The search for the slasher
In August 1975 Kathie Rottler, her little sister, Sheri, and her friend, Kandice Smith, were taking in the last days of summer. They decided to hitchhike to a popular teen hangout when a predator in a station wagon pulled alongside them, inviting them to join him in the front seat.
Everything changed after that.
After he brutalized them and left them for dead in a cornfield in Indianapolis, the women spent nearly five decades pushing for police to find the man – and seeking answers to why.
Finally, he has a face and a name.
👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with Paste BN freelance reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski about her exclusive four-part series "Slasher," which follows a 50-year search for answers.
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An email turns into a search
Marisa Kwiatkowski received an email in November 2017. Kathie Rottler was looking for answers. A survivor of that 1975 incident in the Indiana cornfield, the haunting memory of the man who brutalized, raped and left them for dead clung to every bit of her life. She wanted to find him − would Marisa help?
Kathie came to the office of the Indianapolis Star, part of the Paste BN Network, carrying a stack of old police reports. She and the other two survivors from that day – her younger sister and a friend – sat down for an interview with Marisa and visual journalist Mykal McEldowney. They told their story of that summer night. But they also relayed the decades of fear, searching and trauma that had come to define their lives.
"As we started going through this process, there was the overwhelming feeling was there was no guarantee of getting an answer," Marisa said. "They'd been waiting for so long already, but we wanted to try."
The cold case was reopened the following year. With forensic technology that didn't exist at the time of the crime, authorities were finally able to get to the bottom of the brutal attack this January, more than half a century since the girls found themselves in the middle of that cornfield. The journey wasn't straightforward: There were moments of doubt as the authorities and Paste BN's journalists worked to piece the truth together.
But they finally found an answer.
Marisa says people should be sure to read Part 4 of the investigation, particularly a quote from Detective Sgt. David Ellison crediting the women's persistence for get case solved. Beyond all odds, the women didn't give up, and they have found closure as a result.
Seven years after Marisa received that initial email, she hopes the lasting impact of the project will be wider awareness of other cold cases, and she offers "gratitude to the women for trusting us with their stories, which affected the course of their lives."
Read the full "Slasher" series from Paste BN:
- Part 1: Three girls and their night of terror in an Indiana cornfield.
- Part 2: Seeing the suspect everywhere and nowhere.
- Part 3: Not Forgotten. The case haunted the women.
- Part 4: Scars Remain. And finally some answers.
Thank you
The story of these women is truly harrowing. I'm thankful for the determination of our journalists to help these survivors get answers. Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you.
Best wishes,
Nicole Fallert