There is no denying that Kansas is a beautiful, peaceful state full of (mostly) good people. However, like all states, we have seen our fair share of bad folks, including these 10 infamous Kansas serial killers and homicides that won’t soon be forgotten. There have been a number of famous murders in Kansas, and we’ve gathered up a few of the most infamous to share with you today:

1. The "Bloody Benders" Family
John Towner James/Wikimedia Commons
The Bender family was a German immigrant family who lived in Labette County in the 1870s. The family owned both a general store and a small inn. According to legend, the family of four gruesomely murdered at least 11 patrons of the inn. It's said that they scattered the body parts throughout the county. When word spread that the mysterious tourist disappearances might have been linked to the Bender family, the group fled town and was never heard from again.
2. "In Cold Blood"
Wikimedia Commons
In the early morning hours of November 15, 1959, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith entered the Holcomb home of the Clutter family with the intention of robbing a safe. It was rumored that the safe contained more than $10,000 in cash. Upon finding no such safe, Hickock and Smith murdered the four members of the Clutter family before fleeing to Las Vegas. The murders inspired Truman Capote to write his famous book "In Cold Blood."
3. Richard Grissom, Jr.
Ichabod/Wikimedia Commons
In 1989, Johnson County was rocked when reports of three missing women made the news. Their bodies were never found, but Richard Grissom, Jr. admitted to and was convicted in the disappearance and murder of all three women. These were some of the most famous murders in Kansas history.
4. Duane Earl Pope
US BOP/Wikimedia Commons
His crime was actually committed in Nebraska, but we still have to mention Duane Earl Pope. This Kansas native was convicted of killing three and severely injuring another in one of the most atrocious bank robberies in modern times. The crime and trial occurred in 1965, and Pope has remained in prison ever since. He is currently serving time in Nebraska.
5. B.T.K.
FUBAR007/Wikimedia Commons
Between 1974 and 1991, the B.T.K. Killer tormented Sedgwick County through a series of heinous murders. The initials stand for "Bind, Torture, Kill," this Kansas serial killer's M.O. After his 10th murder in 1991, B.T.K. suddenly went silent. He reemerged into the headlines in 2004, when his identity was revealed as Dennis Rader. He was arrested and convicted, and is currently serving 10 life sentences at the El Dorado State Correctional Facility. Pictured is the Sedgwick County Courthouse.

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6. "Murder Ordained"
Wikimedia Commons
One of the most baffling, and famous murders in Kansas was that of Sandy Bird. This Emporia pastor's wife's body was found floating in the Cottonwood River in 1983. Her death was originally ruled the result of a car accident, but was later revisited after the body of Pastor Bird's lover's husband was also found dead, shot to death along a Geary County highway. The murders inspired the 1987 television miniseries "Murder Ordained."
7. Doil Lane
Texas Department of Criminal Justice/Wikimedia Commons
The Wichita community was taken aback when the body of 9-year-old Nancy Shoemaker was found in a wooded area in 1992. Autopsy reports showed that the girl had been both sexually assaulted and strangled. One year later, Doil Lane, who was an intellectually disabled dishwasher at a local restaurant, confessed to the killings of both Shoemaker and another young girl. Lane was given the death sentence, a controversial decision given his mental state. In 2007, his sentence was commuted to life in prison. He is currently serving his sentence in Texas at the Polunsky Unit (pictured).
8. Frazier Glenn Miller Jr.
Overland Park Municipal Court/Google Reviews
On April 13, 2014, Frazier Glenn Miller, the leader of the Neo-Nazi White Patriot Party, walked into the Overland Park Jewish Community Center and opened fire. Three people were killed in this horrific crime. Miller was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection, but passed away of old age in prison.
9. Arthur Caenen
juan morales/Google Reviews
Arthur Caenan is known to have a lengthy history of mental illness. In 1999, this Wichita drifter deliberately hit and killed 16-year-old Jordan Palmer with his car while the teenager walked along the side of the road. Palmer had parked his car at a motel (pictured) after it ran out of gas, and he was walking to a nearby gas station to fill up a canister. The jury convicted Caenen of first-degree murder.
10. Daniel Remeta
Ngresonance/Wikimedia Commons
In 1985, Daniel Eugene Remeta, his girlfriend, and another man, shot and killed Larry D. McFarland during a robbery at Stuckey's Restaurant in Grainfield. The tiny town of Grainfield's Main Street is pictured above. The trio went on to shoot Thomas County Undersheriff Ben Albright, who survived. They also killed Rick Schroeder and Glenn Moore, two victims that were taken hostage during a carjacking, as well as a convenience store clerk. Remeda was killed in a Florida penitentiary via the electric chair in 1998.

Check out this horrifying documentary that covers the BTK Killer in Kansas:

Even if you don’t particularly have an interest in the true crime genre, you have to admit that these Kansas serial killers are pretty grisly. What other famous serial killers in Kansas do you know of? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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More to Explore

serial killers in kansas

Tori Jane | June 13, 2022

Have there ever been any serial killers in Kansas?  

There have. Unfortunately for those of us who have lived here all our lives, there has been more than one serial killer in Kansas – including one of the most terrifying serial killers of all time: Dennis Rader, also known as BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill). From 1974 to 1991, Rader committed many incredibly brutal murders, some of which wiped out entire families. After a long period of no murders, he sent Wichita police a letter asking them if they could trace a floppy disk. They lied, saying no, and Rader foolishly sent them another letter on a disk, which was immediately traced back to his church (and the computer signed in to his account).  

What are some of the most famous murders in Kansas?  

Who knew Kansas was home to one of the scariest serial killers in American history? Yikes. It’s only the worst award ever: birthplace of the world’s scariest serial killer. But BTK was not alone; yes, he acted alone in his crimes, but he was not the only person committing famous murders in Kansas. There was also the horrifying saga of the “Bloody Benders,” an entire family of killers who operated in the 19th century during a pretty lawless time. It’s likely that they killed up to 20 people during their reign of terror.  

How many murders in Kansas are there on average each year?  

Kansas might be quiet and uncrowded, but unfortunately, it’s got the 12th-lowest murder rate among states. Sure, it’s not among the ten states with the highest rates of murder per capita, but still... anything below, like, top three is kind of a bummer to us. In 2020, there were 100 murders in Kansas, which evens out to about 3.4 for every 100,000 people living there. The homicide rate for the United States nationally is 6.5 per 100,000.  

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