The Time Serial Killer Ted Bundy Was Almost Caught Luring Young Women Off The Beach

In Oxygen's two-hour special "Snapped Notorious: Ted Bundy," detectives and journalists recounted the day serial killer Ted Bundy was almost caught luring young women off a beach in Issaquah, Washington. Detective Kathleen McChesney told producers that on July 14, 1974, Bundy approached 23-year-old Janice Ott at Lake Sammamish State Park. He apparently asked for her help unloading a sailboat from his Volkswagen Beetle, as his arm was in a sling. Ott was never seen again.

Hours later, Bundy came up to 19-year-old Denise Naslund in the parking lot — again wearing a sling — and asked her for help. She disappeared shortly after being seen walking away with the serial killer. According to investigative journalist Kevin Sullivan, Bundy was "convinced that no matter what he did, he would escape law enforcement, but he made a mistake at Lake Sammamish." 

Talking to "Snapped Notorious," Sullivan said: "He identified himself as 'Ted' not just to the women that he abducted, but to those around them who would hear the conversation."

Police sketch of "Ted" from Lake Sammamish

[Photo: Oxygen]

McChesney went on to explain that a witness also saw a car that was later associated with Bundy: a tan Volkswagen bug. Ultimately, it ended up being Bundy's own ego that gave detectives their first lead. Because of his brazen behavior at the lake, authorites were able to figure out his name, the type of car he drove and what he looked like. According to McChesney, police used Bundy's physical description to create a composite sketch of the suspect, which resulted in "thousands and thousands" of tips.

To learn more about the investigation, listen to exclusive audio from FBI profiler Bill Hagmaier's interviews with Bundy and watch survivors reunite for the first time in 40 years, tune in to “Snapped Notorious: Ted Bundy” on Oxygen.

[Photo: Getty Images]