WACKER - What? Another Crazy Kooky Entertaining Read

[danmanx]

Good day to all fellow UM enthusiasts. I've seen the Wacker's segment so many times I probably can quote most of the episode. I want you to keep an open mind about my theory of this. The most likely suspect is:

Dorothy Wacker! I have based this on a number of observations.

1. The little smirk she gives when Bill is explaining A LONG TIME STALKER HARASSING HER FAMILY. She smiles....for just a second of course. Then it disappears....

2. She is the ONLY person to see a suspect OR interact with ANY suspect.

Those are pure facts there. There's no speculation. Those cannot be debated. This is my best guesses next.

Dorothy when describing what happened to her (hit/tied up) just doesn't seem emotionally connected to the event. There's literally no fear in what she is talking about. That leads me to believe it was staged.

Dorothy would easily be able to hide the items and slowly return them.

Bill genuinely seemed disturbed by all of this with every shot in the episode.

And now for the "phone calls". During the 1980-90s, it was possible to make your own phone ring. You could easily set something up and nobody would be the wiser. I remember doing this as a kid.

It is obvious that the person writing the notes is writing with the other hand to not have their handwriting noticed. (IE, could be a family member)

Ok, so the first note was written in crayon, was the crayon from their house?

The only things I can't explain at all is the bizarre syntax/phrasing of the notes:

cheaper, but will do [what is cheaper? the gun? the old camera?]
you scum i'll get even *can't read the rest* [get even? did the Wackers do something bad to somebody?]
Your lightz are a laugh [well, ok...are they too weak or not good enough?]
zunday didn't do you in next time [ok buddy]
called but didn't anzwer [sorry i was in the bathroom]
Thiz time ha ha [truly a disturbed individual....]
Get the message [no I didn't!]

No fingerprints found.

[I did note most of the S's are just Z's.] This is interesting b/c I can see why the police feel it's the opposite hand....except for scum which would be zcum? Maybe the person knew this just didn't sound right and went for the s? That also leads me to believe [and this is a stretch] due to that slang not being socially acceptable to the note writer....

Could it be possible that Dorothy had some sort of mental breakdown that may have involved dementia, or some other psychosis and this was her way to vent it?

A few unanswered questions [that many have stated]:
There's literally no motive. That's what leads me to mental disorders ALL AROUND.
What if the majority of this is unrelated? (IE, the notes, the calls, the attacks) The one note is linked to a missed call though. The attack also happened with the bizarre crayon wall note also.
Was anything on the video camera from the stalker? He did take it.....and return it....
Was the gun fired before it was returned? Did it have the bullets if there were bullets in the gun to begin with?
What did Bill do for a living?
Phone calls! Were they answered by multiple parties? Were they traced?
Did they ever try *69? [It'll call the person calling back] This is why the phone calls are so dopey.....
Bill was thought of as a suspect, but not Dorothy?
Wasn't it proven that a person could hogtie themselves?
Besides the daughter, the relatives are not participating in the episode....why?
How far did the family live from Dorothy and Bill? Could a family member easily get over there and bang on the house and leave?
Dorothy was always the focus....just like Cindy James. Bill could've been attacked but never was....why, if the stalker hates both of them?
Did Dorothy still have the stalker issues after Bill died?
What did the neighbors think of all of this?

Final verdict:
A close family member is the most likely suspect.

I really don't know. I do suspect Dorothy, but there's just something missing from this case. It's motive. I just can't figure it out. Maybe it was an old couple just picked at random to harass? Maybe Dorothy and Bill were somewhere in public and did something that made the stalker notice them and it pissed him off? He (if it's a he) seems to have genuine anger in the notes at some points with vague threats. I used to do prank phone calls when I was a kid, and from what I remember, getting old people was the best. I didn't heavy breathe to them, that's just creepy... I am in the camp that if it was a male stalker, he was literally just screwing with them for kicks. Maybe the perpetrator just liked the reaction he was getting from them? It's frustrating because nothing will ever be proven.

We can't tell who wrote the notes, who allegedly attacked Dorothy twice, who called.

We know nothing.

[tvscript124]

Originally Posted by danmanx

Good day to all fellow UM enthusiasts. I've seen the Wacker's segment so many times I probably can quote most of the episode. I want you to keep an open mind about my theory of this. The most likely suspect is:

Dorothy Wacker! I have based this on a number of observations.

1. The little smirk she gives when Bill is explaining A LONG TIME STALKER HARASSING HER FAMILY. She smiles....for just a second of course. Then it disappears....

2. She is the ONLY person to see a suspect OR interact with ANY suspect.

Those are pure facts there. There's no speculation. Those cannot be debated. This is my best guesses next.

Dorothy when describing what happened to her (hit/tied up) just doesn't seem emotionally connected to the event. There's literally no fear in what she is talking about. That leads me to believe it was staged.

Dorothy would easily be able to hide the items and slowly return them.

Bill genuinely seemed disturbed by all of this with every shot in the episode.

And now for the "phone calls". During the 1980-90s, it was possible to make your own phone ring. You could easily set something up and nobody would be the wiser. I remember doing this as a kid.

It is obvious that the person writing the notes is writing with the other hand to not have their handwriting noticed. (IE, could be a family member)

Ok, so the first note was written in crayon, was the crayon from their house?

The only things I can't explain at all is the bizarre syntax/phrasing of the notes:

cheaper, but will do [what is cheaper? the gun? the old camera?]
you scum i'll get even *can't read the rest* [get even? did the Wackers do something bad to somebody?]
Your lightz are a laugh [well, ok...are they too weak or not good enough?]
zunday didn't do you in next time [ok buddy]
called but didn't anzwer [sorry i was in the bathroom]
Thiz time ha ha [truly a disturbed individual....]
Get the message [no I didn't!]

No fingerprints found.

[I did note most of the S's are just Z's.] This is interesting b/c I can see why the police feel it's the opposite hand....except for scum which would be zcum? Maybe the person knew this just didn't sound right and went for the s? That also leads me to believe [and this is a stretch] due to that slang not being socially acceptable to the note writer....

Could it be possible that Dorothy had some sort of mental breakdown that may have involved dementia, or some other psychosis and this was her way to vent it?

A few unanswered questions [that many have stated]:
There's literally no motive. That's what leads me to mental disorders ALL AROUND.
What if the majority of this is unrelated? (IE, the notes, the calls, the attacks) The one note is linked to a missed call though. The attack also happened with the bizarre crayon wall note also.
Was anything on the video camera from the stalker? He did take it.....and return it....
Was the gun fired before it was returned? Did it have the bullets if there were bullets in the gun to begin with?
What did Bill do for a living?
Phone calls! Were they answered by multiple parties? Were they traced?
Did they ever try *69? [It'll call the person calling back] This is why the phone calls are so dopey.....
Bill was thought of as a suspect, but not Dorothy?
Wasn't it proven that a person could hogtie themselves?
Besides the daughter, the relatives are not participating in the episode....why?
How far did the family live from Dorothy and Bill? Could a family member easily get over there and bang on the house and leave?
Dorothy was always the focus....just like Cindy James. Bill could've been attacked but never was....why, if the stalker hates both of them?
Did Dorothy still have the stalker issues after Bill died?
What did the neighbors think of all of this?

Final verdict:
A close family member is the most likely suspect.

I really don't know. I do suspect Dorothy, but there's just something missing from this case. It's motive. I just can't figure it out. Maybe it was an old couple just picked at random to harass? Maybe Dorothy and Bill were somewhere in public and did something that made the stalker notice them and it pissed him off? He (if it's a he) seems to have genuine anger in the notes at some points with vague threats. I used to do prank phone calls when I was a kid, and from what I remember, getting old people was the best. I didn't heavy breathe to them, that's just creepy... I am in the camp that if it was a male stalker, he was literally just screwing with them for kicks. Maybe the perpetrator just liked the reaction he was getting from them? It's frustrating because nothing will ever be proven.

We can't tell who wrote the notes, who allegedly attacked Dorothy twice, who called.

We know nothing.

Wow, super detailed analysis. I've come to think that it was a family member. I find it hard to believe it was Dorothy or Bill doing it, and maybe I just don't want to believe. I know that even though older people aren't physically as capable of what they used to be, that doesn't mean they're helpless. There are some mean and devious ones, and maybe ones that resent not having the attention and power they used to. I just can't see it with the Wackers though. I respect your opinion on the matter. I still think it was a family member or disgruntled neighbor. Nobody but Dorothy saw the guy in the sketch. That doesn't mean he was made up, but it does make you wonder.

[XCalibur]

Assuming that Bill and Dorothy did not fabricate the whole thing, (And I honestly am inclined to think they did not) I think it almost had to be a neighbor.

1. Neighbors could be seen near the Wacker's residence and not arouse suspicion.

2. Bill Wacker mentioned he never heard a car. neighbors could access the Wackers property on foot so.

3. Neighbors could stake out the Wackers' house without arousing suspicion and watch from their porch.

4. Neighbors were likely to have seen the Wackers stakeout and could have observed it and found the blind spot.

5. When Dorothy was attacked in 1985, it was the neighbors apparently who came and freed her after she apparently got their attention. But what I never understood, was if Dorothy was gagged and tied on the floor, then how could she have made enough noise to attract the neighbors? Never understood that. Unless, they knew she was there. Of course she didn't recognize her attacker but I think he could have been some hired thug.

6. Dorothy's head injuries after the attacks were apparently real, so seems unlikely she did those to herself. Though this is more of something that points away from the Wackers than it is something pointing to the neighbors.

7. A possible motive for a neighbor could very well have been that they had family or friends they wanted to move in there and as a result wanted the Wackers out, it makes sense.

8. I also wonder if the items returned could have been done by a family member of the tormenter. Maybe it was someone who lived in the same household as who was doing this, and knew it. They felt guilty enough to return the items, but not to turn in their family member. Been known to happen.

So this begs the question how closely did the sheriff's dept investigate the neighbors and their backgrounds? I'm betting not very close other than to ask them if they had seen any suspicious people around. And they were probably looking for someone who resembled the man who attacked Dorothy in 1985. But he could very well have just been some punk who was hired by the real culprits. Someone even pointed out that they thought it was unlikely the Wackers tormenter was rich enough to hire anyone but that's weak, some punks will do something like that for a beer or for quick fix drugs.

And also who was the neighbor who came and freed Dorothy? Doesn't it seem strange she managed to get the neighbor's attention even though her mouth was taped shut? Unless of course the neighbor knew she was there. And by playing the role of rescuer, seems perfectly feasible that could have been a ruse to direct suspicion away from themselves.

Again this is just speculation, the segment made it sound like the neighbors were all elderly like the Wackers, but if there were any young people living nearby, I figure they have to be the prime suspects or at least looked at for possible background and motive.

Unfortunately, we will likely never know the truth about this. But I am still inclined to think they didn't do it themselves, just doesn't sit right.

[Clockwork]

Things we'll never know now. Both Wackers are long dead. Both were from the WWII era, this is far removed from the era we live in today of social media staging things to get more "clicks" on their podcast or to get more views and subscriptions and such. This mindset just wouldn't have been there with that entire generation.

It could have been anything from an old lover (not implying, just saying it is a possibility) or like someone said a jealous neighbor. Maybe they had a nicer house, maybe it was just a sick individual who got off on it. The attack on Dorothy could be unrelated, but I can't see how she stages that herself. She was actually injured and hit.

It is likely someone they knew, and the fact that it stopped after the show aired (I believe) tells you they got scared off. I am very skeptical about someone going on a show when they are the ones doing it. Reminds me of Tim McClure. This is why I always question people thinking Tim is guilty. He had everything to lose by going on that show if he had killed his mother. Same with Dorothy/Bill here. So if you are guilty you are bringing suspicion on yourself.

[tvscript124]

Originally Posted by XCalibur

Assuming that Bill and Dorothy did not fabricate the whole thing, (And I honestly am inclined to think they did not) I think it almost had to be a neighbor.

1. Neighbors could be seen near the Wacker's residence and not arouse suspicion.

2. Bill Wacker mentioned he never heard a car. neighbors could access the Wackers property on foot so.

3. Neighbors could stake out the Wackers' house without arousing suspicion and watch from their porch.

4. Neighbors were likely to have seen the Wackers stakeout and could have observed it and found the blind spot.

5. When Dorothy was attacked in 1985, it was the neighbors apparently who came and freed her after she apparently got their attention. But what I never understood, was if Dorothy was gagged and tied on the floor, then how could she have made enough noise to attract the neighbors? Never understood that. Unless, they knew she was there. Of course she didn't recognize her attacker but I think he could have been some hired thug.

6. Dorothy's head injuries after the attacks were apparently real, so seems unlikely she did those to herself. Though this is more of something that points away from the Wackers than it is something pointing to the neighbors.

7. A possible motive for a neighbor could very well have been that they had family or friends they wanted to move in there and as a result wanted the Wackers out, it makes sense.

8. I also wonder if the items returned could have been done by a family member of the tormenter. Maybe it was someone who lived in the same household as who was doing this, and knew it. They felt guilty enough to return the items, but not to turn in their family member. Been known to happen.

So this begs the question how closely did the sheriff's dept investigate the neighbors and their backgrounds? I'm betting not very close other than to ask them if they had seen any suspicious people around. And they were probably looking for someone who resembled the man who attacked Dorothy in 1985. But he could very well have just been some punk who was hired by the real culprits. Someone even pointed out that they thought it was unlikely the Wackers tormenter was rich enough to hire anyone but that's weak, some punks will do something like that for a beer or for quick fix drugs.

And also who was the neighbor who came and freed Dorothy? Doesn't it seem strange she managed to get the neighbor's attention even though her mouth was taped shut? Unless of course the neighbor knew she was there. And by playing the role of rescuer, seems perfectly feasible that could have been a ruse to direct suspicion away from themselves.

Again this is just speculation, the segment made it sound like the neighbors were all elderly like the Wackers, but if there were any young people living nearby, I figure they have to be the prime suspects or at least looked at for possible background and motive.

Unfortunately, we will likely never know the truth about this. But I am still inclined to think they didn't do it themselves, just doesn't sit right.

Just because someone is old does not mean they are nice or incapable of doing terrible things. I'm not talking about the Wackers here.

Look up the documentary "The Perfect Neighbor," nominated for an Oscar. That woman in the documentary is an absolute nightmare to the kids in the community. It's all on police video, which is how the documentary is put together. The woman shoots a neighbor and claims self defense. Why? She constantly harassed and bullied the kids playing near her home and the mom of one of the kids got fed up. There was considerable debate online about whether the kids were supposed to play that close, but apparently it was a common area and this woman was a nasty piece of work.

Not all neighbors are nice. My parents were the target of the two families that lived in back of them. My parents never did anything to those families, who pulled all kinds of nonsense.

If it was an older neighbor, they could have had younger relatives who wanted to help them drive off the Wackers.

[cordwainer1453]

I think the whole thing with the s being written backwards is as a result of being written with the non dominant hand. Try writing with the hand you normally don't write with, you'll often write s as z.

[mwcarolina]

I always felt the Wackers didn’t do this to themselves. The motive makes no sense and honestly what’s the point??
I always felt though the answer to this case has to do with someone close to the Wackers. Either family or a neighbor, my guess is the man who attacked Dorothy was a hired gun

[tvscript124]

Originally Posted by mwcarolina

I always felt the Wackers didn’t do this to themselves. The motive makes no sense and honestly what’s the point??
I always felt though the answer to this case has to do with someone close to the Wackers. Either family or a neighbor, my guess is the man who attacked Dorothy was a hired gun

I agree. Even if Dorothy and Bill suffered from mental illness (and there is no information out there to suggest that they did unlike the case of Cindy James where people openly questioned her mental health), I wonder if this fits the pattern. I tend to doubt it, but then, I'm not an expert in psychiatric disorders.

There's no real motive for them to do this to themselves. It's not like "Gaslight" where the husband is trying to drive the wife crazy. Let's just say for the sake of argument that attention was the motive. There is a limit to what people are willing to endure for attention. I don't think that Dorothy would agree to have herself hit on the head, which could potentially kill her, especially at her age.

[mwcarolina]

Originally Posted by tvscript124

I agree. Even if Dorothy and Bill suffered from mental illness (and there is no information out there to suggest that they did unlike the case of Cindy James where people openly questioned her mental health), I wonder if this fits the pattern. I tend to doubt it, but then, I'm not an expert in psychiatric disorders.

There's no real motive for them to do this to themselves. It's not like "Gaslight" where the husband is trying to drive the wife crazy. Let's just say for the sake of argument that attention was the motive. There is a limit to what people are willing to endure for attention. I don't think that Dorothy would agree to have herself hit on the head, which could potentially kill her, especially at her age.

Exactly!!! My issue is no motive. Even the “attention” motive doesn’t make sense because they had no clue Unsolved Mysteries would later come in

[James T]

Originally Posted by mwcarolina

Exactly!!! My issue is no motive. Even the “attention” motive doesn’t make sense because they had no clue Unsolved Mysteries would later come in

They got plenty of local attention & likely in the wider state for the best part of a decade.

[tvscript124]

Originally Posted by James T

They got plenty of local attention & likely in the wider state for the best part of a decade.

Okay, fair point. But why would you have yourself knocked on the head, especially as an elderly person? Head injuries are nothing to fool with. Even back then, people knew that. Elderly people are constantly warned about falls, fractures, head injuries, and everything. It was probably true back then too. Of course, they don't always listen to advice, especially from their children.

I could see if they were both several decades younger and reckless, but as you get older, you have a strong sense of your own mortality.

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by tvscript124

Okay, fair point. But why would you have yourself knocked on the head, especially as an elderly person? Head injuries are nothing to fool with. Even back then, people knew that. Elderly people are constantly warned about falls, fractures, head injuries, and everything. It was probably true back then too. Of course, they don't always listen to advice, especially from their children.

I could see if they were both several decades younger and reckless, but as you get older, you have a strong sense of your own mortality.

if the whackers were doing it to themselves, then it wasn't for attention, that's a very vapid and easy thing to say. if they were doing this to themselves then it was mental illness related.


theres nothing to make me believe in this care this is what it was, but over the last few years, based on a couple of things i've seen, i've seen how easy it is for elderly couples to go off the rails at the same time.. both of them completely convinced of things that never happened...

[James T]

Originally Posted by tvscript124

Okay, fair point. But why would you have yourself knocked on the head, especially as an elderly person? Head injuries are nothing to fool with. Even back then, people knew that. Elderly people are constantly warned about falls, fractures, head injuries, and everything. It was probably true back then too. Of course, they don't always listen to advice, especially from their children.

I could see if they were both several decades younger and reckless, but as you get older, you have a strong sense of your own mortality.

In the excellent write up here recently from a poster based on the case files, there is zero evidence Dorothy was ever hit on the head.

In 1985, when she gave two totally different time frames for the supposed kitchen assault, she despite recovering from heart surgery & having been tied up for hours supposedly-which would restrict her circulation, refused to go to the hospital & be looked at-the only injury was a bruise on her right cheek & jaw which she could have done herself-like Morton Downey Jr who claimed he had been assaulted by skinheads in a public toilet & refused any medical exam, Jussie Smollett, the woman here in the UK who smacked herself in the face with a hammer-claiming abuse by grooming gangs & any other number of attention seeking fantasists over the years.

In 1993 she was taken to the hospital after claiming to have been whacked on the head suffering lacerations to her skull, but the officer who went with her observed there were no injuries at all or blood on her clothing & there was just some dirt on her-indicating she got down on the ground & crawled & apparently the hospital found nothing either, neither did a forensic examination of her clothing. When the detective went to her house to follow up the dog barked like crazy at him, yet not a peep when she was supposedly whacked over the head by some random guy on the property.

Afraid it is pretty clear that Dorothy was a liar & attention seeker & most likely had Munchausen Syndrome or a similar condition that causes these behaviours & was using it to punish a loved one, that perhaps she was not so fond of any longer.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by James T

In the excellent write up here recently from a poster based on the case files, there is zero evidence Dorothy was ever hit on the head.

In 1985, when she gave two totally different time frames for the supposed kitchen assault, she despite recovering from heart surgery & having been tied up for hours supposedly-which would restrict her circulation, refused to go to the hospital & be looked at-the only injury was a bruise on her right cheek & jaw which she could have done herself-like Morton Downey Jr who claimed he had been assaulted by skinheads in a public toilet & refused any medical exam, Jussie Smollett, the woman here in the UK who smacked herself in the face with a hammer-claiming abuse by grooming gangs & any other number of attention seeking fantasists over the years.

In 1993 she was taken to the hospital after claiming to have been whacked on the head suffering lacerations to her skull, but the officer who went with her observed there were no injuries at all or blood on her clothing & there was just some dirt on her-indicating she got down on the ground & crawled & apparently the hospital found nothing either, neither did a forensic examination of her clothing. When the detective went to her house to follow up the dog barked like crazy at him, yet not a peep when she was supposedly whacked over the head by some random guy on the property.

Afraid it is pretty clear that Dorothy was a liar & attention seeker & most likely had Munchausen Syndrome or a similar condition that causes these behaviours & was using it to punish a loved one, that perhaps she was not so fond of any longer.

Sorry this is mostly trash. There is no evidence Dorothy had any history of mental illness.

[mwcarolina]

Originally Posted by James T

They got plenty of local attention & likely in the wider state for the best part of a decade.

If they did this to themselves, wouldn’t they you know, do it more often instead of what happened?? Why wasn’t this case more known nationwide BEFORE UM?? I just can’t see them doing this to themselves for “attention” especially since they couldn’t predict ahead of time that they’d be featured on Unsolved Mysteries