TED BUNDY’S MURDEROUS MYSTERIES
THE MANY VICTIMS OF AMERICA’S MOST INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLER
KEVIN SULLIVAN
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TED BUNDY’S MURDEROUS MYSTERIES published by:
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Copyright 2019 by Kevin M. Sullivan
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Table of Contents
AUTHOR’S NOTE
CHAPTER ONE: Lynda Ann Healy
CHAPTER TWO: Georgann Hawkins
CHAPTER THREE: Kathy Parks
CHAPTER FOUR: Susan Rancourt
CHAPTER FIVE: The Lake Sammamish Reports #1
CHAPTER SIX: The Lake Sammamish Reports #2
CHAPTER SEVEN: King County Reports for Leon County
CHAPTER EIGHT: Seattle Reports and Articles
CHAPTER NINE: Don Patchen Reports and Investigative Notes
CHAPTER TEN: Summary Report on the Chi Omega Murders
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Reports, Revelations, and Suspected Bundy Murders
CHAPTER TWELVE: Jerry Thompson Reports
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Report on the Kimberly Diane Leach Murder
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Bundy Florida Arrest Reports
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A Letter from Bundy’s Roommate
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Interviews and Testimonies of Other Witnesses
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Dr. Al Carlisle
PHOTOGRAPHS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AUTHOR’S NOTE
In 2006, I began the long process of writing a biography of Ted Bundy, perhaps the most infamous sexual serial killer this country has ever produced. Indeed, it’s fair to say that when the subject of American serial killers comes up, Ted Bundy is the first, or certainly one of the first, murderers that comes to mind. Even a quick study of the facts of his life will show you why this is the case.
Nevertheless, as I began the two-and-a-half-year journey into the life of Ted Bundy and the known murders he committed, I had no idea where it would ultimately lead, and how one book would stretch into what has now become four volumes.
That journey first produced The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History; a book that broke new revelatory ground, including additional new information having to do with some of the murders. This work also turned out to be my break-out book into the world of true crime writing, and my literary and personal life changed forever.
At that point, the thought of writing another Bundy book was far from my mind. As the years rolled by, I wrote about other killers, and it was a refreshing change to be leaving Ted Bundy behind. But in 2015, I learned about an individual very close to the case who was very ill and his life was drastically changing. Being aware also that another of my Bundy contacts had recently passed away, I made the decision to write what I called a companion volume to my first book, and this became, The Trail of Ted Bundy: Digging up the Untold Stories, published in 2016. And like my first book, Trail also turned up new and never before published information that added new dimension to the case as people came forward to tell of their dealings with Ted Bundy. In 2017, I followed it up with: The Bundy Secrets: Hidden Files on America’s Worst Serial Killer. And having written a trilogy of books on this most infamous case, totaling some 600 plus pages, I absolutely “knew” I’d said all I was going to say about Ted Bundy.
I have now learned that it’s best to never say “never” …
Of course, I have a lot of “fans” of my Bundy books, and some of them are Facebook friends, and we communicate on a regular basis. Very often, however, they would direct their communication toward me and ask if I would consider writing another book about the Bundy case! Flattered, I would quickly thank them, but just as quickly I’d remind them that after three books I couldn’t imagine writing anything more than the occasional article about Bundy. It all made perfect sense to me … at the time.
And then, during the summer of 2018, I appeared as a guest speaker in three separate Ted Bundy documentaries. It was no doubt this national exposure that sparked a small, but steady stream of people to contact me, wanting to tell their personal stories and their roles in the Bundy case. After a little investigation, a number of them were proven to be valid players, to one degree or another, in these high-profile murders committed by Bundy. Now, people like this occasionally reach out to me, and that’s normal. But never in such numbers and in so short a time span. Not only this, but some of these contacts were giving me the names of other Bundy contacts, so it wasn’t long before I began thinking the unthinkable: If I can locate even more people to interview, then perhaps I could delve back into the case and seek out additional information, especially about the lives of the victims, and ultimately, write another Ted Bundy book. It wasn’t an easy or expected decision, but having had another of those epiphany moments, I could see how well this book could come together, and not just from these new testimonies, but from a deeper look at the official record that is teeming with exceedingly important and interesting information that, by and large, will never been seen by the public. Bringing this information to light, be it from new voices or from what the detectives obtained through lengthy interviews and the investigative material they gathered, is of utmost importance so that this information will be available to students of this case for decades to come. And so, because of all of this, once again the journey began.
A word about delving deeper into the lives of the victims (the real reason for this book): When I was penning The Bundy Murders, I brought out a great deal of information on the victims of Ted Bundy that had remained hidden; a fact that was recognized by many readers. With the two successive books, even more information came to light, but mostly from those who knew Ted Bundy or were otherwise closely involved in the case. But for this book, besides the interviews, it will be a book about the victims, where I will be going back into the case files, bringing far more to light about these murdered innocents, such as the letters between Kathy Parks and her boyfriend, during a time that was clearly stressful for Kathy, as well as other incidentals that you won’t find in the usual books written about the case. And in fact, new information about the case has emerged once again from the depths of the record.
Once again the voluminous case files of the Ted Bundy murders will play a great part in our understanding of who these young women were, how they functioned in their daily lives, and not just what they were doing when they were murdered by Ted Bundy. Far too often, the victims of crime are defined in the public’s mind solely by the murder. I know that I changed that focus with the publication of The Bundy Murders, but for this book, I’ll be going even further so that you, the reader, will have an expanded view of the women and perhaps who they could have been had Ted Bundy not become a killer of women.
Kevin M. Sullivan
Louisville, KY
Fall 2018
CHAPTER ONE
Lynda Ann H
ealy
On January 31, 1974, Ted Bundy made the decision to enter a home at 5517 12th Street NE in Seattle for the purposes of abduction and murder. Without question, Bundy knew it was a home housing college coeds and, in fact, it is believed that he was at a nearby tavern (Dante’s) earlier in the evening when Lynda Healy was there with a few of her friends, unwinding over a pitcher of beer. Having followed them home, he watched as they entered the residence. After a time, he checked the front door and found it unlocked. He had no intention of entering at that time, but would return and do so in the middle of the night.
When I was writing about the strange abduction of Lynda Healy for my book, The Bundy Murders, I had access to the entire police file which included the sworn testimonies of Lynda’s housemates. By having this material, I was able to turn it all into a quick-paced narrative nonfiction story, quoting certain portions of the record as needed. This is the way books are written, be they fiction or nonfiction – the stories will have (or should have) a proper flow, and for nonfiction, you weave the facts from the case files into the narrative. One thing you don’t do is just reproduce police case files, as they alone would give you plenty of facts, but no cohesive story. However, there is a place for the reproduction of case files—with commentary included— and which can serve as a companion volume to a previous book (the main book). In this case that would be The Bundy Murders. Indeed, this is the third companion volume I have written for that primary work on the killer.
Because this is a deeper look into the lives of the victims—from the record as well as (whenever possible) new testimonies—it is appropriate to allow you, the reader, a chance to see the full statements of the young women who knew Lynda very well, as they were her housemates. What follows are statements taken from the King County Police investigative file pertaining to the murder of Lynda Ann Healy, which include the testimonies of Joanne Testa, Monica Sutherland, Ginger Heath, and Karen Skaviem, all students at the University of Washington:
February 6, 1974
Statement of Joanne Carroll Testa
My account begins Thursday evening, January 31, 1974. Lynda, Ginger, Pete (Author’s note: Pete Neal was a friend that came over that evening), & I had dinner around 6:00 – 6:30. Then Pete, Lynda, and I decided to go drinking at Dante’s Tavern. Before we did, though, Lynda used my car to go to the grocery store. This was about 7:00 – 7:30. She came back about 40 min. later and the three of us walked to Dante’s. We sat upstairs at a table by ourselves, Lynda bought the first pitcher as we walked in. Pete bought the second and last one. During that time, Lynda was in very good spirits – she was lively & talkative but not nervous. She remarked that her recent stomach pains had gone & she felt good. Our conversation was light – from music to psychology to old friends – no subject being dwelled upon. Lynda and I talked to no one else as I can remember. Pete, however, approached a fairly large table of people next to us. They were playing a game with dice. He went to their table, inquired as to what game they were playing, and after just a few minutes, returned to our table. And we did not hear him speak but were watching him. We finished our beer, Pete wanted to catch the 9:41 p.m. bus home, so we left shortly before that – perhaps 9:20 – 9:30. He walked us home. He picked up some record albums he had left at our house, and left within 5 minutes or so. I do not recall anyone following us or approaching us on our way home.
We all watched TV for a while (The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman). Lynda made a phone call to (redacted, but it was her boyfriend) who had called her earlier and was staying in Seattle. She talked to him for some time – maybe an hour or so. When she went to the phone – it was then that I recall some of her clothing. She had on a pair of Levis (navy bell bottom style) somewhat worn … and there was a black triangular patch - I believe on the lower inside – right side of her pants. I also assume she had on her waffle stomper shoes – they are missing & she most always wore them. They are lace boots - ankle high – brown vinyl – square toed. I am sure she had her two turquoise rings on as well. She always wore them. As for her top blouse – I do not remember that she had something white on stick in my mind, but I cannot recall.
After watching TV, I went to my room. Lynda came in to talk with me – she was in a good mood – we talked about our upcoming party, about Dante’s, and about a letter I had received from my boyfriend in Phoenix. It was again, light conversation – she said good night. She gave no indication of stress, physical or mental, and no indication of leaving. I do not know what she was wearing. She either had on the same clothes as before or she had on her long green robe – which indicates she had gone to her room. I’m not sure, my best guess would be the robe. I believe was (Author’s note: I think she meant to write: “I believe I was the last …”) the last of the known persons to see her.
About ½ hour later – Karen, who also lives in the basement, came home. She also came into my room and talked to me for maybe 15 – 30 minutes, then she went to bed. My door was closed; I heard no sounds that night. I went to bed around 1:30 a.m. My first suspicions concerning her absence came the next day about 4:00 p.m. Karen was worried that she didn’t come home. I called Dick Shearer’s house & (redacted)’s dorm – but with no success. Neither (redacted) nor (redacted) were home & I had talked to other people. Mrs. Healy called – I told her Lynda was not home yet. Her father and brother arrived at our house about 5:00 – 6:00. We all were home by this time and somewhat worried. She had planned to have her parents come to our house for dinner. She had been looking forward to it – it was most unlikely for her not to show. The fact that she had not shown up for work added to our concern. Shortly after, the police were called.
The circumstances were odd. Her coats were there and her bike which she rode every morning to work. She had worn a long, brown hooded coat to Dante’s the night before. I remembered that she had only taken her wallet with her & when I checked – found it still there. Her red and grey backpack was gone.
Before the police went to Lynda’s room I had gone in it. I found her curtains to be closed. I believe it was usual for her to open them during the day & close them at night. I noticed her room was neat and her bed was also neatly made. To my knowledge it was not customary to make her bed on those mornings that she had to work. It also seems to me that she did not always put her pillow under the bedspread – rather sometimes placed it on top. She had two pink satin pillowcases. I was there when the policeman pulled back the spread for the first time. I saw that the pillowcase was gone and that there were bloodstains on the pillow as well as one fairly large blood stain on the sheet – near the pillow. As far as I know, Lynda always kept a pillowcase on her pillow.
In regard to the side door – I can’t say much. I never examined (it) right after her disappearance. I do know, though, that it was difficult to unlock from the outside even with a key & it was used primarily to take our bicycles in and out. I do not recall seeing it open as the newspaper said, but Karen did say it was unlocked in the morning when she checked it.
The matter of the keys – Lynda and I had both lost our keys. I lost mine after she did & I don’t know how or where. They were not recovered. I had a key to the front door on my set but not the side door. I don’t think Lynda did either, but she did have a front door key. She was quite sure she had lost her keys from her coat pocket. Hers were not found either. In fact, we had planned to go Friday afternoon to have spare keys made.
An incident happening before all of this, maybe 1 ½ months ago, I will tell as I remember Lynda telling me:
She was in the laundromat, alone (this was on the avenue near our home). She noticed a guy in an orange pickup who stopped in front of the laundromat and stared in. He came in – walked around - had no laundry there – but fooled around with a machine. He checked the back door – he left - then he pulled up again – again staring at Lynda – and came in again, I believe. She said he did drive away then, and by this time she was very frightened. She had had an earlier bad e
xperience with a guy in a car who had offered her a ride which she accepted and since that time she was very afraid of situations like this. The guy never spoke to her or approached her, but she came home (I think on her bicycle with her clothes) very upset about the incident.
The only thing I can add is that Lynda and I were close friends. We confided in each other a great deal. She is not one given to moodiness or despondency. I have always known her to be reliable and responsible. She is a lively, healthy, person. I know others would confirm these traits.
February 5, 1974
Statement of Karen Mary Skaviem
Thursday evening, January 31, 1974, was the last time I saw Lynda Healy. It was at our house on 5517 12th Avenue N.E. At this time, she seemed to be in good spirits in comparison to how she had felt earlier that week. She told me her stomach cramps were gone and that she was looking forward to having her parents and boyfriend over the next evening for dinner. I asked her if she had been back to see a doctor about her stomach and she said “no.” That night I went out and did not return until 12:00 p.m. (I had been to the library studying and then out for a drink with my boyfriend). (Author’s note: an obvious mistake; she means 12:00 a.m.)
When I returned, a single living room light was on, and I could see the light from Joanne Testa’s room on. I know she was still up so I went in to talk to her. We talked until 12:45 p.m. (Author’s note: same mistake as before) when at which time I went downstairs to my room in the basement. As I went down the stairs I didn’t notice whether or not the side door was locked. The basement light was on but the light in Lynda’s room wasn’t. I assumed she was asleep and went to bed. I couldn’t sleep right away but fell asleep about 1:30. The rest of the night I heard no sounds and didn’t awaken until 5:30a.m., when I heard Lynda’s radio alarm go on. I went back to sleep until 6:00 a.m., when my alarm went off. I got up and Lynda’s alarm was still going. I went past the room & heard her radio but thought she was lying in bed listening to it & didn’t have to work.
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