In the first episode, I cover the alleged and confirmed victims and survivors of serial rapist and murderer, Ted Bundy. Instead of detailing his entire life, I focus on the innocent people, children and adults, he attacked without any provocation across seven states. I rely heavily on my sources, which include 2019 Heavy article by Jessica McBride, titled “Ted Bundy Victims List & Photos: How Many Women Did He Kill?,” Ann Rule’s tome, The Stranger Beside Me, originally published in 1980 but updated again in 2008, Tim Ott’s 2021 article, “Ted Bundy Killings: A Timeline of His Twisted Reign of Terror,” Associated Press’ January 25, 1989 article, “A List of Women Bundy Has Confessed to Killing With PM,” J.D. Rockefeller’s 2016 e-book, Ted Bundy: The Worst and Most Popular Serial Killer in American History, among several smaller news sources, all of which are directly mentioned.
I’m going to list all 28 names Ann Rule includes in The Stranger Beside Me and many details about what each of these alleged and confirmed victims suffered, though I’m not including the extremely graphic details noted in some of my sources. I'll also briefly include victims believed to have been attacked by Bundy whose cases are still open and unsolved. This episode is not for those who want to know all about the garbage person Ted Bundy was but to bear witness to the girls and women who were innocent. Though they are often reported as “young women,” but the several 12–16-year-olds were actual children, and this man horrifically and mercilessly sought them out, brutalized, and murdered them. Perhaps by the end of this lengthy list, you will also agree that discussions about Bundy being attractive, the TikTok trend pretending to be a victim, and serial killer merch are not only inappropriate but absolutely sickening.
If we are going to continue to consume true crime media for entertainment, we must come to terms with the human cost for the victims, the survivors, and their families and friends. In her 2008 update to The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule writes that she hopes sharing the recollections of the women who survived will draw readers’ attention to WHY they did—they fought, screamed, ran, didn’t answer the door, didn’t buy the flawed or glib stories, and trusted their intuition (xxiii). Still, it's vital to note that many of Bundy’s victims didn’t have the opportunity to fight back, and for the many who were abducted, who knows what they tried to do to save their lives.
The impulse to read or watch true crime for many of us seems to be more about how to learn to stay alive, maybe by noticing something, having a game plan to calm the mind from panicking, or by having training, we might be able to avoid, escape, or fend off attackers. Still, this empowerment from knowledge of these cases comes at a great cost to those who were directly impacted by it. How we treat their stories matters.
Thank you for listening, and please stay tuned for the FIFTEEN incredible student podcast episodes to follow in February!
