Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries

by Kevin Sullivan

  On January 13, 1975, uniformed deputies and investigators made an extensive search of the Wildwood Inn elevator shafts, laundry rooms, garbage cans, and all rooms of the hotel. The search failed to reveal any sign of a crime scene or trace of Caryn Campbell.

  The photograph of Caryn Campbell depicted on her Michigan state driver’s license was copied and charged (sic) and the Wildwood Inn guests were then contacted for possible witness information and/or leads into Campbell’s disappearance. No witnesses were found.

  Background information was obtained on all the employees of the Wildwood Inn. All were checked against the NCIC network for reported criminal records locally and out of state. No leads were developed.

  A complete guest list was obtained for all hotels, ski lodges, and condominiums for the weekend of January 10 – through January (????) in the Aspen, Snowmass at Aspen, Basalt, and Glenwood Springs, Colorado areas.

  All the passenger manifests for all flights from Denver to Aspen and Aspen to Denver, from January 10 through January 15 on Rocky Mountain Airways and Aspen Airways (the only commercial air-carriers serving the Aspen, Colorado area) were obtained.

  Extensive background investigations were conducted, most specifically on Dr. Gadowski and Dr. Rosenthall in the Detroit area of Michigan.

  Past boyfriends, male acquaintances, and fellow employees who worked with Campbell were identified and the whereabouts of these individuals on January 12, 1975, were determined and verified without any leads being developed.

  The night of January 12, 1975, and during the following two weeks, snow fell continuously accompanied by sub-zero temperatures in the area. By January 15, 1975, investigators were sure that Campbell had not left the Aspen area by any commercial source of transportation, nor had a similarly described female been treated by any hospital, nor had any similarly described female checked into any ski resort, hotels, motels, etc. in the Aspen, Basalt, Snowmass at Aspen, and Glenwood Springs areas.

  Caryn Campbell had not contacted her mother or father in Detroit whom she contacted telephonically normally on a daily basis (????) her brother, sister, and friends.

  No trace of Caryn Campbell could be found.

  No witnesses were ever found that saw Caryn Campbell after she got off the elevator on the second floor of the Wildwood Inn on January 12, 1975, enroute to her room.

  The investigation continued uninterrupted without finding Campbell, or developing any substantial leads or suspects, other than those in close proximity to Campbell at the time of her disappearance, i.e. Drs. Gadowski and Rosenthall.

  Dr. Gadowski was availed of the opportunity of a polygraph examination, results indicated that he had been truthful with the investigators in that he had not killed Campbell, nor conspired with Campbell or others to arrange her abduction.

  Monday, February 17, 1975, a nude female body was discovered on the Owl Creek Road, in Pitkin County between Aspen and Snowmass at Aspen, Colorado.

  Examination of the Scene

  The nude female body was lying face down approximately fifteen feet from the south shoulder of the Owl Creek road, perpendicular to the road, head pointing south in an open field of crusted snow.

  It was apparent that the body had suffered a great deal of animal destruction by coyotes. The entire head was skeletal and upper shoulder and torso in front to just above the breast. (Author’s note: meaning, the flesh had been almost completely removed from these areas of Caryn’s body)

  No human footprints or depressions were noted in the crusted snow anywhere near the body or along Owl Creek Road. Tire tracks were also lacking.

  Animal and bird tracks were noted, specifically coyotes and magpies.

  A 360-degree view of the scene was taken, accompanied by close-ups of the position of the body.

  Approximately three and one-half feet from the south shoulder of the road was a deep depression which perfectly matched that of a body, which had laid on its side, head pointing west. It was also apparent that the body laid facing the open field. (????) both earrings, small gold earrings for pierced ears were found where the head would have been positioned. Surrounding the depression were several coyote tracks. Leading from the depression (head position) were drag marks.

  The 17th of February 1975 had been the fourth day of an extreme warming period. The body had thawed from under the snow. Losing its human scent, coyotes had eaten the body as it lay on its right side, then dragged the body in view of passing motorists.

  The Owl Creek Road where the body was found is parallel bordered(??) by small oak brush undergrowth approximately four feet high with a high snowbank produced by regular plowing of the road at night.

  An extensive search of the Owl Creek Road area failed to produce Campbell’s clothing, or any clothing, for that matter.

  The body was located 2.8 miles from the Wildwood Inn, Snowmass at Aspen, Colorado. The pathologist’s examination of dental charts and (????) points of individual characteristics identified the body as that of Caryn E. Campbell.

  The pathologist’s examination determined that death was caused by three blows to the rear of the head consistent with a blunt object. The examiner could not determine if any signs of strangulation were evident due to the animal destruction of the upper torso. Sexual assault could not be verified as phoserus (phosphorus) was present, however, Dr. Gadowski and Campbell had engaged in intercourse on the night of January 11, 1975, the night before her disappearance. Based upon the fact that Campbell’s stomach was full and the conditions of its contents, which were consistent with the stew she had consumed, the examiner concluded that Campbell had died approximately two hours after eating dinner the night of January 12, 1975.

  During the months of February and March of 1975, investigators went to the Detroit area and began investigations into the backgrounds of Drs. Gadowski and Rosenthal.

  Neighborhood canvassing was done to determine if Rosenthall and Campbell had been seeing one another at their respective places of residence. All former boyfriends were re-interviewed and cleared. Both Rosenthall and Gadowski were again availed of the opportunity to have a polygraph examination. The results indicated that both parties had been truthful with investigators throughout the investigation and neither had planned or schemed with others or Campbell herself, to disappear. Both Drs. Gadowski and Rosenthall were cleared.

  During the winter, spring, and summer of 1975, the investigation into Campbell’s death continued uninterrupted. Many suspects continued to be developed and were all later cleared.

  Investigators from the states of Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado were now in agreement that they now had a shared suspect(??). Authorities in Seattle, Washington had developed a suspect named Theodore Robert Bundy. Bundy was believed to be in the Salt Lake, Utah area, but could not be found.

  Bundy was known to have departed the Seattle, Washington area sometime in September 1974; Seattle activity then stopped. Bundy arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, in September of 1974, for the purpose of XXX or something to remind the reader why he was there. In October 1974, activity in the Salt Lake area began, continuing until November 1974, and then stopped. Activity in Colorado began in January of 1975 and continued until April 1975. Investigators did not locate Bundy’s name on any motel registrations or airline passenger manifests relative to the Aspen area.

  I need to suspend the narrative of the King County report, so that I can include a very interesting and revealing postscript to the Caryn Campbell abduction and murder. This came forth in a news conference given by Colorado investigator Mike Fisher on the morning of January 25, 1989, the day after Ted Bundy was executed, and after Mike had returned to Aspen. While a great deal of information (much of it new and obtained from Mike Fisher) about this murder appears in my book, The Bundy Murders, what you’re about to read does not. Despite the many conversations I had with the retired Colorado investigator, both by phone and by email, we never touched upon
this small, but extremely significant, piece of information. What follows are excerpts from an article published in The Aspen Times, dated January 25, 1989, and it explains what Bundy was doing while in Aspen, and gives clues as to how he gained control of Caryn Campbell at the Wildwood Inn:

  Bundy told Fisher that he drove around Aspen several hours before the murder and then headed up to Snowmass Village to find a victim. Bundy hobbled on crutches amongst the lodges in Snowmass carrying ski boots… Bundy told Fisher he stopped at the edge of the Wildwood’s pool and was hoping a woman nearby would help him carry his ski boots to his car. But the woman ignored Bundy and he waited for several minutes until Campbell – his second choice – walked across a balcony and asked Bundy if he needed some help.

  The article goes on to say that Caryn Campbell carried Bundy’s ski boots to his car. Bundy states he then hit her with the boots and “stuffed her into his vehicle.” He didn’t say how this was accomplished, but most likely it would have been very similar to how he accomplished this with other abductions: Georgann Hawkins was waylaid as she was putting his briefcase into his VW, and Julie Cunningham was also struck as she was placing Bundy’s crutches in the car. So, in the case of Caryn Campbell (because Bundy struck her with the boots), she was (perhaps exactly as Julie Cunningham had done), placing the crutches into Bundy’s VW when she was knocked unconscious. However, the striking of Campbell with the boots did not kill her. Once inside the Volkswagen, Bundy also hit Campbell at least once in the head with his crowbar.

  Lastly, Fisher was asked by reporters if Bundy had admitted to sexually assaulting Caryn Campbell, but he hedged here (desiring, no doubt, to protect the victim’s family) and did not convey the truth of the matter until many years later when I was working closely with him during the writing of my book, The Bundy Murders. At that time, Mike told me that Bundy admitted to hitting Caryn with the crowbar “just once” before adding, “I did my thing right there in the car.”

  On August 16, 1975, a Utah State Trooper noticed a suspicious Volkswagen late at night. The trooper attempted to stop the Volkswagen, but the driver attempted to elude the trooper. The vehicle finally stopped and the driver of the Volkswagen was identified as Theodore Robert Bundy. He was arrested for eluding and booked into the Salt Lake County jail.

  At the time Bundy’s vehicle was stopped, the police narrative reports a small brown satchel was found in the car. Its contents were listed as: one flashlight, one ice pick, one short crowbar, one pair of handcuffs, one black pullover face ski mask (Author’s note: this is incorrect. Bundy’s ski mask was tan or light brown, with a darker brown stripe around the top), one full face mask made from panty hose, white nylon rope, and several torn strips of a white sheet.

  The following information comes from a hand-written notation on a form the police used in Washington State to handle telephone calls, sometimes anonymous, coming into the precinct. This particular sheet—pertaining to the Bundy case—also contains numerous notes about Bundy or the victims. What makes this interesting is that it comes from a former teaching assistant to Dr. Erwin Sarasen, mentioned elsewhere in the record. The assistant was providing additional info on Bundy, as he believed Bundy might be involved in the missing and murdered women.

  Rec’d a call from U of W professor Joel Kestenbaum, 525-0153, who formerly was a teaching assistant to Ted Bundy, 24-25, 5’8”, 160, light parted hair, good student, personable, possible accent, class of Abnormal Psychology, couple years ago, instructor was Erwin Sarasen. Kestenbaum moving to Ohio on August 1.

  Theodore Robert Bundy 11-24-46 Burlington, VT. B/S on June 10, 1972. Parents’ address 3214 N. 20th Tacoma (1968).

  The below police report contains the interview of David Knutson, about Leslie Knutson, (David Knutson’s ex-wife) describing her relationship with Ted Bundy. Bundy had met Leslie in June 1975 at a party given by Paul Van Dam, a Salt Lake County prosecutor. They hit it off from the beginning, and this was the beginning of a relationship that would last for a number of months.

  Follow up Report

  Homicides – Missing Girls

  SUSPECT: BUNDY, THEODORE R. W-M-29

  GENERAL: 3-8-76 1000 hrs. Talked to David W. Knutson, who is staying with Fred Abrams at 1218 6th Ave. W. Mr. Knutson is just up from Salt Lake City, and will be staying with Mr. Abrams for about two weeks, while Mr. Knutson attempts to find a radio reporting job and a place to live in the Seattle area. Mr. Knutson drives a 1974 brown Datsun 240Z.

  Mr. Knutson’s ex-wife, Leslie Knutson (W–F–33, blond hair), who remains on good terms with Mr. Knutson, had Bundy visiting her and staying with her at her place on Redondo Street in Salt Lake City just prior to Bundy’s arrest for murder, kidnapping, etc. Leslie met Bundy at a party thrown by Salt Lake Prosecutor Paul Van Dam in Salt Lake City, and was courted by Bundy for six -eight weeks, up to the time of his arrest. This was around August and July 1975. Bundy was apparently attending the University of Utah Law School during this time. Mr. Knutson saw Bundy at Leslie’s place twice, both times when he (Knutson) was visiting his six-year-old son, Joshua, of whom Leslie has custody. The first time Bundy took Joshua and a few neighborhood children swimming (“He was always doing things like that”). The second time Mr. Knutson saw Bundy vacuuming the inside of Bundy’s tan Volkswagen Bug, with the seats out. Mr. Knutson stated to me that this struck him as being a little strange, even at the time, because he had called Leslie earlier (unknown interval of time) and she had told Mr. Knutson that Bundy was out cleaning his car. And Mr. Knutson thought to himself, on seeing Bundy cleaning his VW, “Why would anyone clean a ratty Volkswagen so often?”

  Mr. Knutson stated that he had no other contact with Bundy. Leslie talked to Prosecutor Paul Van Dam and the Salt Lake City Police about Bundy after his arrest. She told them that Bundy became depressed and took to drinking more beer after a certain point in their courtship. She came to know later that this point in time coincided with Bundy’s original arrest for speeding, etc. Bundy did not even tell Leslie about this arrest. She learned about it from the newspapers, after Bundy’s felony arrest.

  Mr. Knutson’s brother is some kind of reporter in Salt Lake City, who is married to the dean of admissions at the University of Utah Law School. Salt Lake City authorities have had no contact with Mr. Knutson.

  What follows is the original Utah police report of the Carol DaRonch abduction from November 8, 1974, and is included in the King County report for Leon County. Those familiar with this case will know that Carol ultimately was able to escape from Bundy while the abduction was still in progress. This in turn caused Bundy, who was at that time in an altered state of blood-lust and seeking to murder, to go and seek a victim elsewhere. That victim, Debra Kent, would be overpowered by Bundy about two hours later in the darkened parking lot of Viewmont High School in Bountiful, Utah, and ultimately murdered.

  For those who are not familiar with the Ted Bundy/Carol DaRonch encounter, a little background info is in order:

  It was a Friday evening, and Carol DaRonch had gotten off work at Mountain Bell at 5:00 p.m. and headed home. She wasn’t going to be home very long, as she had a Christmas present to buy, and her decision to shop at the Fashion Place Mall in Murray, Utah, would change the course and tempo of her life forever. Ted Bundy, who had already changed the course of his life forever when he made the decision to be a destroyer of women, would find this night pivotal as well. Things would not go well for him, and the ramifications of this night would eventually catch up with him.

  Bundy, having come to Utah to attend law school, although he rarely attended classes that first fall semester of 1974, had plans to abduct his next victim from the popular mall on State Street in the greater Salt Lake City area. While it is unknown what time he arrived at the Fashion Place Mall, it’s almost certain that he spotted Carol driving her Camaro and parking it in the lot near the entrance to Sears.

  Without Carol’s knowledge, Bundy followed her into the
mall—a mall that was teeming with people, many of them young people who were part of the regular Friday night crowd. Also unknown to Carol, Bundy was watching her as she stopped and spoke with her cousins. Not long after this, as she stood looking into a window display of a Waldenbooks store, Bundy walked up to the very good-looking young woman with long brown hair parted in the middle and the ruse began. After he gained her attention, he introduced himself as a Murray Police officer by the name of Roseland, but he did not show her a badge. Bundy figured his words would provide all the authority he’d need for the somewhat timid eighteen-year-old girl, and for a time he was correct.

  Bundy asked Carol if she had a car in the parking lot and she admitted that was true. Bundy then informed her that a man had attempted to break into her car and that she needed to walk with him out to her car. As Bundy led the way, Carol followed him to her car. Bundy had already explained to her that his “partner” was holding the man inside the mall. Once they reached her car, Carol looked inside and commented that everything looked fine to her. At this point Bundy suggested she unlock the driver’s side door and she did so, acknowledging that opening the door did not reveal anything was wrong or missing either, as it presented the same view to her as when she looked through the window.

  And then, in what must have seemed like a strange request to Carol, “Officer Roseland” asked her to unlock the passenger door as well. Carol immediately refused to do so, and with that, she and Bundy returned inside the mall to locate his partner and the man he had allegedly arrested. Not finding them, Bundy claimed he needed to check out the police substation situated across the street that runs alongside the mall, and the two headed off in that direction. Carol watched as he attempted to open a side door on a building that was operating as a cleaner and laundromat. The door, marked 139, was locked, and given Bundy’s proclivity for planning murder, he must have already known that it would not open. It was at this time that he informed Carol that he needed her to go with him to the Murray Police Department to file a formal complaint. He then led her to his tan weather-beaten VW parked some twenty to thirty feet away. This raised a bit of a red flag with Carol and she asked to see his badge, and Bundy produced one but he did not allow her to get a very good look at it.