IL/TX/OR+ - ROBERT BEN RHOADES, "The Truck Stop Killer", 1970's-90's

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=76546&news_category_id=6

Washington
Oregon
California
Arizona
Utah
New Mexico
Texas
Oklahoma
Missouri
Arkansas
Louisiana
Mississippi
Tennessee
Kentucky
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Virginia
Georgia
Florida


From various sources:

The serial killer admitted to one of his victims he'd been doing this for 15 years. So he can have victims as early as 1975

He's worked as a warehouseman, restaurant worker, long haul trucker,

Some victims were shot with a 22 or 25 pistol

He was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa
His stepfather committed suicide after he was arrested for a sex crime against a child
One of 5 children, one of his sisters committed suicide at age 12

He was in the military, marines and dishonorably discharged and he wanted to be a policeman but was rejected.

He was married 3 times.
#1. 1970 in Oklahoma City
#2. 1976 in Nebraska
#3. 1984 in Houston
 
I cant find the gun type when used by him. Revolver, 22 and or 357? ANSWERED. 22
I will start going back, and looking at the missing and UIDs in Texas. To see If I can find any that may be his work. I will post them as possibles in this thread. And I say possibles and not as positives. Because I am not a detective. I will leave making connections to the LEOs. Maybe we can give them something to work with. I already have two or three in mind. But have to re read the details and find out about his weapon for one. But I am SURE he left some death in Texas.

Hes not talking. But if you bring something to him, and you are as sure as can be he did it. He just might admit to it. But not offer any information.
 
There must be cases they already have tried to connect to him.
Is there a list of comparisons they have done since his arrest to see if there is a connection? I am interested in Texas for now.


After you read about
Rhoades , read again about the girls found in the killing field. 84-91
Not buried but hidden, And laying in a pose position. Laying on there backs with there arms across there chest. And they shown signs of physical abuse with marks and scars. close to highway, he started killing 3 a month they said perhaps, and two were found on the same day in the field.

Can anyone answer if Tim's daughter had been shaved in her private area. Or any of them that they could tell.

But they didn't find any pictures i am guessing of tims daughter or any of the others in his possession when they raided his home in Huston i believe with a search warrant.
So maybe he was eliminated??

There are similarities between them. He was arrested in 90. so the one found in 91 I don't know.


 
MrTT what was that picture? I feel I readthis guy had photographs. There is so much info out about this guy its overwhelming. I'm so glad fran compiled that list. I need to expand my list of possible victims down to 1975 but if all of those states are included, that impossible. Who can we contact to tighten up his locations or routes by the year? How can we get ahold of the author of the book? Anyone know of any verified professionals that could help us organize our thoughts on this? This guy has killed many people.
 
Sorry I missed the link for the photo earlier. Regina was found in a farmhouse in IL and I'm going to guess that's the one she's in in that photo.
 
I wonder if we could convince LE to release photos of unidentified people like done in other cases. Its been quite successful in those. Anyone have any sway in something like this? This guys still alive and has the blood of a lot of people on hands. And he's only recognized for killing 4 people. I think it could easily be more like 50.
 
I wonder if we could convince LE to release photos of unidentified people like done in other cases. Its been quite successful in those. Anyone have any sway in something like this? This guys still alive and has the blood of a lot of people on hands. And he's only recognized for killing 4 people. I think it could easily be more like 50.
Not sure if this photograph was posted anywhere else on this site, but in November 2012, this article was published in GQ with more information on RBR: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201211/truck-stop-killer-gq-november-2012.

This image was included with this description:
Young pulled out one last picture and slid it across to me. The photo was of a beautiful young girl, possibly Native American. "She was on the end of the roll with Regina," he said. She's shown sitting in Rhoades's truck wearing a gray hoodie. Her eyes are partly closed, as if she's stoned or sleepy. Rhoades must have just picked her up, because he hasn't cut her hair yet. It is glossy black and long.

No one knows who she is.


truckstop-inset-03.jpg


I wonder if there is a Canada/Pacific Northwest Connection - Washington and Oregon are listed as potential victim states.
 
I had a discussion with Arizona Police years ago about the woman shown in the picture. Apparently she had been identified and was found safe. Everywhere that Rhoads travelled where there are missing and murdered women, should be revisited by investigators. He has been at this for a very long time.

I first encountered Rhoads at a Casino in Laughlin Nevada back in the eighties. They had a truck parking lot across from the Riverside casino with public washrooms etc.. I had a small motorhome parked there at the time. One day a woman working as a prostitute and hanging out at that location asked me to hold a piece of paper with a licence number written on it. She wanted me to give it to Police if she hadn’t returned within an hour. That made me a bit curious although she did return.

I asked some questions and had her point out the customer/ truck driver she was nervous about. It was Rhoads but he went by a nickname “ropes and chains” or something to that effect. She told a story about handcuffs and shackles welded to the inside the cab of the trucks sleeper. She went on to give Rhoads explanation that he couldn’t function properly sexually except with a woman in a submissive compliant state. Trust issues supposedly.

About a week later I saw him around again and the woman who had told me the story before said that he had hired a new girl and was going to be giving her and the girls boyfriend a ride somewhere. The girl was young and her boyfriend not much older. These are the two that he killed shortly after somewhere down the highway. He knows all the secluded off road and roadside locations where a truck can park. He scouts them, watches for them, plans to use them.. I suspect there are many many more victims that could be linked to this man.

Rhoads returned to Laughlin a week or two later after killing the two young people he had previously taken from there. I wonder if he has a habit of returning to locations where he has found victims before? In this instance I became concerned myself when I noticed him staring almost fixating on me and checking my reaction to seeing him. He seemed aware or thought that I knew something of him. He wore self darkening glasses that went extremely dark in sunlight. Most times you could not see his eyes through them but on this occaision the sun was coming from behind him and hitting the rear side of the lenses. That gave the opposite effect and made the glasses go clear where I could see his eyes just staring at me in an unusual fashion and not looking away when I looked back at him. I think he thought the glasses were darkened to where I couldn’t see him staring at me like that. Maybe he returns to eliminate witnesses too?

I am convinced that this man had been engaged in all sorts of perverted and sadistic crimes everywhere he went. He should be a prime candidate for any missing /murdered cases in any location he was known to frequent. A map and an itinerary would be valuable information for searchers. He may have patterns that could be deciphered and that could be used to find others.
 
i am glad for this site and for what it trys to do and has done my spelling sucks so please for give me for that my name is will my brothers name was ricky lee jones most wont know who he is but they would most likely know who is girlfriend was her name was Regina Kay Walters she was one of robert ben rhoades victims one of the last and saddest of a long line i never really knew my brother his father raised him and my half sister the only time i ever talk to him was maybe days or weeks before it all happened on the phone he was planning to come see me so we could get to know each other and that was the first and last time we ever talk im sad for lose of the young lady but im even sadder for ricky he is forgotten in all this shot in the head from behind and left in a ditch i life cut so short he never got to be laid to rest by his family he lay forgotten in some lab from1991 till 2008 when the dna my mother gave help them figger out who he was and then he was forgotten again im glad rhoades was put away and can never hurt any more people or destory any more familys but the pain he and so many like him leave behind can never be fixed i can only hope that these other killers are stopped to so no more people have to suffer for thier sick pleasure thank you all for your time
 
Considering he was a long-distance truck driver, I wonder if he killed Marilee Bruszer or Tammy Alexander.
 
I'm a retired long haul driver and in my 20 plus years over the road I never, ever heard any open discussions of kidnapping, murder, or like subjects ever. So please be careful out there but dont take for granted that because a few truck drivers are really bad people that they all are! Some are really good people, who love their families and wouldnt hurt another person for the world.It's like the song say's "one bad apple dont spoil the whole bunch".
 
:freakedout: I watch a lot of Investigation Discovery & other true crime shows & I saw this story & his capture on one of those shows. Freaky man!
 
i am glad for this site and for what it trys to do and has done my spelling sucks so please for give me for that my name is will my brothers name was ricky lee jones most wont know who he is but they would most likely know who is girlfriend was her name was Regina Kay Walters she was one of robert ben rhoades victims one of the last and saddest of a long line i never really knew my brother his father raised him and my half sister the only time i ever talk to him was maybe days or weeks before it all happened on the phone he was planning to come see me so we could get to know each other and that was the first and last time we ever talk im sad for lose of the young lady but im even sadder for ricky he is forgotten in all this shot in the head from behind and left in a ditch i life cut so short he never got to be laid to rest by his family he lay forgotten in some lab from1991 till 2008 when the dna my mother gave help them figger out who he was and then he was forgotten again im glad rhoades was put away and can never hurt any more people or destory any more familys but the pain he and so many like him leave behind can never be fixed i can only hope that these other killers are stopped to so no more people have to suffer for thier sick pleasure thank you all for your time
:hug: Thank You for sharing your story. I am so sorry that you never got to see & talk to your brother in person! Rhoades stole so much from so many & my heart goes out to you!
 
This may already be common knowledge to those up to speed with this creep, but I find this interesting especially after watching the Killing Season and the mention of LISK contacting family of victims post murder.

In the attachment below it states " Stalked victims? No, Contacted families after killing victims". How common is it for serial killers to make contact the victims friends/relatives??




Robert Ben Rhoades
“Whips and Chains”



Department of Psychology
Radford University
Radford, VA 24142-694





Life Event

more at link .............. http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc 405/serial killers/Rhodes, Robert Ben _spring 2007_.pdf
 
This may already be common knowledge to those up to speed with this creep, but I find this interesting especially after watching the Killing Season and the mention of LISK contacting family of victims post murder.

In the attachment below it states " Stalked victims? No, Contacted families after killing victims". How common is it for serial killers to make contact the victims friends/relatives??
Ya know Zodiac and B.T.K. did that. I think it is a sign of a real pompous self-centered, self indulgent, holier than thou attitude a certain killer has to do this. It's a special kind of nuts. He kills because he can do whatever he wants, when he wants, why he wants, and how he wants. He is domineering and wants the world to know it. He doesn't have mommy issues. He has the tough guy syndrome. He hates women and can do anything he wants to with them or to them cause it makes him feel like a tough guy. He is a bully to women. His everyday persona is probably one of those guys who walks around with his chest puffed out to look bigger or fitter than he is. He is a "real swell guy" other guys probably think about him, and inside he thinks"Everyone must bow down to me" Calling the family has them at his mercy. I don't think it happens that often it's a special kind of nuts as I said before. L.I.S.K appears to be just that

OF COURSE THATS MY OPINION.
 
I think this guy killed Walker county Jane doe
Do you think she fits his MO tho? She was seen approx 6-8 hrs before her body was found right there in town. I thought this guy kept them with him for awhile and dumped them on the side of the road. I could be wrong.
 
Do you think she fits his MO tho? She was seen approx 6-8 hrs before her body was found right there in town. I thought this guy kept them with him for awhile and dumped them on the side of the road. I could be wrong.

I've been doing a ton of reading lately on Sk's and the experts are learning that they change MO more than previously thought. I honestly think the keeping them and torturing them was a later development for him. I believe he evolved into doing it that way. JMO
 
Re-reading a link from the top of the Walker County Jane Doe thread - goes to Porchlight International. I would link but it says "not secure" so don't know what might happen and I'm scared it will mess something up on here - anyway...
Is it not incredibly creepy that the truck driver that found WCJD was named James RHOADES????
 

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