Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, Faith and Forgiveness in a Small Kansas Town

by Ernie W Webb

Genres: Book Club

328 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2024

About the author

I'm a longtime journalist who worked in newspapers for more than a decade before dropping out of that business in 2010 (not the best year to be changing careers) and shifted to higher education marketing in 2011.

My first book, "Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, faith and forgiveness in a small Kansas town," began as a capstone paper in grad school in 2017.

"Goodbye, Butterfly" was a passion project. I went to high school in nearby Burlingame when Brenda Keller was murdered in Dover in 1991. Not until I was 40 did I realize a higher power was imploring me to tell Brenda's story.

After seven years of research, writing and editing, I'm excited to share my debut book!

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulously researched and well written true crime novel of a 12 year old girl murdered while riding her bicycle in a small Kansas town. The book explores the lasting impact the crime has had on her family and friends as well as delves into the background of the perpetrator. It’s a page turner!

[Brienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a freshman in high school when this murder was committed. I lived in a small town 19 miles north of the small town this story takes place. I've been to Dover, I know people from Dover, our high school played sports against their high school (Mission Valley), I know many of the names from this book. What I don't remember is this case, and that haunted me throughout reading this book. This book is well written, well thought out and researched. It read like a true crime podcast or documentary. Ernie took great care in balancing the horrible with the good. If you are a fan of true crime, read this book. Well done!

[Morganne Lander · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much more than a true-crime novel. The vast cast of characters and accompanying research gives a unique depth to the story and sets up the case and its aftermath nicely. While the book centers around a gruesome crime, it is never gory beyond stating the facts of the case. This story is not only a dedication to Brenda but also to her family, friends, and the community of Dover. Highly recommend.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in this small town. I was only 4 when this happened, but the effects it had on the community lasted a very long time. I never knew these details, but I knew that he was not even supposed to be out of jail. My heart goes out to Bob and Tracy. They have always been the nicest people. This was well written and researched. Hearing all of the different perspectives was really interesting. The only thing that I thought might have been helpful would be a map of Dover, for people who are not familiar with it, of all of the towns,roads, and houses mentioned.

[Tracy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and written, this book tells the true story of a beautiful young girl taken too soon. Brenda was only 12 when she was murdered in my small hometown of Dover, KS. Webb's telling of her story more than 30 years later gives the reader multiple points of view and captures perfectly the profound impact Brenda had, and still has, on those that knew her.

[Tierney Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book moved me to tears. Thank God for Ernie Webb and his reporting on a story that deserved to be and needed to be told.

[Ernie Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than true crime. Deep dive into the psychology of a rural town after a shocking murder, as well as the killer's upbringing.

[Kamille Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first when reading this book I was a confused because there were so many characters and annoyed with how much detail there is about the community and every individual. But, after meeting the author it makes sense why there is so much detail about the community and everyone involved because the author doesn’t just want you to focus on the murder. The main part of this entire story is Brenda and the very supportive community. It’s not meant to be read like every other true crime novel where it is more about the murderer than the person killed. And when you start to read it from that perspective it is a wonderful book!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronicles the life and death so a small town teenage girl in Kansas in 1992. Brenda was the girl next door. She loved and trusted everyone. Her disappearance and death touched everyone in the community in some way. And not only at the time, but for years. Well written by a Kansas author who left no part untold.

[Drew- Pickleball Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

True crime books often get bogged down with a lot of details, police reports, and legal material, but Ernie W. Webb III’s “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, Faith and Forgiveness in a Small Kansas Town” takes the tragic story of the 1991 murder of twelve year old Brenda Keller in Dover, Kansas and turns it into a powerful uplifting tale that keeps the reader engaged, educates how an investigation unfolds, tracks the legal process, honors Brenda, shows how small town America supports its people, and demonstrates the power of faith and forgiveness!

Ernie does an excellent job of painting small town life where everybody is a neighbor and knows each other. He also shows what a wonderful person Brenda was and how so many people in the community liked her. This helps show the devastation the community felt when she was brutally murdered. In many ways, the small community of Dover lost its innocence.

Ernie captures the grief and the shock of the community. I’m impressed by the eight-year process for this book. He went beyond researching legal documents and evidence by conducting over 75 interviews. He interviewed family, friends, neighbors, teachers, attorneys, and law enforcement personnel. He even tracked down the murderer’s friends from the time he lived in Oklahoma! Ernie wanted to give a complete picture by sharing many different perspectives on the character of the murderer by those who knew him at different points in his life.

Ernie also presents different theories of what happened through testimonies of those investigating the event. Ernie did a great job of weaving everything together including other cases in the area.

On a personal note, I moved to this area several years after Brenda‘s murder. I didn’t know much about it until reading this book. It was an eye-opener! It was also interesting reading accounts of the incident from people I know.

This includes folks I knew from the legal field, church, a person I supervised in my law library, and a member of law enforcement who took years of martial arts training from me with his daughter. I still remember how he stressed the importance of those classes. He was genuinely concerned about her ability to defend herself if she ever needs it. “There’s a lot of bad people out there.”

I wish I asked him more about that statement from 20 years ago. Reading about what happened and his involvement, I get it! The world is not a safe place even in small towns.

I have to admit that while I was reading this and recognized people I know I thought about how easy it is for me to contact them to ask follow up questions. However, I didn’t need to because Ernie Webb does such a great job of presenting so many different perspectives and theories! It’s almost as if he predicted any questions an inquisitive reader would have.

If you want to read a true crime book and see all the possibilities of what might have happened, how different people perceived what happened, and come away with a positive and uplifting message, this is the book!

[Becca Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernie, wonderful job with this book. You deeply delved into many facets of this story that would otherwise be unknown, particularly the emotions and stories of the family members. This was a unique read for me, as my grandfather, Wike Scamman, was the coroner mentioned in the book. It was a unique experience to delve a little further into his world and it left me feeling very connected while also feeling a great sense of loss for the beautiful family. Thank you Ernie, for your caring and writing of this story.

[Noela Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true story is throughly researched and serves as a poignant reminder of the event in a small community near my home. The author's use of candor, facts, evidence, first-hand interviews, and heartfelt information from teachers, friends, and family members set the stage for the events of this tragedy to unfold. This is a story that will forever touch your heart! Grab your copy today!

[Becky Finck · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started really slow with multiple chapters introducing everyone that may or may not be important to the story (like the entire town of Dover). The story was interesting, there was a lot of information, but it jumped around a lot. There was also quite a bit about other murders in Kansas that really had nothing to do with Brenda’s case except that they happened in Kansas.

[Cathlina Bergman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed.

Not the best organized---adds 4 chapters of backstory including multiple generations of both families before continuing on with the story of Brenda's disappearance. Just okay.