Ted Bundy: The public story from FBI about their involvement has not been entirely truthful

The FBI website states: “In 1977, Theodore (or Ted) Robert Bundy (1946-1989) escaped from custody while being transported to Colorado to stand trial for murder. Salt Lake City issued an escape warrant that prompted the FBI’s involvement.” The records show that this statement is not entirely true.

In 1973, the WA State Justice and Planning commissioned a report/study on recidivism which was done by “Theodore R Bundy” Corrections Consultant.  This study followed approximately/ [per the records] 1000 people being released from prison without their knowledge and was supported by, and followed by, the FBI, at least on a regional basis with the WA State project reviewed by the Regional FBI.   There are concerns about this project discussed in internal memos as being a potential violation of privacy laws. Bundy interfaced with the FBI regionally on the project per the internal memos of that project and was given access to people’s records and to the courthouse apparently without supervision.  He was a trusted member of the Republican party at the time at a high level and he was also on the crime commission and serving on committees that investigated rape and white collar crime.  The irony is that these are two areas Bundy was already involved with personally having been reported multiple times for records thefts [even in college] at various places and also having been reported to the police for rape in 1972.  Officials may have not known of these activities at the time and only in retrospect but that is not a valid reason for trying to downplay Bundy’s activity in killing in WA State and the two crimes scenes that were there.  Bundy was paid for the report on recidivism which he completed and which identified flaws in the current system of the time period – contrary to public statements.  That report detailed multiple flaws in the justice system which allowed criminals to repeat and not get caught.

Additionally, when Bundy was in Utah, the FBI was present there BEFORE he was transferred to Colorado.  This is proven by the 1984 recordings [not redacted] in which Keppel on tape is discussing with Bundy the days before Bundy’s transfer from Utah and how an FBI official was on the scene when Utah was effecting the transfer and so also was Richard Larsen [book author].  It was discussed back then [per Keppel to Bundy] fears about what Larsen would say in a book related to Utah and perhaps to WA State.  The FBI was there it seems to help Keppel in some capacity because the tape states [direct quote] “all of a sudden, they [investigators from another region than WA] show up and FBI called me and said do you want this guy there and I said well I guess I do now, they’re here….” I took the FBI aside and I said, ‘look, this is not good…you’ve got to stay the interview…do something…because it’s just not right this guy’s going to go out there and we don’t know what he’s going to say or what kind of deal he’s going to make with this guy but something’s wrong…so the FBI guy stays in the interview with him…”  The conversation apparently had to do with an informant.  But why is the FBI already there if as they say they were never involved until 1977?

In another statement from the tape, Keppel seems distressed about the situation and says to Bundy about what he said back then, Keppel goes on to tell Bundy about fears of what was going to be put in a book.  Was FBI presence in Utah to prevent Larsen from either becoming aware of information or gaining access to it.  Was it knowledge that Bundy had been working on a project with WA State officials and the FBI?  Larsen’s book went out of print shortly after or near the time Keppel’s book “Riverman” was published with many misstatements and inaccuracies about the time period back then and investigations.  There is also an official letter from Keppel at the AG Office in 1981 to Utah about another author and possibly charging that person with obstruction depending on what a book about to be published said.  To me, this is aggressive tactics on silencing information about the case that is tantamount to bullying and given the information with held about Taylor Mountain raises serious ethical issues.  How much did the FBI know about all of this going on behind the scenes?

In researching the FBI BAU it is stated on the internet that the BAU started in 1972 with the analysis of a New York case that was I believe related to bombing and that in 1974 profiling started and its first serial case was Ted Bundy.  Interesting that the public story is always about 1974 as being where it all started with Bundy, with years prior to that never investigated even though records show clearly Bundy was active prior to 1974, and that the evidence of Taylor Mountain was suppressed and the evidence from Issaquah was mishandled and lost.  They have also supported the story of the decapitation even behind the scenes – did they know that skeletal remains were found at Taylor Mountain and did they have a role in suppressing that information and making sure that evidence was “lost” “sealed” or “destroyed”?

Nearly all activity of Bundy’s in WA State was suppressed related to his killing and to his close involvement with the Republican Party and FBI.  In the records behind the scenes the FBI met with Bundy [more than just Hagmaier] in prison in Florida and even helped him get in touch with the Green River Task Force – but it wasn’t through any attorney – it was through a judge in Tacoma.  Why would the FBI help facilitate communications between a serial killer and the AG Office without Bundy’s defense attorneys and assist with Bundy contacting a judge.  In the original case records there is a letter from Bundy to an FBI official thanking him for the visit to Ted in prison and Bundy stating he could help the FBI with more than just information about serial killer profiling.

How did Bundy, whose family had no money relatively speaking, end up so closely ingrained in relationships with high level officials and with the FBI to the point where they helped facilitate his communications with other officials.   How did he afford college or law school without scholarships or student aid?  How did he get into college and law school without outstanding grades and proof of financial ability.  How is it he never seemingly left a paper trail and officials could never really get any background on him [in the files and also in Keppel’s book that his whereabouts were always mysterious and unknown]   they never fully investigated him all these years – they left the questions open ended even when girls were missing and murder cases remained unsolved related to Bundy.  That too is in the 1992 FBI report – “we’ll never know.”  Perhaps because officials were determined to make sure of it…there is and always will be now suspicions and criticism of Taylor Mountain.  The evidence was there.  The skeletal remains were there.

I don’t know why someone authorized that evidence to be moved out to me.  I don’t know why Ted Bundy allowed me to live when he could have killed me many times while I was in captivity and helpless due to drugging and being restrained but he didn’t.  Perhaps because when it all started when I was in high school his attempts to lure me out and his use of the phone to talk to me to entice me out and to entice me to trust him when his attempts at break-in and outright abduction failed, allowed him to get to know me on a small level and that made it harder.  But he also held other victims for awhile and he did kill them – Laura Aime and Melissa Smith were held and so too was another Utah victim and I would suspect by the lean-to and food wrappers, and bong and thermos and other items that a few victims were held on Taylor Mountain and possibly at Issaquah.

All I can state is that for me having these records and combing through them is closure to a very long and difficult journey.  I’ve lost so much but I have my life.  I want justice for the girls left on Taylor Mountain who were never identified and I want the final justice for myself:  recognition, redemption [I was indeed a victim and I was not responsible for his actions] and peace.  That peace will come when the officials finally admit to what has happened in this case and make it right by the public for the decades of deception.