In 2004, more than 10 years after Dennis Rader’s last murder, a local paper ran a feature in which it speculated that the killer had either died or been imprisoned. Rader responded by sending various evidence from his ninth murder—notably a copy of the victim’s driver’s license as well as photographs of her body—to a reporter. For the next year, he sent packages to the media or simply left items around Wichita, Kansas. He often used cereal boxes—possibly a reference to “serial killer”—to hold drawings; crime souvenirs, including photographs; written descriptions of the murders; and even dolls posed to mimic the various deaths.
In January 2005 police received a break after recovering a cereal box that included a note in which Rader asked police whether they would be able to trace a floppy disk he wanted to send them. Through a classified ad, law enforcement officials indicated that it would be safe. He then sent them a disk, which the police quickly traced to his church, where he served as president of the congregation. Rader’s DNA was then matched to the semen found at the first crime scene. He was arrested in February 2005, and he soon confessed to the crimes.