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They were known simply as the Bloody Benders.
Friendly to strangers, it wasn't unusual for the Benders — Ma, Pa, Kate and John Jr. —to invite a road-weary traveler into their simple country home near Cherryvale for a hot meal and a night's sleep.
Once visitors were seated at the table, the Benders would bash them in the head with a hammer and slit their throats — then rob them.
They were Kansas' first serial murderers.
When news broke about the murdering family, a nationwide manhunt began. None of the Benders was ever found.
