Taking Down a Serial Killer

THE BEAUTY QUEEN KILLER’S SECRET LIFE

Pay attention to the man in this video, as he’s hiding the most disturbing secret.

In the 1980’s tapes like these were used as a dating service. And yet no one knew that this man was, in reality, a serial killer.

It's 1984, in Miami at the Miss Florida beauty pageant. The woman on screen is one of the finalists in the competition. But shortly after, she mysteriously disappears.

EMERGING PATTERN OF MISSING WOMEN

When police began their investigation, they spotted a photographer who was always lurking around the girls, snapping photos of them. Not long before that event, at the Miami Grand Prix, another woman had disappeared.

Detectives are baffled because the same man was seen there too. But this time not as a photographer, but as a race car driver. When the police try to find him, he's already left town. But, by that point it’s already too late to catch him.Young women all around the country are going missing.

What follows is one of the biggest manhunts America has ever seen, but everything will change when one of his victims miraculously survives.

LINDA’S ABDUCTION AND BRAVE ESCAPE

It’s 1984, in Tallahassee, Florida. 19YO Linda, a sophomore at Florida State University, is living the college dream: she has a long-time boyfriend, a passion for her studies, and an unshakable love for the ocean waves along the Gulf Coast. Life, for Linda, feels like one long, beautiful summer.

But on March 20th, just days before her five-year anniversary with her boyfriend, Linda goes out for a quick trip to Governor's Square Mall, blissfully unaware that this errand, will soon take a dark turn. This department store will end up being her last known whereabouts before she vanishes.

12 hours later, when Linda reappears on March 21st, she’s 40 miles away from the mall, barefoot and shaken; she runs up to the front desk of a roadside motel in Bainbridge, Georgia. Seeing her, the night manager freezes. Her voice shakes: she needs help. Moments later, a sheriff’s deputy rushes into the motel. The only words Linda can get out are chilling: “a man kidnapped me and tortured me”. The officer quickly calls for an ambulance, then heads directly to the room she pointed him to. The door creaks open to reveal a grim scene: blood on the carpet, the walls, and torn pieces of duct tape on the floor. He immediately radios for backup and calls in a forensic team. Something violent and disturbing happened here.

Meanwhile, Linda is rushed to Memorial Hospital in Georgia, where, despite her severe injuries, she refuses to stay silent. Word of her remarkable survival spreads quickly through police stations across the state, eventually reaching 2 officers in Miami – almost 500 miles away. When Detective Hanlon and his colleague hear about the perpetrator’s features from the police reports, a chill runs down their spine: he was allegedly tall, well dressed, with a slight accent, and a neat beard and mustache. It's way too familiar. Both men immediately jump on a plane to meet Linda in person, in Georgia– if their hunch is right, this could change everything.

At the Georgia hospital, the officers listen intently to Linda’s account– this is still in the early days of forensic evidence, and her first hand account may be the only thing they have to spark a new lead, but Detective Hanlon is horrified by the details Linda tells them. However, her quick thinking impresses the officers. If their hunch is correct, the man who kidnapped her is exceedingly violent and dangerous, and has a long list of victims before her.

Carefully, they take out a series of pictures and show them to Linda. Without hesitation, she identifies one man: she doesn't know his full name, but the detectives, somehow do: Christopher Wilder. He’s the man they’ve been tracking for several weeks, and now that he’s crossed state lines with Linda, Detective Hanlon knows it’s time to bring in the FBI.

THE FIRST BEAUTY QUEEN VICTIMS

It all started back on March 5th, when 23 year old Elizabeth Kenyon, a Miss Florida finalist, vanished without a trace. Wilder had been dating the young woman at the time of her disappearance, and was conveniently nowhere to be found when detectives wanted to question him. But, Elizabeth wasn’t the first: a week before her disappearance, 20-year-old Rosario Gonzalez, had also been reported missing from the Miami Grand Prix – a race Christopher Wilder participated in.

Back at the hospital, investigators gather more information from Linda. New reports also start coming in concerning missing young women: different towns, different states – but all with the same disturbing pattern.

TINA’S ABDUCTION AND CROSS-COUNTRY CAPTIVITY

It’s now April 4th, 1984. Two weeks after Linda’s abduction – and a month since Wilder has been on police’s radar following the Miami Grand Prix. Across the country, a 16 year-old girl named Tina, is walking through a mall in Torrance, California, determined to find a summer job.

Later that same day, a man comes up to her and starts a conversation. Passersby notice that they don’t seem to know each other, but the interaction seems formal and friendly. They’re then spotted walking in the parking lot, and seconds later, she’s in his car, and the pair disappears. Unbeknownst to her, Christopher Wilder has just found his next victim.

April 5th, the next day. Carol, Tina’s mom, contacts the police and reports her daughter missing. She tells them that Tina hasn't come home from school, and hasn’t been in touch all night. The worried mom also lets them know that Tina has been having boyfriend troubles later, and police in California don't immediately take her disappearance seriously, assuming this might be a petty teenage fight. But Tina’s situation is, in fact, extremely serious. 200 miles from her mom, in a motel room heavy with what’s just taken place, the teenager stares at the ceiling, unable to move. The man from the mall sleeps beside her, his threats echoing in her head: “I’ve killed before, and I won’t hesitate to kill you if you don’t obey me.”

When the sun finally comes up, Wilder then leads her back into his car, blindfolding her. Even without seeing anything, she knows his gun and knife are within arm’s reach. After terrifying hours of silence, and uncertainty on the road, Tina feels the car slow down and park. He’s chosen a new motel to spend the night in.

The day Tina disappeared, she had very long hair, but that night, at the motel, Wilder stands beside her with a pair of scissors. Without any warning, he cuts a first lock of hair off to her chin. Tina realizes something. With dread, but also, an uncomfortable relief, she realizes that he’s changing her appearance, because he doesn’t want her to be recognized. Most likely, this man wants to keep her alive.

A strange routine starts for Tina. The pair drive all day long, until there’s no more sunlight, only stopping occasionally for gas and food. At small drive-in restaurants, Tina looks for any opportunity - a bathroom window, a scrap of paper to leave a note… but Wilder is always watching. Her hope for escape slowly disappears to nothing. She’s now been missing for 6 terrifying days.

FORCED TO DO THE UNTHINKABLE

However, on day 7, April 10th, the pair arrive in Gary, Indiana: thousands of miles away from Tina’s home in California. Wilder turns to her, and forces her to do the unthinkable: if she doesn’t help him find a new victim, she won’t live to see another day.

Tina fearfully walks through the local mall, keeping Wilder in the corner of her eye. She can’t help but think about what she could possibly do to help the next girl. Tina notices Wilder is fixated on one person, seemingly around the same age as herself. He then looks at Tina, nodding to her as an order: Tina complies, and goes up to introduce herself. The girl reciprocates: her name is Dawn. Tina pretends to talk about a local beauty competition with Wilder as a photographer. Dawn seems excited, and follows them outside.

Suddenly, Wilder violently pushes Dawn into his car and they quickly speed away. As they drive, Wilder completely drops his charismatic sweet talker persona, and immediately threatens Dawn, warning her, just like Tina, that he’s killed before, and if she doesn’t behave he’ll kill her, too.

As night falls, Wilder stops the car at a motel in Ohio. When the group enters the room, he immediately breaks the bathroom lock to prevent the girls from escaping. He then tells Tina to go take a bath, leaving Dawn, alone in the bedroom with him. From under the bathroom door, Tina can see lights flickering erratically: she immediately knows what the man is doing to Dawn – the same torment he’s inflicted on her, over the last 7 days.

The next morning, the 3 get back in the car and drive eastward. At some point, Wilder gets out, and Tina finds herself alone with Dawn. Tina lowers her head. If only she could help Dawn.

MEDIA PRESSURE AND A NATIONWIDE MANHUNT

Back at the station, law enforcement are scrambling to piece together the mounting evidence before time runs out. Tracking Christopher Wilder has felt like ghost-hunting: he’s never in one place long enough to pin him down, crossing state lines faster than they can follow, leading to administrative slow-downs and miscommunications. At this point, it has been well over a month of failed efforts, but now, the FBI makes a bold move: they decide to broadcast a video of Wilder, himself. Now the public can learn his voice, his mannerisms, and understand the danger lurking behind the charm.

Wilder’s tape shocks the public: it’s a chilling portrait of a man hiding in plain sight. Turns out, the photographer also is a suspect in multiple violent crimes committed all the way in Australia. His glamorous race car driver experience and job as a fashion photographer have been the perfect cover to lure teens into his clutches. With Tina’s mom and the public on their side, the cops close in on Wilder.

DAWN’S MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL

Meanwhile, Wilder speeds down the road with Tina, and Dawn trapped in the back seat. After less than an hour, he stops the car near “The Finger Lakes”, a secluded area in upstate New York. Wilder turns to Dawn and orders her out of the car.

Wilder forces Dawn deep into the woods when suddenly, the man jumps on her, putting his hands around her throat. Dawn’s vision begins to blur, but she fights with everything she has. The two fall to the ground. Dawn can’t give up but then, she sees Wilder's hand. A flash of metal. He has a knife. On the ground, and bleeding out, Dawn can only watch as he quietly gets up, and walks away. Barely holding on to life, Dawn knows he could come back at any moment to finish the job. She needs to move if she wants to live. Once he’s out of sight, she pulls herself upright, and attempts to run for her life.

Now at the hospital, the staff treat her injuries. Somehow, Wilder miraculously missed her heart. Police gather as much information from Dawn as they can about her kidnapper. Despite her severe injuries and blood loss, she tells them her captor’s name, where she had been taken from, and the other kidnapped girl’s name. The police are getting closer.

TINA UNDER SUSPICION AS WILDER ESCALATES

Back in the car, when Wilder returns without Dawn, Tina can only assume Dawn has been killed. However, hours later, the pair hear on the car’s radio that a teenager had been found alive, in that same forest – now fighting for her life in the hospital. She fearfully turns her head towards him. What will he do with her?

Tina has no idea that public opinion has turned completely against her. In the first days of her kidnapping, she was seen for what she was: a victim. But now, after Dawn’s survival and retelling, the media has twisted the narrative, and labeled her an accomplice.

However, that testimony had also been a game changer for the FBI as they now know which direction Wilder is heading, and what car he’s driving. Finally, they’re one step ahead of him. Wilder is panicking, speeding into the parking lot of the Eastview Mall, still in New York. Usually, this is his favourite hunting ground, but now he's in a rush. From a distance, he spots 33 year old mother Beth Dodge, in her car: a golden Pontiac Firebird. At gunpoint, Wilder forces Beth into his car, while forcing Tina to follow them in the Firebird. After a short ride, they stop in a secluded area.

At this point, Tina has been captive for 9 days. Sadly, it hasn’t been the first time she’s dealt with violent men. Her childhood was difficult, as her mom struggled with addiction, before the young girl went to live with her grandmother.

Tina learned about survival a long time ago. However, she could never have predicted Wilder’s next move: after enduring his violence, torture, and kidnappings, he now announces to her that he’ll drop her off at the Boston airport. Tina can’t believe it. After witnessing so many things, why would he simply let her go?

In spite of road blocks on every major highway, Wilder tactfully avoids them and the pair arrive at the airport where he buys a one way ticket to LA.

Shockingly, no one recognizes them. Tina keeps her head down. Wilder is clearly panicked, and reckless. The killer might change his mind – Tina could be one wrong move away from staying his captive forever, or his next murder victim. Fear is in the air. But then, just like that, he turns away, and simply walks, leaving her to get on the flight alone.

It’s now April 13th. Soon after landing in LA, Tina, in shock, rushes to the police station – finally free. It’s now up to her to expose Wilder, to force him to face justice for what he’s done. Wilder’s spree of violence needs to stop. He can’t hurt any more victims.

WILDER’S FINAL MOMENTS

With the Firebird on everyone’s radar, and Tina cooperating in custody, cops are on high alert all over the country. That’s when, in the quiet town of Colebrook, New Hampshire, a report comes through about a flashy car, spotted by 2 state troopers. The car is confirmed to be the golden Pontiac Firebird – Beth Dodge’s car.

The 2 state patrol officers approach with extreme caution. If they’re right, the driver is a serial killer, armed and dangerous.

As the officers close in, they see the man inside reach for something. Gunfire erupts. One trooper is hit. Then, amidst the chaos, Wilder makes his final move: choosing to escape justice [pause] on his own terms. When the smoke clears, he’s found dead behind the wheel.

It had been 47 days since the first reported disappearance. But now, his time on the run has finally ended. Throughout his spree, 12 young women were abducted. 8 were murdered. Countless families were shattered

SURVIVOR'S STRUGGLE AND JUSTICE FOR TINA

While Linda and Dawn are praised, Tina’s actions are still questioned. The community and the media find it hard to believe that she is a victim when her ordeal was so different from all of the other women.

While Linda and Dawn are celebrated, Tina’s story is met with doubt. The public doesn’t rally behind her, like the others. Instead, they question her, choosing suspicion over compassion, despite surviving the same serial killer. That’s when the Torrance Police Captain, Jim Popp steps up and gathers the press to set the record straight.

LONG-TERM HEALING AND THE END OF HIS REIGN

With Jim Popp rightfully clearing her name, Tina can move forward, even if it will take time to heal from the public’s initial judgement. She still has 2 regrets: getting into Wilder’s car that day – and helping lure Dawn. Yet she has still found the strength to go on. Today, she has found love, and with it, the freedom to be herself.

Meanwhile Linda, knows how lucky she was. She was the first to break free from Wilder’s terrifying grip — and because of her courage, the police finally grasped how dangerous he truly was. Her twelve-hour ordeal changed her life forever, but it did not define her. She still carries with her the memory of those whose lives were stolen by the man she escaped.

Now a mother, Dawn knows that time truly does help you heal. Her strength and determination saw her through a horrific ordeal — and continue to shape the woman she’s become.

All of the women’s survival started the chain reaction that finally brought an end to the Beauty Queen Killer’s reign of terror. In the end, it wasn’t luck that stopped him, it was the women who refused to let him win. They refused to be broken, and through that, justice prevailed.

Related Content:

A 17-year-old model is kidnapped by Australia’s most infamous killer couple but her daring escape is so unreal that police mistake her for the criminal : The Case of Kate Moir

Credits:

Co-directed, edited & written by Maxime Desrochers

Co-directed, written & researched by Manon Lafosse

Voiceover by William Akana

Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader

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Sources:

Documentaries:

“A Model Killer” - The FBI Files: New Dominion Pictures, 1999 (Production in association with Discovery Channel)

“Spring break nightmare” - Disappeared: Discovery Communication LLC, 2011 (Production: Peacock Production for Investigation Discovery / Distribution: Sky Crime)

Mini-series“9 Days of Terror“ - The Beauty Queen Killer: ABC News Inc., 2024(Production Company AMPLE/Distribution Disney+/101 Studios/ ®Hulu)

News segmentThe Snapshot Killer: Inside the Wanda Beach murders7NEWS Spotlight, originally aired 10 June 2018

Books:

Connelly, Michael. Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers. Little, Brown and Company, 2006

Byrne, Andrew. The Pretty Girl Killer: The Complete True Story of One of the World’s Most Horrifying Serial Killers Who Terrorised Both Australia and America. Penguin Random House Australia, 2019

"Driven to Kill." Most Wanted, edited by the Editors of Time-Life Books, Time-Life Books, 2005