Survivors speak out after decades-long search for answers regarding the Indiana Slasher case, subject of People Magazine Investigates on ID. DNA testing at last found Thomas Edward Williams, the assailant of three girls kidnapped, stabbed, and left for dead in an Indiana cornfield almost fifty years ago.
Though Williams passed in 1983, the survivors, Kandice Smith, Sheri Rottler Trick, and Kathie Rottler, now tell their story and the decades-long struggle for justice.
The discovery of Williams put an end to a terrible chapter and emphasized the developments in forensic technology, providing long-needed solutions. To the surviving women, this was a mixed triumph.
At last, they had a name, but justice remained distant as their assailant passed away decades ago without facing punishment for his crimes.
The night that changed everything
On August 19, 1975, Kathie Rottler, 14, convinced her best friend Kandice Smith, 13, and her younger sister Sheri, 11, to hitchhike to a nearby hangout spot in Cumberland, Indiana. It was supposed to be their first night out without adult supervision.
“We could have walked,” Kathie later recalled. “We should have walked.”
Instead, they flagged down a man in a white station wagon. Minutes later, their excitement turned to terror as the driver sped past their destination and revealed his true intentions. When the girls tried to open the doors, they realized the handles had been removed.
“The screws, bolts and the door paneling had been taken off,” said Kathie.
The girls quickly realized they were trapped, their sense of freedom replaced by mounting fear. Kathie later admitted that the sense of responsibility for leading her sister and friend into danger was overwhelming, a guilt that would linger for decades. What followed in the next moments would change their lives forever.
After a 15-minute drive, the man stopped in a cornfield, tied their hands, and began his attack. Armed with a knife and a gun, he raped Sheri before stabbing each of them repeatedly. Then, he left them for dead.
The sheer brutality of the assault left scars both physical and emotional, forcing the girls to confront their own mortality at an age when most were worried about school dances and homework. The cornfield became a symbol of horror, a place where innocence was violently stripped away.
Survival against the odds
Bleeding and barely conscious, Kandice managed to drag herself toward Kathie. Believing Sheri had been taken, the two staggered to a nearby highway, where they flagged down help. When retired Indianapolis detective Greg Maxey arrived, he described the horrifying scene:
“It looked like somebody was opening up a small accordion,” Maxey said, referring to the slash wounds on their necks.
Sheri was later found alive in the cornfield. Despite surviving the physical assault, the emotional scars ran deep. Kandice recalled needing over 300 stitches.
“I had 12 cuts to my throat,” she said.
Their survival was miraculous. Kandice and Kathie leaned on each other to keep moving, driven by adrenaline and an unyielding will to live. Sheri, found barely clinging to life, endured extensive medical treatments and surgeries.
Yet, the emotional trauma proved far more difficult to heal. For years, the women wrestled with nightmares, trust issues, and the lingering fear that their attacker might return.
The long road to justice
Although police recovered evidence, which inclujded rope, a cigarette butt, and a handkerchief, the case quickly went cold. Investigators ruled out suspects, leaving the girls without answers for decades. The trauma took its toll, but Kathie refused to let the case die.
“I always felt like since it was my idea to hitchhike, I owed it to both Sheri and Kandice to keep pushing,” she said.
Kathie hired detectives, calling and visiting police headquarters to remind them that she wasn’t giving up. Her persistence paid off when, in 2018, the case was reopened. Advances in DNA technology finally reignited the investigation.
Years of frustration had left the women feeling abandoned by the system meant to protect them. Kathie, in particular, took it upon herself to advocate for answers, ensuring that their story didn’t fade into obscurity.
Her refusal to accept silence ultimately reignited interest in the case, turning it into a powerful example of perseverance against the odds.
Unmasking the 'Indiana Slasher'
Through forensic genealogy, investigators identified Thomas Edward Williams as the attacker. Williams died in 1983 while serving time in Texas for an unrelated crime, but DNA recovered from the victims' clothing matched his profile. After nearly five decades, the survivors finally had a name.
For Sheri, the discovery brought mixed emotions.
“He did not pay for the crime that he did to me, my sister, and my friend. He did not pay for that,” she said. “I do forgive him. And I’m so thankful he’s dead and can’t do it to anyone else.”
The identification of Williams was both a triumph and a reminder of injustice. Forensic advances had cracked the case, but the attacker escaped earthly accountability, leaving the survivors to grapple with unresolved feelings.
Sheri’s forgiveness was complex. It was tinged with relief that no one else would suffer as they had.
Looking forward: closure and advocacy
Today, Kathie, Sheri, and Kandice share their story to encourage other survivors to never give up.
“I stand here before you today as a survivor who has learned the true meaning of patience,” said Kathie. “My message to other survivors out there is never give up and continue to fight to keep your case open.”
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Their willingness to share their pain has transformed them into advocates for others facing unresolved cases.
Kathie, in particular, hopes their story inspires law enforcement agencies to revisit cold cases and embrace modern DNA techniques. For the survivors, speaking out is both a form of closure and a way to prevent similar tragedies.
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