From 1974 disappearances to 1989 execution: the full timeline of the Ted Bundy case

In January 1974, a University of Washington student vanished from her off-campus apartment in Seattle. It was the first widely reported disappearance in a series that would stretch across the Pacific Northwest and, eventually, to Florida.

Over the following months, more young women disappeared from college campuses and shopping areas in Washington state and Oregon. In July 1974, two women were abducted from a crowded lake near Seattle in broad daylight; their bodies were found months later. The killings continued into 1975, with bodies discovered in remote areas of Washington, Utah, and Colorado.

At first, investigators had no clear suspect. That changed in 1975, when a police officer in Utah stopped Ted Bundy for a traffic violation. According to the source, the officer found handcuffs, a ski mask, and other suspicious items in his car. Bundy, a former law student and Republican campaign worker, was later convicted of kidnapping in Utah in 1976.

While in custody, Bundy was linked to Colorado homicides and extradited there. He escaped twice, the second time in December 1977. By then, the case had taken a dramatic turn.

In January 1978, two women were attacked at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University in Tallahassee; two died and two others were severely beaten. Later that same night, a woman in a nearby apartment was attacked and killed. The Florida crimes were discovered when a student returned to the sorority house and found the victims.