The house where BTK murdered Dolores Davis

On January 19th, 1991, serial killer Dennis Rader murdered Dolores Earline Davis at this location in Park City, Wichita.

These days, the house no longer exists, as it was demolished at some point between 2012 and 2019.

Rader was unable to find an easy way into Davis' house

Rader said that he spent time casing Davis' home in the lead-up to the murder. However, he was unable to figure out a way to enter the property without alerting the 62-year-old.

On one occasion, he was forced to retreat from her patio door after her cat started hissing at him.

After failing to find a way in, Rader eventually lost patience and deviated from his usual modus operandi. Instead of sneaking inside, he threw a cinder block through a plate glass window on the eastern side of the property.

When Davis heard the noise, she believed that a car had crashed into the side of her house.

Startled, she ran out of her bedroom, only to find Rader standing in her living room with a gun.

Rader told Davis that he was on the run from the authorities. He also explained that he was going to handcuff her while he stole some food and the keys to her car.

Murder

While Davis was handcuffed, Rader spoke to her and managed to calm her down. He also walked around the kitchen and pretended to steal some food.

After convincing his victim that he was leaving, he removed the handcuffs and then re-tied her wrists using a piece of rope.

However, instead of leaving, he proceeded to strangle her to death with a pair of pantyhose.

"I handcuffed her and talked to her. I told her that I would like to get some food and the keys to her car. Kind of rest assured, talked with her a little bit, calmed her down a little bit. Then eventually I checked out where her car was. Simulated getting some food, odds and ends in the house, kind of like I was leaving. Then I went back and removed her handcuffs and tied her up and then—eventually—strangled her."

The fact that Rader spent time calming his victim down is telling, as she had already been handcuffed by that point.

This was something that he didn't need to do. He could have easily killed the 62-year-old as soon as she had been restrained.

Because Rader was a sadist, it is likely that he got a perverse kick out of soothing his victims and convincing them that they were going to survive. By doing this, he was able to play with their emotions and witness their shock and terror once he revealed his true intentions.

Inflicting this kind of psychological torture would have undoubtedly added to his sexual high.

Following the murder, BTK drove his victim's body out to a rural area and dumped it underneath a bridge.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

Dolores Davis' house

This Google Street View image of 6226 North Hillside Street was taken in August 2012.

The house was built in 1961. Notably, this location is just 1.5 miles away from Rader's home on Independence Street.

He reportedly cut the phone lines outside before he threw a cinder block through a window on the eastern side of the house.

Dolores Davis was BTK's final victim. At the time of her murder, she had recently retired from her job as a corporate secretary for the Lario Oil & Gas Company in Wichita.

Following her killing, he went silent for more than a decade. Then, in March 2004, he suddenly resumed contact with the media.

Project Dogside

This is an aerial view of the property and the surrounding area.

During the stalking phase, BTK gave Davis the nickname "Project Dogside." He chose this nickname because her house was situated beside a dog kennel.

In the image above, you can see the "Chisholm Creek Pet Resort" on the left.

On one occasion, Rader attempted to enter the property without his victim realizing it. However, her cat spotted him and started hissing at him. Realizing that Davis might hear the commotion and investigate, he decided to retreat.

Hillside and 45th

Following the murder, Dennis Rader put Davis in the trunk of her own vehicle and traveled two miles south. He then placed her body in some trees by the intersection of Hillside Street and 45th South North.

Judging by aerial images, it is likely that he chose the wooded area in the photograph above.

After hiding Davis' body among the trees, he drove her vehicle back to her house at 6226 N Hillside Street and then left the scene on foot.

Once he was back behind the wheel of his own car, he returned to this location to retrieve her body.

Coordinates: 37.766728, -97.299024

Google Maps

Jester Creek Bridge

After retrieving Davis' body from Hillside and 45th, he traveled to Jester Creek Bridge, which is near the intersection between 117th North and Meridian.

Once there, he placed her remains underneath the bridge.

The following day, BTK returned to the site to put a mask on his victim and take photographs of her body.

The Polaroid (inset) was discovered among his secret stash following his arrest in February 2005.

Discovery

A 15-year-old boy discovered her body on February 1st, 1991. At the time, the teenager was out walking his dog.