BTK Strangler

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BTK STRANGLER

by Brandon Peace

The Crimes and the Victims

January 15, 1974 ...

It was a chilly morning, Joseph drove Charlie, the oldest of his children and two of his other children, Danny and Carmen to their schools. Two other Otero children had stayed home sick that day. When the three children arrived home at 803 N. Edgemoor, and went into the house, it was unusually quiet and Charlie called out for his family members. He walked into his parents room and saw his dad tied up and strangled on the bedroom floor. His Mom was tied up and strangled on the bed. Charlie ran out as fast as he could to get help.

When police arrived at the house, they found Charlie's 9-year old brother strangled in his bedroom, a plastic bag was around his head. His little 11-year-old sister Josephine was found hanging from a pipe in the basement. She was partially clothed. Mrs. Otero had a broken cheekbone, obviously from trying to defend her children. All four were tied at the ankles and wrists by cords that came from Venetian blinds. They had been tortured, slowly then strangled to death. The only thing missing was the dad's watch.

The assailant had cut the phone line and entered the home carrying his own rope, tape, and wire cutters. Only one fingerprint unaccounted for was found on the back of a chair that may have been moved by the killer.

A neighbor reported a six feet tall white male with dark shaggy hair about 8:45 a.m. Yet another neighbor reported seeing a man with a dark complexion and hat leaving the house in the Otero's car,1966 beige Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon, at about 10:30 that morning. It was found later that evening in the parking lot of the Dillon's at Central and Oliver in a parking lot.

The authorities came up with nothing and had no idea that it was to be the first of a string of murders which would puzzle them for decades to come.

April 4, 1974 ...

A 21-year-old woman named Kathryn Bright who resided at 3217 E. 13th St. was found tied up in her home. The killer had stabbed her three times in the stomach. She was still alive when police arrived but died five hours later, without revealing any clue as to the identity of her assailant.

She had marks suggesting she had been strangled, but the item used to strangle her was removed. Her brother, Kevin Bright, was also shot two times after being asked by the killer "Haven't I seen you at the University?" ... Fortunately, Kevin escaped and went for help.

Kevin described the killer as a 25 year old white male. He was wearing a black stocking cap, orange shirt and orange jacket. According to a police report by Kevin Bright, the intruder told them that he would not hurt them and that he only needed money and their car to get to New York. He told them that he was wanted by police in California. He then forced Kevin to tie up his sister to a chair, then he took Kevin to another room where he was tied and gagged. The man left the room and rummaged through the house then returned to where he had left Kevin and began strangling him with a rope. The man then shot Kevin in the forehead. The killer then returned to the living room, where Kathryn was. He came back after some time and began strangling Kevin for a second time. The man shot him again in the face just above the mouth. Kevin pretended to be dead and when the stranger went back to where his sister was he escaped through a side door and flagged down a passing motorist and contacted authorities

In the beginning, there was nothing to link this murder to the Otero murders. There were people that attested to the crimes and the police even arrested some, but later found they were not the one's responsible.

March 17, 1977 ...

A 26 year old Mom of three children, named Shirley Vian was feeling ill that morning and her two oldest children had stayed home from school. According to her children's later testimony, a man came to their front door located at 1311 S. Hydraulic with a gun in one hand a bag of sorts in the other. He forced his way in with the gun and told them that he was not going to hurt them. He locked the children up unharmed in the bathroom. By the time the children were able to get the bathroom door open, the man had left. Their Mom was face down on her bed, with a plastic bag over her head, a cord around her neck, nude and her hands and feet were tied. The children described the assailant as a thirty to forty year old, dark haired man with a pot belly.

The killer had stopped one of the children earlier that morning, on the street, to ask for directions.

It is strange that both the Otero's and the Vian's household had illnesses. Although it was obvious from the M.O. that it seemed to be the work of BTK there were no anonymous calls or letters from BTK this time.

December 8, 1977 ...

Nancy Fox, a 25 year old woman, was killed. A man called the police from a pay phone and reported a murder at 843 South Pershing. It was a duplex, and the other unit was vacant. When the authorities arrived at the address, they found a broken window and the body of Nancy Fox. She was tied up and strangled with a nylon stocking. The phone had been taken off the hook and the lines had been cut on the outside of the house. Detectives said the contents of her purse had been dumped on a coffee table.

The murder had occurred at night, semen was found at the scene, but an autopsy later revealed that Nancy Fox had not been sexually assaulted.

A witness later told police that he had seen the caller. According to police, the witness said the caller was a white male, about 6 feet tall and had blondish hair. Police said the witness told police the caller was wearing a "blue-gray industrial-type uniform or outfit and possibly a hat which had earflaps." Police said the caller apparently was driving a "late-model van, probably not over two or three years old, which may have had some type of writing, possibly advertising, on the side of it." He said the van did not have windows.

The police did have BTK's voice on audio tape now because of his 911 call but the killer's voice was distorted and no recognition was made. The police said they were reasonably certain that the man who called to report the homicide was the same man who killed Fox ... "He knew too many things about her."

April 27, 1985 ...

Marine Hedge, a 53 year old woman was abducted from her home in Park City Kansas. She was strangled and her body was found 8 days later, dumped on a rural road. BTK left clues near the scene of the crimes in 2005 to reveal that he was responsible for her death.

September 16, 1986 ...

Vicki Wegerle who was 28 years old and lived at 2404 West 13th St. had taken her 10 year old daughter to School at about nine that morning and returned home with her 2 year old baby. When her husband came home for lunch around noon, he found his wife on the bedroom floor. She was tied at the ankles and wrists and had been strangled. However, she had not been raped. A neighbor reported hearing barking from their dogs at around ten o'clock that morning and another neighbor saw the family car, a 1978 gold Monte Carlo, pull out of the driveway at around ten thirty that morning. The car was found a couple blocks away. The only thing missing was the victim's driver's license. The authorities considered BTK as a suspect, but there was no way to know ... YET.

January 19, 1991 ...

Deloris Davis was abducted from her home which was one half mile east of Park City Kansas. She was strangled and her body was found 13 days later, dumped under the bridge of an unpaved road. BTK left clues in 2005 to reveal that he was responsible for her death.

There could be more ...

The information on this website was gathered from many sources including:

The Wichita Eagle

KAKE TV 10

KWCH12

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