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Ted Bundy is arguably one of the more infamous documented serial killers in American history, with a multi-state murder spree in the 1970s. Following an official FBI investigation, and Bundy's confessions before his execution in 1989, he was found to have murdered at least 30 women and girls between 1974 and 1978, as per ABC News.
However, professional investigators, criminologists, and academics believe the count could be much higher. Criminologist Matt DeLisi, in his book Ted Bundy and the Unsolved Murder Epidemic, based on Bundy's timeline and patterns, estimated that Bundy's actual number of victims could be closer to 100, according to People.
Ted Bundy traveled across multistate jurisdictions with actions spanning Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, and Florida, often using deception to lure in his victims before attacking them.
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Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil details Bundy's murders and his offer to Detective Robert Keppel to help catch the Green River Killer in 1984.
More about Ted Bundy's crime spree
Ted Bundy's first confirmed killings: Washington (1974)
According to ABC News, the first victim of Bundy was identified as 21-year-old Lynda Ann Healy, abducted on February 1, 1974, from her basement bedroom in Seattle, Washington.
Over the next six months, Bundy killed several young women in Washington and Oregon. As per the outlet, the victims included Donna Gail Manson (March), Susan Elaine Rancourt (April), Roberta Kathleen Parks (May), Brenda Carol Ball (June), and Georgeann Hawkins (June), all students.
On July 14, 1974, Bundy abducted Janice Ott and Denise Naslund from Lake Sammamish State Park, where several witnesses saw a man, who was later identified to be Bundy, calling himself "Ted" with an arm in a sling, asking women for help, the outlet reported.
Expansion of Ted Bundy's crimes: Utah and Colorado (1974-1975)
Beginning in late 1974, following his move to Salt Lake City, Bundy murdered 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox in October and 17-year-olds Melissa Smith and Laura Aime in November, as reported by ABC News. On November 8, he tried to abduct Carol DaRonch by impersonating a police officer, but she escaped and later identified him in a lineup.
That same night, he murdered Debra Jean Kent, 17, from a high school parking lot in Bountiful, Utah.
In Colorado, Bundy murdered Caryn Eileen Campbell (January 1975), Julie Cunningham (March), and Denise Oliverson (April). He later confessed to killing 12-year-old Lynette Culver in Idaho, stating he then disposed of her body in the Snake River, as reported by ABC News.
Later killings and unconfirmed cases (1975-1976)
According to ABC News, in June 1975, Bundy abducted and murdered Susan Curtis, 15, while she was attending a conference at Brigham Young University. Her body was never recovered. In that same year, the skeletal remains of Healy, Rancourt, Parks, and Ball were recovered on Taylor Mountain, Washington.
Registrants suspect Bundy may have begun murdering earlier than 1974. Bundy's attorney, Polly Nelson, in her book Defending the Devil: My Story As Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer, reported that he confessed that his first murder was in 1971. Others suspect him in the disappearance of 8-year-old Ann Marie Burr in 1961, according to People.
Arrests, escapes, and Florida murders (1977-1978)
ABC News reported that Bundy's first arrest was on August 16, 1975, in Utah, when police found burglary tools in his car. He was later found guilty of kidnapping Carol DaRonch and sentenced up to 15 years in prison. In 1977, he escaped from custody twice in Colorado.
According to the outlet, after his second escape, he made his way back to Florida, where he broke into the Chi Omega sorority house of Florida State University on January 15, 1978, killing Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy and attacking Karen Chandler and Kathy Kleiner, leaving them critically injured and in extreme condition.
Just minutes later, Bundy then attacked Cheryl Thomas in a nearby apartment, broke her skull, and left her permanently deaf in one ear. On February 9, 1978, Bundy abducted and killed 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, whose remains were subsequently discovered near Suwannee River State Park. This would be Bundy's last known killing.
Trial, confessions, and execution of Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy faced multiple criminal charges in several different states. In Utah, he was charged with aggravated kidnapping and attempted criminal assault after Carol DaRonch identified him in a police lineup. He was convicted in 1976 and sentenced to one to 15 years of imprisonment, as per ABC News.
On February 15, 1978, Ted Bundy was arrested for the second time in Pensacola, Florida, for possessing a stolen vehicle. He was sentenced to death in July 1979 for the murders of Chi Omega sorority sisters. Later, in 1980, he was sentenced to death again for the murder of Kimberly Leach.
In the days leading up to his execution, Ted Bundy confessed to killing at least 30 women and girls. However, according to The Washington Post and police interviews with FBI agent Bill Hagmaier, Bundy indicated he was responsible for killing hundreds.
Bundy referred to additional murders in 1972 and 1973 while talking to Detective Robert Keppel, but did not give further details, as reported by People. The serial killer told the detective that by 1974, he had learned how to kill and assault women without leaving any evidence behind.
Ted Bundy was executed in Florida State Prison by electric chair on January 24, 1989.
Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil is set to premiere on August 7, 2025, and can be streamed on Hulu.
