Sheriff says DA ‘messed up’ investigation into 1976 disappearance of Oklahoma girl

By Jonathan Greco

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    OSAGE COUNTY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A county sheriff and district attorney are at odds over the investigation into a decades-old cold case that recently was linked to the BTK killer.

Osage County Sheriff Eddie Verdin said Dennis Rader is the prime suspect in 16-year-old Cynthia Kinney’s disappearance in 1976. District Attorney Mike Fisher argues there is another person of interest in the case.

“I know every detail of this case. Back when that suspect came in, I followed down the lead,” Verdin said. “I talked to the investigators that went and verified, and they assured me that he was not involved.”

Fisher also said he has concerns with how the sheriff has conducted the investigation. The district attorney recently announced that charges would not be filed against Rader at this time because there is insufficient evidence linking him to Kinney’s disappearance.

“I will share nothing more than this,” Fisher said. “Since this has all occurred, we’ve had a lead on somebody else.”

Verdin added that he’s disappointed the district attorney went to the press about concerns without contacting him.

Although Fisher said there’s insufficient evidence against Rader, he’s asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to look into the case.

Rader murdered 10 people from 1974 to 1991 and often sent letters to local police and media outlets in Wichita, Kansas, detailing his crimes.

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