Kerri Rawson, daughter of serial killer Dennis Rader, known as BTK, is facing a domestic violence injunction and has temporarily lost custody of her two teenage children. The accusations stem from a petition filed by her ex-husband, Darian Rawson, who alleged a series of incidents that led him to fear for his and the children's safety.
According to the petition filed in Florida, Kerri Rawson allegedly experienced a "mental break" in January 2025. On January 5, she reportedly summoned her ex-husband to a police station, claiming to have "psychic powers" and detecting that the children were in "immediate danger and would be murdered that morning." Later that day, she placed a 911 call reporting "shots had been fired and three people were dead," referring to her children and their father. Responding officers found everyone to be safe.
Police reports described Rawson as an individual known to make "inaccurate and fabricated statements about incidents that did not actually occur, due to mental health issues." Following these events, she was taken to a local hospital and voluntarily admitted herself for a mental health evaluation under Florida's Baker Act.
A Florida judge granted a domestic violence injunction for protection, awarding Darian Rawson temporary full custody of the couple's children. The order also restricted Kerri Rawson to electronic communication with them and prohibited her from going near their home or school. The petition noted the couple had divorced less than two years prior, after nearly 20 years of marriage.
Further allegations include Rawson violating the no-contact order in February 2025, making several phone calls to her ex-husband. In one voicemail, she allegedly asked for money, and in another, she inquired about the children and referenced the protection order. She also reportedly sent a Facebook message to a family member, speaking "incoherently" and stating she had to go "undercover." In that message, she allegedly wrote, "Now I’m being told my kids are dead and have been since 1-5 [sic]. I tried to warn my family and went into PTSD mode to grizzly protect them."
Darian Rawson expressed concern that Kerri "has had a break from reality."
In addition to these legal troubles, Rawson had faced other difficulties. A GoFundMe page indicated she had been hospitalized with long COVID-related health issues, leading to financial strain and unstable housing. Later, her landlord initiated eviction proceedings for alleged non-payment of rent, and a judge granted the eviction in March 2025.
These events contrast sharply with Rawson's public persona. Following her father's 2005 arrest, she became a prominent advocate for victims of violent crime and domestic abuse, authoring a bestselling book, "A Serial Killer's Daughter," and frequently appearing in media documentaries and interviews. Her father, Dennis Rader, is serving 10 consecutive life sentences for the murders of 10 people between 1974 and 1991.