Wichita Cold Cases


Nov. 12, 1974	Sherry Baker	603 New York St, age 23. Wichita State University student stabbed
		repeatedly in the head with a pair of scissors in her apartment. Her
		hands were tied behind back with a phone cord. Her throat had been
		slashed. She was found, partially clothed in a negligee and underwear,
		by her mother at around 9:00 am Tuesday. The apartment was
		reportedly in a shambles, and police took fingerprints from a south
		window where the screen had been torn and the metal frame of a
		storm window pried open. The cord used to tie her hands was the
		coiled part connecting the receiver to the carriage, and the receiver had
		been placed back on the cradle. The cord was not cut.

		A boyfriend of the victim was sought as a suspect, but as of Nov. 16,
		1974, had not been located. He had been seen with her over the week-
		end when she was killed.



July 11, 1977	Sandra K. Talbott	Reported missing from her residence in El Dorado, Kansas.
		Talbott was a Hispanic female, 5"0", 115lbs. and walked with a brace
		on her right leg. Talbott was last seen alive in Wichita, Kansas near
		the intersection of 31st Street South and Broadway on July 12, 1977.
		Her body was found on July 30, 1977 near 111th Street South and
		231st Street West in southwest Sedgwick County, Kansas. This is
		near the area commonly referred to as the "Twin Bridges".



Nov. 26, 1977	Denise Rathbun	5332 E. Pine, age 26. The mother of two was last seen pushing a
		baby carriage with wet laundry in it to a laundromat at 532 N.
		Edgemoor. Her body was found Sunday, Dec. 11, in a creek near
		133rd St. North between Hydraulic & Hillside by a hunter. She was
		found partially beneath a small bridge and her legs were frozen in the
		water. There was no sign of sexual assault and the body was fully
		clothed. When last seen, she had about $100 in her purse.

		Her husband Kenneth, stationed at McConnell Air Force Base was
		scheduled to begin a 10-month tour of duty in Italy as a medical
		technician. During his tour, Mrs. Rathbun and her children planned
		to move to her parents home in Florida.

		Mr. Rathbun and several other people passed polygraph examinations
		in relation to her disappearance. When she didn't return from the
		laundromat, her husband (who had stayed home because he wasn't
		feeling well) and mother-in-law went to the laundromat looking for
		her. Once there, they found a pair of boys underwear in a dryer,
		in the style and size her son wore. They were unable to find Mrs.
		Rathbun, the baby carriage, her purse, the laundry, or any sign of her.

		It was raining that night, and police felt she may have accepted a ride
		from someone. Her husband stated that he and his wife had discussed
		such things, and she would never have hitchhiked.



May 1-2, 1979	Jerry Hunter	Found murdered at 85th Street North and Highpoint in Valley Center,
		Kansas. Mr. Hunter's vehicle was located at the Kwik Shop at 85th
		Street North and Meridian on May 2nd, 1979. He was last seen alive
		at 10:00 PM on May 1st, 1979.



Oct. 25, 1980	Barbara A. Smith	1151 S. Waverly, age 37. She was found beaten to death in her .
		home. The killer set two small fires in the kitchen that burned them-
		selves out, one on top of the refrigerator and one in a liquor cabinet.
		There was no sign of forced entry. Her killer attempted to strangle
		her, but when that failed, fractured her skull in 2 places with a blunt
		object. She was found clothed, not bound, on a spiral staircase, and
		there was no sign of sexual assault. Her body was found by her
		husband and daughter around 5:00 pm Saturday when they returned
		home from an overnight trip to Oklahoma. Time of death was placed
		sometime between 5:00 pm Friday and 9:00 am Saturday.



June 25, 1982	Lupe Leo Ornelas	On Friday morning, June 25, 1982 the body of Lupe Leo Ornelas was
		found in the south ditch approximately 3/4 mile east of Webb Road on
		55th Street South in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Mr. Ornelas was last
		seen alive on June 24, 1982 around 5:00 PM. Sheriff's Deputies located
		Mr. Ornelas's 1978 white/blue Ford LTD two door at K-15 and 55th
		Street South on the morning of June 25, 1982. It is believed the
		homicide occurred on the evening of June 24, 1982 between 6:00 PM
		and 3:00 AM on June 25, 1982.



June 29, 1985	Linda Shawn Casey	356 N Spruce St., age 31. She was bound, beaten with a wine
		bottle on the face and head, sexually assaulted with the bottle,
		stabbed in the abdomen, vagina, and back, her throat was slashed.
		She was found partially clad and dead on the bedroom floor of her
		apartment. No forced entry, no sign of burglary. A knife was found
		nearby. Two friends had spoken to her at 4 and 4:30 pm, and at
		5 pm, friends dropped by. At 5:30, tenants in the basement knocked
		on her door to complain that water from a bathroom sink was dripping
		into their apartment. Neither friends nor the neighbors got any answer.
		Her phone line was cut, and a pair of pants belonging to her
		boyfriend was missing.



June 6, 1987	Hattie Smith	3193 S Clifton, age 54. Her nude body, bound hand and foot, was found
		by her husband when he returned home after work at 3:45. She was
		beaten, strangled by hand, and drowned in the bath tub. There was no
		sign of forced entry. The house was surrounded by a cyclone fence
		and shielded from 31st St. by a high wooden fence. The large family dog
		was in the fenced in back yard when her husband got home, and the
		house showed signs that she had fought for her life. The house had been
		ransacked and some items were missing. The back door was unlocked.



Oct. 31, 1987	Shannon Olson	1100 block of South Hydraulic, age 15. There are two versions, the first
		is that she left her home shortly after 11 pm to run an errand. The second
		is that she was at a party and left it to make a beer run around 11:15 pm.
		Either way, her nude body was found floating in a sand pit at 33rd &
		Hillside the next day by two fishermen. Her hands had been tied behind
		her back with her bra, and she had multiple stab wounds to the throat &
		upper chest. Two murder victims had previously been found in the same
		location.

		Accquaintences at school suggested Shannon had been involved in a
		satanic group and wanted out. Her father denied any connection to cults.

		I received an e-mail from a friend of Shannon's. The writer described
		Shannon as one of the sweetest people you could know, who seemed to
		just want acceptance and hung around with older people a lot, possibly in
		an effort to have an authority figure in her life. Her mother had remarried,
		and had younger children, and it's very possible Shannon was looking for
		a way to feel that she fit in somewhere, leading to an involvement in the
		occult. From her friend's description, Shannon sounds quite a bit like many
		teenagers - going from childhood to a whole new world of adulthood,
		facing new problems, learning how to deal with major changes in her life.
		I think many people have probably known someone like her - a sister, a
		daughter, or a close friend. This friend had planned to attend a big
		Halloween party with Shannon on the night Shannon disappeared but was
		unable to make it. When she was told of Shannon's murder, she called
		around to some people and was told that Shannon had left the party with
		an older male who Shannon had dated in the past and another girl.
		Shannon was not seen alive again. Some accquaintances claimed that
		they received letters after Shannon's murder, with phrases like "You're
		next" and "Sorry you were missed". The person who wrote to me also
		stated that she had been told by the Wichita Police Dept. that Shannon's
		case had been solved, but she never got the details. If anyone has
		information on this, I would greatly appreciate it if you could pass it on
		to me at ghostiesannex@yahoo.com so that I can share this information
		with Shannon's friend. Shannon sounds to me like a young girl who was
		still in search of herself, and it's a shame that she was never allowed to
		find the woman she could have become.



Sept. 14, 1988	Michael J. Fowler	The body of Michael J. Fowler was found in rural northeast Sedgwick
		County. Investigators believe Mr. Fowler was murdered at an unknown
		location then transported to where his body was found at 85th Street
		North and Oliver in Sedgwick County, Kansas.



Oct. 2, 1989	Krista Martin	506 E. Osage, age 20. Found beaten to death on her couch. She
		had been struck in the back of the head with a blunt instrument.



April 11, 1991	Mildred McDowell	Benton, KS. ages 66 & 14. The victims had been shot in the head
	Janet McDowell	and were found in the bathroom. A suspect was arrested May 21, 2004
CASE		and was charged with the murders in August. In Feb. '92 he was
CLOSED		tried and found guilty. In April he was given 3 life terms.

		I would like to have more info on this case before eliminating it from
		this page.



Aug. 16, 1993	Kristi Hatfield	Corner of S. Broadway & Funston, age 25. Found dead from a
		blow to the back of the head in a field in the 300 block of E. 36th
		Street South.



Oct. 29, 1994	Unknown White	The remains of an unknown white male were located west of the
	Male	intersection of 47th Street South and Hoover inSedgwick County,
		Kansas. The deceased is described as a white male, 5'8" to
		six (6) feet tall, with a small to medium build. The unknown
		male had auburn to sandy colored hair. He was wearing a purple
		to lavender shirt, and was wrapped in bedding. He had no signs
		of having any dental work done. An artists sketch can be viewed at
		http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriff/operations/cold_cases/unknown.html



Sept. 12, 1996	Cherie Fox	2150 N. Meridian, age 16. Was found shot to death in the
		apartment where she lived with her father. There was no evidence
		of a struggle, and no sign of forced entry. She was employed at
		an Arby's restaurant and working on her GED. She died of
		multiple gunshot wounds to the head sometime between 7:30 am,
		when her father left for work, and 11:00 am when he returned to
		the home for lunch. Cherie was due at work at 9:00 am, but never
		reported in.



Oct. 30, 1996	Avanthea Williams	age 20. Her body was found in an abandoned, boarded up apartment
(found)		building scheduled for demolition at 10th and Minnesota by a demolition
		crew. Her body was thought to have been in the building for at least two
		months. The body was boarded up in the building, and the last time
		authorities were aware of the boards being removed had been in June.
		She was wearing white pants, a volleyball t-shirt, and a gold necklace
		when she was found on the floor in an empty room.



May 11, 1997	Deanna Law	423 S. Market St, age 53. She was sexually assaulted, beaten, and
		strangled, and her brother found her nude body in the bathtub in her
		home. Police and her family seem to still feel that this murder was
		committed by a neighbor who was obsessed with her. He called 911
		in September and confessed, but the charges were dropped when
		his lawyer contended that he had faked the confession.



Feb. 10, 1998	Monte E. Dixon	At approximately 11:30 PM, the victim was shot at his residence
		located at 9600 E. 47th Street South and later died at a local hospital.



Mar. 31, 1999	Cassandra L. Jones	The body of Cassandra L. Jones was found in the 8300 block of
		East 77th Street North in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Investigators
		believe Ms. Jones was murdered at an unknown location and
		moved to the 77th Street North address.



Nov, 12, 1999	Tina Frederick	888 S. Hydraulic, age 22. Shot to death in her apartment. Her clothed
CASE		body was found lying on her bedroom floor, by a co-worker when
CLOSED		she hadn't reported to work as a nurses aide for 2 days. In August
		2004 an inmate in jail for another murder was charged with her death.



Dec. 15, 1999	Opal J. Trumpp	14130 Barton Road, age 63. Sometime between 6:30 & 8:30
		am, Ms Trump was murdered in her basement. A weapon was
		involved, and the suspect was on foot.
		I was contacted by womeone who read this site, who sent me an e-mail:
		He waited until her husband left to drive a school bus...broke in and tried
		to get her to take him to the bank she worked at to open the safe. She
		refused and payed a terrible price. His wife gave him up about a year
		later after he tried to kill her. They found the gun at a relatives house
		and ballistics matched up. I was looking at your site and noticed Opal's
		name. My wife and I know her daughter. Just wanted to clear it up
		about Opal.
		Thank you very much to the person who provided this info.



Oct. 17, 2001	Melvin D. Childress	His body was found in a field in the area of 69th Street North
		and Woodlawn. Mr. Childress's four (4) door white KIA was
		found parked at 800 N. Ohio in Wichita, Kansas the next day.



June 4, 2002	Dorothy Slaughter	2000 block of South Pershing Avenue, age 86. Neighbors became
		suspicious after noticing that a boarded up basement window had
		been opened and the side door was ajar. She and her husband had
		been severely beaten. He survived the attack, she died two weeks
		later. Phone lines had been cut and a set of car keys was taken.



Sept 22, 2004	Carol Mould	Benton, age 43. An item with her name on it was missing from her
		purse and was later found elsewhere. Mrs. Mould was found just
		inside her front door. There was no evidence of a struggle, and a
		fire was set to make it look like that was the cause of death. Her
		husband, Douglas Mould, was at work at a Hutchinson nursing home
		at the time. He often serves as an expert witness in Sedgewick Co.
		trials on psychological evaluation, often regarding sexual abuse. He
		last spoke to her at about noon via telephone when she said she
		was planning to mow the lawn and go to the bank. Police determined
		that she did finish mowing. Det.Ken Landwehr was called to the scene,
		leading to speculation that the case may be BTK related.

		According to a poster at www.cybersleuths.com, the contents of her
		purse were found strewn along a highway (they appear to have been
		tossed from the passenger side of a vehicle), but not the actual purse.
		Speculation as to the what the item with her name on it is includes
		drivers license, credit card, ATM card, and prescription medicine bottle
		(Mrs. Mould had been taking arthritis medication), and possibly a cell
		phone.



Wichita Cold Cases


The following are cold cases in Wichita during the years BTK has been