With a quick glance, this scene can easily be mistaken for a suicide, but it did not take the police long to realize these props were more than likely designed by the hands of the killer.
Rebecca moved to Colorado in May of 1999. She was divorced, and had a teen aged daughter who was handicapped and with her caregiver when Rebecca's life was mysteriously taken. She was a former prosecutor who worked against men who refused to make child support payments. This hard work ethic even got her sued while she was in Kansas. Beings how she was only a few weeks into her new job, she did not have any cases filed in this state yet. Rebecca lived in a rural area, but apparently was very cautious and street smart from her somewhat dangerous occupation. Even though she was known to have the heart to open the door and lend a helping hand for anyone, her family claimed she was a little fearsome of living on the bottom floor, and as a result, was the chronic door locker type. Most importantly, Rebecca was known for loathing baths so much that her mother insisted she had not taken a bath in over twenty years! (I can relate to this bath hatred, so please remember I would never be caught dead in one...unless someone put me there).
The crime scene investigation and autopsy of the four foot, ten inch body generated more questions than answers on what happened on this particular weekend. Rebecca left work on Friday, June 4, 1999 at 5:30pm, and the police are confident she was not alive much longer after that because there was a message on her machine from her daughter's caretaker urging her to call immediately. Remember that untouched glass of red wine? Ironically, no red wine bottles were found in her apartment. There wasn't even red wine in her system. There were empty pill bottles found in her trash, however, no pills were found in her home, nor in her body. Her family pointed out how out of character it was for their loved one to dispose of anything holding personal information on it...especially when she had an active paper shredder.
Both sides of Rebecca's knees were covered in bruises. There was an imprint on her back of a unique chain used to stabilize phone books in phone booths, and if you guessed that the chain was not found in her apartment, you are correct, my friend. There were no signs of sexual assault, but unfortunately a bath could have made that evidence disappear, unlike the pills and wine bottle. There was nothing found in the bathroom that would suggest one was preparing for a bath like towels or a robe, but towels were found in another room. New towels and a bathroom rug were found in the washer, which usually is not out of the ordinary...except when the white towels are stained from being washed with a purple rug. A bottle of bleach was also found out on a counter near the dryer. This bleach was used to wipe numerous surfaces clean throughout the apartment.
As the deceased body dried at the funeral home in Kansas, obnoxious hand and nail marks around the neck grew so apparent that the police were notified again. Think about it...if someone is standing behind you and strangling you with something, you involuntarily use all your might with your fingers to try and grab the thin object that is lodged in your skin and stealing your breathe away. A victim in this scenario is so studied on loosening that grip that they in actuality leave half moon fingernail cuts and bruises on their own neck.
On top of all this cryptic evidence, there is controversy on how exactly the killer got into the apartment. Investigators said the dead bolt was locked, however, Rebecca's sister, who is a civil attorney, claims that investigators revealed they were not certain if it was or not. No house keys were missing. A window in Rebecca's bedroom was unlocked, but dust covered the sill which proves it was not opened at any recent time. Rebecca's brother, a Kansas police officer who worked on over fifty murder cases, believes the window was unlocked by the killer in an attempt to stage his entrance.
All the suspects in this crime were cleared. Any child support rebellion who probably did not think highly of the victim was pushed aside along with Rebecca's ex-husband, who remarried weeks after the death and had a solid alibi. So, here we are with no suspects, no trace of a killer, no motive, no forced entry, no murder weapon, and no red wine bottle. As if this was not discouraging enough, the same forensic pathologist who ruled Rebecca Ann Bartee's death a homicide by strangulation, Dr. Michael Doberson, has stated fifteen years after the gruesome discovery that it is possible that natural causes could have been responsible. According to him, the strangulation marks could have resulted from the blood settling from the position of the head and body. What the fuck? In Dr. Doberson's defense, he is retired, presently haunted by this death, and still keeps in contact with the Bartee family, whom, like myself, still believes this is without a doubt a murder...especially since the same thing happened again less than a year later...
Helen Towers was a 69 year-old woman who lived alone in Littleton, Colorado. She was a legal assistant for a prominent district attorney in Arapahoe County and had a passion for dancing. In March of 2000, Helen confided in her daughter, Julie, that she was finding mysterious notes on her red Monte Carlo car. On April 1, 2000, neighbors informed Julie that Helen's newspapers were piling up outside and that her house had been dark for several days. Ironically, when Julie and the police showed up at Helen's house, there was a fresh, red rose on the snow covered door step. Officers maneuvered into the home through unlocked kitchen windows. Here we go again...Helen's body was found in an empty bath tub with nothing linking her body to violence or any substance abuse. With her lights unplugged, the phone off the hook, and threatening notes stuffed in her purse, Helen Towers' death was determined to be caused on March 28, 2000 and labeled as undetermined.
The Towers' family, like the Bartee family, know in their hearts that this is a homicide. Through my research, I read that another ballroom dancer from the other side of town also received similar notes on her red sports car, but I was unable to find anymore details on this. Not for nothing, but where the fuck did that red wine come from in Rebecca's apartment?
Maybe there is a red link that ties these puzzles together, but honestly, I don't think so. A bath tub can absolutely signify a killer's modus operandi, but it sure as shit can practically and solely be used to wash away evidence. In my research, it's been stated that if Rebecca was murdered, her killer was in her home for a substantial amount of time. That can very well be true for Helen too, but it does not tell me that these culprits are the same person.
Many different scenarios flash into my mind when I ponder all the possibilities of what could have happened to these women. But ultimately, in my heart, I believe that Helen's murder was committed by a random stranger, who very likely has a red fetish, love for bathtubs, and probably met these sports car driving ladies at a dancing bar when he decided to indulge in his obsession and stalk them like a typical serial killer. Leaving notes is a risky explosion of self absorbance and security. But Rebecca...her crime stands out in a unique way in my eyes. I think her killer was someone who wanted her specifically dead, or was hired to carry out this particular murder. The details and attempts of cover up just don't strike me to originate from a serial killer. A serial killer wants to show off his work. No serial killer wants to risk their artwork being labeled as a self induced suicide.
