After three decades, Shawna Garber‘s a Missouri cold case that was linked to the infamous serial killer Dennis Rader (commonly referred to as the BTK killer) has been resolved.
The victim, whose identity had remained unknown for years, was found brutally murdered in a manner reminiscent of the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) killings that terrorized the Wichita, Kansas area in the 1970s and 1980s. However, despite the similarities, authorities were unable to definitively link the murder to the BTK killer at the time.
Remarkably, detectives have concluded that Shawna Garber was murdered in 1990, and that neither Larry Hall nor Rader was the murderer. Rather, Talfey Reeves is the suspect that the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office identified; he passed away in November 2021, thereby ending the case[1].
Here are the key details about this intriguing case:
Victim: 22-year-old Shawna Garber.
Event: Reeves picked up Garber on Halloween night, 1990, while traveling on Missouri Highway 59. Then he drove her to an abandoned farmhouse, shackled her feet and wrists, and hogtied her. There, he allegedly assaulted her sexually and overdosed her on drugs. She was only known as “Grace Doe” until her body was discovered two months later.
Identification Breakthrough: In March 2021, with to technological developments, detectives were able to positively identify Garber by discovering a familial match found in her DNA. This revelation diverted their attention from Rader and Hall and onto Reeves.
Reeves’ Actions: In order to stop Garber from screaming, Reeves shackled, sexually assaulted, and overdosed her. Her cries seemed louder in the valley, unsettling him.
Participation of the BTK Killer: Researchers first doubted Rader’s involvement because of the way Garber died and the fact that she was hogtied. Nonetheless, Rader, who is currently 78 years old and has admitted to ten killings, denied having anything to do with this case. Reeves was always suspect, Det. Howard noted, and his actions were subsequently supported by many witnesses[2].
In a strange turn of events, the cold case that perplexed detectives for decades has now been resolved, and the real offender has been uncovered. After all these years, Shawna Garber’s identity is no longer lost to anonymity, and justice has been served.
