After his arrest on February 25, 2005, the “BTK Killer,” Dennis Rader, gave investigators an extensive 32-hour confession.
During the interview, Rader revealed the locations of his âstashesâ containing artifacts taken and used during the murders, paraphernalia from his self-bondage sessions, as well as his âfantasy cards.â
The BTK referred to one of these stashes as the âmother lode.â
Located in an office space in City Hall, the two-drawer metal cabinet contained an extensive collection of sketches, drawings, as well as bizarre Polaroid photos of Rader engaging in self-bondage while dressed in the victimsâ clothing.
During his interview with Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Rader revealed that “motel parties” were among his most preferred self-bondage practices.
Alone in a motel room, BTK would bind his wrists and ankles, cover his head with a bag, and restrict his breathingâsimilar to what he did to his victims.
In a way, Raderâs murders were the climax of his expansive fantasy life.
The so-called âmother lodeâ provided the most compelling evidence against him.
Investigators discovered hundreds of pictures from magazines and catalogs mounted on index cards (Rader referred to these as âflash cardsâ that he would use to stimulate himself), with details of the warped fantasies that Rader dreamed of carrying out, as well as books on serial killers.
Rader had collected and maintained an extensive collection of Barbie-style dolls that he would pose in sexual positions.
The âmother lodeâ also contained a newspaper clipping about the arrest of David Parker Ray. Apparently, BTK admired Rayâs work and might have taken inspiration from the Toy-Box Killer.
Both the BTK and the Toy-Box Killer used anatomically correct dolls to enhance their fantasies and both drew perverse drawings of torture, rape, and murder to become sexually aroused when not participating in the actual events.
The detectives also recovered Raderâs so-called âhit kits,â which consisted of bags with rubber gloves, rope, tape, handcuffs, and bandanas.
