Paula Dietz: Where Is Dennis Rader’s Ex-Wife Now?

Paula Dietz is an American former bookkeeper best known as the ex-wife of Dennis Rader, the serial killer known as BTK. She was married to Rader for more than three decades and had two children with him. Her life changed in 2005 when her husband was arrested and later admitted to killing ten people. Dietz quickly ended their marriage and stepped away from public attention. Since then, many people have searched for information about her life, family, marriage, and whereabouts. In this article, we explore Paula Dietz’s early life, education, career, marriage, children, divorce, and life after Dennis Rader’s arrest.

Quick Bio

Who Is Paula Dietz?

Paula Dietz is a former American bookkeeper who became widely known because of her marriage to Dennis Rader. The couple married in 1971 and remained together for about 34 years. During most of their marriage, Dietz lived an ordinary family life and worked as a bookkeeper. She and Rader raised two children, Kerri and Brian. Her private life suddenly attracted national attention after Rader was arrested in February 2005. The arrest revealed that the man she had lived with for decades was BTK, a serial killer responsible for ten murders committed between 1974 and 1991.

Paula Dietz’s Early Life

Paula Dietz was born on May 5, 1948, in Park City, Kansas, United States. She grew up in Kansas in a working family. Her father worked as an automotive engineer, while her mother was a librarian. Dietz spent her early years away from public attention and followed a normal educational path. She completed high school in 1966 before continuing her studies at college. Long before her name became connected with one of America’s most notorious criminal cases, Dietz was building a quiet life focused on education, employment, marriage, and eventually raising her two children.

Her Education

After completing high school in 1966, Paula Dietz continued her education and studied accounting. She attended the National American University of Wichita and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting in 1970. Her education prepared her for a professional career involving financial records and bookkeeping. Dietz entered the workforce after earning her degree and spent much of her professional life working as a bookkeeper. Her career remained separate from the later public attention surrounding her husband. She continued working for many years before eventually ending her professional career around the 2000s.

Paula Dietz’s Career as a Bookkeeper

Paula Dietz built her career as a bookkeeper after completing her accounting education. Bookkeeping involves organizing financial information, maintaining records, and keeping track of financial transactions. Dietz reportedly remained in this profession throughout much of her working life. Unlike Dennis Rader, whose name eventually became internationally recognized because of his crimes, Dietz maintained a private professional identity. She was not a television personality or public figure before her former husband’s arrest. Her career was based on accounting and bookkeeping, and she eventually left professional life around the early 2000s.

How Paula Dietz Met Dennis Rader

Paula Dietz and Dennis Rader met during the early 1970s at Christ Lutheran Church. Rader was involved with the church and later served as congregation president. He had also served in the United States Air Force and became involved with the Boy Scouts. After meeting, Dietz and Rader developed a relationship and started dating. Their romance eventually led to marriage. At that time, there was nothing about their relationship that suggested the shocking events that would become public decades later. Dietz entered the marriage expecting an ordinary family life with the man who would become her husband.

Paula Dietz and Dennis Rader’s Marriage

Paula Dietz married Dennis Rader on May 22, 1971. Their marriage lasted for approximately 34 years and produced two children. During those decades, they built a family life in Kansas while Rader maintained an outward appearance as a husband, father, church member, and community figure. Behind that ordinary image, however, Rader was committing murders. His first known murders occurred in January 1974, less than three years after the couple married. Dietz remained married to him until his arrest in 2005 exposed the secret life he had kept hidden from his family for decades.

Paula Dietz’s Children

Paula Dietz and Dennis Rader had two children during their marriage: a daughter, Kerri Rawson, and a son, Brian. Kerri was born in 1978 and later married Darian Rawson. She went on to have two children, Emilie, born in 2008, and Ian, born in 2011. Paula’s children also had to deal with the discovery of their father’s crimes after his arrest. The family had known Rader as a husband and father, making the revelations surrounding his secret criminal life a major and unexpected change in their personal lives.

Who Is Paula Dietz’s Daughter, Kerri Rawson?

Kerri Rawson is the daughter of Paula Dietz and Dennis Rader. Born in 1978, she grew up knowing Rader as her father rather than as the unidentified BTK killer being investigated by authorities. Like the rest of her family, Kerri learned about the hidden side of her father’s life following his arrest. She later married Darian Rawson and became a mother herself. Kerri and Darian have two children, Emilie and Ian. Her family connection to the BTK case has made her one of the most publicly recognized members of Dennis Rader and Paula Dietz’s immediate family.

Dennis Rader’s Secret Life as BTK

Dennis Rader committed ten known murders in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991. He became known as BTK, referring to “Bind, Torture, Kill.” His victims included Joseph and Julie Otero, their children Josephine and Joseph II, Kathryn Bright, Shirley Vian, Nancy Fox, Vicki Wegerle, Marine Hedge, and Dolores E. Davis. Rader managed to keep his crimes hidden from his family while maintaining an ordinary public image. Paula Dietz and their children lived with him for years without knowing the full extent of the criminal life he was secretly leading.

Dennis Rader’s Arrest in 2005

Dennis Rader was arrested in February 2005 after investigators connected him to the BTK murders. His renewed communications with local media played an important role in the investigation that eventually identified him. The arrest brought an end to a mystery that had lasted for decades and completely changed the lives of Paula Dietz and her children. Rader later confessed to ten murders. He received ten consecutive life sentences, carrying a minimum imprisonment period of 175 years without parole eligibility. He was incarcerated at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas.

Paula Dietz’s Emergency Divorce

Paula Dietz moved quickly to end her marriage after Dennis Rader’s arrest in 2005. She was granted an emergency divorce, bringing their approximately 34-year marriage to an end without the usual waiting period. The divorce marked a major separation between Dietz’s previous family life and the public criminal case surrounding her former husband. She had married Rader in May 1971 without knowing what would later be revealed about him. After his identity as BTK became known, Dietz ended their marriage and largely disappeared from public attention rather than becoming involved in the media coverage surrounding him.

Did Paula Dietz Know About Dennis Rader’s Crimes?

Paula Dietz and her children lived with Dennis Rader without knowing about the murders he had committed. Rader managed to maintain separate public, family, and criminal lives for many years. His family learned the truth after authorities identified and arrested him in 2005. Their daughter, Kerri Rawson, later explained that she and her mother would have gone to law enforcement if they had known what Rader was doing. His ability to hide his crimes meant that Dietz spent decades married to him while remaining unaware of the secret identity that would eventually make their family internationally known.

Where Is Paula Dietz Now?

Paula Dietz withdrew from public attention following Dennis Rader’s arrest and their divorce in 2005. She reportedly moved away from Kansas after the case became public and has maintained a very private lifestyle. Unlike some people connected to major criminal cases, Dietz did not build a public career around her experience. She has largely avoided interviews and media appearances. As a result, relatively little has been shared about her everyday life since the divorce. Her decision to remain private has allowed her to live away from much of the attention surrounding Dennis Rader and the BTK case.

Final Thoughts

Paula Dietz lived an ordinary life as a bookkeeper, wife, and mother before the shocking arrest of Dennis Rader changed everything in 2005. The couple had been married since 1971 and raised two children together, Kerri and Brian. Dietz learned that her husband had secretly committed ten murders while maintaining his family and community life. Following his arrest, she received an emergency divorce and withdrew from public attention. Rather than remaining connected publicly to the BTK story, Dietz chose privacy. Today, she is mainly remembered as Dennis Rader’s former wife and the mother of his two children.

(FAQs)

Who is Paula Dietz?

Paula Dietz is an American former bookkeeper best known as the ex-wife of Dennis Rader, the serial killer known as BTK. She married Rader in 1971 and divorced him after his arrest in 2005. They have two children together.

How old is Paula Dietz?

Paula Dietz was born on May 5, 1948, in Park City, Kansas. Based on that birth date, she is 78 years old in 2026. She spent much of her working life as a bookkeeper before leaving professional life.

How long were Paula Dietz and Dennis Rader married?

Paula Dietz and Dennis Rader were married for approximately 34 years. They married on May 22, 1971. Their marriage ended in 2005 when Dietz received an emergency divorce following Rader’s arrest in connection with the BTK murders.

Did Paula Dietz know Dennis Rader was the BTK killer?

Paula Dietz did not know that her husband was secretly responsible for the BTK murders. Rader kept his criminal activities hidden from his family for decades. Dietz and their children discovered the truth after his identity was exposed in 2005.

Who are Paula Dietz’s children?

Paula Dietz has two children with Dennis Rader: Kerri Rawson and Brian. Kerri was born in 1978 and later married Darian Rawson. She has two children, Emilie and Ian, making Dietz a grandmother.

Where is Paula Dietz now?

Paula Dietz has maintained a private life since Dennis Rader’s 2005 arrest and their subsequent divorce. She reportedly left Kansas and withdrew from public attention. She has largely avoided interviews and has shared little publicly about her later life.