Faryion Wardrip

Serial Killer

Faryion Wardrip: The Wichita Falls Serial Killer

Overview

Faryion Edward Wardrip is an American serial killer and sexual predator responsible for murdering five young women in Texas between December 1984 and May 1986. Four of the killings occurred in Wichita Falls or the surrounding area, while another took place in Fort Worth. His victims were between 20 and 25 years old, and several had connections to local hospitals, apartment complexes or workplaces that Wardrip knew. Wardrip used different methods to overpower and kill his victims, including stabbing, strangulation and suffocation. Sexual violence was a significant component of several attacks. Although the murders occurred within a relatively limited period, they were originally investigated by different law-enforcement agencies and were not immediately recognized as the work of one offender. Wardrip confessed to one murder in 1986, but his responsibility for the other four killings remained undiscovered until advances in DNA testing helped investigators reopen the cases more than a decade later.

Early Life and Criminal Background

Wardrip was born on March 6, 1959, in Salem, Indiana. As an adult, he moved through periods of instability, substance abuse and criminal conduct. He spent time in prison before arriving in the Wichita Falls area, where he found employment as a hospital orderly. His work brought him into proximity with nurses and other medical employees, including at least one of the women he later murdered. Wardrip was physically larger than the women he targeted. Investigators eventually recognized that his victims shared several characteristics: they were young, small in stature and vulnerable to being physically overpowered. Some were attacked after completing late-night work shifts, while others encountered him in residential or entertainment settings. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Terry Sims Age: (20), Date of Death: 1984-12-21

Faryion Wardrip - Wikipedia