The Wackers

[Sewan23]

So, out of curiosity, I put in the walkers’ names and scrolled through newspapers.com (I have an account their for my research on my family tree), and I typed in their area of ohio. While i did find info like when bill was discharged, a snippet about him accidentally shooting himself in his knee in 1953, and his mother’s obituary (which mentioned her having 30 grand children, 89 great-grandchildren, and four great-great grandchildren. I found nothing regarding their harassment. Then again, i found out the last time there was any papers published on that website in their area was from 1977.

We’ll see if there will be more added to the future.

[mphs95]

Originally Posted by freakbook

Well, when your family is staked out infront of your house, and you're staked out inside and someone still manages to slip a note on your front porch then it becomes skeptical.

On a different note, I always thought the note "your lightz are a laugh" was odd. The spelling of "lightz" seem fake, like they wanted the perp to seem young or crazy.

I'll say that maybe the first attack was real, and the rest was made up to keep police attention on their property? Maybe Dorothy was frightened after the first attack and cried wolf to keep attention/police protection around their house?

I think it had to be a family member or someone close enough to them to know their routines and about the stakeouts. It could even be the children who were doing the stakeout. I don't see them creating all this stuff themselves.

[mphs95]

Originally Posted by Todd Mueller

Well played...




I think the fact that it went on for that long makes it less likely it didn't involve the family in some way. Just like with Cindy James, why would someone harass someone for so long with no apparent motive? Were they trying to get the Wackers to move? Mental illness can be a strange and progressive thing. You can get better only to get worse later, and that cycle can repeat. It's very possible the Wackers did this for attention from their family, neighbors, the police, etc. I agree they didn't seem to gain anything, but it did get them on national TV and possibly sympathy from family, friends, and neighbors. Again, this is similar to the Cindy James case in many ways. What was her ultimate goal -- attention? Love? Who knows, but she was obviously very troubled and her harassment was off and on for many years.

If the Wackers weren't doing this to themselves, then my guess would be a family member who lived on their street or maybe just a neighbor. That might explain why the stolen items were returned -- they didn't want them or need them, and if they were caught by their house they would have a logical reason to be there. Why would some random perp risk getting caught by returning items to the scene of the crime?

Almost every time I have read about cases where the harassment is this long and persistent, it has ultimately been all or partially an inside job. I agree with you that it is nuts this went on for so long. So what does someone have to gain in doing this? They either: 1) wanted the Wackers to move (which obviously didn't work), 2) they were wronged by the Wackers, or 3) they simply didn't like them. So if 2 or 3 is the case, were they just trying to annoy them? There didn't seem to be any real point to the harassment.

IMO it was either done by one or more of the immediate Wacker family, done by a relative on their street, or the first few attacks were real and the rest was made up to get attention.

This makes the most sense to me. It had to be someone close to the family, or at the very least familiar with the Wackers. If there are multiple Wackers on that street, they wouldn't stick out. If the Reddit is correct, one or more members had his/her nose out of joint for some reason. Perhaps they did want them to move.

It could have been another relative on the street who merely talked to one of the Wacker children who off-handedly said they were doing the stakeout that night. They put the stuff back because if it was recognized in their house, they would be found out.

[freakbook]

Originally Posted by mphs95

I think it had to be a family member or someone close enough to them to know their routines and about the stakeouts. It could even be the children who were doing the stakeout. I don't see them creating all this stuff themselves.

the only problem I have with another family member or someone else doing it is the physical abuse on Dorothy.

I don't understand why a family member or neighbor would be tying Dorothy up and beating her over the head for over a decade

[mphs95]

Originally Posted by freakbook

the only problem I have with another family member or someone else doing it is the physical abuse on Dorothy.

I don't understand why a family member or neighbor would be tying Dorothy up and beating her over the head for over a decade

That made me hesitate, too. However, someone else made the point that Dorothy's original assault was real. If it was family or a close family friend that lived nearby, i.e. someone who had their nose out of joint d/t something Bill said or some other perceived slight, they decided to piggy back on this assault by pulling all this to mess w/ the Wackers.

[freakbook]

Originally Posted by mphs95

That made me hesitate, too. However, someone else made the point that Dorothy's original assault was real. If it was family or a close family friend that lived nearby, i.e. someone who had their nose out of joint d/t something Bill said or some other perceived slight, they decided to piggy back on this assault by pulling all this to mess w/ the Wackers.

I think the original assault was committed by the same person who committed the later ones.

The first attack on Dorothy was in her kitchen when we was tied up and had to call for neighbors. She was struck over the head and tied up. Years later she was hit over the head again when she was outside and suffered skull lacerations.

What do these two attacks have in common? Dorothy being hit over the head. That seems to be a common theme with this attacker, striking her over the head.

Also something struck me weird about the first attack while watching UM. Dorothy said that the guy said that his car was parked down the street when she asked where it was, so she didn't see it. She also said that she didn't hear his conversation "because she wasn't paying attention". Now isn't it odd that the two helpful things that she can give police to help with identification she can't produce? She can't give a make of the car, and she couldn't even tell them what or who he talked to/about. It's a little.....convenient.

Another thing that I find "convenient" is that Bill was never around for these attacks.

[5thBeatle]

I wished the police would’ve said exactly where Bill was at for those two attacks on Dorothy. Must’ve had a good alibi lol

[freakbook]

Originally Posted by 5thBeatle

I wished the police would’ve said exactly where Bill was at for those two attacks on Dorothy. Must’ve had a good alibi lol

Yeah, good point. I think he was at home when she was attacked outside at night when she suffered the skull lacerations

For the first attack she was tied up, and who knows how long it took her to get a hold of the neighbors so he could've drove off for a while. But where did the first attacker get the rope to tie her up? Odd to knock her over the head and jaw, then tie her up, steal items, and then return them.

[5thBeatle]

I didn’t even think about the rope. Came to the house empty handed, and she didn’t even see his car either. So the attacker had to look throughout the house to find rope? If I’m not mistaken wasn’t she able to get untied by herself to get a neighbor? Attacker probably had arthritis if he couldn’t tie her up tightly, especially for an elder lady to break free…

[freakbook]

Originally Posted by 5thBeatle

I didn’t even think about the rope. Came to the house empty handed, and she didn’t even see his car either. So the attacker had to look throughout the house to find rope? If I’m not mistaken wasn’t she able to get untied by herself to get a neighbor? Attacker probably had arthritis if he couldn’t tie her up tightly, especially for an elder lady to break free…

Exactly. You bring up an excellent point about her being able to untie the rope easily. A younger person would've been able to tie her more tightly so she couldn't get free.

They said that a pistol and more things were stolen. So he has no car, but he's walking around outside with a pistol in his hands and no one saw this in broad day light? Then after getting his fingerprints on the pistol he then returns it. And the investigator said that no other fingerprints were found on any of their items

[Sewan23]

Originally Posted by mphs95

If it was family or a close family friend that lived nearby, i.e. someone who had their nose out of joint d/t something Bill said or some other perceived slight, they decided to piggy back on this assault by pulling all this to mess w/ the Wackers.

That is sort of like my theory. I think it could be very likely that Bill might have been feuding w/some other man, maybe a coworker/neighbor, and what may have pushed this man over the edge was bill making a remark about their wife, thus leading to the first assault on Dorothy.

I think one big reason why I tend to believe the Wackers did not make up their harassment (nor was it a cover for possible mental illness) is because some people have done worse when they felt slighted.

For example, I skimmed through the thread on Dick Hansen, and from what it looks like, it seems likely the killer was enraged over the fact that Dick and his lady friend were blocking a mailbox (Less likely, but maybe it is possible the killer was mad about the lady friend’s license plate). And in Circleville, Ohio, an alleged affair between the superintendent and a bus driver was enough to spur a 20 year long poison pen letter crusade against the duo and their families—some of which was most likely led by members of her extended family—that harassed an entire county.

[Clockwork]

This is a case we'll never know. Simply because they are dead. Bill died in 1999. Dorothy in 2010.

Who did this? Who knows. But the sky is the limit as to why. I have never thought that they did this to themselves. They are an elderly couple, they aren't exactly from the generation that craves attention either. But there could be someone that they wronged in some way. Or at least were perceived to have wronged. That could be. Maybe an old affair, I don't know. I am just speculating here. But anything is possible.

You don't go on Unsolved Mysteries - a popular show at the time - if it was you all along doing it to your wife. My guess is the nonsense stopped once this segment aired. I never heard anything afterwards. Bill dies in 1999, so there isn't the idea that all of the sudden he died and it stopped. It probably stopped when the episode aired.

[James T]

Originally Posted by Clockwork

This is a case we'll never know. Simply because they are dead. Bill died in 1999. Dorothy in 2010.

Who did this? Who knows. But the sky is the limit as to why. I have never thought that they did this to themselves. They are an elderly couple, they aren't exactly from the generation that craves attention either. But there could be someone that they wronged in some way. Or at least were perceived to have wronged. That could be. Maybe an old affair, I don't know. I am just speculating here. But anything is possible.

You don't go on Unsolved Mysteries - a popular show at the time - if it was you all along doing it to your wife. My guess is the nonsense stopped once this segment aired. I never heard anything afterwards. Bill dies in 1999, so there isn't the idea that all of the sudden he died and it stopped. It probably stopped when the episode aired.

I really wish Netflix, HBO, Oxygen, or one of the other documentary channels would do a series, or even a 2 hour one off on this case & talk to the police, relatives, neighbours etc.

[Clockwork]

Originally Posted by James T

I really wish Netflix, HBO, Oxygen, or one of the other documentary channels would do a series, or even a 2 hour one off on this case & talk to the police, relatives, neighbours etc.

The one thing I do find strange is the night they did a stakeout. I mean, I get it you were being harassed, but it was spread out over several years and sometimes went months on end without anything. So why figure that this particular night they harass you? Why have your family members watch the house on this night in particular? Even stranger that he actually managed to leave a note. That's weird, I'll admit.

[James T]

Originally Posted by Clockwork

The one thing I do find strange is the night they did a stakeout. I mean, I get it you were being harassed, but it was spread out over several years and sometimes went months on end without anything. So why figure that this particular night they harass you? Why have your family members watch the house on this night in particular? Even stranger that he actually managed to leave a note. That's weird, I'll admit.

My belief is multiple family members were responsible & dropped the note one of them had written during the commotion. I honestly believe the wife & one of more members of the family conspired against her husband, to punish him if he was something of a tyrant round the house/she wanted a divorce & wanted to drive him away.