On a warm night in August 1975, 14-year-old Kathie Rottler convinced her best friend Kandice Smith, 13, and her younger sister Sheri, 11, to hitchhike to a teen hangout near their hometown of Cumberland, Indiana. It was their first time going out without adult supervision, and they were excited.
“We could have walked,” Kathie, now 64, reflects. “We should have walked.”.. Continue reading here ▶
The girls flagged down a man driving a white station wagon, climbed into the car, and drove off. But instead of taking them to their destination, the man sped past it and told the girls he would hold them for ransom. Panicked, the girls tried to open the door but discovered there were no handles inside.
“The screws, bolts, and door paneling had been removed,” Kathie explains.
The Attack
After a terrifying 15-minute drive, the man stopped in a cornfield. Armed with a knife and a gun, he tied the girls’ hands, raped Sheri, and then stabbed all three repeatedly. He left them for dead and drove away.
“It felt like we were all going to die,” Kathie recalls.
Despite their injuries, Kandice managed to find Kathie and dragged herself toward her. Believing Sheri had been taken, the two made it to a nearby highway and flagged down a passing car for help. Meanwhile, police later found Sheri in the cornfield, bleeding heavily but alive.
Aftermath
The crime shocked the community, earning the attacker the nickname “Indiana Slasher.” The girls survived, but the attack left lasting scars. Kandice required 12 stitches on her throat and nearly 300 stitches elsewhere.
Investigators found evidence at the scene, including rope, a handkerchief, and a cigarette butt, but they couldn’t identify the attacker. A suspect was initially arrested but later cleared, leaving the case unsolved for decades.
“Our case was put on the back burner,” Kandice, now 63, recalls. Sheri, now 61, adds, “We just tried to live as normal a life as we could.”
The stalled investigation caused the women emotional pain. Kathie, consumed by guilt, dropped out of school and spent years pressuring investigators for answers. “I always felt responsible since it was my idea to hitchhike,” she says. She repeatedly called and visited the police, refusing to let the case fade away.
Breakthrough After 50 Years
Nearly 50 years later, in January, DNA evidence from the girls’ clothing identified their attacker: Thomas Williams. Williams had died in 1983 at age 49 while serving time in Texas for a bank robbery. Though the women finally had a name and a face, they were left with mixed feelings.
“He didn’t pay for what he did to me, my sister, and my friend,” Sheri says. “But I do forgive him. I’m just thankful he’s dead and can’t hurt anyone else. It’s over. It’s finally over.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to connect with a certified crisis counselor.
