Dennis Rader

Imagine a person who seemed like a normal neighbor, but secretly did very bad things. That was Dennis Rader. He called himself the BTK killer, which stood for 'bind, torture, kill.' He hurt at least ten people in Kansas a long time ago, between 1974 and 1991.

Most of his victims were women, and he often attacked them in their own homes. It’s important to remember that this is a story about someone who made very bad choices.

The BTK killer liked to play a scary game with the police and the news. He would send them letters telling them what he did and calling himself BTK. It was like he was bragging about his terrible actions. He even took little things from the people he hurt, like their underwear or driver's licenses. This made the people in Wichita, Kansas, feel very scared for a long time.

Suddenly, in 1979, the BTK killer stopped sending letters. It was like he disappeared! The police looked and looked, but they couldn't find him. His case became a big mystery, like a puzzle with missing pieces that nobody could solve. For many years, people wondered who he was and if he would ever be caught. This is called a 'cold case' when the mystery is very old.

After many, many years, the BTK killer started sending letters again in 2004. This time, the police were able to figure out who he was! They found out it was Dennis Rader, the man who seemed like a regular person. He was arrested and admitted to all the terrible things he had done. He was sent to a special place called a correctional facility, where he will stay for the rest of his life.