Karl Myers

Serial Killer

Karl Lee Myers: Convicted Murderer and Suspected Serial Killer

Background and Early Criminal History

Karl Lee Myers was born on March 29, 1948, in Picher, Oklahoma, a small mining community near the borders of Kansas and Missouri. During his adult life, he accumulated a record of property crimes, sexual violence and murder allegations that eventually led investigators to examine whether he had been killing women for many years. Although Myers was convicted of murdering two women in separate attacks, authorities also investigated him in connection with several older disappearances and unsolved deaths in Oklahoma and Kansas. Myers entered the criminal justice system as a young man. He was arrested for grand larceny in Miami, Oklahoma, in 1965 and was later convicted of burglary in Sedalia, Missouri. His crimes became increasingly violent during the 1970s. In 1976, he attacked a 12-year-old girl in Picher and attempted to sexually assault her. He also sexually assaulted a 13-year-old relative. Myers was eventually convicted of rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison. His later murders demonstrated a similar pattern of sexual violence against vulnerable women.

The Disappearance and Murder of Ellen Deann Rowden

One of the earliest homicide cases associated with Myers involved 23-year-old Ellen Deann Rowden. She disappeared on August 1, 1977, after visiting a bar in Picher, Oklahoma. Myers was reportedly among the people at the establishment that night. Rowden was never seen alive again. Her skeletal remains were discovered in April 1978 near Treece, Kansas, only a few miles from Picher. An examination of the remains indicated that she had suffered fatal blunt-force injuries to her head. Myers initially attempted to direct suspicion toward other people. He accused Rowden's brother-in-law and a woman named Imogene Butterbaugh of participating in the murder. Authorities investigated the allegations, but Myers's account was determined to be unreliable. The charges against the people he had accused were dismissed, and Myers himself was eventually charged with first-degree murder. Myers was tried for Rowden's killing in 1982 but was acquitted because prosecutors could not establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The acquittal prevented him from being tried again for the same offense. Investigators in both Oklahoma and Kansas continued to regard him as a serious suspect, but Ellen Rowden's murder officially remained unsolved. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Shawn Marie Williams Age: (22), Date of Death: 1993-04-13

Suspected Victims:

Tina Duffell , Date of Death: 1974-10-17

Julia Miller Age: (14), Date of Death: 1977

Ellen Deann Rowden Age: (23), Date of Death: 1977-08-01

Charles E. Enders , Date of Death: 1978-04

Ginger Hudson , Date of Death: 1993-08-19

Director names alleged Girl Scouts killer in movie - Cherokee Phoenix