Carol Mould and Dennis the Dog Catcher


Carol Mould	Dennis Rader

On September 22, 2004 Carol Mould of Benton, Kansas was found mysteriously murdered while alone in her home that afternoon. Married mother of three, she was a well-liked member of the community with no known enemies who would do her harm. She was found on fire inside the front door of the family home after a passerby noticed smoke coming from the house. It was later determined that she was already dead before the assailant set her on fire. To date there have been no arrests or named suspects in the case.

Police will talk little about the case. Lt. Ken Landwehr, the head of the BTK task force, investigated the murder scene himself as have detectives with local law enforcement. Carol's husband Doug Mould and other family members were never officially cleared in the investigation. Some police statements have tended to rule out BTK killer Dennis Rader as a direct suspect, but no reasons for that have been clearly stated.

Doug Mould is a prominent local psychologist who has testified in Wichita area court proceedings on a number of occasions. For some he remains a person of suspicion, for many others is seen as a co-victim of a tragic crime that left his children without a mother. Some claim he lacks an alibi for the time of the murder, being neither at his office nor at a stated destination in Hutchinson, Kansas. He states he last talked with his wife around noon that day and was later notified by cellphone while in Hutchinson that the tragedy had occurred. Others say the idea he would kill his wife of 16 years is absurd, that they had a stable marriage and family life. There was no divorce in the picture.

Carol and Doug Mould

Dennis Rader was still the compliance enforcer and animal control officer for Park City, Kansas at that time. He was arrested five months later and jailed for the murders of 10 people, the last known of which occurred in 1991. His residence is located 10 miles directly west from the Mould family home. The Mould residence is within sight of Highway 254 just inside the Butler County line, and is a very easy drive through the country from Park City.

Could the actual perpetrator of this crime be Dennis Rader? Without a confession or good physical evidence, we may never know for certain. Those who have studied the BTK murders would not have a hard time adding this one to the list as well. A lady was attacked in her own home in the daytime at an hour when the husband and, in this case, all the children were absent. No sign of forced entry, indicating the perpetrator was either greeted voluntarily (as though he posed no danger) or else let himself into an unlocked residence. The actual cause of death was never determined due to the fact that there were burns over 90% of Carol's body, though strangulation could certainly not be ruled out. With the arrival of good DNA technology, the fire could have been an attempt to destroy any lingering DNA evidence that may have been left behind, such as semen.

Mould Home Crime Scene

On a day such as September 22. 2004 Dennis Rader would have been seen driving around the Park City area checking for violations and animal problems in his crisp brown uniform and official vehicle. He was free to roam as needed and could have easily slipped away a few miles to the east. He could easily have feigned an investigation or inquiry of some kind at the Mould home that day, with an unsuspecting Carol coming to the front door to answer his call. She was killed just inside that door in the house. The killer may have been aware of the husband's schedule and the fact that the kids would be in school at that hour.

Here is some more information about the case, furnished by sources who prefer to remain anonymous, but appear quite credible in their credentials:

--Carol's purse and wallets disappeared from the house after the murder. Some contents were recovered along a side road bordering the property, including her driver's license, credit card, cellphone, checkbook, cosmetics, but no cash.

--The family dog was apparently tranquilized that day. It was tied to its kennel and may have been rendered unconscious, such as to prevent noisy barking.

--Carol was originally a farm girl, experienced with tractor equipment. She customarily spent several hours a week mowing the property and had been mowing that day on the tractor mower. Her feet were still dirty when she was murdered, implying she hadn't had time to clean up and shower after her work that day. Someone could have easily observed her mowing or her routines of that nature, as the house is visible from the highway.

--Some sources find it quite possible that Carol may have been shot, such as just after answering the front door. There have been no reports of any recovered bullet, however.

Some of these circumstances would tend to lend more credence to a possible involvement by Dennis Rader, who did have the ability to tranquilize animals and tended to stalk victims before attacking. He was motivated by the desire to murder rather than the need to steal items of value. Right at that particular time frame, September 2004, he was being baited by law enforcement into revealing more about himself during the period of the "BTK drops". This murder could have been an attempt to show law enforcement he meant business; yet at the same time he couldn't publicly take responsibility for the killing because it would result in a likely death sentence. The only murders Rader has admitted to all conveniently fall in the time period when Kansas had no death penalty, from 1974 to 1994. There have been no credible reports that Rader has ever even been interviewed regarding the Carol Mould case by law enforcement, though such matters are often kept quiet while a case remains unsolved. The immediate family has been interviewed many times, but do not appear to be directly suspected in the murder by police.

What do you think? Did the dog catcher kill Carol Mould? Or did some other lunatic commit a senseless murder of a woman who in no way deserved to die?

Update October 2007: police are asking for the public's help to solve the Carol Mould case. From Kansas.com, October 16, 2007:

Crime scene investigators were still working inside a Benton home Friday where a woman died Wednesday. They're looking for clues about a fire at the house and what led to Carol Mould's death. The Butler County Sheriff scheduled a news conference Saturday with an update on the investigation.

Carol was a homemaker and loved spending time working in her garden. She also loved taking care of her three children and was well loved by all who knew her. Her friends and family are still in shock about her unexplained death and still don't understand exactly how she died.

Family friend Tom Messman remembers a beautiful person happy to be at home raising her children.

“Big smile, big heart, just about one of the best people you would ever know.” Said Messman.

Tom has known the family for two decades and has been at the side of husband Doug Mould since Wednesday. Doug and Carol were married 16 years.

“He (Doug) keeps thinking he's going to wake up from the nightmare but it's here.” Said Messman.

The nightmare started when Doug heard about the fire.

“I believe he knew he was in trouble when he called her cell phone and she didn't answer because he had tried the house phone and the recorder never picked up.” (remainder of article no longer available)

Sheriff detectives have no suspects in the case and no motive. 43-year-old Carol Mould was a typical mother, wife and friend. But now investigators are seeking help finding her killer.

They were a typical every day family. He went to work that morning, kids went to school, mom stayed home to do the motherly thing and somebody killed her," said Undersheriff Ron Raney, Butler County Sheriff’s Department.

On September 22nd, Carol Mould died. At first glance investigators thought there was a fire, an accident. Somehow Mould had caught on fire. But 24 hours later, investigators discovered otherwise.

There was no smoke in Mould’s lungs. Someone killed her before she even saw a flame. Three months later, the investigation has slowed.
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Raney said, if anyone driving by the Mould home near 159th and K-254 saw something that day, please call 316-320-1950

Carol Mould was finally buried on February 26, 2005, the day after Dennis Rader was arrested. She is mourned and missed by all those who knew her.

The family of Carol Mould, a Benton woman killed in 2004, adds $11,000 to a reward fund. Kansas.com July 23, 2005
Relatives of Carol Mould, who was killed in 2004, on Friday more than tripled the amount of reward money available for the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the crime. (article no longer online)

Butler County murder case remains a priority KSN.com September 29, 2005
After one year, there is still no arrest in a frustrating Butler County murder case but Sheriff Craig Murphy remains convinced they will find Carol Mould’s killer. Family and friends say Carol Mould never a met a stranger -- always open, always kind. But one year ago, someone killed the 43-year-old of mother of three then set her body and home on fire to cover up the crime.