10 Careless Mistakes That Got Serial Killers Caught

10. The BTK Killer Was Tricked Into Sending A Floppy Disk To Cops

BTK — three letters that terrorized Wichita, Kansas, for over 30 years.

In 1978, a Wichita news station received a letter from an individual claiming to have killed six people since 1974. The writer suggested a nickname for himself based on the way his method of execution: bind, torture, kill.

The BTK killer taunted police and the press with his various murders stretching until 1991 — and then seemingly stopped. It wasn't until 2004 that BTK made contact with the police again, which inevitably led to his capture.

When BTK began sending letters once more, he asked law enforcement if they'd be able to trace him via a floppy disk. The police (obviously) claimed that they couldn't. After they received the disk, the BTK killer was arrested a week later.

No one would peg Dennis Rader for a serial killer. A family man, Rader was president of his church council, worked as a city compliance officer, and even led a Cub Scout troop. Had his arrogance and stupidity not gotten the best of him, there's a chance the BTK case would have stayed cold and Rader would be a free man today.