Dennis Rader - Arrest

Arrest

The BTK killer's last known communication with the media and police was a padded envelope that arrived at FOX affiliate KSAS-TV in Wichita on February 16, 2005. A purple 1.44-MB Memorex floppy disk was enclosed in the package. Also enclosed were a letter, a photocopy of the cover of a 1989 novel about a serial killer (Rules of Prey), and a gold-colored necklace with a large medallion.

Police found metadata embedded in a deleted Microsoft Word document that was, unbeknownst to Rader, on the disk. The metadata, recovered using the forensic software EnCase, contained "Christ Lutheran Church," and the document was marked as last modified by "Dennis." A search of the church website turned up Dennis Rader as president of the congregation council. Police began surveillance of Rader.

Sometime during this period, police obtained a warrant for the medical records of Rader's daughter. A tissue sample seized at this time was tested for DNA and provided a familial match with semen collected at an earlier BTK crime scene. This, along with other evidence gathered before and during the surveillance, gave police probable cause for an arrest.

Rader was stopped while driving near his home and taken into custody shortly after noon on February 25, 2005. Immediately after, law enforcement officials, including a Wichita Police bomb unit truck, two SWAT trucks, and KBI, FBI, and ATF agents, converged on Rader's residence near the intersection of I-135 and 61st Street North. Once in handcuffs, he was asked by an officer, "Mr. Rader, do you know why you're going downtown?" to which he replied, "Oh, I have my suspicions, why?" Police searched Rader's home and vehicle, collecting evidence, including computer equipment, a pair of black pantyhose retrieved from a shed, and a cylindrical container. The church he attended, his office at City Hall, and the main branch of the Park City library were also searched that day. Officers were seen removing a computer from his City Hall office, but it is unclear if any evidence was found at these locations.

He stated he chose to resurface in 2004 for various reasons, including David Lohr's feature story on the case on the Court TV (now Tru TV) Crime Library website and the release of the book Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler by Robert Beattie. He wanted the opportunity to tell his story his own way. He also said he was bored because his children had grown up and he had more time on his hands.

On February 26, 2005, The Wichita Police Department announced in a press conference that they were holding Rader as the prime suspect in the BTK killings.

Rader was formally charged with the murders on February 28, 2005.