William Dow

**William Bayne Dow Jr.** was a potential predator featured in the Murphy, Texas edition of **To Catch A Predator**. He is best known for having a cock ring in his possession, claiming it was a finger indexer during his police interview.

## Biography

William Bayne Dow Jr. was born on April 28, 1943, in Dekalb, Illinois. Dow started working with technology at the age of 12, earning his Ham radio license, and over time, he accumulated additional licenses and relocated to Texas. He attended two years at the Illinois Institute of Technology and worked as chief engineer at a radio station, served as both a police officer and a sheriff's deputy, worked as a computer programmer, worked in freelance photography, and became a licensed drone pilot. Dow also worked professional speaker, specializing in genealogy and family history topics.

## Sting and operation

Dow was 63-year-olds used he used the screen name "bob75007," to begin a chat with a Perverted Justice decoy who was posing as a fourteen-year-old girl named "Tanya". Even though his chatlog is not available online, it is known that he admitted to the decoy in the chat that he was married. Dow proposed that while he remained with his wife, the decoy could become his girlfriend. When the decoy claimed she was a virgin, Dow told her she could do whatever she wanted during their sexual encounter and suggested they could "explore" each other, stating that it would be "very very nice" and said opportunities like that did not happen often. Dow soon became suspicious and said he was afraid to meet because of the possibility of it being a sting operation, in which case he would be arrested and charged with being a child predator. However, the decoy got rid of his nervousness by mentioning what she would want to do with him sexually.

When Dow arrived at the location, instead of finding a real child, he was greeted by actress Lindsay Faye Wagner. As they engaged in conversation, Dow proposed the idea of going out for a meal, to which Wagner suggested staying at the house and talking. Nevertheless, Dow's plans were abruptly halted when Chris Hansen made his entrance and instructed him to take a seat. Dow complied with the request and, when questioned about his intentions, initially claimed he intended to take the girl out for a hamburger. Dow then openly confessed that he had driven 34 minutes to reach the sting house. He chuckled as he admitted that he knew it was wrong for him to be there. He attributed his presence to "curiosity", called himself "stupid," and claimed he knew it was a setup. Dow mentioned his profession as a professional photographer specializing in horse shows. He then pressed Hansen to reveal his own identity. Upon learning that Hansen was associated with a "TV station" rather than being a police officer, Dow's demeanor shifted. He decided to put an end to the interview and stood up. As he attempted to leave, Hansen once again disclosed his true identity. This prompted Dow to make a quick exit for the door. The moment he stepped outside, he found himself in the custody of the Murphy police.

## Police interview

As the police conducted a search of Dow's person, they came across an unusual item: a rubber object with spikes known as a cock ring. When questioned by a detective, Dow expressed concern about his wife worrying about where he was because of a heart condition, asking if they could inform her of his arrest. Dow then continued to insist that his intention for being at the sting house was solely to take the girl out for a hamburger. The investigator questioned why Dow believed it was acceptable for a grown man to take a child for a hamburger without her parents' knowledge, deeming it unusual. Dow, with a nervous chuckle, admitted that it "sounds stupid." He tried to downplay the sexually charged chat, claiming he was merely "joking" and that he had a "tendency" to make a joke of everything. When asked directly if he had intentions of engaging in sexual activities with the girl, Dow responded, "I don't think so." The investigator then turned to the matter of the cock ring they had found and asked about its purpose. Dow claimed that it was a finger indexer from an office supply store, used for flipping through pages. The investigator remained skeptical and pressed whether the item was a sexual stimulant. Dow chuckled and responded, "I guess it could be." The investigator pointed out that they both understood the reason for its presence, yet Dow continued to insist that it was "probably" in his jacket by accident and was not "intentional". By the end of the interview, Dow was still chuckling, admitting that he had a background as a former police officer with years of service. When questioned about his transition from law enforcement to online chat rooms, Dow claimed that he "knew better," insisted he had never engaged in such behavior before, and finally labeled it a "stupid mistake."

### Aftermath and death

Due to the suicide of assistant district attorney Louis Conradt, every predator caught in the Murphy sting had their charges dropped, including Dow. After the sting, Dow moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and continued to live there with his wife of 32 years. On October 9, 2023, Dow died at the age of 80 after having had cancer for more than three years. His remains were cremated and his ashes were buried in a family plot.

## Trivia

* Dow is one of six suspected predators in the Texas sting that have died. Others are Louis Conradt, Stanley Kendall, Timothy Gilliam, Timothy Knowles, and Edward Hollingsworth V.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/WilliamDow/
2. ↑ https://dairystatedegenerates.blogspot.com/2021/02/to-catch-predator-update-murphy-texas.html