Ted Bundy Managed To Conceive His Only Child While He Was Locked Up

Ted Bundy is still a grim source of fascination in American society, even more than 30 years on from his death. And you don't have to be a true crime fanatic to feel that way. But one of the most chilling things to think about? Someone like him doing regular things like dating, getting married, or having children. The fact that Bundy fathered a daughter is often forgotten. And the story is as strange and mysterious as you might expect from one of the most infamous serial killers in history.

Father figure

Public obsession with Theodore Robert Bundy has naturally extended to the people in his life. What better way to try to understand someone than by learning about those they were close to? Was someone like him capable of creating real relationships? Of empathy? Of love? Bundy's one-time partner Elizabeth Kloepfer has received a lot of public attention. Especially because the serial killer was a sort of father figure to her daughter, Molly, who was three when they began dating. But Bundy later went on to have a biological daughter of his own.

The mother of his child

This particular part of Bundy’s story takes us back to 1974, which was right at the peak of his murderous activities. During this time, he was involved with the Washington State Department of Emergency Service, an agency which ironically helped search for missing women. And it was here that he came to meet Carole Ann Boone, who would later become the mother of his child.

Hitting it off

In biography The Only Living Witness, authors Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth describe Boone as a "lusty-tempered free spirit." She was divorced when she met Bundy, and she, like him, was involved with somebody else. But that didn't stop the sparks from flying. “I liked Ted immediately," said Boone. "We hit it off well. He struck me as being a rather shy person with a lot more going on under the surface than what was on the surface.” Little did she know that the guy she'd just met was already killing women.

Early warning signs

But even as a young man, Bundy was beginning to show hints of the monster he’d become. Born in 1946, his adolescent years saw him develop a tendency for minor crimes such as shoplifting. He became obsessive and behaved strangely toward girls around this same point, too, though he also exhibited an outer appearance of charm and intelligence.

Darkness brewing

By the time he left college in 1972, Bundy’s early years of stealing and problematic behavior towards women may have seemed like they were a thing of the past. From the outside, at least, it looked like a life in law or even politics awaited him — a job where he could make use of his immense charisma. Beneath the surface, though, a darkness was brewing.

Twisted

Underneath the facade, Bundy was a twisted killer — but he just kept getting away with it. He claimed his first victim no later than 1974 and countless more would soon follow. Yet even after police were asked to consider him as a suspect, for years they presumed his innocence. From the outside, after all, he appeared to be a perfectly normal, pleasant man.

Beginning of the end

But by the middle of 1975, Bundy’s ability to escape justice had started to waver. He was placed under arrest in August of that year, with a subsequent search of his car revealing a whole bunch of incriminating objects. Still, there was no evidence to conclusively link him to all his vile acts — yet.

Eyes on him

Bundy was released on this occasion but now the authorities were keeping an eye on him. So, with the added surveillance, he could no longer act with the impunity he’d previously enjoyed. And within a matter of months of his first arrest, he was taken into custody again after attacking yet another person.

The absurd

Bundy’s story took a turn for the absurd after he was incarcerated. A year into his jail-time, he actually managed to break out. He was found after a week or so but then he got out again. And during that second stint on the run, he claimed several more victims. But by February 15, 1978, he was back in custody.

Unknown

Bundy would never taste freedom again, thankfully. He was condemned to death, though that didn’t actually happen until January 1989. By that point, he’d confessed to a great number of crimes — but it’s thought there are many more cases that were never tied back to him. So the true number of lives he took remains unknown.

Strong union

Bundy was still going out with Kloepfer around the time he met Boone, but they began a relationship regardless. And this would endure even after Bundy was arrested, with Boone’s support for him seemingly being unbreakable. She used to go see him a lot while he was incarcerated, and she even brought him money.

Of no concern

In Netflix documentary Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, footage of Boone speaking about Bundy paints a chilling picture of the hold he had over her. Professing her belief in his innocence, she states, “Let me put it this way, I don’t think that Ted belongs in jail. The things in Florida don’t concern me any more than the things out west do.”

Courtroom drama

As Bundy was standing trial in Florida in 1979, Boone actually relocated to be near proceedings. She even appeared in court on his behalf, where she swore on his good character. It was at this point that things descended into borderline farce, as Bundy figured out a way to make her his wife right then and there.

A loophole

As a man who was once seemingly on a path toward a successful law career, Bundy knew his stuff. He’d found a loophole in Florida’s legal system which meant he could just declare his marriage to Boone and make it stick. If he did it with a judge in attendance, the union would be legally binding.

Messing up

In a passage of the work The Stranger Beside Me, author Ann Rule details how this bizarre episode played out. Apparently, when Bundy tried to set his marriage plan into motion, he actually messed it up. So it didn’t work on this occasion, though it wasn’t long before he was trying again.

The happy day

This second attempt was a success. Bundy employed the correct phrasing this time, plus Boone herself had done some prep work. That meant that when he proposed to her in court and she accepted, he only needed to do one more thing. He said aloud, “I do hereby marry you” — and that was that.

Bizarre sideshow

The couple — in these strangest of circumstances — were now married in the eyes of the law. And all of this was taking place at a murder trial, remember, which made the situation even more bizarre. Those proceedings nonetheless carried on, with Boone attempting to cast her new husband in a good light.

Glowing terms

Boone spoke of Bundy in the most glowing terms, using words such as “kind, warm, and patient” to describe him. She also, at one point, remarked, “I’ve never seen anything in Ted that indicates any destructiveness towards any other people. He’s a large part of my life. He is vital to me.”

A long wait

Bundy had already been declared a killer by this point in time, with this particular trial merely adding another sentence onto the other ones he’d already amassed. He was going to be executed for his crimes, though such a process takes a long time. So, for nine years, he’d await his fate.

Expecting

For those first few years on death row, Bundy maintained good relations with his wife. In fact, things were so good that Boone somehow fell pregnant with his one and only child. How was this even possible, though, with the man locked up and awaiting execution? Surely the couple couldn’t get that close to one another?

Wild theories

Some wild theories emerged to account for Boone’s pregnancy — people just couldn’t wrap their heads around it. The terms of Bundy’s incarceration, one presumed, would’ve prevented the pair from being able to engage in a sexual relationship, right? Well, it turns out there are ways around such terms.

Bribery

Simply put, bribery can be a powerful force in a situation like this. According to Ann Rule’s book, this was a normal practice — and Bundy and Boone took advantage of it. By paying off the prison guards, they were able to spend some time together. And it was during one of these meet-ups that the baby was conceived.

Getting away with it

In Conversations With a Killer, Boone herself can be heard reflecting on how the guards would let her and Bundy get away with it. Commenting on how “nice” one such official was, she claimed, “After the first day they just, they didn’t care. They walked in on us a couple times.”

Drumming up interest

Eventually, word got out that Boone was carrying Bundy’s baby — and predictably this drummed up a lot of interest. The press started to prod Boone, trying to get her to speak about it. She, in turn, apparently responded by saying, “I don’t have to explain anything about anyone to anybody.”

Secrecy

And this air of secrecy has endured to this very day, as we know very little of Bundy’s only kid. It’s been recorded that the child arrived on October 24, 1982, and that it was a girl named Rose. This wasn’t that long before Bundy’s own life would finally come to an unceremonious end.

Crazy world

Rose was born into the craziest of worlds. Her dad, thanks to his trial being broadcast on TV, was a massive celebrity, albeit for the grimmest of reasons. Many people were following his life story with tremendous interest and it seems not all of them thought badly of the killer.

Appeal

Stephen G. Michaud, who co-wrote The Only Living Witness, once told E! True Hollywood Story about the female “fans” of Bundy who used to dress in the same way as his victims apparently had. “So, women would come to court with their hair parted in the middle, wearing hoop earrings,” he explained. “A couple of them even dyed their hair the right kind of brown… They wanted to appeal to Ted.”

Playing happy families

This was the madness into which baby Rose was born. During the child’s earliest years, she was very much a part of Bundy’s life. Boone used to take her to the prison to see her dad, not to mention also bringing along her son from a previous relationship. They were playing happy families, despite all the craziness.

Breaking down

But the illusion of marital bliss eventually broke down. A few years before Bundy’s execution, Boone finally left her criminal husband. Her decision came after he actually admitted to his crimes. It seems she genuinely may have believed in his innocence up until this point, so now she had to leave.

The end

The divorce went through and Boone took her kids and moved away from Florida. According to reports, Bundy would never speak with his wife or child ever again. And before long, the day of his execution finally arrived. After nine years awaiting his fate, it was now time. Bundy was killed on January 24, 1989.

Into obscurity

With that, Boone and her kids slipped away from the glare of the public and into obscurity. Naturally, she wanted to start afresh. We don’t know much about what happened to her after Bundy was executed, though that hasn’t stopped some people from feverishly speculating on the matter.

Speculation

Online communities out there still concern themselves with trying to uncover details of Boone’s life after Bundy. Plenty of theories are in circulation but the truth remains unclear. Some people think she simply started to go by another name in an attempt to live a regular life.

Nobody knows

In truth, nobody really knows what happened to Boone — and there’s every chance it’ll remain that way forever. People will still likely want to find out but perhaps that’s just part of the intrigue? It’s just a little mystery to work out in an already strange and bleak tale.

Rose’s fate

The fate of baby Rose is similarly unclear. By now she’d be in her late 30s, plus we can probably assume she goes by another name besides Rose Bundy. Most people wouldn’t exactly want an association like that following them around as they attempt to live a normal life.

Enough pain

For what it’s worth, writer Ann Rule’s given her two cents on the matter. “I have heard that Ted’s daughter is a kind and intelligent young woman but I have no idea where she and her mother may live,” she told Cosmopolitan. “They have been through enough pain.”

Deserve privacy

Rule’s also written about Rose on her website. “I have deliberately avoided knowing anything about Ted’s ex-wife and daughter’s whereabouts because they deserve privacy,” she explained. “I don’t want to know where they are; I never want to be caught off guard by some reporter’s question about them. All I know is that Ted’s daughter has grown up to be a fine young woman.”

More rumors

Not everyone’s so respectful of Rose’s privacy, of course. As with her mother, there are plenty of people out there who’d love to know where she is. Rumors say this and that but nothing’s ever been confirmed. Rose, or whatever her name is nowadays, clearly doesn’t want to be found.

Enduring legacy

The interest in Rose and her mother’s a testament to the sensation that Ted Bundy caused. His crimes really captured the imaginations of so many people — and his story still has a macabre appeal today. Decades have passed but people continue to obsess over this most infamous of killers.