Did 14-Year-Old Ted Bundy Kill 8-Year-Old Ann Marie?

On August 31, 1961, 8-year-old Ann Marie Burr vanished from the family home in the middle of the night. Ann Marie brought her sister, Julie, to their parents bedroom that night, but they sent the girls back to the room they shared. No one saw Ann Marie again.

Ann Marie’s parents heard the dog barking, but dismissed it, assuming the rain frightened the animal.

Around 5:30 a.m. the following morning, Ann Marie’s mother found her missing. There was no sign of a struggle, although she did discover that the front door had been unlocked from the inside and left partially open. She was certain she had locked the door the night before.

A living room window was wide open, with the garden bench from the backyard moved to the front of the open window.

After frantically searching the home, looking under beds, in closets, and the kitchen pantry, the family called the police.

Police found a sneaker print outside the living room window. Police also found a strand of red thread stuck in the window jam. Otherwise, the scene lacked any evidence, giving police little to work with.

Two days prior to the disappearance of Ann Marie, neighbors spotted a stranger peeping into their windows.

Ann Marie Disappearance Still Unsolved

More than 50-years later, the disappearance of Ann Marie remains unsolved -and the girl is still missing.

Notorious serial killer Ted Bundy lived a few blocks away from Ann Marie. At the time, 14-year-old Bundy was not suspected of Ann Marie’s disappearance. He was a quiet, shy boy at this time. That changed 14-years later, however, and suspicions in Bundy grew after stories emerged of violence, animal mutilation, and sexual deviancy.

Bundy’s aunt said that she woke from a nap to find 3-year-old Bundy had placed all the knives from the kitchen around her as she slept.

Bundy Lived Near Ann Marie

At the time of Ann Marie’s disappearance, Bundy attended Mason Middle School and delivered newspapers in town. Bundy and Ann Marie knew one another, although this fact wouldn’t be revealed by her parents until a decade later.

Tacoma police began looking at the possibility that Bundy was involved with Ann Marie’s disappearance after his arrest. Bundy is believed to be responsible for the murders of about 30 women, although the actual number could be much higher. He once told a police officer, “Add one digit to that and you’ll have it,” referring to his number of victims.

Did Bundy Confess to Ann Marie's Murder?

Many people say that Bundy kidnapped, raped, and murder the girl. Author Rebecca Morris says Bundy confessed to the abduction and murder during a prison interview with a college professor.

Morris spent several years researching Bundy and his potential connection to the disappearance of Ann Marie. He often spoke hypothetically in the third person when discussing how serial killers operated with detectives. He believed that communicating with detectives in third person absolved any prosecution for crimes that he did not directly admit to. She thinks Bundy admitted that he kidnapped Ann Marie during one of these discussions with police.

In 1986, Ann Marie’s mother wrote Bundy a letter, hopeful she could finally learn what happened to her daughter all those years ago.

The letter read:

Dear Ted,

On August 31, 1961, just before school was to start for you and our children, there came a black rainy night with lots of heavy winds. You were 15 and had been wandering the streets late at night and peeping in windows and taking cars. I feel your FIRST MURDER WAS OUR ANN MARIE BURR. The bench from the back yard was used to climb in the living room; the orchard next door was a dark setting for a murder. What did you do with the tiny body? God can forgive you.

With all appeals likely to be refused and soon, there is nothing left for you in this world; there can STILL be everything good for you in the next.

Your life started going wrong somewhere when you were very young. There had to be a lot of bad things happen to make you have your strong feelings of hatred.

I came close to ruining my life because of my cruel actions and feeling no sorrow about them. A lot of strange circumstances brought help to me or I would not have found myself, even though I knew I needed help and my actions were getting out of control. You should have received that same help when you needed it.

God can still give the help to you — if you can gather together any strength you have left and try to feel a real sorrow inside for the horrors you have brought so many. You will face these horrors alone if there is no chance to be with God after you die.

You have NOTHING MORE TO LOSE IN THIS WORLD. By explaining your sickness, you will feel sorrow and gain everything in the next life, as God promised you and all of us. Please try. There isn’t much time. I am deeply sorry you did not get help when you needed it. I have not written until now because the end of life for you did not seem near until now.

Will you write back to me regarding Ann Marie?

Ted Bundy Denies Knowledge of Ann Marie's Disappearance

Ted Bundy did write back, but in doing so, vehemently denied involvement with the kidnapping of Ann Marie. Ann Marie’s father died in 2003; her father in 2008. They died without ever knowing what happened to their precious baby girl, Ann Marie.

Ted Bundy was executed by the state of Florida in 1989. If he kidnapped Ann Marie, he took the information to his grave with him.

DNA Evidence Submitted

In 2011, 50-years after Ann Marie’s disappearance, police submitted evidence to Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for DNA testing. Unfortunately, they reported that the evidence gathered at the scene did not contain enough measurable DNA to provide a DNA profile of the perpetrator.