The black arrow points to the previously misidentified VW, the white arrow to what may be Bundy’s car.
There is a hunt for Ted Bundy’s car at Lake Sammamish…
In my book, The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, I include a photograph of a VW parked in the front row of cars at Lake Sammamish on Sunday, July 14, 1974. Behind the car is a line of police vehicles blocking it, as they dealt with a problem pertaining to a biker gang that was taking place close to where the car was parked. The photo appears to have been taken in the afternoon, obviously before Denise Naslund was led away by Bundy.
Years later, when Bob Keppel questioned Bundy about the photo (Keppel believed it was Bundy’s VW), Bundy recognized the scene and said “law breakers”, denoting he knew what was happening there. What follows is from the record:
Keppel: “Is that you? It’s Lake Sammamish State Park, 1974. The tree, cops roll in and take care of the –
Bundy: Law breakers
Keppel: Ya
Bundy: Well, I mean, we’re in the ballpark.
By saying “law breakers” and telling Keppel he was in the ballpark, Bundy was admitting he had personal knowledge concerning what was taking place. When Keppel pressed him about the car, believing it was his and wanting him to admit it, Bundy responded “Well, I—is it?”
Bundy knew that wasn’t his car, but he was telling the investigator he was in the ballpark, meaning the car was nearby.
A much better shot at what may be Ted Bundy’s VW to the right of the man. Misidentified VW to the left of photo.
Now enter Melanie Englert, an expert pertaining to Ted Bundy’s car:
Bundy’s Volkswagen was a 68 Savannah Beige model with a standard transmission. There were many changes for the export model VW in 68: Larger “Europa” bumpers, shortened hood and deck lid, head rests (they were very wide on the 68’s, people called them “sarcophagus” seats), external gas filler, larger taillights, to name a few. It was the last year of the old swing axle suspension; the 69 and up model years had double jointed independent rear suspension (IRS). 1968 also introduced the semi-automatic transmission – this was equipped with IRS a year earlier than the standard models were.
Bundy’s VW had a few modifications that set it apart from other 68 models. It had, for instance, later model rims, which were painted silver from 1970 and up. Prior to this, all VW’s had two-tone rims. It also had 1970-only rear reflectors mounted to the back bumpers (they were incorporated into the larger taillights in 71) and a vented deck lid, common to the 70-71 models. I don’t know when or why these modifications occurred, but it was common to “upgrade” to a vented hood in those days as they offered far better engine cooling. The engines operated on the threshold of overheating as it was, far higher than their water-cooled counterparts.
The footage from the Rainier Brewing Company picnic at Lake Sammamish (where these stills came from) and the images of a Savannah Beige VW in the exact spot witness Janice Graham – the first girl Bundy approached and the only one who saw the VW – had placed the car, certainly was a surprise. I never thought the photo of Bundy in his car (I first saw it in Bob Keppel’s book on the Riverman) was actually Bundy or his car. Sharp eyes will see it’s a 67 and the Rainier footage proves it. There is some speculation that the SB VW is not Bundy’s car, namely because the license plate doesn’t match ones established as Bundy’s, but the location is spot on (Janice said it was in the front row under a tree) and Ted was adept at changing appearances and, above all, was smart – it’s reasonable to assume he would make a conscious effort to make his car unidentifiable despite its commonality.
I haven’t found anything that proves my theory yet, but I believe he may have updated his car around the same time he swapped out the interior. And as I’ve said before the later model deck lids were preferable in terms of cooling the engine. The rust and paint discoloration that currently adorns the car as it sits today runs across the front of the car in a straight line; it’s obvious the car was resprayed at one point. There is also some paint discoloration in certain spots that, again, indicate a respray. There is an earlier photo of Bundy with his VW just prior to his move to Utah – he has a bicycle strapped to the back of the car. In this photo, the car has stock 70s era silver rims, but in later photos, police photos, and museum photos, the rims are sporting what they used to call “beauty rings”, which covered the original rims and were held in place by the hubcaps. On the surface this doesn’t seem like much but it points to Bundy’s efforts to change the appearance of the car. Bundy also had a fascination with objects and material possessions, it’s not unreasonable that this extended to the car and that perhaps he made an effort to make it shiny and new at times.
So, the second VW just two spaces up from the previously misidentified VW may in fact be Ted Bundy’s car. Some have said that the front license plate (see more about this below) doesn’t look like Bundy’s known plate number. But Bundy, ever planning when it came to committing murder in Washington State, could have easily switched plates. And as far as the rear engine cover, just as Melanie mentioned, it was prone to overheating, and Bundy may have replaced it due to such problems after his Lake Sammamish visit and before he left for Utah that September. And while we’re on this subject, years ago, someone said to me they believed (emphases believed) Bundy’s engine had once experienced a fire. I stress that I have absolutely no idea if this is true, and at the time it meant nothing to me. However, if there was a fire, or perhaps just a problem with severe over-heating (and Bundy had lots of engine issues), then yes, I repeat, it’s quite plausible Bundy replaced the lid sometime after July 1974. Bundy upgrading his car was not unusual.
What do I think of all this? I believe Melanie Englert may, and I stress may, have identified Ted Bundy’s VW, and I say this with some reservations. Some folks rule it out because the plate on the front doesn’t match his known plate at the time. But Bundy was known to switch out plates on vehicles (Florida) and that may have been the case at the lake. Others mention there’s no ski rack on the car in the pic, and that alone rules it out. However, according to a witness at the lake, Bundy told Janice Ott he’d transport her bike in the “trunk” and did not mention a bike rack. There’s also a dent on the front of the VW, but these can be popped out rather easily. All of these mentioned issues do not rule the car out in my mind, although it might not be Bundy’s car. The real deciding factor for me is, did Bundy replace the engine lid after July 14, 1974 and before he left for Utah on September 2nd, as we have a picture of the car taken that day just before he departed, and it has the newer lid in place. So, if that newer lid was on his car at Lake Sam, then the VW in question is not Bundy’s, but Bundy’s car is nearby. However, if we ever come up with evidence he purchased the newer lid – which is quite plausible due to its over-heating problem – and in that limited time frame of about 6 weeks , then we may indeed have an actual picture of Ted Bundy’s car at Lake Sammamish. The hunt continues…
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’71, ’72 VW Bugs had the smaller tail lights. In ’73 they began to make the Bugs with the larger, round tail lights.
That’s something Melanie Englert would certainly know about, but not me, LOL! Thanks for your comment, Suzanne.
Probably something that got burned into my brain but worth mentioning possibly. I graduated H.S. In 1974. During that Sumer, before I went into the Navy on July 14, My neighbor took me out waterskiing on Sammamish at the south end of the park. I was walking from the beach up to the restrooms when I saw a dark haired guy sitting, legs stretched in the grass with a girl at his feet asking her to help him hook up a boat. I think (not rea clearly) at the time he was wearing some type of cast. I offered to help and got a glare from him that really drilled into me. I continued toward the restroom and off to the right parked sideways along a tree line across the lot was a boat on a trailer and a beetle. Probably just coincidence but spooky
Yes, John, considering what Bundy did there on July 14, 1974, that’s creepy indeed. Very odd.
Kevin: My name and my encounter with Bundy (at the University of Washington, Undergraduate Library cafeteria) appeared in your first Bundy book (page 169-170 I believe). I would like to share information with you privately, but not in a public forum. I can send you a photo of me at that time (long hair parted in the middle, etc.), and more. If this interests you, please email me. Thank you. Dawn
Hi Dawn!
Yes, I remember writing about you, and as I recall, I used the entire report for The Bundy Murders. I felt it was that important!
I will email you…
Thanks for the contact!
Kevin
Hello Kevin, I think they lake sammashish case was definitely the most interesting, although every single one was interesting. Would you agree?
Hi Jamal! I think there are three abductions that really stand out from all the others, and they are Lake Sammamish, the Lynda Ann Healy abduction, and the kidnapping of Debra Kent from Viewmont High School in Bountiful, Utah. Of course, all of the abductions are very interesting to me, but those three are the boldest of them all. So yes, Lake Sammamish is right up there.
Yes I agree personally the Lake Sammamish, Lynda Healy, and Caryn Cambell are the most intriguing to me. I am aware of how often you get compliments of your work, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy authors that include every little detail of an event, or in this true crime case, a murder. For example, i read one of your comments that Janice Ott had gone to do laundry and drank coffee with the store owner i believe on that day, I didn’t know this previously. It is things like these that I really appreciate the research you’ve done on your novels. I hope to find more of these small details of the victims lives the day of their murders/ dissapereances in the rest of the books I still have to order of yours.
Hey Jamal and thanks for the compliment! Yes, I am the type of writer that seeks out lots of interesting info to add to my books, and adding the story you mentioned about Janice Ott and David Allison McKibben is just the kind of info I know folks want to hear. Thanks again for noticing. 🙂
And that is why I cant wait to start your novels. I’ve heard a lot about them and I already have a couple on the way via Amazon. I wanted to save your series for the last books of bundy I ready because currently I am reading “Ted Bundy: A Visual Timeline” , and then once i’m done I will be diving into all 6 of your books. I cant wait, do you plan on making a 7th haha?
Well, after six books about Bundy totaling over 1,400 pages, I think I’m finished with Ted lol! All joking aside, folks who read all six book will have a tremendous amount of information about Bundy and the case, including lots of new and never before published testimonies from those who either knew Bundy or the victims, or were involved in the case one way or another. Start with The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, as that’s the full bio of Bundy and a full treatment of the murders. Doing this will prepare you for the following five books.
Yes and I’ve also heard in regards to Jan Ott that she actually left some type of note to her roommate that day, are you familiar with this or is it referenced in any of your books? Just wondering 🙂
I may have mentioned that note in my book, The Bundy Murders, but I know I talk about it in Ted Bundy’s Murderous Mysteries.
I could be mistaken, but if you look closely, there seems to be, what appears as a face with what appears to have two eyes looking straight at the camera, from the point of behind the passenger seat. Could this indeed be Bundy? I know that he was known to remove the passenger seat, but in this instance it appears to be in place and seemingly obscuring the bottom part of what appears to be a face. What appears to be eyes and above what appears to be a dark head of hair looks uncannily like Bundy. If one pulls right into that point, which is the area just above and behind the passenger seat (if it is there), in the rear of the bug, parked in front of the standing man, it certainly becomes apparent. You decide…
By the way, I noticed that Kevin M Sullivan recently uploaded a post. I enjoyed ‘ The Bundy Murders – A Comprehensive History ‘; it was the best account of Bundy that I have encountered.
Hi Darren…
First, thanks for the good words about my book, The Bundy Murders. 🙂
Interesting comments about the “eyes” behind the seat. etc, and I’ll take a look at it. And yes, he did occasionally remove the passenger seat while hunting. If I end up seeing what you’re seeing, I’ll be sure to post about it here. Ah, you never know what may surface next lol!
Take care,
Kevin
Re: post July 15, 2018 at 3:53 am.
I have took another look at a particular uploaded picture of what appears to be a female with dark hair and wearing a white top at the point of where the front passenger seat would be. It looks like the female has her left arm bent backwards behind her as if trying to fend off a man behind her who is seemingly sitting in the seat behind her. One can see the apparent image, which is lighter than the one above at THIS site, by typing in Lake Sammamish July 14 1974 and going to the image that is labelled ‘ kiro 7 .com ‘. If one pulls in to this particular image it becomes apparent. Could this be dark haired Denise Naschlund trying to fend off an attacking Bundy, and was she wearing a white top that day (I can’t recall from the accounts that I have read/heard, including your own from your book)?
It does seem that different images of this picture show up differently in terms of what appears. I feel it is an interesting enough point to bring up considering the circumstances though.
Also, even if she was not known to have been in possession of a white top that day, the lightness could relate to the image in another way. For instance, check out how light the VW is in this particular image in comparison to the image that is shown in the related image below it that is related to THIS site (Wild Blue Press).
PS
Maybe you could link this to any seasoned Bundyphiles (Cpt. Borax, Maniac Nanny et al) who would likely have a keen interest in this new information. I’m not wholly sure how to do it speedily. I have had some contact with Borax in a forum, most recently at his recent upload of the Elizabeth Kloeppfer police recording; he said you and he had spoken, and gave you kudos. Thanks for your time and interest.
Thank you for this, I’m heading to Amazon to buy your book
Thanks for the contact, Jenna. I hope you enjoy the book. 🙂
I, bought a bettle a ba dealer in Craig about 1979. it had a dent on left rear fender. the sales people were asking the sales person did you sell the vw. laughing. could that be the car?
No.
Do you know what his license number was? A car just like this followed my sister and her best friend for weeks back in 71 and 72. The license on the car that followed them was WWY932. Calif. Tag.
Hi Maggi! I think I have Bundy’s tag number for Washington State in my book, The Bundy Secrets, and his Utah tag is known as well. However, I don’t believe he ever had a CA tag, as he only lived in the state for a very brief period; a few months at best. I can tell you that the VW was one of the most popular cars of that time, and in WA alone, there were 43,000 registered VW Bugs in the state in 1974. And CA would have had many more. So I’m certain it was someone else. Thanks for the comment.
He wouldn’t have taken the passenger seat out for the park murders. They never would have gotten in his car to go with him. He likely incapacitated them along the way to Taylor mountain. Will go check out this book.
Hi Diane!
I agree: He would not have removed the passenger seat that day. As to where he killed Ott and Naslund, we don’t know. We know where they were found, but that does not mean they were killed there. Also, because of what Bundy told Bill Hagmaier, it’s likely he kept Ott alive all day, and that Naslund saw her alive after her arrival. And then, one was killed and then the other.
Thanks for the contact!
Kevin
I am considering a similar photo hunt. I work for a newspaper in a town Bundy has been to and we have an extensive archive of unpublished negatives that possibly could cover an event he may have been at. I would prefer to discuss it in private. Do you have contact info I can write to?
PS. The front bumper doesn’t match Bundy’s VW. His has a dent (could have happened later) next to the plate. This VW does not but does have a dent below the headlight which Bundy’s does not and fixing dents in that type of bumper is not likely. He could have replaced the entire bumper but that also seems unlikely. It is also possible that what appears to be a dent on the bumper by the headlight in this photo is an anomaly in the print or digitizing of the print. A higher resolution scan would be helpful.
Hi Steve,
Yes, as the article states, there are things about the car that are good, but some things that lend itself to it not being Bundy’s car. True, he could have made some changes after he left for Utah, but that may be iffy. Personally, I won’t be tracking down new info as I’m far too busy, plus I don’t care lol!
Here’s my email: kmsullivan12@yahoo.com
I can see a dent on the hood of this vw, I think
Yes, that’s correct. Those things can be fixed fairly easily and quickly at a body shop,but even so, this may still not be Bundy’s car. And if not, it was somewhere in the lot.
Can anyone tell me how many miles were on the car when Bundy originally purchased it state registration should have this. Two how many miles were in it when he sold it. He was the primary driver. It would be interesting to see mile usage verses a regular driver at the time. Beg. Miles at purchase, ending miles at sale. Even now the odometer should have something.
Hi Maru….
While I’m sure that was known at one time, the actual mileage on the VW was never a concern to the authorities. What was of concern to them was where Bundy had traveled to and when. And it was that information that came to light when Mike Fisher obtained his gasoline purchase record from the Standard Oil Company. That info placed Bundy at or near the sites of the murders and when they happened. And mileage never entered into it. I hope this helps.