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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/DarthNightnaricus on 2024-01-11 03:08:09+00:00.
The Wacker case gets brought up every few years on this sub, generally with the consensus that it was a hoax.
To summarize, an old couple living in Massilon, Ohio, Bill and Dorothy Wacker, were supposedly stalked for ten years, and on two different occasions someone assaulted Dorothy in her home.
The harassment began in 1984. On two different occasions, someone broke into and ransacked their home. This happened again in January of 1985, at which point police were notified. Six months later, she received a visit from a man claiming that his car had broken down and he needed to use her phone. After completing the call, the man knocked her unconscious and bound and gagged her. Several valuables were stolen, such as an antique watch and a revolver.
Things only got worse from there. A slew of harassing phone calls bombarded them for months, even after changing phone numbers multiple times.
Starting in November of 1985, the stolen items began to be returned in plastic bags left on their doorstep. Every time, the items had been cleaned of fingerprints.
The harassment continued for eight years. Somehow, the stalker always seemed to know when the Wackers were home and when they were not (they regularly went crayfishing in the evenings).
Finally, on October 27, 1993, Dorothy once again experienced physical violence from their tormentor. She was rushed to the hospital with lacerations on her skull. She recovered, but family and friends decided to take matters into their own hands.
They attempted a stakeout the following month, but were unsuccessful. After retiring to their homes, they received another threatening note, one reading "Get the message."
With police too far away to actually arrive in time, and a stakeout having failed, they turned to Unsolved Mysteries. A segment aired about them on May 25, 1994.
Bill passed away in 1999. Dorothy passed away in 2010.
Here's a good write up about the case:
Now what's interesting is that while combing the Internet, I discovered a podcast episode. For some reason, Reddit won't let me link this podcast in the OP.
Apparently Bill and Dorothy's daughter Peggy provided some interesting information that somewhat shakes up the case:
-The sheriff's office was an hour away, hence providing a possible explanation as to why the police never found anyone
-The threatening note following the stakeout was taped to a rock that was thrown at their front door, rather than someone running up to the house and leaving a note.
-The harassment did in fact continue after the UM segment, and even after Bill's death in 1999. In 2002, Peggy moved in with her mother Dorothy. Shortly afterwards, there was an incident in which they heard a rock thrown at their house. Peggy grabbed one of her father's guns, ran outside, and fired warning shots into the air, declaring that "there aren't just two old people living here anymore." The harassment stopped entirely following this. Thus, the harassment actually spanned 18, rather than 10, years.
This new info leads me to believe that the harassment was likely not an outright hoax perpetrated by Dorothy and/or Bill, contrary to popular consensus on the Internet. The question becomes whether it was a family member, a neighbor, or an outright stranger, IMO.
What do you think?