Nancy Fox

I was working at the phone company in Operator Services in Wichita when this murder occurred. 911 did not exist back then. At that time when a person had an emergency, they'd just dial "0" for a phone company operator and the operator would connect the call to the right agency. When the connection was made, the operator would get off the line, and then "hold the call" manually on the console equipment for timing. That was correct company procedure.

When BTK placed an emergency call to report the murder of Nancy Fox, the phone company operator who took the call was curious and stayed on the line to listen in. This was totally against procedure. The "Operator" in the transcript is the Emergency dispatch person at the police department, not the phone company operator.

Transcript:
Operator #1: "Dispatcher"
BTK: "Yes. You will find a homicide at 843 South Pershing. Nancy Fox."

Operator #1: I'm sorry sir I can't understand you. What is the address?
Phone Co Operator: I believe 843 South Pershing...

BTK: "That is correct"

At this point, BTK hung up. The phone company operator should not have been on the line at all, and certainly should not have stepped in and spoken up on the call. That was totally against procedure. Later, the phone company tracked down the operator who handled the call and terminated her. We don't know for certain, but had she not interrupted, the emergency dispatcher might have been able to keep him on the line to trace the call, get more information, or perhaps even catch him. But when BTK heard a 2nd voice on the line, he hung up.