In the summer of 1988, Audrey Cardenas left Texas chasing a dream in journalism. Within days, her ambition turned into a chilling mystery. What happened in Belleville, Illinois, still haunts the town—and two names remain at the heart of the question: Was it Rodney, or Dale?
WAS IT RODNEY OR DALE?
Audrey Cardenas’ bags were already packed. She was heading across the country, out on her own, from Texas to Belleville, Illinois, where she would spend the summer interning at the Belleville News Democrat. A career in journalism was on the horizon. It was exciting, but she quickly missed home. On Saturday night, June 18, 1988, she called her mother Billie. Audrey was ready to come back home. Her mom convinced her to stick it out.
She had to be at work at 10am on Monday. When she woke up that morning, she went to the bank, just down the street from the newspaper, to cash a check. Bank records show she was there at 830am. The teller remembered her. And then Audrey never reported to work. On June 26, the mystery ended. A custodian at Belleville East High School discovered Audrey’s body in a creek bed near the school’s parking lot. Her decomposed body had been there for days.
As soon as Belleville police arrived at the scene, a suspect landed in their lap. Woidtke, a 25 year old homeless drifter, wandered inside the roped off crime zone area. Officers immediately went to question him, and the evidence began piling up. Woidtke had a difficult time responding. He let police search his knapsack, where they found letters about sexual fantasies. Bystanders who gathered at the scene told police they saw Woidtke in the area acting strange. Police were told he had been sleeping in abandoned buildings and hanging around playgrounds. Officers saw scar marks on his hands, brought him in for questioning, and things got worse for Woidtke. He told police he was living in the woods by the high school, right near where Cardenas was found. He told police he spent time at a local mental health center, and he often heard voices. But he denied killing Cardenas, but then kept changing his story. First, he said he hit her with a pipe, then said he didn’t. Then he said when he left her she was alive, and then said he hit her three or four times.
But before you think this case was closed, it is time to meet Dale Anderson........
While you wait for Bob’s new book 25 Frozen, 1 Thawed, don’t miss… Dead End
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