Snake River Jane Doe was a teenage girl serial killer Ted Bundy confessed to killing in Idaho on September 2, 1974. Her remains have not been recovered or linked to an existing unidentified person case. Additionally, she should not be confused with Lynette Culver, another missing girl from Idaho who Bundy confessed to killing.
Case[]
Shortly before his execution in Florida on January 24, 1989, Ted Bundy spoke with Idaho investigators and confessed to committing murders in the state of Idaho. The second victim was Lynette Culver, who disappeared from Pocatello, Idaho, on May 6, 1975, and whose body has not been found.
The first victim was a teenage hitchhiker Bundy encountered on the outskirts of Boise, Idaho. He was driving from Seattle, Washington, to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Interstate 84 when he came across her near the Eisenmann exit in sight of ranch-style houses. He stopped to offer her a ride, and she accepted. Bundy described her as a possible runaway from Boise and believed she was heading to Montana. At some point, Bundy raped and strangled her and disposed of her body. The next day, he returned to the spot where he disposed of her and took photographs and dismembered her remains before disposing of them in a nearby river, possibly the Snake River.
Bundy's confession to killing the unidentified hitchhiker is believed to be credible by local investigators. Although there were some discrepancies in his description of the area, this could be accounted for by the highway being under construction at that time. Additionally, a former girlfriend of Bundy received a phone call from him in Nampa, Idaho, a town 20 miles west of Boise that is alongside Interstate 84. Receipts from a gas station near Boise airport confirmed Bundy was in the area on the day of the alleged murder.
In September 2024, the Ada County Sheriff's Office renewed an effort to locate and identify the victim, now known as the "Snake River Jane Doe." No missing reports from the Boise area at that time match Bundy's description, so the ACSO encourages anyone who may remember someone who went missing around that time or has any information to contact them.
Characteristics[]
- Light brown hair.
Accessories[]
- Necklace with black and light-colored beads that resembled spaghetti.
- Green backpack.
Sources[]
- KTVB 7
- Ted Bundy on Wikipedia
- Yahoo News