William J. "Freight Train" Guatney (February 14, 1922 – March 31, 1996) was an American criminal and suspected serial killer who was accused of killing 15 boys in four states from 1969 to 1981. A drifter who frequently traveled by train, Guatney confessed to three murders after his arrest, but was deemed unfit to stand trial and detained at a mental institution until his death.
Early life
William J. Guatney was born on February 14, 1922, in Pekin, Illinois. His birth mother abandoned him shortly after his birth and he was soon adopted by Bert and Ruby Guatney, inheriting their surname. Guatney spent his childhood and youth in small, rural communities in Kansas such as Fredonia and Treece, where his father worked in the coal mines.
In late 1933, his adoptive father became very ill and was diagnosed with pneumonia, from complications of which he died on January 24, 1935, at only 35 years of age. The death greatly affected Guatney, who soon left Treece and moved in with his grandparents, after which he lived in the house of his brother and his wife for some time. During this period, he lost all interest in pursuing education, dropped out of school and began to live on the streets. In 1935, he started doing petty thefts and drinking alcohol.
Injury and later life
In an attempt to improve his situation, Guatney eventually left his brother's house and started to live as a vagrant, frequently changing residences and never staying in one place for long. As he lacked a formal education, he resorted to doing low-skilled labour and changed numerous occupations. From 1937 onward, owing to his alcohol addiction, he was jailed on numerous occasions for theft, public drunkenness, passing bad checks and indecent exposure.
In 1942, Guatney was drafted into the Army, and for the next two years, he fought in several locations across Europe in a tank division. Sometime in 1944, he received a severe shrapnel wound to the head, leading to an honorable discharge so he could spend time recuperating at a veterans hospital in Boise, Idaho. While being treated, Guatney began to suffer from memory lapses and showed visible signs of confusion, and in 1947, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for further treatment. After undergoing several psychiatric tests, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as well as organic brain damage brought on by alcohol abuse. Due to these ailments, between 1947 and 1979, Guatney had to be hospitalized a total of 66 times in various psychiatric clinics across the nation.
Beginning in the late 1950s, Guatney severely limited his relationships with acquaintances and social contact with his relatives, most of whom knew nothing of his fate for 20 years. During this period he maintained relationships only with his brother and his wife, occasionally visiting them at their house in Neosho Falls, Kansas. Despite his mental illnesses, he was not known to exhibit any violent traits until 1979, and was described in a positive manner by most who interacted with him.
Murders, arrest, and investigation
The first time Guatney came under police suspicion was in mid-1976, when he was questioned about the 1975 murders of 12-year-old Jacob Surber and 13-year-old Jon Simpson in Lincoln, Nebraska. The pair had gone missing on August 30, 1975, after attending the Nebraska State Fair – Surber's body was found nine days later south of the fair's grounds, his body bearing multiple stab wounds. Simpson's body was found in a closed hopper car on September 22. The investigation revealed that the wagon had been moved by a railroad train to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and then returned to Lincoln a few days later. The medical examiner was unable to determine what caused Simpson's death due to severe decomposition, but ruled that he had likely been stabbed to death as well, judging by chipping wounds on his bones. Guatney denied involvement, and since there was no evidence to arrest him, he was released and quickly left Nebraska.