The Hulu documentary series “The Beauty Queen Killer: 9 Days of Terror” explores the crimes of Australian-American serial killer Christopher Wilder, also known as the “Beauty Queen Killer” and the “Snapshot Killer.” Wilder, a former FBI Top 10 Most Wanted fugitive, died in a shootout with New Hampshire State Police in 1984 after a two-month murder spree that left at least eight women dead. One of Wilder’s survivors, Tina Risico, speaks out in the documentary about her experience being kidnapped by Wilder at the age of 16 and taken on a nine-day, cross-country road trip during which she was coerced into helping him commit crimes.
Authorities believe that Wilder may be tied to other unsolved murders in Florida and New York in the 1980s. In 1979, the remains of 16-year-old Tammy Jo Alexander were found in Caledonia, New York, but she was not positively identified until 2015. Similarly, Shari Lynne Ball disappeared from Boca Raton, Florida, in 1983, before her body was found in western New York four months later. New York State Police have not ruled out Wilder as a suspect in these cases, as his modus operandi matched the pattern of befriending young girls and promising them modeling opportunities.
In Palm Beach County, Florida, Wilder has also been unofficially linked to several unsolved murders. Tammy Lee Leppert, an 18-year-old model who disappeared from Rockledge, Florida, in July 1983, was reportedly met by Wilder on the set of a movie in which she participated. Her mother, Linda Curtis, sued Wilder before his death, alleging that he had traveled to Brevard County to photograph her daughter. Additionally, a real estate agent found a woman’s remains on land owned by Wilder in Loxahatchee in 1982, but the woman has yet to be identified.
The FBI has not provided additional information about the possibility of Wilder’s involvement in other unsolved murder cases in Florida and New York. However, authorities continue to investigate the ties between Wilder and the cold cases from the 1980s. The pattern of Wilder’s crimes, which involved targeting young women by offering them modeling opportunities, aligns with the stories of individuals like Tammy Jo Alexander and Shari Lynne Ball. Survivors like Tina Risico shed light on the dark history of the “Beauty Queen Killer” and the terror he inflicted on his victims during his murderous spree in the 1980s.
The legacy of Christopher Wilder, known as the “Beauty Queen Killer” and the “Snapshot Killer,” lives on through the unsolved murders and disappearances of young women in Florida and New York in the 1980s. The docuseries “The Beauty Queen Killer: 9 Days of Terror” delves into the stories of Wilder’s survivors and the ongoing efforts of authorities to uncover the truth behind these cold cases. The connections between Wilder and victims like Tammy Jo Alexander and Shari Lynne Ball continue to be investigated, as the possibility of his involvement in additional unsolved murders remains a haunting mystery. Through the survivors’ accounts and forensic evidence, the dark history of the “Beauty Queen Killer” is further scrutinized to bring closure to the families and communities affected by his crimes.
