedroom floor
Method of Entry:	Unknown, no sign of forced entry
Phone line cut?	No
Vehicle Stolen?	Yes, the car was seen pulling out of the driveway at about
	10:30 a.m. It was found about 2 blocks away at around
	12:10. p.m. in the 1300 block of N. Edwards.
Drivers License?	Stolen
Bags on victim?	No
Binding Material:	Unknown by public. Bound at ankles and wrists
Cause of Death:	Strangulation
Other Information:	Ms. Wegerle's 2-year-old son was present at the time of her
	murder.
	A friend saw her taking children to school at about 9:00 a.m.
	One neighbor heard an unusual amount of barking at
	approximately 10:15 a.m.
	She was a volunteer babysitter at two local churches, St.
	Andrew's Lutheran and Asbury United Methodist.
	A witness reported seeing a man in jeans and a t-shirt get
	out of the car where it was left.
	Her killer took photographs of her body, posed in different
	positions, and with her clothes arranged differently in each,
	at the crime scene.
	Husband hired a private detective.
	Murder was originally looked at as possibly BTK related.


Suspect Descriptions

Otero	A neighbor reported seeing a white male 5'10" - 6 feet tall, slender build with dark shaggy
	hair cut below his ears and a dark trench coat around 8:45 am. Dark complexion.

	Another neighbor reported seeing a man with a dark complexion and a rumpled hat
	leaving in the Otero's car at 10:35 am that day.

	A 20 year old man from Pierce, Arizona was brought to the attention of police by a desk
	clerk at a Y.M.C.A. in Kansas City. He was living in Michigan, and had traveled to Arizona
	to visit his parents. He was on his way back to Michigan when he was picked up. It took
	less than an hour to clear the man.

Bright	Newspaper accounts at the time relate Kevin Brights description of his sisters killer as
	follows: white male, about 25-years-old, 5'10" or 11", 180 lbs., moustache, with dark
	brown or black hair. Suspect was wearing an orange shirt, orange jacket (possibly a
	windbreaker) and a black stocking cap. In 2004, Kevin granted his first interview since
	the attack, and stated that he never said orange jacket, that it had a camoflage pattern
	instead.

Vian	It seems that due to the age of the children, 8, 6, & 4, and the fact that they had been
	through an extremely traumatic experience, little credence was given to their description.
	They stated that the man who came to the door was a white male, some reports say
	early 30's, some say late 30's or 40's. He was heavily built with a paunchy stomach, and
	was dark-haired. The children stated that he was carrying a small bag with him, possibly
	a bowling bag or small suitcase. The opinion has also been offered that this may have
	been a doctors bag or duffel bag.

Fox phone call	A firefighter at the scene of the phone call described the person using the phone as
	a white male about 6' tall with blonde hair dressed in a gray industrial type uniform,
	possibly wearing a hat with ear flaps. He said the man may have been driving a
	late model van with writing on the side, possibly advertising, with no windows on
	the sides.

Post Office at	A Post Office employee described the man who told her to "Put this in the KAKE box"
Central & Main,	and handed her a letter as white, about 30-years-old, and standing about 5'9". He was
June 1979	clean shaven, with his hair cropped short above his ears and a gap between his front
	teeth. He was wearing a blue jean jacket, jeans, and gloves.

Wegerle	A poster on a message board reported that someone had seen a man wearing jeans
	and a t-shirt get out of the Wegerle car at the location where it was abandoned.

*** IN DEPTH REPORT DETAILING DENNIS RADER'S LIFE***

***Additional Information***

NEW!!! THE CRYPTIC NOTE

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CrimeShots © cares about victims. Oftentimes, after a murder is committed, the killer is arrested and all the attention suddenly focuses solely on him/her. The victim is soon forgotten. Most of us know the names of many notorious killers, however, it is quite likely that we could name only a very few of their victims. To forget them is heartbreaking, especially for their families.

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and

--May They All Rest In Peace, FOREVER-

It's the action, not the fruit of the action,
that's important. You have to do the right thing.
It may not be in your power, may not be in your time,
that there'll be any fruit.
But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing.
You may never know what results come from your action.
But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
~Gandhi