Hi, this is William Ramsey. Welcome to William Ramsey Investigates. On tonight show, I have a very special guest. Her name is Jara Lind Kolarik. She is the author of three books. The book we'll be discussing tonight is Free to Kill. The True Story of Serial Murder, Larry Eiler, a series of serial murders that took place in the Midwest.

She's also the author of Prisoners of Fear and I Am Kane.

But tonight we're going to just talk about a pretty gruesome series of deaths that took place

in the Midwest.

So it's probably a good idea not to have this audio be heard by, you know, any sensitive type viewers.

But, uh, Jerelland, are you there?

Yes, I am.

Awesome. Thank you for agreeing to the interview of people who don't know of your name.

Could you talk a little bit about your background and how you became interested or involved,

really, in this subject?

Um, my background is in television news. I was a reporter, a police reporter in Chicago.

And I started in the 1970s. And then I went to WBBM TV and I was overnight assignment editor.

And chief criminal person went involved

police stories and then I went to WLF, ABC in Chicago.

And while being an assignment editor on the desk, you know, you make beat checks as reporters

on finding out cases.

And I saw an unusual pattern that I felt was beginning in some of the

outer counties in Illinois, Kankakee County counties, a body of a young boy that was found in a field

stabbed multiple times, 30 times, and without any identification.

And then what was happening was that in Lake County, Illinois, like about 100 miles away,

we were starting to find some bodies of men that were found without identification.

The pants pulled down and multiple stab wounds.

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