Stanley Everett Rice

Serial Killer

Stanley Everett Rice: The Crimes of a Predatory Drifter

Background and Early Criminal Behavior

Stanley Everett Rice was an American serial killer and sexual predator whose known crimes crossed international and state boundaries during the 1960s. Born on August 7, 1942, in Concord, Massachusetts, Rice spent part of his adolescence in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Ontario, Canada. He accumulated a history of theft, vandalism, automobile offenses and institutional confinement while still young. His behavior eventually escalated into the abduction and sexual abuse of boys. Rice frequently traveled and changed locations, moving through Canada and several parts of the United States. This mobility made it difficult for authorities in different jurisdictions to connect his offenses. He approached boys in outdoor recreational areas, particularly places where children went fishing. He sometimes carried firearms and knives, and he kept written records describing violent fantasies and criminal acts. Rice is known to have killed at least three boys between 1963 and 1968. He also claimed responsibility for two additional killings, but those alleged victims were never identified. Only one of the known murders resulted in a conviction. Rice was never tried for the Canadian and Ohio killings because Florida authorities obtained a life sentence against him first.

Known and Admitted Victims

• Keith Henry, age 9 July 12, 1963 Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Keith disappeared after leaving his neighborhood in Waterloo. Rice later admitted that he encountered the boy near the Grand River while Keith was fishing. Rice claimed that he stabbed Keith with a hunting knife and buried his body in an overgrown location along the riverbank. Despite extensive searches, Keith's remains were never recovered. July 12, 1963, is therefore regarded as the date he disappeared and was presumed killed.
• Timothy David "Tim" Trask, age 8 June 10, 1966 Findlay, Ohio: Tim left his home on his bicycle to go fishing near the Blanchard River. He was attacked in a secluded area and killed by a combination of gunshot and stab wounds. His body was concealed beneath brush and pieces of wood and was discovered by a searcher on June 11. Rice was questioned during the original investigation but was not charged at the time. After his 1968 arrest in Florida, he confessed to killing Tim.
• Lowell "Nelson" Williams, age 11 May 12, 1968 Broward County, Florida: Nelson and his 10-year-old companion, Kevin Polittle, were fishing at a rural pond when Rice approached them. After the boys refused an invitation to leave with him, Rice opened fire with a sawed-off shotgun. Both boys were wounded. Rice then stabbed Nelson three times, killing him. Kevin survived, and two approaching teenagers interrupted the attack before Rice could kill him as well.
• Two unidentified boys dates and locations uncertain: Following his arrest, Rice reportedly told investigators that he had killed four boys before the murder of Nelson Williams. His statements included the killings of Keith Henry and Tim Trask, as well as two additional boys whose identities could not be established. No remains, names or confirmed dates were connected to those claims.

...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Keith Henry Age: (9), Date of Death: 1963-07-12

Stanley Rice - Wikipedia