Multiple states · two escapes · one final conviction
A survivor's identification produced Bundy's first major conviction, but two escapes allowed the series to continue until the Florida attacks and his final arrest.
The Ted Bundy murders were a multistate series of abductions, assaults, and killings committed between 1974 and 1978 in Washington, Utah, Colorado, Florida, and elsewhere. Investigators ultimately tied Theodore Robert Bundy to numerous victims, and his Florida convictions for the Chi Omega and Kimberly Leach murders brought the case to a close.
The victims
Donna Manson in a 1974 newspaper appeal
Recent developments
Recent reporting and official developments, labeled by source and verification status.
Oct 27, 2026 · Associated Press
Summit County authorities said DNA comparisons connected Ted Bundy to the 1974 killing of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith and announced that the cold-case investigation was closed.
Read article →The scale
Key figures are drawn from the published case record.
The path to conviction
A survivor's identification produced the first major conviction. Two escapes extended the series before the Florida attacks and final arrest.
See all 15 mapped locations →Jul 14, 1974
In broad daylight, Bundy used a fake arm sling to lure two victims, Janice Ott and Denise Naslund, into his car at a busy state park. Both were murdered.
Nov 8, 1974
Bundy, posing as a police officer at Fashion Place Mall, attempted to kidnap Carol DaRonch. She escaped from his Volkswagen and later became a key identification witness.
Aug 16, 1975
Utah Highway Patrol officer Bob Hayward arrested Bundy after a traffic stop for a late-night vehicle violation. A subsequent search of Bundy's VW Beetle revealed suspicious items like handcuffs and a ski mask.
Mar 1, 1976
A Utah jury convicted Bundy for the aggravated kidnapping of Carol DaRonch, producing the first major conviction that tied him publicly to the broader series of crimes.
Dec 30, 1977
Bundy escaped from the Garfield County Jail in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, by climbing through a crawl space in his cell ceiling and dropping into the jailer’s apartment. He was on the run for 47 days, committing murders in Florida.
Feb 15, 1978
A Pensacola police officer stopped Bundy for a traffic violation in a stolen vehicle. Bundy gave a false name but was later identified from the FBI’s fugitive flyer, ending his murder spree.
How the case converged
Carol DaRonch escaped an attempted abduction and became a key identifying witness against Bundy.
Bundy's two escapes explain how a convicted kidnapper returned to violence in Florida.
The Florida cases supplied the murder convictions that ultimately closed the prosecution.
The Chi Omega and Kimberly Leach prosecutions turned a multistate investigative history into capital murder convictions.
Explore the court record →Go deeper
This overview is the map. The case tabs hold the underlying events, people, media, locations, and source material.