Casefile True Crime

Episode: Case 337: Test A.rtf (Part 3/4)

Date: March 21, 2026
Podcast Host: Casefile Presents

Main Theme & Purpose

This gripping episode continues the investigation into the notorious BTK serial killer’s resurgence in the early 2000s, focusing on his communications with police, the media’s role, and how a string of increasingly audacious messages—culminating in a single fateful technological misstep—brought detectives closer than ever to discovering BTK’s identity. The narrative traverses a chilling mix of confessions, taunts, and psychological power plays as the hunt accelerates toward its dramatic conclusion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. BTK’s Chilling Communication Resumes (02:15 – 14:00)

• Discovery of the “BTK Fieldgram”:
  On June 9, 2004, a man finds an envelope labeled “BTK fieldgram” duct-taped to a stop sign, packed with photocopied story chapters, sketches, and the killer’s signature.

  • BTK provides a detailed narrative of the Otero family murders, written as a personal diary from “Rex,” revealing both real and fictionalized elements.
  • The manuscript, written just 19 days after the murders, highlights BTK's need to record, savor, and relive his crimes—illustrating his controlling and egotistical nature.

  Quote:

  “If a person happened to be out one of these cold mornings… he might have noticed a man park his car… walk across the street and disappear among the house and commercial building…” — BTK (03:00)

2. The Murder of Jake Allen – BTK’s First False Claim (14:00 – 19:20)

• BTK claims credit for the gruesome death of Jake Allen, 19, who was found bound and killed by a train—yet investigators deem BTK's claims false upon examining evidence.

• Key insight: BTK’s willingness to fabricate links to crimes marks a departure from his prior pattern, demonstrating his escalating need for attention and psychological dominance.

  Quote:

  “I was so excited about this incident, I had to tell the story.” — BTK, in his flashgram (16:18)

3. Self-Portrait: The Autobiography Chapters (19:20 – 28:00)

• BTK dispatches further writing ("C2DAWN"), narrating his childhood and adolescence, marked by perverse fascinations, animal abuse, and early precursors to sexual violence.

• He constructs cryptic theories about the number three and the “eternal triangle,” relating them to his crimes and personal ideology.

  Quote:

  “If you masturbate, God will come and kill you… Although the beating hurt, BTK admitted that he found it strangely arousing.” — BTK (22:45)

4. The Hunt Tightens: False Suspects and Media Frenzy (28:00 – 36:00)

• Roger Valadez, a Wichita retiree, is wrongly accused and endures a traumatic search, DNA test, and media blitz before police clear him.

• The incident spotlights the fraught relationship between law enforcement and local media, which has devolved from collaboration to adversarial distraction and sensationalism.

  Quote:

  “We can't believe that BTK had been this close to here or that we'd have a murderer in our midst.” — Valadez’s neighbors, to the press (33:12)

5. The Doll Grams, More Communiqués, and Symbolic Trophies (36:00 – 44:59)

• BTK orchestrates more taunting drops: dolls bound and gagged, references to past victims, and finally Nancy Fox’s preserved driver’s license—his first relinquished trophy after decades.

• Analysis of cryptic abbreviations and the selection of location (Park City), raising new suspicions—and revealing possible previously unconnected victims.

  Quote:

  “Why he chose to surrender it now was puzzling to investigators, given that serial killers typically hoard their trophies…” (39:10)

6. The Park City Murders: Maureen Hedge & Dolores Davis (46:42 – 56:00)

• Revisiting the unsolved murders of Hedge and Davis, both linked through hindsight to BTK, despite initial doubts from law enforcement.
• The methodical, detached movement of bodies and evidence, and their proximity to Park City, create new investigative leads.

7. BTK’s Technology Question: The Floppy Disk Gambit (56:00 – 63:00)

• BTK, seeking a “safer” way to contact police, queries whether a floppy disk can be traced. Detectives, seizing the opportunity, reassure him in print—and he takes the bait.

• A purple floppy with the test file “Testa.rtf” lands at KSAS TV. Forensic analysis uncovers hidden metadata:

  • The disk's file is traced to ‘Christ Lutheran Church,’ accessed on a Park City library computer—plus, a user name.

  Quote:

  “Can I communicate with floppy and not be traced to a computer? Be honest.” — BTK (61:50)

8. Cliffhanger: Was It Really That Simple? (63:00 – 66:13)

• Investigators are left in disbelief and anticipation—have decades of fear and obsession been reduced to a single digital blunder?

  Quote:

  “Oh my God.” — Unnamed investigator after discovering the church file metadata (65:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The Sexual Thrill is my Bill.” — BTK sketch, with his signature (03:20)
• “He wanted to be perceived as intelligent or cunning, kind of like a spy. But they weren’t impressed.” — Casefile Narrator on BTK’s cryptic codes (42:14)
• “Time is running out for me.” — BTK, in recent communications, hinting at his possible endgame (24:00)
• “I could be wrong, but I truly believe this is an individual who doesn’t want to go to his grave without telling us who he is.” — Richard Lamunion, Ex-Wichita Police Chief (24:30)
• “Rex, it will be OK.” — Police reply in the classified ad, green-lighting BTK’s disk attempt (62:00)

Important Timestamps

• 02:15 – Discovery of BTK’s Fieldgram and Otero account
• 14:00 – BTK’s false claim of Jake Allen’s murder
• 19:20 – Autobiographical “C2DAWN” and disturbing self-portrait
• 28:00 – The mistaken arrest and media persecution of Roger Valadez
• 36:00 – Nancy Fox’s driver’s license and grotesque “doll gram”
• 46:42 – The rediscovery of Maureen Hedge’s and Dolores Davis’s murders
• 56:00 – The Park City Home Depot drop and surveillance breakthrough
• 62:00 – BTK’s floppy disk question and the newspaper classified ad
• 65:48 – Forensic discovery: Christ Lutheran Church file, user name revealed

Flow and Closing

This episode maintains the trademark Casefile tone—calm, clinical, relentless in the pursuit of detail—delivering both chilling narrative and sharp procedural insight. The interplay between BTK’s ego, the evolving abilities (and limitations) of police, and the complicated presence of the media forms a suspenseful tapestry, now drawn taut by the killer’s own desire for validation and the fatal error of digital ignorance.

To be continued next week...