Kondro would subsequently elaborate on these early signs of psychopathy by explaining in detail his lack of empathy and violent desires, comparing himself to an alligator lying in wait, coming up occasionally to feed.

He also admitted to molesting young girls while still a child himself, developing fantasies about murder as he grew older, and began amassing a lengthy criminal record including auto and petty theft, drunk driving, domestic abuse, drug dealing and forgery.

Kondro had been a childhood friend of Kara's mother, was known to the victim herself, and had frequently stayed in the family's garage before being evicted due to his chronic drinking issues.

Authorities still lacked sufficient evidence to make an arrest, but after a fruitless six week search, local detective Scott McDaniel decided to inspect the Mount Solo area near the Columbia River, which Kondro was known to frequent.

Kondro explained that he was already known and liked by the Traxler family, and he was able to trick the girl into entering his vehicle by mentioning the word "unicorn", a safety password taught to her by her parents, and which he had learned from her stepfather.

Because of his violent tendencies and criminal record, authorities strongly suspected he had been involved in the unexplained disappearances of other preteen girls throughout the region besides Traxler and Rudd.

[2][4][5] Kondro's cases, his victims and the circumstances surrounding his actions have all drawn considerable attention across print, internet and broadcast media, not only due to the heinous nature but also to the possible factors and implications in the development of psychopathy, and the potential for psychological profilers to identify warning signs and traits of serial killers and violent criminals.

The detective work and investigations into the abductions of Traxler and Rudd, and possibilities of Kondro's involvement with other disappearances in the Longview region, were featured in several true crime articles and books, including The Longview Serial Killer by author Lori Carangelo, and a number of television documentaries, including On the Case with Paula Zahn (episode "Broken Trust") and Cold Case Files ("Unicorns and Alligators").