Did the harassment of Dorothy Wacker continue after Bill Wacker died?

[yourhomiebrian]

I always wondered if the harassment of the Wackers home continued after Bill Wacker passed away in 1999. Does anybody on here know if there was any reports of harassment after Bill passed away? Some speculate Bill may have been responsible.

[James T]

We have no idea if the harassment continued after the late 1993 Dorothy attack/the spring 1994 airing. Many here & elsewhere like myself personally believe that it was actually Dorothy & other family members doing it.

[justins5256]

This was one of my pet cases for a time and I’ve done some research in to it. I can tell you this definitively: there is almost no information about the Wackers or the crimes outside of the segment.

The only additional information anyone has ever found is that Bill died in 1999 (I believe) and Dorothy passed away sometime within the last 10 years, I want to say in 2014, but I’m not sure. I know the obituary has been posted on this forum before, perhaps in the main Wacker thread.

Someone also found their address and you can view Google Streetview and satellite imagery of their house and land.

I always felt that the crimes themselves were probably too low priority to receive any press attention.

[Jon]

Originally Posted by justins5256

I can tell you this definitively: there is almost no information about the Wackers or the crimes outside of the segment.

That is what is so frustrating!

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by Jon

That is what is so frustrating!

Agreed. It’s one of those segments that is just begging for either

A. A legitimate family member or connection to the Wackers in real life to stumble on to the forums and post an update.
B. Someone with research skills and looser conceptions of social boundaries than myself to reach out the family and ask for additional information.

I think those are the best chances for any kind of an “update” after all these years.

[JannTosh]

we don't know and it looks like we never will

[James T]

Originally Posted by justins5256

Agreed. It’s one of those segments that is just begging for either

A. A legitimate family member or connection to the Wackers in real life to stumble on to the forums and post an update.
B. Someone with research skills and looser conceptions of social boundaries than myself to reach out the family and ask for additional information.

I think those are the best chances for any kind of an “update” after all these years.

Likely the best bet is if anybody is still at the police force in that area from 25 years back, or find one who is retired as unless there was a rookie there chances are they are all long gone from the force. My bet is they likely came to the conclusion that members of the family were involved-most likely they only agreed to do the UM segment so that those doing it would have their attention fix sated & mean they had to stop coming out to investigating it. The other way would be through local paper searches from the 1990's.

[mtaylor72]

I've always wondered how many copycats harrassed the Whackers after that segment was first aired. I wouldn't be shocked if people harrassed them by phone and/or mail back then. Just seems like it would have been more wise to let the authorities investigate the incidents rather than go on UM.

[James T]

Originally Posted by mtaylor72

I've always wondered how many copycats harrassed the Whackers after that segment was first aired. I wouldn't be shocked if people harrassed them by phone and/or mail back then. Just seems like it would have been more wise to let the authorities investigate the incidents rather than go on UM.

Well it had been going on for nearly a decade-I think the police had come to the most logical conclusion that it was an inside job & that either the family members doing it would be happy with the publicity, or scared that the case had received mainstream attention & more resources/people would be watching the house as a result & that it would all stop-it seems this was the case.

[xTattooedDollx]

Does anybody know what Bill and Dorothy were worth around the time of the attacks?

[Sewan23]

I think the person behind the harassment of the Wackers was definitely someone they knew; as to whether or not the Wackers themselves knew who was doing it, I lean towards them not knowing.

But then again, when you read this article about another harasser egging someone’s house 100 times in the span of a year, you can’t help but wonder if the Wackers’ harasser(s) really was a stranger “doing it for kicks.”

https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/pol...mes-in-a-year/

[Labonte18]

Originally Posted by Sewan23

I think the person behind the harassment of the Wackers was definitely someone they knew; as to whether or not the Wackers themselves knew who was doing it, I lean towards them not knowing.

But then again, when you read this article about another harasser egging someone’s house 100 times in the span of a year, you can’t help but wonder if the Wackers’ harasser(s) really was a stranger “doing it for kicks.”

https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/pol...mes-in-a-year/

Big difference between egging someone's house and breaking in and beating them unconscious.

Moreso wondering if things continued after Bill died.. Did things contriue after the UM episode aired?

So.. Two things I found.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/t...nal/132862821/

That look like Bill? Seems that to me.

Also.. from 1995..

https://www.newspapers.com/article/t...tte/132862970/

But, that's from The Delaware Gazette.. While Masillion is in Stark County, Delaware is about 100 miles away, so, I don't think the second one is him, though the age seems close.

[LaToyaBoy]

One of the few cases that always left me wondering a huge WTF.
Was never sure what to make of it as a whole.
Was she doing it...or was he doing it.
They seemed like a legit sweet normal couple. But the actions of what happened said that something wasn't right elsewhere.

[Sewan23]

Originally Posted by Labonte18

Big difference between egging someone's house and breaking in and beating them unconscious.

Oh I agree! My point was that there are people sick and twisted enough to harass strangers for no reason for an extended period of time. And I don’t think it was a stranger behind all these attacks.

[5thcorps]

Originally Posted by Labonte18

Big difference between egging someone's house and breaking in and beating them unconscious.

Moreso wondering if things continued after Bill died.. Did things contriue after the UM episode aired?

So.. Two things I found.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/t...nal/132862821/

That look like Bill? Seems that to me.

Also.. from 1995..

https://www.newspapers.com/article/t...tte/132862970/

But, that's from The Delaware Gazette.. While Masillion is in Stark County, Delaware is about 100 miles away, so, I don't think the second one is him, though the age seems close.

It actually appears that Bill is wearing an Unsolved Mysteries hat in the photo. The production team must've given him one