Authorities in Oklahoma have named BTK Killer Dennis Rader as the prime suspect in a 1976 disappearance — and investigators have been receiving help from his daughter, Kerri Rawson.
Harper CollinsDennis Rader, the BTK Killer convicted of murdering 10 victims in Kansas between 1974 and 1991.
From the outside, Dennis Rader seemed like the perfect family man. He was an active member of the local church, a Boy Scout troop leader, and a friendly neighbor. In truth, however, Dennis Rader was the notorious BTK Killer, meaning “Bind, Torture, Kill.”
Rader operated in Kansas under this pseudonym for decades as he eluded investigators and even hid his secret from his own family. From his first murder in 1974 to his arrest in 2005, Rader’s horrific crimes destroyed the lives of dozens of people. But the horror didn’t end when Rader was placed behind bars.
In the nearly two decades since his killings came to an end, more of Dennis Rader’s atrocities have come to light. In 2023, he was named the prime suspect in the 1976 disappearance of an Oklahoma teen and the murder of a Missouri woman in 1990. Soon after, Rader’s own daughter came forward with claims that he sexually abused her as a toddler — and visited her father in jail for the first time to help investigators get to the bottom of these cold cases.
Who Is BTK Killer Dennis Rader And What Did He Do?
Public DomainDennis Rader in 2023 at 78 and in failing health.
Known as the BTK Killer, Dennis Rader is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. Active between 1974 and 1991 in and around Wichita, Kansas, Rader’s moniker “BTK” stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill,” which chillingly describes his method of murdering his victims. Rader was responsible for the deaths of at least 10 people, often targeting women and families. His crimes were marked by meticulous planning and a disturbing level of sadism.
What made Rader particularly infamous was his communication with the media and law enforcement. He sent taunting letters to newspapers and TV stations, describing his crimes in detail and challenging the police to catch him. He also frequently photographed his victims and himself, and kept mementos of his murders.
“Part of my M.O. was to find and keep the victim’s underwear,” Rader once explained in an interview. “Then in my fantasy, I would relive the day, or start a new fantasy.”
Bo Rader-Pool/Getty ImagesOne of the masks worn by Dennis Rader during his crime spree.
This cat and mouse game continued for years, with Dennis Rader managing to evade capture despite his desire for attention.
Meanwhile, Rader lived a double life, appearing as a regular, upstanding citizen, working as a compliance officer, and being an active member of his church. Even his wife, Paula Deitz, is believed to have known nothing about her husband’s horrific crimes.
Finally, his downfall came in 2005 when, in another act of taunting, he was caught after sending a floppy disk to the police, which they traced back to him. He was arrested, confessed to his crimes, and was sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.
Then, in August 2023, new information came to light that could implicate Dennis Rader in further crimes.
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Investigators Name Dennis Rader As The Prime Suspect In Two Cold Cases
Larry W. Smith/AFP/Getty ImagesDennis Rader after his arrest in 2005.
In August 2023, Oklahoma’s Osage County Sheriff’s Office announced that Dennis Rader was now the prime suspect in the June 1976 disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Kinney. Kinney had last been seen at a laundromat in Pawhuska where, right across the street, Dennis Rader might have been installing a security system at a bank.
Chillingly, around the same time, Rader wrote in one of his journals, “bad laundry day.” A 2004 word puzzle sent by Rader to a local television station in Kansas City could also have referred to Kinney’s disappearance.
Undersheriff Gary Upton told the Associated Press at the time that the investigation “spiraled out from there,” leading police to begin looking into other cold cases that could be linked to Rader.
This led investigators to the case of 22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber of McDonald County, Missouri. In 1990, Garber was found bound, raped, and strangled — seemingly fitting the M.O. of the BTK Killer. However, local authorities have since named another likely culprit.
Then, in early 2024, Dennis Rader’s own daughter, Kerri Rawson, came forward with allegations that her father had sexually assaulted her when she was a toddler in 1981.
The BTK Killer’s Daughter Claims He Sexually Abused Her As A Toddler
Kerri RawsonA teenage Kerri Rawson with her father, the BTK Killer Dennis Rader.
According to Kerri Rawson’s allegations, a journal entry of her father’s that reads “KERRI/BND/GAME 1981” suggests that, when she was a young child, her father sexually assaulted her. In this instance, the abbreviation “BND” stands for “bondage.”
“My stomach twisted into white hot lightning,” Rawson said. “There it was, after four decades, hard proof that you, my father, had sexually abused me when I was a toddler.”
The revelation made Rawson’s already complicated relationship with her father even more difficult, as if the knowledge that he was a serial killer wasn’t bad enough.
“Our family has moved, embracing a new start for all of us,” she said. “I still have ongoing battles with PTSD but am hopeful that I can continue to heal with time and peace.”
For some time after her father was arrested, Rawson avoided contact with him. That changed in 2012 when she began to write him letters, though she never visited him in person. As she explained it, she never felt like she was “corresponding with BTK.”
“I’m talking to my father,” she said. “I’m talking to the man that I lived with and loved for 26 years.”
Finally, in 2023, Rawson visited her father in prison for the first time after hearing about his possible link to the two cold case murders, as a way to assist investigators. While Dennis Rader has not been officially linked to either killing or found guilty, the cases do raise chilling questions about the full extent of the BTK Killer’s crimes.
After reading about these updates in the BTK Killer case, read about seven terrifying close calls with infamous serial killers. Then, read about 11 prolific serial killers most people have never heard of.
