The Worst Serial Killers (Part 1) | TRIPLE EPISODE | The FBI Files

the sunshine and beaches of South Florida attract many types of people aspiring young models gravitate here with the hopes of being discovered beginning in February 1984 the dreams of stardom darkened into nightmares when several young women disappeared it was the beginning of a string of brutal and terrifying murders that spread out across the country [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] we it's a model's job to rivet The public's attention but in 1984 some aspiring models began attracting publicity in a terrible new way across the country dreams of Glamour turned nightmarish as young women disappeared only to be found tortured and killed I'm Jim cstom former head of the FBI's New York office when a suspect emerged the FBI's 10 most wanted list became the tool we used to try to flush him out the promising life of Beth Kenyan came to a violent end on March 5th [Music] 1984 the attractive 23-year-old dreamed of becoming a model she had even been a finalist in the Miss Florida pageant but all her hopes were cut short this Monday afternoon the next day Beth's parents reported her disappearance to the Miami police the police merely listed Beth as a missing person and explained many girls her age drop out of sight for various reasons without telling their parents but the kenyons knew their daughter wasn't the type to just vanish after a few days on a lark they hired private detective Ken Whitaker and his son Ken Jr to investigate she SP missing the kenion told the Whitakers that Beth worked as a teacher of emotionally disturbed children has a regular routine that she comes home she was responsible and enjoyed a close relationship with her family strange there this is as you can see where she had a 6:00 appointment that fearing something happened to Beth the Kenyans had searched their daughter's apartment in North Dade County for anything that might help them find her but all they found was in address book and a picture album picture Beth and this is Beth over here and this is a a boyfriend somebody she went out just showing a picture armed with little more than a few snapshots of Beth and her friends the investigators went to work the Father and Son team quickly narrowed down Beth kenyon's last known whereabouts Ken Whitaker Jr talked to an attendant at the Miami gas station near the school where Beth taught Ken showed the attendance several photographs looking for this Co been a couple days he clearly remembered Beth but he also recognized someone else in the photos a man that accompanied Beth the afternoon she disappeared come his name was Christopher white okay all right on March 11th 6 days after Beth's disappearance the investigators contacted Wilder by phone he denied knowing where Beth was but invited the Whitakers to his house to speak more about her but when Wilder didn't answer his door the suspicious investigators decided to look around they had learned he was a successful building contractor and a self-proclaimed fashion photographer the Kenyans had told the Father and Son team that Wilder had proposed to their daughter but that she had turned him down leaving him upset and angry rifling through the garbage the Whitakers found a photograph Chris Wilder on the surface it appeared an innocent picture but to trained eyes it meant [Music] more the investigators soon learned that Christopher Wilder had driven a car in the Miami Grand Prix on February 26th 1984 he finished 17th and won $400 that race day was also the last time that anyone saw Rosario Gonzalez the 20-year-old worked for a marketing firm Distributing free aspirin samples at the Grand Prix the Miami News still buzzed with the mysterious disappearance of Gonzalez she had vanished just 5 days before Beth Kenyon the investigators discovered that Wilder knew gonzal she had modeled for him an amateur photo shoots it was a critical connection the two missing women Beth Kenyan and Rosario Gonzalez were linked through Christopher Wilder take a with this information Mr and Mrs Kenyan sought the help of the FBI special agent John hanin of the FBI's violent crimes unit in Miami remembers the meeting on the 12th of March the Kenyans came to the FBI uh seeking more active involvement of the FBI of course we didn't have any jurisdiction at the time there was no evidence of an abduction in an attempt to put pressure on Wilder the kenyon's private investigators leaked their findings to the Miami Herald the story was published on March 16th 1984 though the article did not mention Christopher Wilder's name it clearly accused him the report described the man connecting Gonzalez and Kenyan as a local contractor race car driver Amer photographer and a native Australian it was Wilder to a te although the FBI had no jurisdiction supervisory special agent Gordon mcneel had already begun looking into the matter this connection uh Drew my interest and uh I decided to uh open a preliminary kidnapping investigation to see if we had a possible violation of federal law agents mcneel and handland found Wilder was a likely suspect he had a criminal history that reached back to his native Australia where he was out on bail on a sexual assault charge days later on March 21st the agents were notified about an incident which allowed them to open a full investigation a phone call came into the Miami FBI office reporting that a Tallahassee Florida woman had been abducted and transported across state lines into Georgia where she escaped the initial description of her asant fit Christopher Wilder are you okay special agent hanin flew to Georgia to hear the victim's story it was a nightmare oh sorry no 19-year-old Linda grober told hanin she'd been shopping in a mall in Tallahassee Florida when a man approached her about a modeling job magazine C I got any number and really sound like claiming to be a photographer The Stranger invited her back to his car to see his portfolio it was the middle of the afternoon in a very public place and Linda said she felt perfectly safe never Prett when he asked her if she'd ever modeled she said no he flattered her with remarks about how beautiful she was and promised he could put her on the cover of vog but Linda reported that when they got to his car the photographer began changing his story he claimed he'd left his portfolio at his studio and he asked Linda to go back to the studio with him when she hesitated the man attacked and pushed her into the car he clubbed her on the back of her head everything just went black when she regained Consciousness they were driving on a country road when her abductors saw her coming around he stopped the car in a secluded [Music] spot he dragged Linda from the car telling her that if she tried to escape he would kill her he wrapped his fingers around her throat and strangled her until she passed out the next time she woke up she was wrapped in a sleeping bag lying on a bed in a cheap motel room once again he threatened to kill her if she tried to escape don't move he tied her to the bed and super glued her eyes shut for the next several hours the kidnapper repeatedly raped beat and tortured Linda grober when she disobeyed his commands he shocked her with an extension cord he had fashioned into an electrocution device and the abuse was so severe Linda realized she would be dead before someone found her and then we drove did you recognize anything when out of the car she managed to break free and locked herself in the bathroom somebody help help she pounded on the walls and screamed for help help stop it stop it stop it hey stop now stop it stop it I'm telling you the rapist panicked grabbed what he could and ran agent handland showed grober a series of photos and asked if she could identify her as salent it was absolutely no doubt in my mind I mean i' spent hours with this person that that's who he was and I just identified him as clearly Christopher Wilder now 35 a PhD candidate and a single mom Linda grob's Fierce determination saved her life it also made her a strong witness ready to risk everything for her abusers arrest I was in the hospital for a week or something like that and then I was I had to basically leave the country while he was still a fugitive because they were concerned about my safety they're concerned about my family safety as heinous as grob's ordeal was it had the value of catapulting the investigation into a federal case because she had been abducted across a state line the FBI now had full jurisdiction Christopher Wilder was now wanted for the kidnapping and rape of Linda Grover and he remained the prime suspect in The Disappearance of Rosario Gonzalez and Beth Ken uh obviously now we had uh Federal violation and we had every reason to put all the resources of the FBI into this case not knowing exactly where to find Wilder a team of Agents descended upon his house in full force kicking in the door they poured in ready to arrest the [Music] suspect clear clear but they found an empty house clear everything clear all clear all clear Wilder had long abandoned it all clear he was on the Run days ahead of the federal agents and every minute he remained free put another woman in Jeopardy search the house the desperate Chase had begun March 1984 FBI agents conducted a meticulous search of the abandoned home belonging to Christopher Wilder two women were missing and presumed dead at his hands a third had barely escaped with her life after her kidnapping and rape the agents needed something to clue them into to their suspect's present whereabouts he like to decorate went his M but before he left Wilder had prepared his home for any investigator the place had been manicured there were basically no fingerprints left in Wilder's house you're always going to find fingerprints inside a residence look like everything had been totally cleaned you know FBI and local authorities canvased Miami and West Palm Beach but no one reported having seen or heard from Wilder since he left Linda grober in a Georgia Motel the FBI alerted police to keep an eye out for Wilder's car they asked Banks and credit card companies to monitor any transactions he might make but informational systems in 1984 moved slowly the leads trickled in and were usually too late for a quick [Music] response on March 21st 1984 a sharpy utility repairman in Central Florida noticed something unusual in a shallow Creek it was the barely recognizable body of a young woman she was later identified as 21-year-old Teresa Fergus Fon Witnesses last saw her 3 days earlier leaving a shopping mall with a man fitting Wilder description the autopsy showed she'd been beaten with a tire iron and strangled to death the victim's profile and the savagery of the crime suggested Wilder but nothing directly tied him to it if it was the Australian contractor the FBI agents knew they had a serial killer on the loose one that had to be stopped before he murdered again agents continued to follow the suspect's trail an automatic security camera photographed Wilder at a bank in Tampa the bank records showed that he had emptied his accounts of more than 19,00 000 it was an ominous break their prey now had the money to travel far and wide by March 22nd 1984 Wilder was already in [Music] Texas Witnesses saw him approach 23-year-old Terry Walden in the parking lot of Lamar University in Bowmont Texas Walden was a wife mother of Two and a nursing student yes I a photographer Wilder asked her if she'd like to do some modeling make a lot of extra money you sure you don't want to keep it C and think about it but Wilder couldn't seduce Walden with his pitch she politely [Music] declined she had no way of knowing that she would soon see him [Music] again while the FBI began its National hunt Witnesses later told investigators that Wilder had stayed in Bowmont Texas another day this time he went back to familiar territory to stalk his next victim they have this one is from $799 or9 he visited the local mall shopping for a young woman to deceive with dreams of Glamour taking some fashion photography no no listen you're not too fun I'm Legit it's okay but no one succumbed to his bogus promises no sorry that's fine that's fine after getting brushed off several times he spotted a familiar face it was Terry Walden hey hi she had come to run errands after dropping her four-year-old daughter off at daycare interested now will you take the card and just consider Terry again turned Wilder down no I'm sure you could but this time he wouldn't take no for an answer as she left them all Wilder followed her out to her car in broad daylight in the middle of a crowded mall parking lot Wilder attacked wal he knocked her unconscious and pushed her into her Mercury Cougar [Music] he grabbed his bags and drove off in the victim's car Walden's husband reported her missing later that afternoon when she failed to pick up her daughter at daycare but by then it was too late Terry Walden's body was found floating in a canal near Bowmont Texas a few days later the police recovered Wilder's Chrysler a few miles away F and some a couple pictures of this take an FBI forensic search of the car uncovered hair and fibers matching Teresa Fergus the young woman discovered by the repairman 5 days before it confirmed what the agents had suspected all along Teresa Ferguson had been Wilder's fourth known victim on the FL mcneel and hamon estimated that the Killer was still at least 2 days ahead of them out of the Miami office they broadcast a national all points bulletin for Terry Walden's stolen car uh every state police agency along the way every state trooper who was out on that Highway knew the car were you're looking for and unfortunately uh it's amazing sometimes you say okay well he's in a purple car we say how many purple cars are out there what's amazing how many purple cars are out there when you're looking for purple cars and that was the problem we never knew at the time what license plate he was using on that particular vehicle FBI teletypes clattered endlessly every field office in the country received page after page describing Wilder's physical appearance his victim profiles where he had last been identified and where he was thought to be heading the technology of 1984 however could not keep up with the pace of his flight there were so many leads on Wilder going back and forth all over the country every one of them went to all FBI offices for information that the FBI teletype system was backed up over 48 hours for about two weeks because of the volume of information that was flowing back and forth on Wilder that left the bureau with only one certain way to track Wilder they had to follow the grizzly trail of corpses he discarded as he [Music] ran the next victim was 21-year-old Suzanne Logan she was last seen shopping at a mall near Oklahoma City a fisherman stumbled upon her body two days after she [Music] disappeared the location of her disappearance and the manner in which she died all suggested one thing she had died at the hands of Christopher Wilder in this particular case we had an individual who was kidnapping raping torturing and murdering a woman about every day and a half so uh uh there was intense pressure as there should be slow technology and a fast fugitive hampered the FBI but on March 28 they got the break they had hoped for Wilder checked into a motel in Rifle Colorado using a stolen Visa card the FBI knew he had the card and was using it but they had not been able to trace it until rifle in those days 1984 they didn't have the uh instant validation of your credit card when you walk into a hotel they only called in uh bills that were going to exceed $100 uh every motel that Wilder stayed along his murderous route the charges were in the vicinity of $50 to $60 perhaps from sheer Boron the motel clerk decided to call in the credit card that night instead of waiting to mail it the next day instead of approval the clerk received a phone number to call immediately an early morning call mobilized the FBI's Denver Colorado field office there at last the FBI knew where the fugitive was in the early hours of the morning of March 29th four agents approached Wilder's motel room confident that they had finally cornered the Killer okay SE War go he wasn't there as swiftly as the FBI had responded Wilder had eluded them for some unknown reason the fugitive had departed Before Sunrise he's not in the hotel it had been the best lead the agency had and it failed once again the exasperated task force had no idea of where the Predator was yet they feared it was one of the dozens of shopping malls within a day's Drive of Rifle Colorado March 29th 1984 in just 3 weeks the Australian contractor Christopher Wilder had abducted Four Women and murdered three of them FBI agents noticed a pattern developing in the Campa pain of violence the killer kept his Direction Westward and he had narrowed his hunting grounds to shopping [Music] malls 18-year-old Cheryl bonaventura was last seen at the Mesa shopping mall in Grand Junction Colorado the FBI would later connect Wilder to her death you had a man that you knew was on the prow you had a man who you knew as each day goes by that that some poor soul in deathly fear of her life was dying in an extremely uh uh danger extremely painful way to get the word out the FBI cast a wide net across the country agents notified security officers and Mall managers about the danger telling them to be on the lookout for the Australian investigators supplied malls with photos and flyers that were posted to alert Shoppers despite the FBI warnings a teen magazine held a Covergirl competition at the Meadows Mall in Las [Music] Vegas Wilder showed up armed with his camera he chatted with several of the teams during the event but eventually zeroed in on Michelle corfman the 17-year-old had driven up the 25 miles from her family's Boulder City Nevada home nervous about participating in her first model search she had asked her friends and family to let her go alone after a few minutes conversation with wilder Corman changed her clothes and left them all yeah sure I do it was April 1st as soon as Vegas authorities alerted the FBI that a local girl had disappeared at a mall agents responded they asked for all pictures that anyone had taken of the fashion show one photographer immediately delivered five roles of film and when they printed those photographs there was the corfman girl on stage in a modeling type pose and who's directly Beyond her about 20 ft away looking at her with what I call the look of a homicidal maniac none other than Christopher [Music] Wilder like the others young Michelle corfman suffered at the hands of Wilder [Music] he bound and gagged her with duct tape then he beat raped and tortured her and you will see incisions in the body uh they may only be an inch to an inch and a half long and they're not deep they're done just enough to make it bleed they were only meant to torture not to kill until he finally actually killed the victims he was a brutal sexual sadist Sho and other on April 5th 4 days after the Michelle corfman disappearance the FBI held a press conference they announced the placement of Christopher Wilder on its famed 10 most wanted fugitives list for 50 years the list has helped generate the publicity needed to catch violent fugitives hey special agent Brey serves as National spokesman for the FBI thank you the criteria for the top 10 was met with wilder he was a menac to society he was extremely dangerous a violent individual on whom charges were outstanding and he had fled the area where we thought that he might be therefore it was very important for us to get the message out to the American public and to the media that uh he could could be anywhere in the United States but Wilder's addition to the 10 most wanted fugitives list came a day too late for Tina Marie riko in Lita California on the day before the press conference the 16-year-old visited the Del Amo Fashion Center mall to apply for a summer job what a beautiful face she the high school student wanted the work to save for a few pictures she met Christopher Wilder when he said that she was perfect for a modeling gig he had to shoot and uh actually you're so perfect that I could give you $100 right here he gave her $100 cash and promised much more to come if you're right and I know you are I can tell you are you have a few minutes to just go out and close take pictures to myself this girl iszy Wilder drove Tina Marie to a nearby [Applause] park at first everything progressed as if it were a legitimate job he said the scenic location had perfect light for the camera this canopy right here I think is really lovely right as the shoot began an eager Tina Marie worked to please her photographer yeah when Wilder told her to smile she did when he told her to tilt her head she did and then it all turned wrong now going to car all right he pointed a 357 Magnum at her face and told her to get in the car quickly quickly the terrified teen had no choice but to obey [Music] Wilder brought Tina Marie raso to a motel in San Diego there like all the others he beat his teenage victim tied her to the bed and raped her repeatedly Wilder cut her with his knife and electrocuted her using wires he would tie to different parts of her body the brutality perplexed agent hlin you say to yourself why would anybody want to do that to anybody to scare them so bad to brutalize them so bad to torture them with an electrical cord and then kill them like a a a piece of trash and that person knows they're going to be killed I mean up until some point the great realization comes over that individual I'm not going to survive this my life's over and these are young women he identifies himself as a professional photographer commenting on a young woman's appearance and attempts to persuade her to accompany him from the area just as Tina's life was about to end a special News Bulletin captured Wilder's attention dangerous this approach may lead to his apprehension Christopher Bernard Wilder has been placed on the FBI's 10 most wanted list as you know we it was the FBI press conference Wilder watched in horror as his picture was plasted on television sets Across the Nation the federal agents proclaimed him the most Wanted fugitive in America they held him responsible for the disappearances of six young women shopp C they didn't know about the seventh victim in the hotel room with him want to get the information out as quickly as possible we got to move come on Wilder panicked he grabbed Tina Marie and hit the road come on we got to [Music] move but now that he was top on the 10 most wanted fugitives list Wilder landed on the front page of every newspaper and on the top of every newscast in the country it's the front page headline in every newspaper in America every news show every radio show is talking about Christopher Wilder and showing his picture and saying his name Christopher Wilder the FBI hoped that by Plastering Wilder's face across TV screens and newspapers someone somewhere would spot him it was the best chance agents had to stop Wilder before he destroyed another life in the spring of 1984 the FBI conducted the largest Manhunt in history for the rapist and murderer Christopher Wilder they knew of at least six victims they suspected there were many more Wilder had squeezed through the FBI net in Nevada as he headed back East with him was a 16-year-old hostage named Tina Marie riko on April 10th 1984 outside a shopping mall in Gary Indiana Christopher Wilder told rcio that he would let her go on one condition she had to help him catch his next victim for 6 days the Adolescent had been raped beaten and terrorized she was ready to do whatever he asked Wilder noticed darnette Wilk ducking into several shops he figured she was job hunting in the mall rcio told Donette that Wilder was a store manager and wanted her to fill out a job application at his [Music] car when they reached his car Wilder drew his pistol and forced donet to get in sweetheart why don't you just come with us go around go around he sped off with the two girls Witnesses saw them leave a young woman uh very attractive as were all of Wilder's victims uh had been taken from a um was seen leaving with an individual who they belied to be Christ Wilder from a mall in the Indianapolis area and so when that information came to us we felt that okay now we know he's headed back East the bureau directed every agent east of the Mississippi to work on the case despite his promise Wilder refused to release Tina Marie instead he forced rouso to watch while he tortured and raped Donette in front of her the nightmare continued for 2 days not done deake up on the morning of April 12th 1984 Tina Marie heard a familiar voice on the morning any kind of energy and just put Tina come home alive safely you know we're all rooting for you the word that we've got on National Television Tina Marie's mother begged the kidnapper not to hurt her daughter is your daughter and that there is every indication that your daughter is still alive and Wilder flew into another panic he packed up his host get dressed get a dressed and you get dressed now Wilder complained that it was only a matter of time before the FBI caught up with him he stopped the car in a wooded area near penan New York he ordered rcio not to move Donette was drugged with sleeping pills yet he forced her to March into the forest left alone Tina Marie pondered the opportunity to escape but the horror of the last N9 days had broken her mentally she stayed put what are you doing this come on come on walking through the woods donet wilon slowly woke up to the realization that Wilder was is going to kill her sit up sit up sit up she didn't want to die by stabbing she begged him to shoot her instead ignoring her please Wilder stabbed her through the chest twice and left her for dead all right here we go as he began to drive away the fear that Don Ed Wilt might still be alive seized him he returned to the scene to properly dispose of Donette you stay here you stay here you here when he got there he could scarcely believe what he saw she was gone incredibly Donette wil had survived stabbed twice bleeding profusely drugged and beaten she had managed to pull herself up and escape to a road where a passing motorist rescued her like to take a St from thanks to wilt's testimony the FBI now pinned Wilder in the Northeast still driving the Mercury Cougar he had stolen from Terry Walden but for how long after he went back and found out that she was no longer there uh he realized obviously that he had to do something uh with this vehicle he needed a new vehicle and uh he got into Western New York State once again he headed for the nearest mall this time in vict to New York where he spotted a gold Pontiac Firebird he told REO she would take the wheel of the cougar and follow him wherever he went he carjacked 33-year-old Beth Dodge at gunpoint Wilder forced her into the back seat of her Firebird he emotionally sh shattered Tina Marie did as she was ordered Wilder drove for a half an hour to a secluded area come on come on get out of come on just get out just get out just get out listen I want you to get the white suitcase and I want you to get the camera I should put it in this car and wait from me you understand he forced Beth Dodge into the woods moments later Tina Marie heard Two Shots Echo out from the trees there had been no rape no torture this time Wilder had simply killed Dodge for her car but he had a different fate in mind for Tina Marie in all the hell he had put her through Wilder had bonded with Tina Marie he told her he didn't want her to be around when the end came he drove Tina Marie rouso to the airport in Boston and gave her money for a ticket home to Los Angeles her ordeal was finally over once safely home Tina Marie would fill in details for agents about Wilder's murderous [Music] Rampage Wilder was now alone and the Agents didn't want to wait till another victim disappeared to clue them into his whereabouts during the search for Wilder we knew that uh that he had friends uh in Canada and had visited Canada extensively so uh we felt there was a good chance that he was heading directly east and then North into Canada Wilder raced toward the Border in Beth Dodges Firebird for 3 weeks he had beaten the FBI's best efforts even the 10 most wanted fugitives list had failed to produce his capture agents mcneel and hanman desperately wanted to stop the killer before he struck again in or fled their jurisdiction by April 1984 Christopher Wilder had left seven women dead Across America three more were presumed dead three others had survived with rapes and beatings the FBI believed that he was in New England heading north federal agents concentrated their resources in the northeastern states before he could Escape across the Canadian border I mean the FBI had agents out circularizing in the wanted poster out and that kind of thing but the best thing you have gone for you are the hundreds of police officers up in that area who are a lot many more eyes and ears than FBI agents available in in New England on Friday April 13th 1984 Wilder stopped for gas in the Tiny Town of coldbrook NE Hampshire about a dozen miles from the Canadian border while he filled the tank he casually asked an attendant about the paperwork that might be needed to cross the border two state troopers Wayne forier and Leo Jellison spotted Beth Dodge's car they like almost every Police Department in the country had been told to be on the lookout for the firebird and for a man of Wilder's description jealous and asked Wilder if he could speak Wilder leaped into the firebird and grabbed his 357 mag in the struggle the weapon went off officer jalis was shot in the chest he would live but Christopher Wilder would not the bullet that wounded officer jalis first passed through Wilder it pierced his heart killing him instantly Wilder's cross-country reign of terror ended with a tenth death his own authorities ultimately recovered the mutilated bodies of Cheryl bonaventura and Michelle corfman in the months afterwards but the two missing women that started the investigation rosar iio Gonzalez and Beth Kenyan were never [Music] found Mr and Mrs Kenyan went to their graves without knowing the fate of their daughter come here other victims and their loved ones have struggled to restore their shattered lives are you my friend Linda grober has also learned a chilling lesson I think an important point to make is that these people are not always demons and they're not they don't always have tattoos they don't always have long hair they're often extremely eloquent and they're they're disguised and they can fit easily into your father's living room after dinner sipping a a wine or a brandy the terrifying truth is that Christopher Wilder was not unique he made the most wanted fugitives list but there are dozens of killers like him each year that never reach national attention attention they troll our shopping centers our schools and our churches searching for victims vivid dreams of easy Fame and Fortune can quickly darken only through public awareness tireless vigilance and the resourcefulness of the FBI can we hope to keep these Predators at [Music] Bay the dense and rugged Alaskan wilderness provid ided the perfect cover for a Fierce and sadistic [Music] killer he prayed on women kidnapping them raping them torturing them he hunted them like animals for his own Twisted [Music] pleasure [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] in the 1970s and ' 80s people went to Alaska looking for a fresh start to reinvent elv or to disappear for a while some of those disappearances weren't by choice I'm Jim cstom former head of the FBI's New York office a Serial Killer's Rampage was exposed when the bodies of young women began turning up in Shallow Graves that dotted the Alaskan Wilderness the killer was at home in the rugged terrain but the hunt for him began 3,000 Mi away where FBI profil has mapped the criminal's mind she was a hopeful young model looking for her break she accepted a job with a man who claimed to be a photographer but turned out to be a merciless [Music] killer she wasn't his first [Music] victim or his [Music] last from the 70s through the mid 80s the Wilderness of Alaska became a popular destination as people flowed North to construct the Alaskan Pipeline the population boomed on August 13th 1982 two off-duty Anchorage police officers were hunting moose near the kenck river in A wilderness about 20 mi from Anchorage not really Holding Out for us either yeah as they make made their way through the dense forest they happened upon partially buried human remains they left it undisturbed the next day crime scene technicians from the Alaska State Troopers arrived at the scene crimes out here fell under State jurisdiction besides clothing and an elastic bandage Troopers found a 223 shell casing in the shallow grave conely bur here in the sand dental records identified the remains as 23-year-old Sher Marl an exotic dancer reported missing a year earlier by her [Music] boyfriend Troopers called him in to break the news her clothes matched the ones he reported her missing him but her good luck charm the gold Arrowhead pendant she never took off G Maro was probably murdered shortly after she disappeared giving the killer more than a year to cover his tracks finding him would be next to Impossible in the year following the discovery of Sher maro's body more women began turning up it's a sad truth that finding bodies in the Alaskan Wilderness wasn't all that unusual two or three times a year some novice hiker or Hunter would get lost and succumb to the [Music] elements but a growing number of bodies had a different story to tell during new road construction on September 2nd 1983 a cool Unearthed human skeletal remains not far from where Sher maro's body had been found one year earlier the bones had obviously been here for some time yet until recently this area of the kenck river was so remote that it could only be accessed by boat or light plane The Remains were identified as 17-year-old Paula ging an outof workk secretary who had moved to Alaska from Hawaii she had been missing for 5 months like Sher marrow she had taken a job as an exotic dancer to make ends meet and like Sher Maro a 223 caliber cartridge was found at the site for Alaska State Trooper Wayne van Clawson the connection was frightening and that's about when everything started to become kind of scary for everybody because the the profile was the same they were they were topless uh dancers from from the clubs downtown uh but that was certainly when there was the belief that there was a Serial murderer out there two bodies had been found but now Troopers believed there were more they began to revisit missing persons reports many of those reported missing were exotic dancers but in Alaska their disappearance Was Not Unusual we got another froming missing persons was a relatively low priority um statutorily if you're an adult you have a right to be missing and there were a lot of instances where these girls would just jump on a plane and go away between 1980 and 1983 12 women had been reported missing that was only a fraction of the unreported total Troopers now wondered how many of the missing women were victims of the killer that would be difficult to determine the Alaska State Troopers sent the evidence from the Sher Maro and Paula ging crime scenes to the FBI's laboratory in Washington DC for analysis the FBI ran ballistics tests on both shell casings to see if they were shot from the same gun state troopers hoped the results could provide them with strong evidence that the same person committed both murders the lab results were conclusive both women were killed by the same high-powered rifle there was little doubt Alaska troopers were dealing with a serial killer while they began their hunt for him in the wilderness the Anchorage police were dealing with their own [Music] problems every city has its dark side and Anchorage is no different except that in Alaska the knights are longer and darker in the 70s and ' 80s Anchorage was a frontier Town men came here to work hard and women followed to ease their loneliness some women were lured to the strip clubs hoping to earn a quick Buck others looking for more respectable opportunities worked in the clubs until something better came up for many it never [Music] did and in the city's streets roamed a stalker he chose carefully his victims were hardly missed for in a city made up largely of strangers it's difficult to be a missing [Music] person some of the women who disappeared from Anchorage turned up safely some didn't turn up at all but disappearances weren't the only crimes being reported on the early morning of June 13th 1983 Cindy pson age 17 ran down an Anchorage Highway she was partially dressed and in handcuffs she managed to flag down a passing truck she was running for her life the motorist dropped her off at her motel apartment the desk clerk had called the Anchorage police Miss Paulson an officer removed her handcuffs and tried to Cal her you all right here let me get this Anchorage police officer Greg Baker recalls the incident uh we found her in handcuffs with very little clothes on she was real credible she was very scared she's very frightened and uh she told us her story Paulson a prostitute told Baker that she picked up a trick the night before she described him as wiry scruffy about 6 ft tall with glasses and a stutter it was not the kind of person she thought of as threatening but as soon as she stepped into his car he handcuffed her and put a wood handled revolver to her head [Music] they drove to a respectable residential neighborhood he pulled her into his [Music] house the place was well kept and full of hunting trophies he had a chain hanging from the ceiling of his den he chained her up and stripped her and there she was tortured and raped repeatedly for [Music] hours then he went to take a nap leaving her there put my but he wasn't through yet he said he was going to take her to his cabin in the wilderness he said if she tried to get anyone's attention he'd kill her and them as well he told her he already had his Alibi worked out his friends were willing to lie for him no one would believe her story they ended up at the airport she could see him loading a weapon into a small aircraft she also saw her chance for escape her one chance to save her [Music] life the story sounded outrageous but her genuine Terror compelled officer Baker to check it out I had a very Street Smart female scared to death with a story about being taken at gunpoint and held prisoner at a specific location that she described where it was so she knew where it was she described the interior of the location she described the den up to it including various animals were M posted on the uh mounted on the wall in route to the hospital for an examination pulson insisted on stopping at the airport to show police the airplane she had seen earlier she positively identified it while we were in there we had a security guard stop us and described the car the same way that cindia described the car and in fact gave us a license number uh that license number confirmed the address or the area at least that Cindy had given us uh regarding where the house [Music] was police went to the address to speak to the owner of the car they arrived moments before he pulled up driving the vehicle described by Cindy pson so far everything Paulson said and checked out but the suspect had his own story to tell sir according to the motor vehicle records the car that Cindy pson was abducted in belonged to Robert Hansen a baker in Anchorage Hansen who fit the description of the man pulson described calmly answered questions he said he was at a friend's house from 5:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. repairing a seat for his airplane afterward he went to the home of another friend and stayed until around 5:30 that morning then he went to the airport and installed the seat Hansen gave police his consent to search his [Music] house again his home was exactly as pulson had described that only proved she'd been in the house not that Hansen had raped and tortured her there they could find no evidence of that they did notice a loose fitting wall panel behind it they found a collection of weapons but that wasn't surprising and son was an avid Hunter they did find a revolver but it didn't match the one that pulson described the gun the chain and the blanket she was wrapped in were nowhere to be found Hansen's car appeared equally clean Anchorage police found nothing in his car that fit Paulson's story are those Al buys were corroborated verified and Mr Hansen was released after a consent search of his house and pson still shaken from her ordeal was able to pick Hansen's picture out of a photo lineup but when given the chance to take a lie detector test she refused her occupation gave her an inherent distrust of the police and gave police an inherent distrust of her she felt she'd never be taken seriously face soon after she left town for a while to try to put the nightmare behind her Anchorage authorities were willing to let it drop too I found out because the uh Alibis were corroborated and because they had a problem with Cindy Paulson appearing and disappearing and of course her lifestyle left a lot to be desired that the case had been suspended with the anchor Police Department my and it was already police had gathered no solid evidence linking her story to Robert Hansen but for officer Greg Baker it wasn't over he was one officer who believed polson's story and wouldn't let it go the Predator roaming the streets of Anchorage was still out there free to claim more victims Robert Hansen the most likely suspect in the abduction and rape of Cindy pson had been released for a lack of solid evidence officer Baker was still curious lately the Anchorage police had been grappling with what seemed like more than their share of missing persons reports involving prostitutes like pulson or exotic dancers or women out by themselves Paulson's assertion that she was about to be put on a plane only reinforced his creeping suspicions about Hansen he had taken her to the airport where he was going to fly her out with the story that if she maintained her her helpfulness that uh he'd bring her back and let her go well Cindy was bright enough to know that she was on a one-way trip and uh so was I and so I kind of just put two and two together and figured that he was a very good suspect for the uh Missing dancers Baker's supervisor had suspended the investigation into Robert Hansen but Baker couldn't Let It Go Cindy polson's nightmarish story had too much detail to not have some basis in truth but no one except Baker would listen to her he continued his investigation on the surface Baker found nothing in Hansen's record to arouse suspicion he had moved to Anchorage from Iowa 16 years earlier and opened a bakery it was a huge success he had a wife and children and except for his stutter he fit in completely when he wasn't in the kitchen Hansen enjoyed flying his small airplane a Super Cub Piper back on the ground he took to the woods he was a solid citizen he just didn't fit the model of a serial killer there were plenty of others drifting through Alaska more suited to that role they didn't have businesses they didn't have families Hansen did he had everything to lose Frank Roth child was a prosecutor involved in the pson case Bob the baker the Troopers in the police used to go to his doughnut shop all the time was a very popular place to go uh he was he had a a bakery people knew him he was friendly uh he was just a hardworking guy unaware of Officer Greg Baker's local investigation in Anchorage state troopers were still trying to find their serial killer bodies continued to be Unearthed in the Alaskan Wilderness Troopers set up a task force to study the similarities between the missing women and the murder victims they hoped to find a Common Thread that would lead to a suspect right right right talking about until authorities knew more they did their best to educate dancers and prostitutes about playing safe for the first time police and prostitutes were on the same side according to Rothchild the goal was preservation law enforcement were then and had been for a Time advising young women who were working in some of these clubs and who were working the streets to be care careful and to advise them there was a a maniac out there who was who seemed to be abducting and killing people a little digging revealed that Hansen's criminal history was extensive 12 years earlier in 1971 he'd been arrested twice for kidnapping rape and assault with a deadly weapon they were crimes that bore an eerie resemblance to what Cindy pson had endured Baker couldn't bring this information to his supervisor the pson in case had been officially suspended and Baker was bucking Authority that left him no alternative and at that time I gathered up all the reports and background that I could find on Mr Hansen and for carried it over to the Troopers when the Troopers received the file from officer Baker they were optimistic Paulson's testimony along with Hansen's police record from Anchorage made him a prime suspect in the state case that's the Troopers investigation dovetailed with Bakers they were both dealing with the same Maniac Robert Hansen was their best suspect I think everybody was looking at him real seriously because he made a good suspect when you looked into him he had uh a pretty extensive criminal background including some sexual assaults the only problem was the proof though Hansen was a violent sex offender his record indic indicated nothing about being capable of homicide nor was there any direct link from him to Sher Maro Paula ging and the other missing women at this point Troopers didn't even have enough for a search warrant they knew only that three women were dead and 12 were missing out there lurked a serial killer Troopers needed to catch him before he killed again they needed help we knew we had a mass murder on our hands that was not something Alaska had any experience with somebody obviously knew that the FBI not only had experience with it but had set out this unit that was designed specifically to try to assist in discovering who these people were to catch a killer in their own backyard the Troopers called on help from over 3,000 miles away only the FBI had the resources needed to get inside a Killer's head when the Alaska State Troopers determined they had a serial killer on their hands they realized they didn't have the expertise to stop him but they knew who did quano Virginia is home to the FBI's investigative support unit here agents attempt to predict behavioral patterns by analyzing a criminal's actions retired FBI agent John Douglas helped Pioneer behavioral profiling and still works as a consultant his profiles are based on 25 years interviewing convicted killers they taught Douglas how to think like they do he's learned that serial killers are acting out their fantasies of control and Conquest as Douglas slowly wins their trust he takes them back to the scene of their crime you finally get them talking they start giving you that thousand yard stare they're back back 10 years ago 20 years ago when they were perpetrating uh the crime and they kind of lock into that thousand yard stair and their memory is is just so precise and the fantasy is what keeps them going uh over and over and enables them to survive when they're incarcerated so I got to tap into that it takes time but once I'm in there I get tremendous information from these interviews he distilled a checklist of traits and habits that serial killers share they start young with lesser crimes such as arson or cruelty to animals okay take care now over the years their violence builds to every new case profilers bring the knowledge of how Killers evolve to understand the criminal you must look at the crime you just want to see if you can come up with an analysis based upon preliminary police reports crime scene photographs a profile of the uh the victim autopsy protocol reviewing that re review the autopsy photographs do a an analysis of the overall crime the risk level that the subject took uh the victim risk level analysis of the the area the maybe the crime scene maybe have multiple crime scenes and then uh based upon that uh you attempt now to come up with a specific type of uh type of profile by examining every aspect of an unsolved crime a profiler can determine specific characteristics of that killer such as age occupation and physical characteristics the Troopers contacted the FBI to see if the bureau could work up an analysis of the Anchorage killer they hoped the profile would sharpen the investigation and bring overlooked Clues to light the Troopers gave the FBI what they needed to build the behavioral profile for a scrupulous accurate profile they required only facts from the Troopers no analysis or theories Trooper Wayne van claa didn't want to lose any time the information he received from officer Baker aroused his suspicions about Robert Hansen but he needed more information criminal records were just beginning to be computerized and he didn't have access to them all in Anchorage while the profile was being developed he went to Juno to collect Hansen's records from the superior and Supreme Court archives in his fact finding Mission van Clawson researched every town that Hansen had ever lived in he found reports on Robert Hansen dating back to 1961 he gathered all that he could carry sent the Rest by truck then headed home while he was in Juno the FBI had come through with a Criminal profile of the serial killer the the fact that the killer was so prolific meant to Douglas that he could function unnoticed within the community someone who worked independently most likely a business owner the killer would be an avid Outdoorsman since the bodies were recovered in remote areas of wilderness since he prayed on prostitutes Douglas concluded the killer had difficulty talking to women had low self-esteem and grew up feeling like an outcast based on Killers with similar profiles Douglas provided a specific characteristic to explain the cause of those feelings of inadequacy a feature that bore an eerie resemblance to Robert Hansen the one that totally blew us all way I think is that when they when they said he's either going to be be a stutterer or someone who has a lisp a speech defect how do you figure that but that was one of the things that they suggested might show up I got it I got what I was going after the FBI profile pointed to Robert Hansen but the depths of Douglas's Insight were about to be known upon van clawson's return Troopers studied the files the records showed that Hansen had spent 3 years in a Reformatory for setting fire to his old High School's bus garage based on their work with previous Killers the FBI profilers said the killer would have a history of arson you have a boyfriend Yes actually I do yeah cuz the profile painted the Killer is a social misfit Hansen's court-ordered psychiatric reports from his days at the Reformatory bore this out boyfriend gu I'm really busy right now you know I don't I don't mean anything like I mean you know his stutter was a social barrier that undermined his self-confidence whenever he tried to assert himself he'd be slapped down a lot of work to do or I'm going to call Security on you [Music] he never forgot the Sting the profile said the killer would learn to function as a normal member of society while his perversions festered within his record showed that in his 30s Hansen began working at a bakery he would brag to co-workers about his kleptomania and the sense of power it gave him he also bragged about his love of hunting he took great pleasure in exerting power over his prey stalking it then wounding it and he became good at the kill winning prestigious Awards in 1967 he moved to Alaska to start a new life and for better hunting 3 years after moving there his record showed he was a arrested for the attempted rape of a young receptionist at gunpoint he pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon a little more than a month later he was indicted for the attempted assault of an 18-year-old woman he' followed home as soon as the man got to Alaska he was involved in Theft cases he was involved abductions he uh had Psy psychiatric evaluations showing him to be really unstable and having all kinds of weird sexual fantasies and the rest true to the profile Hansen seemed a respectable citizen so the courts were lenient in one case he claimed to have memory lapses and was given psychiatric treatment and 5 years in a work release program he abducted one of his early victims outside a coffee shop took her to a cabin in the wilderness and and raped her at gunpoint she was 17 at the time he told me a course if I called the police that he would hunt me down and kill me he told me he was a fine outstanding business man he had never mentioned at any point when uh during the rape time or or before after that he was married but he said he's a fine outstanding businessman and that I was just a kid nobody would believe me and he was right everything the profilers said about the perpetrator of the serial killings fits suspect Robert Hansen a truly dangerous man who was passing as a nondescript face in the crowd while Trooper zeroed in on Hansen they spread out to search for more victims in the conic River area where three bodies had been found they believed that the dancers who were still missing may have been buried close to the other grave sites but Troopers came up empty the area was too large and remote to cover completely despite the compelling FBI profile and the past police records Troopers lacked anything tangible to link Hansen to the killings his police records were too stale the evidence too circumstantial to hold any weight in a court of law investigators hope that Cindy pson could help she was the only surviving victim to Hansen's current wave of violence perhaps she could remember something else from her ordeal pson gave another statement can remember but this time she was able to ID one of the guns Hansen had in his possession aside from pulson Hansen had not been implicated in a rape or abduction for more than 10 years but in the hopes of strengthening their case and establishing a pattern of behavior investigators searched for another of Hansen's victims from years earlier whose experience matched pulon attemp although this prior victim no longer lived in the area Troopers tracked her down and asked for her help I had gotten a call from Alaska asking if I would like to maybe help with a conviction for Mr Hansen uh they had explained to me that he had killed to the best of their knowledge seven women and they explained to me that the last woman had broken free she agreed to testify when the time came but Troopers still had a weak case the Troopers felt confident they were on the right track they didn't have enough to prove that Hansen was a serial killer according to Anchorage police officer Greg Baker Hansen knew that authorities were on to something one morning I was driving by and I needed to get some donuts for the shift Mr Hansen was there and he had a uh a window that he stood in and decorated cakes and cupcakes and cookies and I remember watching him he kept looking up at me and you could tell he was nervous and he kept putting frosting on some and I like that what we'll do is although investigators had Hansen in their sights they still lacked the evidence to connect him directly to the crimes but because Hansen matched the profile so closely Douglas flew to Alaska to review the case and to brief the Troopers and prosecutor Frank Roth child on how to proceed with the suspect information already of Douglas was confident that son was their serial killer the hunter was now the hunted so the mission was to provide a a analysis for them does he have the capability to commit a crime like this and the answer was was yes I believe this prostitute and uh I believe he's capable of perpetrating these crimes is Douglas's idea was to bring Hansen in for questioning while simultaneously searching his house to obtain a warrant investigators needed to list specific items they believed to be in the house they knew to look for the gun that Cindy pson described and the one that fired the bullets found in the graves of Sher Marl and Paula ging that wasn't enough they needed a home run something that would prove Hansen's guilt in no uncertain terms they asked Douglas if there was anything else to list in the warrant okay yes some of the research findings is we're dealing here with a serial killer and serial killers uh it starts off as fantasy and one of the things to keep the fantasy going after the crime is is because they're on the hunt nightly looking for victims is they take some type of momento we call them either souvenirs or trophies something belong to the victims Douglas helped prosecutors write the affidavit based on the likelihood of finding momentos mentioned in the profile okay anything else I've got those two anything from a piece of the victim's jewelry to a driver's license we don't but a behavioral profile had never been used as the basis of a search warrant in the United States before Ross child knew he'd need to back it up with more conventional information obviously the District Attorney's Office wanted this search warrant to be bulletproof they wanted it to be absolutely positively without flaw because they knew this was a big big case the last thing they wanted was to have something wrong with the search warrant and have all the evidence thrown out the affidavit swelled to 48 pages the judge granted eight search warrants for Hansen's property now they just needed Hansen they had learned his pattern knew his schedule on October 23rd 1983 they went to pick him up at his Bakery but Hansen wasn't there he'd gotten off to a late start unwittingly keeping the Troopers waiting 20 T minutes Robert H step away from your when asked to come in for questioning he didn't resist the interrogation room was ready for him the goal was to keep him off balance hoping to elicit a confession and avoid a lengthy legal case Douglas helped the Troopers design the interrogation room for the biggest psychological impact crime scene photos and related materials were strewn everywhere for Hansen to contemplate before his interview at the appointed moment the Troopers arrived and the mind game began Mr hansome the FBI coached Rothchild on how to play it ask him questions in a way way that would prompt more discussion so that that's game plan number one then obviously we've got all of these cases that have been investigated and to get him to talk specifically about those he's trying to search us out what do we know so I could see his game plan was to kind of find out what we knew and play off of that and my game plan of course is to find out what he knew while Roth's child tried to get Hansen to open up and confess Troopers served the search warrants Hansen's wife was home the troopers were extra cautious videotaping the entire procedure what they were looking for could be anywhere even in plain sight Hansen knew the Troopers had access to his police and psychological records he didn't tell authorities anything they didn't already know he spoke of his painful upbringing his strict family his anger he admitted to picking up dancers and prostitutes in the early 70s and how enraged he became when they tried to raise their prices but he denied threatening any of them he admitted nothing while Hansen told his story and his house was being turned inside out other Troopers headed to his Bakery and to the airport to search his plane both were clean the house became the focal point of the investigation a careful search of the upstairs bedroom finally yielded a curious and Eerie discovery an aerial map of the region peppered with 37 X's they seem to be clustered mainly around the area where bodies had been found but there were dozens more marks than bodies at least so far the Searchers continued up to the attic under insulation the Troopers found weapons among the items found were a 223 Ruger mini14 rifle like the one used to kill Sher marrow and Paula guling and a wood-handled revolver resembling the one described by Cindy pson y the search team let van Clawson know the good news sounds good these women look familiar you ever the net was closing on Hansen and he knew it but he wasn't ready to talk just yet take another look the interview dragged on for hours it didn't seem like a confession was likely I I I haven't never seen while Troopers collected the evidence the case Unwound even further Hansen's friend and neighbors stopped by curious about the activity she was stunned by the news then made a confession that demolished the last of Hansen's story she told Troopers that her husband provided Hansen with his Alibi on the night of Cindy Paulson's abduction he'd lied to protect his friend not realizing how serious Hansen's charges were the husband later called police and retracted his statement Hansen's Alibi evaporated as the search continued the Troopers found the most incriminating evidence so far evidence that Douglas knew had to be there somewhere they found Sher marrow's necklace and other personal property belonging to the dead or missing women they had found Hansen's stash of trophies yeah this is Baker here investigators called the station though they had Hansen where they wanted him still he wouldn't confess but they had enough to lock him up on the Cindy pson case bail was set at $500,000 investigators now had time to build bu their case against Hansen as a serial killer they called the prior victim to see if she was still on board and at that time they thought he had killed 11 women and was I still interested in being a witness they they really felt that they may need me cuz he hadn't confessed all what you got three points on the map found in his bedroom matched the locations of bodies recovered by the Troopers another X marked the location of a body recovered by Seward police years earlier the remaining X's presumably marked the graves of more victims dozens of them looking at the map obviously was pretty chilling because we believed the map the map was a body count as far as we were concerned the man had kept track he didn't have newspaper clippings he had the map when the Troopers believed they had enough to convict Hansen on at least four murders they confronted him and his lawyer with the evidence Hansen couldn't refute it he had no place left to [Music] hide finally it was time to confess time for Hansen to cut a deal Hansen said he would confess to the murders that could be proven as long as the trial was given no publicity and that his family be left [Music] alone he demanded that he be imprisoned outside of Alaska when the trial was over in exchange for only four convictions he agreed to show the Troopers where more bodies were buried investigators called the prior victim to tell her the good news the third time they called back and said that he had confessed and they would need me so um I hung up the phone when we were done talking I got my son off to school got my husband at the door and um proceeded to fall apart I started crying I couldn't stop I had no control over it it controlled me I could see each and every one of those women how they died probably hunted down like dogs wounded and then hunted [Music] more in his confession Hansen described how he would take his victims into the woods and hunt them as prey over the Dozen Years that he lived in Alaska he'd raped more than 30 women and developed many strategies for capturing them once he found a likely Target a solitary woman like Sher marrow he would befriend her and arranged to meet her at a fast food place if they were dancers or aspiring models he'd offer to pay to photograph them he'd arrive early and stay in his car that way he'd be certain the woman arrived alone and had no one waiting for her in the parking lot no Witnesses then he go go in and meet his new victim one half of the Handcuff was already fastened to the seat Hansen boasted that snapping the other half onto his victim's wrist while reaching for his gun became like a reflex then he would take them home or to a remote Motel to rape and torture them afterwards he'd blindfold them and drive or fly them to the outskirts of town until he arrived at a secluded spot his hunting ground his habit was to toy with his prey before he made the kill Hansen confessed that in the summer of 83 he devised what he called his summer plan he sent his family away so he could bring his victims home when he was done with them he'd dispose of them in the wilderness close [Music] 26 on February 27th 1984 Robert Hansen was convicted of murdering Four Women and sentenced to 461 years plus life with no chance of parole after his sentencing Hansen accompanied Troopers into the field to find more of his victims represented by x's on his map a total of eight victims were found some places on the map went unexplored Bears scavenged others scattering The Remains investigators will never know how many of the 37 X's represent Ed one of Hansen's victims according to John Douglas the map might have depicted only a small part of his hunting grounds Killers like H will come into contact with a lot of women but fantasy is everything and they may not like the way the the The person talks or the person dresses uh style and um so they'll make a decision well this one will live this one over here will you know will die I believe he was good for a lot more cases and I still believe there there was a chance that one of the reasons that caused him to go up to Alaska he was running away from homicides back in a lower 48 in the United States an estimated 35 to 50 serial killers are active at any given time profiling has made them easier to spot and apprehend each time one is captured investigators learn more about their Twisted motivations making it easier to catch the next one a pair of serial killers roam in Midwest praying on adults and children alike always a step behind agents had no choice but to follow the trail of [Music] bodies as the Crim spree raged out of control pressure mounted to stop these killers [Music] [Music] [Music] go they swept through six states like a plague throw Killers acting without Rhyme or Reason they targeted adults and young girls kidnapping murdering then moving on to kill again and in their Rampage they left plenty of Clues but moving targets are the hardest to hit I'm Jim cstom former head of the FBI's New York office the hunt was on for these killers with a knack for alluding authorities we hoped a nationwide drag net would bring them to justice in kosha Wisconsin a community close to the Illinois border single mother Wanita wheat arrived home with her 9-year-old daughter verita and their new friend Robert Knight it was getting late on the evening of May 29th 1984 when they returned from a day of fun at a local Carnival Robert told wiita that he had a belated Mother's Day present for her at his place just a few blocks away he asked if reita could help him carry it back he promised it would only take an hour just around cor reluctant at first when gave in to her daughter's excited please all right goodbye baby be right back I will I will [Music] as it approached midnight Robert and Berita had not yet returned wiita was anxious about leaving her apartment to look for her daughter if reita arrived to an empty home the young girl might panic but the worry became too great wiita decided to go and find her daughter she went to the address Robert had given her when she arrived her Panic melted into horror the building that Robert Knight claimed was his home was abandoned I thought she'd be back in 15 minutes not knowing where else to turn oneita went to her friend Ellen Reeves for help know she concerned for the safety of her friend's daughter Ellen insisted it was time to contact the [Music] [Music] police wiita told the officer that her happy outgoing daughter would not have run away any information that you can give me the officer's Focus turned to Robert Knight wiita said she had met Robert a month earlier he introduced himself while riding through the neighborhood on his bike they had become friendly and Robert had become fond of young Berita the police didn't have a Robert Knight on record the officer asked wiita to check mug shots for anyone who might look like him one need to scan two books of photos finally she pointed to a picture of a man she was sure was Robert Knight officers determined that the person wiita had identified as Robert Knight was really named Alton Colman investigators called the FBI special agent berina panelli of the FBI's kosha Wisconsin office was assigned the investigation but the FBI always gets involved when children of Tender Years disappear under uh unusual circumstances and this was clearly one of those investigators wasted no time in obtaining a search warrant for Coleman's last known address his grandmother's house in W Kean Illinois just a few miles across the state line from where the wheeks lived a young woman answered the door when questioned by the detective she identified herself as Deborah Brown Coleman's [Music] girlfriend at first Brown was reluctant to answer any questions about Coleman or his whereabouts she said she had been living at the residence for a year providing home care for Coleman's nearly blind [Music] grandmother the investigators persisted they finally convinc Deborah to cooperate he said he did something bad he you know his whereabouts right she told them that Coleman had been gone all night but came home alone at about 8:00 in the morning you don't know you hav he had come by to change into a suit for a court appearance later that morning can you tell me who the last time Coleman had been charged with raping a 14-year-old girl at knife Point Brown also admitted that Coleman had told her he had done something really bad the night before but he did not explain [Music] what investigators waited at the house for Coleman's return while other officers canvased the area okay do you know if he did he drive he was nowhere to be [Music] found the FBI joined forces with local investigators detectives from kosha and nearby walk Kean Illinois already knew Coleman's reputation he was a violent criminal with a disturbing past as I learned about Coleman I realized he was extremely dangerous because the WAN Police Department had an extensive arrest record on him he had been arrested almost 10 years previously for the rape of a 40-year-old woman and he had a number of other arrests mostly for assault for molestation uh rape of a child and as you looked at these cases and you listen to the detectives who were familiar with him you saw a picture of an increasingly violent person the Task Force enlisted every available officer and agent to help in the search for Coleman and verita want to get that our strategy that night was to find Alton Coleman we sat down then at the police department and assembled everything we knew we came up with information that he a lot of times rode the train he took taxis cuz he didn't have a car what happened then is we split up into teams and went out and started interviewing [Music] people on the streets investigators talked with drivers at various taxi stands everyone was familiar with Alton Coleman the cabbies agreed that if they saw him they would notify the police the task force offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Coleman's arrest the promise of a reward caught people's attention but didn't draw out any useful leads as quickly as the investigators hoped investigators feared that time may be running out Rita wheat on May 31st 2 days into the investigation a cab driver in walk Keagan who knew Coleman from the neighborhood called in to report he was picking Coleman [Music] up a squad car conducting surveillance in the area [Music] responded Coleman was dropped off at his sister Terry's [Music] Place he saw the approaching officer and took off come here Co he disappeared into the neighborhood he knew so well the investigation was only 2 days old and their suspect was within their grasp investigators speculated Coleman was probably hiding out in the abandoned warehouses that ran along Lake Michigan hoping that Coleman might respond to his sister's voice the detective summoned heran police man please open up I'm detective Hansen from though she was Coleman's own flesh and blood she was also a mother of a young girl the agents convinced her to [Music] help talking to her brother through a p horn she pleaded with him to turn himself in Alton you need to come on out and give yourself up meanwhile officers and agents fanned out and searched the area but even in such a confined space finding Coleman would not be easy Lieutenant Mark Hansen of the WAN Police Department was a lead investigator for the task force this area has a lot of abandoned buildings a lot of abandoned partment apartment complexes uh it's heavily heavily brushed it was uh at nighttime um easy to escape in there and not be seen again this was 1984 you know we didn't have helicopters with search lights we didn't have infrared you know we didn't have the resources to uh uh fully encircle an area of that size the search continued through the night but after 8 hours it seemed their suspect and their best chance of finding 9y old verita had slipped through their fingers desperate to generate leads investigators saturated the local media with details surrounding the abduction TV and newspapers ran photographs of verita wheat asking anyone with any information to contact the task force the news spread quickly investigators were flooded with sightings of Coleman from the public most were dead ends but one cab driver who saw Vita's picture on the news contacted the task force he remembered picking up Coleman and the little girl on the night of her disappearance he had assumed they were father and daughter the cab driver dropped them off around midnight near a scrapyard in the industrial section of Wan that one particular night where did you take us investigators approached the night manager at the scrapyard sir sir I'm detective Hans police he told them that he had in fact seen a man with a young girl on the night in question he recalled that close to midnight the two had walked hand in hand through the side gate he couldn't really see the man's face but he did notice that the man had an unusual rolling gate to his walk a feature that acquaintances of Coleman had described the night manager identified the little girl as verita wheat the sighting was enough to allow the FBI to issue a federal warrant for Alton Coleman he had taken Vita across state lines else it was also the last time anyone saw verita wheat alive the task force responded with another massive search we had about 150 FBI agents and detectives from both Kenosha and wagan we did a methodical search where Coleman was last seen with verita this included using dogs going through the junkyard uh house to house and abandoned building searches all in this downtown area and uh we found nothing investigators knew she was alive at midnight on the evening she disappeared they also knew that Coleman was alone the next morning at 8:00 a.m. as he prepared for his court appearance toal the question was what happened to verita during that 8 hour gap FBI FBI special agent Jeff showers was on the task force he struggled to fit the pieces together how far is he going to travel with this girl um the girl may not even be in wagan she may be in another town um but we knew that the longer that we waited it was getting dimmer and dimmer Coleman and verita seemed to have vanished on the night of June 19th three weeks after Vita's disappearance investigators received a call from a man in Wan who was looking through an abandoned building for scrap metal to [Music] sell on the second floor of the wrecked Apartments he made a horrifying Discovery the body of a child lay on the bathroom floor Halton Coleman the FBI's prime suspect in the production of 99-year-old verita week from her home in kosha Wisconsin remained at large as the hunt for Coleman intensified a man scouring for scrap metal in an abandoned building in Wan Illinois came across the lifeless body of a young girl the forensic team arrived at the building got beneath a blanket wrapped in a man's corduroy jacket the investigators found the young girl her hands feet and neck were Bound by a television cable she was too badly decomposed to confirm her identity but special agent Jeff showers believed they had found the body of verita wheat the clothing matched the description that we had from the mother she was still wearing the uh the barrettes in her hair that that matched from what her mother had described her as being last known to be wearing she was wearing the green nylon jacket in the pocket of the jacket were Carnival tickets and we knew from an interview of her mother that the night in question Alton Coleman had taken verita wheat to a carnival while the investigators suspected the body was verita wheat it was up to the forensic team to prove that the remains were hers they also needed to find evidence that could conclusively point to the [Music] killer starting from the location of the body they worked their way out in concentric circles collecting anything that looked like it could be used as evidence investigators swabbed walls and door frames in an effort to find [Music] prints figuring whoever moved the body into the room had to come in contact with the door they removed it from its hinges and sent it to the FBI labs in Washington DC under the lab's microscopes FBI examiners discerned a thumb print on the door comparison to samples they had on file were conclusive the thumbprint came from Alton [Music] Coleman examiners also compared prints taken from the little girl's hands to those lifted from verita wheat's school books that had been retrieved from her home that comparison was also positive the search for verita was [Music] over investigators now had enough evidence to issue another warrant for Alton Coleman this time it was for the murder of verita wheat we knew then that Alton Coleman was responsible for the for the death of this child and now we've got not only a kidnapper but we also have someone who's committed murder I know but while at the autopsy to determine ver wheat's exact cause of death a television news broadcast caught the attention of agent showers and detective Hansen the first news that a little girl had been uh found murdered in Gary Indiana agent showers I think immediately thought that there could be some connection to Coleman the report also mentioned something that investigators found disturbing there were two killers and the second suspect was described as being a black female investigators immediately suspected Coleman's girlfriend Deborah Brown who had not been seen in weeks if investigators were right Alton Coleman and Deborah Brown had traveled 90 miles from their Hometown neighborhood okay they were on the move and they were leaving bodies along their [Music] way at the hospital in Gary Indiana local police officers questioned 9-year-old Mary James about the afternoon of June 16th Mary told the officers that she and 7-year-old Janice clay were walking to the store when they were approached by a man and a woman on bikes doing good hey look the couple introduced themselves they told the little girls that they had some clothes that the girls might like we got some shoes and stuff you guys want to take a look at it to retrieve the clothes Mary and Janice followed the couple Into the Woods Ang how old you you take care of yourself okay we're going to get the man Mary was close to death when she managed to drag herself to the street show you these photos show you these pH she was able to identify Coleman but could not identify Brown from photographs sent by the FBI however the girl's description matched Brown exactly one now investigators were dealing with two killers we looked at Deborah Brown up until that point in time as a witness because she had cooperated with us in Wan she had told us about Alton telling her that he had done something wrong uh she showed us the clothes that he had been wearing the night he had come back uh when he'd been out all night and when he came back in the morning um so we had looked at her as a witness we now knew from the investigation in Gary that she was likely assisting him investigators struggled to figure out some way to predict Coleman and Brown's next move both murders occurred in largely black communities communities where the two could easily blend in and they were quick to gain people's trust these were Street people they had that arm they didn't have to do any arm twisting it was always a very easy thing with them searching for anything that might help them locate and stop The Killers investigators consulted an FBI Behavioral profiler for the profiler the escalating pattern of violence was caused by Coleman's legal problems back in Wan he saw the fact that he had taken vernita the night before a court appearance on the rape of a 14-year-old and that he had abducted her uh and then murdered her as an indication that he was responding to the stress of the court appearance and so that he would continue to murder out of anger and stress and rage investigators had reason to fear that the two murders were only the beginning of a ferocious Crim spree to capture a serial killer the profiler suggested a massive National media campaign aimed at the black communities so we started a publicity campaign releasing his photograph uh releasing pictures of brown to the media press releases um everything we could to get his picture out in the Forefront Our Hope was that somebody would see him and turn him man I'm wrong with you boy but the task force was always a step behind on July 8th agents received information from local Ohio detectives about an elderly woman named Rose Wiggins who reported her daughter missing Rose explained that earlier in the day she had come by to check on her daughter and found the door locked her young grandson James was too frightened to open the door FBI open the the detective convinced him they were there to help now he had nothing to fear something okay officers immediately started to search the house for the boy's missing mother while looking they found 3-year-old Johnny afraid like his older brother what's your name meanwhile James told the detective about the man and woman who had been at their house well they were in this house okay I'm going show you some he showed the 8-year-old photos of the suspects Coleman and brown this is the lady right James positively identified them as the couple who were there the night before you absolutely sure yeah okay R how don't detective Smith searching the house for the boy's mother the police found blood smeared throughout the kitchen it led down to the basement not knowing who or what awaited them the investigators followed the grizzly Trail in Ohio police responding to a missing person's call made an alarming Discovery the young son of the missing mother had identified fugitives Coleman and brown as having been in their home Blood Stained the walls they proceeded cautiously not knowing if their suspects could still be lurking in the darken basement the trail stopped where the bodies of mother and daughter Virginia and Kimberly Blake were discovered shoved into a crawl space beneath their home Coleman and brown we didn't know where they were and the Mur and the violence connected with the murders and the crime scenes was beginning to intensify the officers continued their search still believing their suspects could be somewhere in the family's home but they seem to have slipped away leaving behind unmistakable evidence clippings of Jerry curled [Music] hair James recounted for investigators that his mother Virginia had met Coleman and brown earlier in the day how guys doing hey we just moved to the area down the street what's your name the couple stopped by the house and played with the kids Virginia invited them to stay for dinner it was just like any other summer evening in the neighborhood Virginia cooked while the kids hung around and chatted with their new friends are you going to go 8-year-old James saw Coleman take a knife from the counter and slip it into his back [Music] pocket soup on guys soup on after enjoying dinner together Coleman Brown James and his younger brother settled into the living room to watch television at the top of the Evening News the story of a pair of killers on the loose flashed across the screen Coleman immediately turned off the television and shuffled the boys off to [Music] bed have a good night while Kimberly and Virginia washed the dishes aware of the growing media attention Coleman realized he and Deborah needed to change their look he found some scissors and cut off his hair [Music] Coleman with brown at his side approached the little girl and her mother just upstairs James and Johnny were asleep what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing they dragged the slain woman and her daughter downstairs and stuffed them into a crawl space the pressure was mounting it was becoming increasingly stressful because here we were for the fourth time C cing up with him when we found more bodies Coleman and Brown's Mo was designed to catch their victims off guard okay Remy nothing's going to happen when someone comes up to your house on a bicycle you figure them to be local if they're walking you may be a little bit suspicious but if they're riding a bike they're from the neighborhood your guard is automatically Down News of the murdered mother and daughter horrified the community The Savage nature of the killings caused the FBI to add an 11th position on their 10 most wanted fugitives list it was a rare occurrence the number 11 ranking was reserved for particularly vicious Killers a description fitting Coleman and brown the magnitude and the importance of it that you know you've already got 10 that are bad but here's one that's so bad but we don't have room to put anybody else on we're going to make an exception and put him on anyway even though he's number 11 with the national media Spotlight focusing on the couple it would be difficult for them to remain anonymous and in solving fugitive cases fighting people there is nothing better than publicity because all you need is the one phone call from one person saying I saw this picture and I know it's this individual phone calls poured in with more frequency and speed than ever before any crime that matched their suspect's MO was funneled back to the Task Force Headquarters hopefully they would be able to get one step ahead of the fugitives investigators were sure that Coleman and brown would Tire of a life on the run and return to familiar territory agents contacted everyone the two associated with in Wan we would contact them and let them know that we're still looking for him we would go out and tell them that Alton and Deborah had been involved in another murder case um hoping that that would get them a little bit more on our side on July 13th local investigators responded to a frantic 911 call from a suburb of Cincinnati Ohio Michelle Stone told the officers what had happened that day people down there they were both young a couple arrived at the stones house earlier that [Music] morning they told Michelle's father jackstone that they were interested in buying his camper which was for sale in the driveway Jack's wife Anna joined them on the porch I'll see you guys later as Jack and Anna chatted with you Michelle left for work I won't be long I'll see you lat be home for dinner yeah I will care bye I remember I didn't release see though when she arrived home later that day m sh noticed the bikes the couple had arrived on were still in the yard and her father's car was [Music] missing mom inside she found her parents' home had been vandalized mom she had called out to her mother and father hearing no response her mind began to race as she stepped Ste through the shattered glass and overturned Furniture littering the room [Music] Dad Mom Dad as she called 911 Michelle could hear a weak voice calling out from another room dad next to the basement door she noticed a bloody palm print Dad Dad are you here she walked down into the dimly lit room not knowing what or who she might find lying next to each other motionless on the floor She discovered her parents her father Jack was barely alive as she reached to take her mother's pulse she lifted the sheet her mother Anna was dead what happened Michelle waited by her father's side for help to arrive Dad my mom had a she over her over her body her parents had been bludgeoned and bound Michelle's description of the couple that had stopped by her parents house earlier that day match the fugitives Coleman and brown a forensic team went to work collecting evidence among the items was a pair of plastic shoes next to Anna Stone a recent sighting of the suspects included a description of brown wearing these same shoes crime scene technicians also retrieved other blooded tools found around the body later forensics confirmed the Crowbar was used to kill Mrs Stone Coleman's Prince were all over it he made no attempt to conceal his crimes but there was nothing to suggest whether the couple had gone it was all dead ends every time we find a body they were gone you don't have anything as to which way they're going you have no indicators as to um who their next victim's going to be depends if they wanted sexual gratification they may snatch a child if they need a vehicle they may snatch an adult just don't know we've got a couple of Mad Dogs Out There the crime against the stones showed the couple was able to gain the trust of people from outside the black urban centers where they had found their first four victims this realization only complicated the investigation Coleman could fit in anywhere or they would come up on a bicycle and start chatting and he would be looking to play in a card game or sometimes they would respond uh they wanted to buy something um or they had something for sale he was an extremely glib person uh a real con man uh and people trusted him plus he was traveling with a woman and so people were not um nearly as suspect of him as they should have been though Coleman's rage continued to intensify his ability to charm more victims remained consistent and he was showing no signs of growing tired of the [Music] kill a month and a half at passed since Alton Coleman and Deborah Brown embarked on a killing spree that had left five victims dead in Cincinnati Coleman bludgeoned a husband and wife leaving the wife dead and the husband barely clinging to life their car was missing an APB was immediately put out on the vehicle 2 Days Later a farm worker discovered the abandoned car on his property in Lexington Kentucky 105 miles away from the crime in [Music] Cincinnati in less than two days the fugitives had traveled hundreds of miles across two states the FBI media blitz was leaving them with few places to hide but the couple appeared to be heading further away from their home in Illinois not closer as investigators had hoped when you're talking about Alton Coleman and Deborah Brown they are not a normal killing machine normal killing machine is going to be one person we've now got two out there they're working together they're feeding off each other and one's giving support um those are the problems how do you we couldn't separate them we couldn't talk to one we couldn't talk to either one of them knowing Coleman would eventually need to steal a car the FBI saturated the Lexington Kentucky area [Music] they did not have to wait long for signs that he was still in town in a hotel parking lot Professor oine carmichel was assaulted and his car stolen a couple forced him to hand over his cash and car keys leaving the professor wounded but still alive they sped away after receiving medical attention police asked carmichel to look at mug shots that included the FBI's most wanted fugitives without hesitating he pointed to Coleman and brown that's her without a doubt those are the FBI were now only a few hours behind the fugitives an APB was issued for Carmichael's car in a matter of hours they received a response it came from police in an Ohio town close to the Kentucky border the professor's car was found abandoned behind some vacant buildings Coleman and brown however were nowhere in sight for the experienced agents finding the car in Ohio meant Coleman and brown were probably on their way home God instinct is going to tell you that he's going to come back home he may not come back to walk Keagan but he's going to come back to some place that he feels comfortable with he'd never been to Gary Indiana he'd never been to Detroit he had never been to Toledo had never been to Cincinnati Dayton Ohio Lexington Kentucky at some point he's going to get tired and he's going to want to get back to comfort some place that he feels comfortable he knows the streets uh um he knows the people he's going to feel comfortable he's coming back the FBI immediately set up a drag net agents and police officers from across several states joined forces to track Coleman and brown as they headed home to Illinois reports of stolen vehicles or assaults were to be given immediate attention an officer in Dayton Ohio responded to a report involving an assault and a stolen car the call came from an elderly couple Reverend and Mrs gay Reverend gay had been badly beaten Mrs gay told the officer that a young couple who they had met weeks earlier broke into their house after beating them the attackers demanded the keys to their station wagon according to the description the attackers were Coleman and Brown new leads were coming in at a furious Pace Coleman and brown were still just Out Of Reach but the FBI was starting to close the gap the day after the attack in Ohio detectives involved in the FBI's dragut discovered a station wagon that had been abandoned near a car wash in Indiana it belonged to Reverend [Music] gay later in the day some road crew workers on the edge of Interstate 65 outside of zionville Indiana made a gruesome Discovery it was the body of an elderly man who had been reported missing from his home in Indiana he was found on his 77th birthday evidence left at the scene was unmistakable Coleman and brown had claimed another life the body was found less than 20 mi from the couple's home turf the country's most wanted fugitives had come home and the FBI was waiting for them get you to take one from back over here for 7 weeks Coleman and brown assaulted and killed victims in six different states while investigators work the crime scenes scores of local officers and agents organized a drag net to trap them as they headed back home to Illinois the aggressive media campaign was having an impact on July 20th in Evon Illinois a man spotted Alton Coleman with Deborah Brown in Mason Park while he waited with the car running his friend called the police yes it was the one phone call investigators had been hoping for he went to school with Alton Coleman he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the man that crossed the street in front of him was Alton Coleman Evanston Police responded only a couple of yards stood between the law and Coleman and brown with surprising ease they were able to Corner Coleman he insisted they had the wrong man a second pair of officers surrounded Brown when asked she gave a different pair of names for herself and Coleman what's your name Trina TR Williams having found a knife and a false identification the officers brought Alon Coleman to the police station for other units be devised when you pick up the female she might have a weapon in her purse make sure you check it she 10 z a search of Brown's handbag uncovered a 38 caliber pistol 537 the weapon was all they needed to handcuff her and take her in two of the FBI's Most Wanted were apprehended without incident after nearly two months the violent Rampage was over Coleman continued to insist he hadn't been in any of the places where the murders happened but the forensic evidence collected over the past 7 weeks proved otherwise Alton Coleman was charged with the federal crime of kidnapping verita wheat followed by murder charges in three other states Deborah Brown was also charged for her role in The Murders as investigators from the task force looked on a strip search uncovered a bloody steak Knife got a knife I got it it would be linked to yet another murder a 15-year-old Ohio girl Alice Meyers Illinois State's Attorney Matthew chansy was given the task of Prosecuting Alton Coleman in his mind the motive was simple with Berita weed he crossed the threshold and once he cross that threshold uh it was easy for him and uh and I think that he enjoyed it and it wasn't just easy anymore it was it was something he liked he do he liked doing and so he looked for every opportunity he could to repeat that together Coleman and brown had stolen Seven Lives three States sought to take theirs Brown stood trial separately she was sentenced to life in prison until the end she was committed to colan yeah I at Coleman's sentencing hearing uh for that Murder She testified on his behalf that she had committed the murder and he had not in an obvious attempt to to try to save him it didn't work Coleman and Brown's Rampage had covered over 1300 miles in Six States for special agent Bina panelli the intensity of the FBI's hunt PR prevented more needless murders because of the massive investigation that we did and the publicity that we did that he was caught within 7 weeks of when he started had we not done that had we not gotten on this right away who knows how long he would have gone on killing people in the end Alton Coleman was sentenced to death four times he went to prison in Ohio where he was executed on April 26th [Music] 2002

Channel: The FBI Files

Views: 98,386

Keywords: American felons, FBI manhunt, The FBI Files, crime documentary series, crime scene analysis, crime scene reconstruction, crime solving techniques, criminal behavior analysis, criminal case solvers, criminal minds, criminal minds analysis, criminal profiling, criminal psychology, criminal psychology insights, federal law enforcement, homicide cases, infamous killers, real crime stories, true crime channel, violent crimes, violent offenders

Id: TPLXhr842ZU

Length: 149min 15sec (8955 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 05 2024