*** Content warnings: Sexual abuse ***In the late 1970s, Wichita secretary Ruth Finley began to receive cryptic letters and chilling threats from a mysterious figure known only as ‘The Poet.’ For years, The Poet tormented Ruth and her husband, Ed, leaving them in a constant state of confusion and fear. Despite relentless efforts from the police, The Poet continued to evade detection. But as the investigation unfolded, the truth that emerged left everyone questioning what was real.---Narration – Anonymous HostResearch & writing – Milly RasoCreative direction – Milly RasoProduction and music – Mike MigasMusic – Andrew D.B. JoslynAudio editing – Anthony TelferSign up for Casefile Premium:Apple PremiumSpotify PremiumPatreonFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-308-ruth-finley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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It was getting late on Tuesday October 15 1946 when 16-year-old Ruth Smock was startled by the sound of a screen door creaking behind her. Ruth had recently moved into a rooming house in Fort Scott, Kansas to attend a larger high school that offered more varied classes than the one in her rural Missouri hometown.
Living in the city also allowed Ruth to work part-time as a telephone operator for Southwestern Bell so she could save some money. The problem was Ruth lived alone and she wasn't expecting any visitors that evening. A chilling realisation quickly set in. She had left the front door unlocked after returning home from the grocery store earlier. An unfamiliar man was now standing in her apartment.
The man was tall, appeared to be in his 50s, and was dressed in dirty bib overalls, the kind typically worn by farmers. He greeted Ruth casually, saying, Hi sis, before reaching for a wall switch and turning off the light. Moving quickly, the stranger grabbed Ruth and tore at her clothes. She fought back and managed to press her thumbs into his eyes. This only enraged him further.
I'll fix you so no one will look at you again, he threatened, shoving a rag against Ruth's face. Ruth felt herself growing dizzy and drowsy, her vision blurred. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed completely was the man heating a flat iron on the kitchen stove. By the time Ruth regained consciousness, it was 7.30 the next morning.
She was sprawled on the kitchen floor, her clothes torn with cuts and scratches across her legs, neck and face. These wounds were superficial, unlike the injuries to her thighs. Both of Ruth's legs bore painful first-degree burns which had been branded onto her flesh by the Flatirons. Ruth stayed silent on the floor until she was sure her attacker was no longer there.
She then called her parents, who contacted the police. They deduced that Ruth's attacker had soaked the rag he pressed to her face with chloroform, a sweet-smelling anesthetic, before burning her legs while she lay unconscious. Although a physician confirmed that Ruth hadn't been raped, police were certain the crime was sexually motivated.
Ruth was brought to her parents' home to recover but later moved in with a family friend as the thought of staying in her apartment overwhelmed her with such intense dread that it made her physically ill. Meanwhile, the violent incident made the local newspapers as authorities worked to identify the man responsible. By 1977, 31 years had passed since Ruth Smock was attacked.
47-year-old Ruth now went by the last name Finlay after marrying her high school sweetheart, 49-year-old Ed. The Finleys lived in a modest single-storey wood-frame house on a dead-end street in Wichita, Kansas, 150 miles west of Fort Scott. One warm June afternoon, Ed was taking a break from building a patio in the backyard when he suddenly collapsed.
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