Rudy Bladel was an oddity among serial killers in that he only targeted. He got away with it, but left a mark on this tiny town in southwestern Iowa where the name “Villisca” is likely to forever be synonymous with “ax murder. Read Rudy Bladel, Railway Killer by Ruth Kanton available from Rakuten Kobo. Whoever brutally murdered the Moore family and the Stillinger sisters has long since died - never punished for the sins he committed on earth. Crime writer Harold Schecter said he believes "The Man From the Train" offers the most probable solution yet for the Villisca murders.Įven so, the case is still unofficially unsolved.
The Jameses wrote that the serial killer was a German immigrant named Paul Mueller. However, he was never charged for the crimes. He was convicted in Missouri of the ax murder of his mother and grandmother several months after the Villisca crimes. One of the more romantic elements of American folklore has been the criss-crossing rail system of this country. In one case, a couple in Paola, Kan., just three hours from Villisca, was killed by an ax murderer five days before the Villisca murders took place.Ī man named Henry Lee Moore (no relation to the Moore family) is one of those suspected of being the serial killer. Angel Maturino Resendez: The Railroad Killer.
The "serial killer" theory goes as far back as 1913, but 21st century technology has made it easier to compare each of what the Jameses speculate is 100 murders committed in the immediate years surrounding the Villisca murders. Not only does it give a clue to the way the people might have looked or dressed, but the opening scene of the traveling salesmen on the train illustrates how trains connected small towns to the world and how strangers were eager to hop off and on. They point out that it's interesting to note that the Villisca murders happened the exact same summer, in the same state, that "The Music Man" was set. The authors say the murderer was likely a serial killer who traveled the railroad as early as 1900 looking for victims. Question Are we addicted to the hunt so much that we are not ready, not able, not willing to solve this case Why can't the Detectives find the Killer Rea. The title of James' book (co-authored by Rachel McCarthy James and available on Amazon) gives a clue to who is now suspected of the murders - the man from the train.