This statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Taken by ROBERT D. KEPPEL
Statement of NANCY R. BATTEMA
July 18, 1974, 4:30 p.m.
I have known Denise Naslund for about five months. Periodically, we used to go out and when we would play pool in a tavern, she would ask to go to a separate table so someone would ask her to dance.
On July 14, 1974, Bob Sargent and I met Ken Little and Denise Naslund at Charlie’s East tavern in Eastgate at about 12:45 p.m. We all went to Lake Sammamish State Park in Denise’s car. We got to the park at 1 p.m. While we were coming to the park, Denise complained about the car needing fixing and Ken said he would do it.
We parked on a grassy field before the main parking lot. We walked along the grass and sat about two hundred feet in front of the restroom near the end of the parking area. I saw several motorcycle people in the area. Later in the afternoon, there (were) quite a few in the parking area near the restroom we were sitting in front of.
Denise had taken three or four downers at the park. Denise fell asleep about four o’clock. Prior to falling asleep, Denise mentioned that she was feeling high. At about 4 p.m., Bob returned with hot dogs. Ken tried to wake Denise up. But she did not want to wake up at first. We ate the hot dogs. Ken dozed off. I asked Denise what time it was. Denise said twenty after 4, or 4:30. We sat for a few minutes. Denise got up without saying anything and walked straight towards the restroom.
Denise watched out for her dog quite a bit and locked her purse in the car. If she did not have all her stuff, it would not surprise me if she picked up with some other guy. But, in this case, she probably would have only been gone for twenty to thirty minutes. She is not the type who talks a lot. She doesn’t seem to be overly impressed by any guy. She wouldn’t go out of her way to talk to anybody, nor would she go out of her way to avoid anyone
Denise always had drugs when we would go out. I don’t know that she always used them. She always had the same downers.
I have read the above statement and it is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Taken by ROGER E. DUNN
Statement of ELEANORE M. ROSE
I am the natural mother of Brock Naslund, and Denise Marie Naslund, who was born October 10, 1955. Denise graduated from Chief Sealth High School in January 1973. Denise was really thick with Patty White, while they were in high school and then she dropped Patty and took up with Robin Woods. Robin and Denise got arrested in Tukwila for shoplifting just before she turned eighteen, and she has told me she smokes marijuana, but I don’t think she has been involved with drugs or pills.
Denise ran away for three days when she was twelve, but she had been very considerate of me because of my nervous condition. I feel that if she was able to, she would have contacted me since she disappeared on Sunday.
The first I knew that something was wrong with Denise was when her boyfriend, Ken Little, drove up in her car around 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 14, 1974. Ken told me that, “Denise is missing.” He said he searched Lake Sammamish State Park for four hours but he couldn’t find her. He said they had been fighting all afternoon while at the park. He said he was asleep and Denise walked off. He really did look concerned. He didn’t appear to be messed up, and I didn’t notice any marks or scratches on him. She told me she left her car but she left her sandals and purse locked in the trunk.
Sometimes Denise would drive, and sometimes Ken would drive the car when they would go out somewhere. He said that maybe Denise had just taken off for a few hours because he would do that to her on occasions. Denise first met Ken last October while she was living with Robin and they moved in together at 4522 S.W. Graham in March 1974. He drove off with Denise’s car and purse and has stopped by on two different mornings, once he took Brock over to Lake Sammamish and they looked for Denise.
Since Denise has been missing, I haven’t heard anything from her, and no one has contacted me with ransom demands about her disappearance.
Denise has spoken of going with Robin to the Flame Tavern. Ken and Denise said they usually went to the Fire Dog Inn and Digby’s Tavern to play pool and drink beer. Denise called me at noon on Sunday and said they were going to the park with Bob Sargent and that was the last time I heard from her. Denise said that Ken had never struck her during their arguments.
Denise was going to school at I.T.T. Peterson, studying computer systems on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights from 6:00 – 10:30 p.m. She worked on a part-time basis of about twenty-four hours a week through Dean Tops Agency in downtown Seattle. Denise is very loving, and would often pick me up a gift for no special occasion, and I have always felt very close to her. When she walks into my house, it’s just like sunshine coming through the door.
This three-page statement is true to the best of my knowledge.
CHAPTER SEVEN
King County Reports for Leon County
The following report was created by King County Washington detectives for detectives at the Leon County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office who had requested it. Because the Leon County cops were in investigative darkness as to who Bundy was and the crimes he was suspected of committing, they were looking to be brought up to speed on every aspect of what had by then developed into homicide cases in multiple jurisdictions. As such, when King County responded, they did so with much information and data for not just the murders that occurred in Washington State, but some of the murders that happened in Utah and Colorado as well. It also contains some very unusual—and not often seen—information on Ted Bundy, such Bundy crashing a car into a police cruiser in Seattle! It is important to note too, that you’ll be reading about certain victims that we’ve already touched upon in this book. However, these reports are detailed, and do contain new information not touched on earlier in this book, but provide an interesting narrative as well. It begins with a brief synopsis of the Washington murder victims, and next discusses the dump sites where they were found, and continues in order from there.
January 4, 1974
KAREN L. SPARKS, WF, 21 years
4325 8th NE, Seattle, Washington – near University of Washington
Seattle P.D. Case # 74 – 755
Went to sleep in her basement apartment. Roommates found her assaulted and unconscious in her bed at 1930 hrs. on 1 -4 – 74. She had been beaten in the head and a probe was shoved into her vagina. She was left for dead but has recovered. She has undergone hypnosis but memory cells were destroyed. The basement doors were commonly left unlocked and no suspects have ever been developed.
LYNDA ANN HEALY, WF, 21 years, 5’7” 115 #, long brown hair parted in the middle, blue eyes, pierced ears.
5517 12th NE
Seattle, Washington
Disappeared January 31, 1974, 2400 hrs. Thursday, from her basement apartment 16 blocks from where Sparks was assaulted. Evidence at scene: Blood was found on her pillow and her bloody nightgown was hung in the closet. She had apparently been dressed by her assailant and taken from her apartment.
Found: March 3, 1975, with Rancourt, Ball, and Parks.
Location: Taylor Mountain, 34 miles from her apartment near Hwy # 18, 4 miles south of I – 90.
DONNA GAIL MANSON, WF, 19 years, 6/9/1954, 5’0”, 100 #, long brown hair parted in the middle, blue eyes. Ears were not pierced.
Evergreen State College - 60 miles south of Seattle on Interstate # 5.
Disappeared: March 12, 1974, 1900 hrs. Tuesday,
Activity: walking from dormitory to a jazz concert 300 yards across campus.
Found: Still missing.
SUSAN ELAINE RANCOURT, WF, 18 years, 10/12/1955, 5’2”, 125 #, blond hair parted in the middle. Blue eyes, pierced ears.
Central Washington State College, Ellensburg, Washington, 100 miles east of Seattle on I-90.
Disappeared: April 17, 1974, 2200 hrs. Wednesday, as she walked across campus for a distanc
e of 4 blocks.
Found: March 3, 1075, with Healy, Ball, and Parks at Taylor Mountain which was 87 miles from where she disappeared.
ROBERTA KATHLEEN PARKS, WF, 20 years, 2/27/1954, 5’7”, 120 #. Long blond hair parted in the middle, blue-green eyes, pierced ears. 280 miles south of Seattle on Interstate # 5
Disappeared: May 6, 1974, 2300 hrs. Monday, as she was walking across the campus at Oregon State University.
Found: with Healy, Rancourt, and Ball at Taylor Mountain 262 miles from where she disappeared.
BRENDA CAROL BALL, WF, 22 years, 11/8/1951, 5’3”, 112 #, Long brown hair parted in the middle, brown eyes, did not have pierced ears. 2323 S.W. 172nd, Seattle, Washington. 20 miles south of University of Washington campus.
Last seen: June 1, 1974, 0200, Sat., at a tavern in south Seattle.
Activity: She was dancing and was seen leaving the tavern with a “TED” lookalike with his left arm in a sling.
Found: March 3, 1975, with Rancourt, Healy, and Parks at Taylor Mountain which was 30 miles from where she was last seen.
GEORGANN HAWKINS, WF, 18 years, 8/20/1955, long brown hair parted in the middle, brown eyes, pierced ears, 4521 17th NW, Seattle Washington.
Near the University of Washington campus. 14 blocks from where Healy disappeared. 11 blocks from where Sparks was assaulted.
Disappeared: June 11, 1974, 0100 hrs. Tues.
Location: Alley west of her sorority house.
Activity: Spoke to a friend in an upstairs window and walked toward her sorority house 40’ away and vanishes without a sound.
JANICE ANN OTT, WF, 23 years, 2/14/1951, 5’10”, long blond hair parted in the middle, green eyes. Ears not pierced. 75 Front St. S. Issaquah, Washington, 20 miles east of the University of Washington.
Last seen: 7 – 14 – 74 1230 hrs. Sunday.
Location: Lake Sammamish State Park at Issaquah, Washington on Interstate 90.
Activity: Sunning herself on the beach among 40,000 people when approached by “TED.” She was last seen pushing her bike toward the parking lot with him to help load his ‘sailboat’ and go ‘sailing.’
Found: September 7, 1975, with Naslund and an unidentified female.
Location: 4 miles east of the park, north of I-90 and near an abandoned railroad line.
DENISE MARIE NASLUND, WF, 18 years, 10/10/1955, 5’4”, 120 #, long black hair worn with bangs, brown eyes, pierced ears. 4522 S.W, Graham St. Seattle, Washington.
Last seen: July 14, 1974, 1630 hrs. Sunday.
Location: Lake Sammamish State Park.
Activity: In the same area that Ott disappeared four hours before.
Found: September 7, 1975, with Ott and an unidentified female.
Location: 4 miles east of the State Park.
King County Department of Public Safety
Issaquah Dump Site
The location where Ott and Naslund were found is four miles east of Lake Sammamish State Park on Interstate 90. It is on the north side and access to the north side is by the old abandoned Sunset Highway; a median prevents a left turn when eastbound. The corridor along the highway has been condemned for highway expansion and all homes near the site were vacant. There is a small gravel road which leads north uphill from “Old Sunset Highway” and across an abandoned railroad line.
When they were dumped, the stinging nettles and underbrush were very thick, but a vehicle could drive back into the brush to within forty feet of where the characteristic grease spots were found. There was a third set of bones found at the site but no skull or mandible was found which could provide identification. There were two grease spots within driving (Author’s note: be advised, the writer must have meant ‘walking distance’) distance with blond hair nearby. There was another grease spot a little farther uphill near Naslund’s skull and mandible.
The skeletons were badly scattered by animals and no evidence of trauma, dismemberment, or assault could be detected. There were no clothing, jewelry, or other personal effects near the scene. In a mile radius of the site several articles of women’s undergarments were found but none belonged to any of the known victims. No occult or witchcraft symbols were found near the scene.
The victims were probably killed elsewhere and dumped at this location shortly after their disappearance. They were found thirty-five days after their disappearance. An extensive search was made in the area but the skull of Ott is still missing as are the skull and mandible of the third person.
The two possible victims for the third set of bones would be Georgann Hawkins and Donna Manson.
A large quantity of immature elk bones was found ¼ mile east of the scene on “Sunset Highway.” These bones were bagged in burlap gunny sacks and bound with twine. On October 16, 1974, a citizen found a porno book near the scene. It described an incident of “Ted” luring “teaser” type girls to his parent’s house on the hill so he could seduce them. These victims were short with long hair parted in the middle and wearing tight Levis or ski pants.
The following report describes the ‘dump site’ on Taylor Mountain.
The Taylor Mountain site is four miles south on Interstate 90 on the south side of Highway 18. It is remote and the property is adjacent to a power transmission tower line.
The skulls and/or mandibles of Healy, Rancourt, Parks, and Ball were found at this location. There were several other bones found at this location but they were all non-human. This gave rise to the theory that the girls had been decapitated, however, no cervical vertebra was found in the search. Animals in the area include coyotes, bears, and rodents, but the possibility of their consuming all bones of the body is slim.
The area at all times of the year is very brushy and would be extremely dense during June when Ball disappeared. The killer could have dumped the bodies in an area of evergreens nearby where there is less underbrush but no grease spots were found in this area either. No clothing, weapons, jewelry, or occult symbols were found at the scene.
The nearest homes to this site are five miles away but trailbike riders and hunters are usually in the vicinity on weekends. This site is 7.7 miles S.E. of the Issaquah site and eleven road miles.
What follows concerns the abduction and murder of Caryn Eileen Campbell who was abducted by Ted Bundy while she was staying at the Wildwood Inn in Snowmass, Colorado, in January of 1975. The King County report continues.
Recent Background of the Aspen Victim and the Case
Caryn Eileen Campbell, age twenty-three years, a registered nurse from Farmington, Michigan, came to Snowmass at Aspen, Colorado, on January 11, 1975, at approximately 4:30 p.m., accompanied by her fiancé, Dr. Raymond Gadowski and Gadowski’s two children from a former marriage.
Caryn Campbell and the three Gadowskis registered in room #210 at the Wildwood Inn, Snowmass, at Aspen, Colorado.
Caryn Campbell, during the duration of January 11 and up to approximately 7:30 – 8:00 p.m. January 12, 1975, was in the company of other persons known to her personally.
At approximately 6:00 p.m., January 12, 1975, Caryn Campbell, Dr. Gadowski, his two children, and Dr. Rosenthall, ate dinner at the Stew Pot Restaurant in the mall area, adjacent to the Wildwood Inn. Caryn Campbell ate beef stew and milk.
Dinner was finished between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m. and the same party, intact, walked around the mall area, window shopping for approximately thirty minutes. The group, still intact, stopped at a Walgreen Drug Store to look over magazines. Campbell and Rosenthall began looking at a Viva magazine. Campbell remarked that she had the current issue of Viva in her room and would trade Rosenthall the Playboy for the Viva.
The party, still intact, then went to the lobby of the Wildwood Inn. Upon entering the lobby, Campbell requested Gadowski go to room # 210 to get the Viva magazine to trade with Dr. Rosenthall. Gadowski declined, stating he wanted to stay by the fire in the lobby.
Caryn Campbell then went to the e
levator with the Gadowski children between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. When the elevator arrived in the lobby, Campbell instructed the Gadowski children to stay with their father and entered the elevator alone, intending to retrieve the Viva magazine from room # 210.
Caryn Campbell arrived on the second floor of the Wildwood Inn and was met by six persons who knew her personally. She was still alone in the elevator. Campbell spoke briefly with the people she met on the second-floor landing, stating she was going to her room to get a magazine and would be returning to the lobby in a few minutes. Campbell exited the elevator and the party of six entered the elevator to go to the lobby.
Between 8:00 p.m. and 8:20 p.m., Dr. Gadowski became curious as to why Campbell had not returned from room # 210. Gathering his children, he used the elevator to the second floor. Arriving at room # 210 he knocked several times – there was no answer. Remembering that Campbell had the key for the room and not knowing where Campbell could have gone, Gadowski and his children returned and took the elevator to the lobby and obtained a key for room #210.
Gadowski made several telephone calls to various friends who were also staying at the lodge, inquiring if they had seen Campbell and no one had.
Gadowski searched for Campbell himself until approximately 11:30 p.m. when he reported Campbell missing to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office. Two Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the scene and interviewed Dr. Gadowski and made a missing person’s report.
The two deputies examined all possible entrances to the room but could not find any signs of forced entry. Further search of the room revealed that Caryn Campbell’s purse, wallet, and identification were still present. Nothing was missing from the room. All valuables were accounted for. There were no signs of a struggle, nor any blood or hair in the room.
Both deputies made an extensive search of the Wildwood Inn that night, including the entire Snowmass at Aspen Village area; no sign of Caryn Campbell was located.
Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries Page 13
