Christopher Wilder, an Australian-American serial killer and former FBI Top 10 Most Wanted fugitive, may still be linked to unsolved murders in Florida and New York. Wilder, dubbed the “Beauty Queen Killer” and the “Snapshot Killer,” died in 1984 during a shootout with New Hampshire State Police after a two-month murder spree that left at least eight women dead. Victims of Wilder are speaking out in a Hulu documentary series called “The Beauty Queen Killer: 9 Days of Terror,” which follows the story of survivor Tina Risico who was kidnapped by Wilder when she was 16 and coerced into helping him commit a crime during a nine-day road trip.
Wilder drove across the country seeking girls, offering them modeling opportunities, and taking their photos. Tina Risico ended up in Wilder’s car for nine days before being rescued. The extent of Wilder’s crimes remains unknown, and he may be connected to other unsolved 1980s murder cases. In 1979, the remains of Florida 16-year-old Tammy Jo Alexander were found in New York, where she was believed to have been dragged into a cornfield and shot to death. Shari Lynne Ball disappeared from Florida in 1983 and was found dead in New York, with authorities suspecting Wilder’s involvement due to his method of operation.
New York State Police investigator Christopher Weber noted that Wilder’s pattern matched in some cases where he befriended young girls promising them career opportunities. In Palm Beach County, Florida, where Wilder fled after being questioned in the 1969 murders of two teens in Australia, he has been unofficially linked to several unsolved murders. Tammy Lee Leppert’s mother sued Wilder in 1984, claiming he met her daughter on a movie set and was involved in her disappearance in 1983. Leppert, a participant in a boxing match in a film called “Spring Break,” was also involved in modeling.
Wilder also owned land in Loxahatchee, where a real estate agent found a woman’s remains in 1982. The woman has yet to be identified. The FBI has not responded to inquiries regarding Wilder’s potential connection to unsolved murders in Florida and New York. Some victims of Wilder’s crimes, such as Tina Risico, are speaking out for the first time in the Hulu documentary series that sheds light on the events of Wilder’s two-month murder spree in 1984. Authorities believe that Wilder may be connected to other unsolved murder cases from the 1980s, specifically in Florida and New York, where victims like Tammy Jo Alexander and Shari Lynne Ball were found dead in a similar manner to Wilder’s known crimes.
The documentary series “The Beauty Queen Killer: 9 Days of Terror” highlights the story of Tina Risico, who was kidnapped by Wilder at the age of 16 and taken on a nine-day road trip across the country, during which she was forced to help him commit a crime. The pattern of Wilder’s crimes, where he targeted young girls with promises of modeling opportunities, is evident in the cases of other victims like Tammy Lee Leppert, whose mother sued Wilder for her daughter’s disappearance in 1983. While some cases remain unsolved, authorities are continuing to investigate potential ties between Wilder and other criminal activities in Florida and New York, where he may have been involved in multiple murders.
