BTK Serial Killer Is Making Plans For His Own Death — & Beyond

PROSPECT TOWNSHIP, KS — Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK" serial killer, is making plans for his death.

After Rader, 72, had a recent cancer scare, he revealed to a Kansas newspaper that he may be buried at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility site if no one claims his body.

Rader said that he feared that he might have cancer, but in April was cleared by a doctor. Rader wrote in a letter to the Wichita Eagle (BTK's favorite publication to correspond with): “I had two relatives died of colon cancer and I was sure it had found me.”

Rader is serving 10 consecutive life sentences for 10 murders, which ensures that he will die in prison.

His daughter, Kerri Rawson, said the family has told him for years they would scatter his remains in the Flint Hills. “Dad has been worried we won’t actually follow through and likes to use what he has left, his body, as leverage,” Rawson told The Hutchinson News.

If his family didn't claim his remains after his death, Rader would end up at either the Lansing Correctional Facility or the Hutchinson Correctional Facility cemeteries, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC).

The cemetery currently contains the graves of several inmates, mostly men convicted of sex-related crimes — some with a child.

In what comes across almost as a threat of haunting from beyond the grave, Rader stated, “My family knows where to spread my ashes. But my (Spirit) ... will be being [sic] unsettled if KDOC does it.”

Rader has stated that he plans to write a will, as he in concerned about what will happen to his considerable output of artwork and letters after his eventual demise.

According to the Wichita Eagle, he said,

“I did write Kerri [Rawson, his daughter] and ask her and the family if they would like my left-over art, poetry, papers, log books, journal, etc. I gave them a couple of months to decide. I thought perhaps Kerri might like to work with someone to ‘chap book’ or a bio on me.”

Rawson reportedly replied, “That’s the normal BS from him," and continued, "I think my dad is just trying to get attention. He’s a controller, and what he still has left is boxes of stuff he wrote, so he’s trying to control that."

Rader's nickname, "BTK," stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill" — which was his infamous signature.

During his long killing spree between the years of 1974 and 1991, Rader sent letters describing the details of the murders to police and local news outlets. After a decade-long hiatus, he started sending out letters again in 2004. This led to his 2005 arrest — and eventual conviction.

Rader has been at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Prospect Township, Kansas, since 2005. The Kansas Department of Corrections lists his earliest possible release date as the year 2180 – in 163 years.

Read more: The Hutchinson News, The Wichita Eagle